D.C. Citizens United for Clean Energy

CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATION IN D.C.

We are getting closer to bringing clean energy to D.C. On March 2, 2004, a D.C. Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), a bill to bring clean energy to the District was co-introduced by Councilmembers Phil Mendelson and Sharon Ambrose and co-sponsored by Councilmembers Graham, Patterson and Allen. Later on, a Public Hearing took place on May 21 in which many who spoke supported the bill. Read more about what happened at the hearing. The bill continues to move forward and now we have a mark-up date for October 27, 2004. Stay tuned for further developments.

An RPS is a powerful tool to improve Washington, D.C.'s air quality and the health of its residents by bringing in Clean Energy.

This legislation would require retail sellers of electricity to derive at least 11 percent of their sales from renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, by 2021.  It would achieve this modest goal through a market-based credit trading program that would enable clean sources of energy be developed throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. 

Thirteen states around the country have already enacted similar pieces of legislation and companion bills are now being considered in the legislatures of our neighbors, Maryland and Pennsylvania .

The Texas RPS, passed in 1999 under Governor George W. Bush, has been so successful that utility companies have surpassed the percentages of renewable energy required by them.

A Renewable Portfolio Standard will help DC citizens by

Reduced energy bills. Government studies show that Clean Energy Portfolio Standard bills are both feasible and affordable and can work to actually cap spiking natural gas prices.

Creating Jobs: Clean energy production is more labor intensive than traditional energy production. Wind and solar power each provide 40 percent more jobs per dollar of investment than does coal power

Improving the Health of District Residents: Clean energy clears our air and protects our health, especially that of young children. Particulates from power plants alone send over 3,700 people to the emergency room each year and are responsible for almost 20,000 asthma attacks in the DC metropolitan area each year. (Data compiled by Abt Associates for Clear the Air, 2000 study)

Reducing Dangerous Code Purple and Red Days: During these days air quality exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency’s health-based standards.

Helping DC Meet Clean Air Act Guidelines: DC is currently in severe “non-attainment” of clean air targets set by the federal government, which could lead to the loss of tens of millions of federal transit and road-building dollars. Such a significant loss of money could reduce or cut funding for buses, metro expansion, the K Street busway, proposed street car lines on 16^th and Anacostia, bridge and road repair, and road expansion.

Protecting the Anacostia River, Potomac River and Rock Creek: More and more, fossil fuel use is being blamed for the polluted condition of our region’s rivers and creeks.  A Renewable Portfolio Standard will help reverse this unacceptable and health threatening state.

Reduce Threat of Global Warming: Human-induced carbon dioxide emissions, including those from fossil fuel-burning power plants, are the main cause of altering the global climate system. Warming could lead to more mosquito-borne diseases and significantly higher heat-stress mortality in Washington D.C., especially among the poor and elderly.

“A Renewable Portfolio Standard in the District is a win-win,” said Rachel Goldstein, DC Sierra Club volunteer. “It will result in clean energy, which is instrumental in protection of human health and our environment while decreasing our dependence on foreign sources of energy.”