DC Environmental Agenda 99: Next | Table of Contents
Thirty-two percent of D.C. households do not have access to a car. Many residents of D.C. and its inner suburbs who do own a car would prefer not to use it to commute to work. Yet the nation's capital has too often been forced to place the needs of commuters driving into the city every day over the needs of the city's residents. Thus, a balanced transportation policy for D.C. will seek to reduce pollution from vehicles (the chief contributor to D.C.'s air pollution problem), while improving services for the large segment of the population without cars or choosing not to use their cars for everyday life. Both of these objectives can be reached by enhancing transit, walking and bicycling.
Washington D.C. can only rebuild itself for long-term economic stability by protecting and improving the livability of the city's neighborhoods. Investing in D.C.'s existing transportation infrastructure and improving transportation choices beyond the car is vital to the economic recovery of the nation's capital.
Plan for Clean Transportation
Transportation is the primary source of air pollution in the District of Columbia and the region. Air pollution harms the health of our citizens (particularly seniors, children, and the ill), and contributes to the rising cost of respiratory illness in our community. Traffic congestion on our streets directly affects the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
From 1995-1997 the Department of Public Works conducted a long-range planning process to map out a preferred future scenario for the District of Columbia's economy and the transportation system necessary to support that scenario. The transportation vision and the strategy that came out of that process (titled "A Transportation Vision, Strategy, and Action Plan for the Nation's Capital") made a number of worthwhile recommendations, including the expansion and strengthening of mass transit, the development of a network of bicycle trails and routes, and the construction of a new light rail system.
These recommendations, which provide a framework for the next 20 years of transportation investments in the city, generally represent sound transportation policy and should be implemented. However, the Plan can be criticized for failing to identify pollution reduction as a priority. For example, the construction of municipal parking lots, which would encourage added automobile trips, should have received a lower ranking than the restoration of bus, HOV, taxi, and bicycle lanes that existed in the 1970's on the city's major arterial streets.
Today, more than a year after the 1997 Transportation Plan was unveiled, there is little evidence that its recommendations are being implemented. Even the "Early Action Items" (see pages 11-12 of the Plan), so designated because they would not require legislative approval or extensive funding, do not seem to be moving forward.
Planning for enhanced bicycle transportation is similarly gridlocked. Unfortunately, the Office of Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator in DPW's Intermodal Planning Office was abolished in 1992. Recently, over $15 million has been authorized (via the 1998 Federal transportation act (TEA-21) and the D.C. FY99 capital budget) for planning, design, and construction of bicycle-oriented infrastructure. However, the lack of a bicycle coordinator has created a barrier to the expenditure of these funds. The City's bicycle plan was last updated in 1975, before the Capital Crescent and MetBranch bike trails were begun, and before the advent of MetroRail. The plan should be updated. In addition, most of the $15 million is earmarked for completion of the MetBranch bicycle trail, which connects Takoma Park to Union Station; it should be completed.
Recommendations for Action:
(1) The Mayor and Council should review the D.C. transportation plan and subsequent implementation plans and adjust funding priorities, ranking transportation projects according to their environmental benefits.
(2) DPW should take prompt action to implement the Plan's "Early Action Items," including:
(b) initiation of trial service for a neighborhood bus service that uses smaller buses and provides for increased route flexibility (We recommend a U St./Adams Morgan/Woodley Park route for trial.);
(c) completion of the bicycle routes identified in the Plan, including the Metropolitan Branch Trail, the Pennsylvania Avenue Cross-Town Route, etc. for which $8.5 million is authorized.
(4) DPW should develop plans to increase the total number of bicycle and pedestrian trips made in D.C.
Contact for more information: Ellen Jones, Washington Area Bicyclists Association.
Promote Clean Transportation
Metro stations are sometimes hard to find because they are poorly marked. This makes the system inscrutable to tourists and newcomers, and reduces transit use. In order to promote metro use in D.C., signage should be improved for stations as well as ease of access for pedestrians and bicyclists to metro stations.
As a general matter, providing free parking benefits to employees represents bad policy because it subsidizes automobile use. This is a problem particularly with private sector and federal employees, as few D.C. employees enjoy free parking. The 1998 federal transportation authorization bill, TEA-21, offers "Community Choice" alternatives to "free" parking. Under Community Choice, "Metrochecks" can be offered to D.C. employees allowing employers to offer transit subsidies as a pre-tax payroll deduction. The D.C. government should take advantage of this federal support under TEA-21 for mass transit.
Recommendations for Action:
(1) DPW and Metro should erect prominent directional signs within two or three blocks of all Metro stations.
(2) D.C.'s government agencies should act quickly to offer Metrocheck to D.C. government workers, and join Metro in promoting the program to private sector and tax-exempt employers. All D.C. government employees should in addition be offered subsidized transit passes as a low-cost way of enhancing their benefit packages and getting them out of their cars.
(3) The D.C. Bureau of Motor Vehicles should provide information at the time of motor vehicle license renewal and motor vehicle registration to D.C. residents informing them of the availability of the Commuter Choice tax benefits.
(4) The Mayor should encourage all city agencies to make bicycles available to D.C. government workers where appropriate for the performance of their official duties, as with parking enforcement, building inspectors, police patrols, etc. Bike parking, changing areas and showers should be provided for commuters arriving by bike or foot.
(5) The Council should enact legislation to provide tax and licensing incentives for highly energy-efficient and zero emissions vehicles.
Restore MetroBus Service
A few years ago, MetroBus experienced major reductions in service in D.C. Twenty bus routes were eliminated and service reductions were made on 30 others. Currently, however, the D.C. Mass Transit Office is generating income in excess of expenses. Some restoration of bus service should be effected in the near term as a signal to D.C. residents that recovery of services is underway, that the City is committed to helping people at all economic strata, and that strong transit is essential to an economically healthy urban core.
Recommendations for Action:
(1) The Mayor and Council should budget for the restoration of MetroBus service to under-served neighborhoods.
Contact for more information: Josh Silver, Metro Watch; Anna El-Eini, Friends of the Earth.
Phase Out Diesel Buses
Tailpipe emissions from diesel buses are known to generate a significant amount of pollution in the form of fine particles. The level of dust and particulate matter in the air we breathe is regulated by EPA through the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (known as NAAQS), which are set at levels necessary to protect human health and welfare. Air that contains more pollution than specified by a NAAQS standard is considered unhealthful. When the air quality in a state does not comply with one or more of the NAAQS it is classified as a "nonattainment" area by EPA and must adopt stricter emissions controls on pollution sources.
Beginning in 2002, EPA will implement a new NAAQS that will regulate the amount of small particulate matter in the air. This new standard is known as "PM2.5" since it sets a new limit on particulate matter of 2.5 microns in size. Scientific evidence shows that these small particles are capable of carrying highly toxic, cancer-causing compounds deeply into the lungs. Initial monitoring by the National Park Service shows that D.C. currently has considerably more PM-2.5 in its air than the EPA standard will allow. The D.C. Air Quality Division does not expect this situation to improve between now and 2002, and it is likely that D.C. will be declared a "nonattainment" area for PM-2.5.
A major portion of the PM-2.5 in D.C.'s air is traced to vehicle emissions since D.C. has few major stationary industrial sources of particulate pollution. While privately owned vehicles contribute significantly to diesel emissions, jurisdictions around the country are working to reduce the diesel pollution problem by switching their bus fleets from diesel to fuel alternatives, such as hydrogen fuel cells, electric, and compressed natural gas (CNG). Since diesel buses emit large quantities of ozone-promoting pollutants in addition to particulate pollution, clean fuel buses will also help D.C. comply with the NAAQS for ozone pollution, which it regularly exceeds.
While CNG buses currently cost about 20% more than diesel buses, the cost is offset quickly by lower fuel and maintenance costs. Washington Gas paid for a major portion of Montgomery County's CNG fueling station infrastructure and similar public-private partnerships are possible here in D.C. Most importantly, the new federal transportation bill, known as TEA-21, has a special grant program that provides up to $25 million annually to assist transit systems in the purchase of clean fuel buses and the associated infrastructure. D.C.'s DPW currently has a joint program with the Navy to convert 100-200 fleet vehicles to CNG.
Recommendations for Action:
(1) The Mayor and Council should call upon Metro to begin conversion of the bus fleet to compressed natural gas or some other clean fuel alternative. Within 2 years, 50% of all new buses placed in service by Metro should be powered by clean fuels, and within four years, all new buses added to the Metro fleet should be clean fuel vehicles.
(2) The Council should enact legislation to phase out diesel buses
and other diesel-powered fleet vehicles, requiring that --
(a) within 2 years, 50% of any new buses and trucks purchased by the
D.C. government be powered by clean fuels;
(b) within four years, all new buses and trucks added to D.C. agency
fleets be clean fuel vehicles.
Contact for more information: Mark Wenzler, Sierra Club New Columbia Chapter.
Improve Energy Efficiency and Promote Renewable Energy
The quality of the air we breathe and the climate we depend upon is greatly influenced by the way we produce and use energy – whether it be from coal, oil, natural gas, or renewable sources such as solar, wind, and biomass. Using energy more efficiently can reduce the pollutants that come from motor vehicles and power plants and will save consumers money. Renewable energy has the advantage of protecting air quality while serving our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations. New technology is offering a wide set of options for communities that want to reduce the impacts of energy consumption and save money in the process. Much innovation is taking place at the local level, and with the right policies in place, D.C. residents, businesses, and government agencies can share in the benefits.
Recommendations for Action:
(1) The Mayor should enroll the D.C. Government in EPA's Energy Star Buildings Program and identify 3 D.C. Government structures for enrollment in the President's Million Solar Roofs Campaign. (Also noted under the "Green Government Initiative" in Section VI below.) In our area, Arlington County, CVS Corporation, Montgomery County, the Washington Times, and Providence Hospital, among others, are currently participating in Energy Star Buildings.
(2) The City Council should enact the 1998 supplement to the D.C. Construction Code, as recommended by DCRA. This action is needed to put in place the 1995 CABO Model Energy Code for new residential construction (which has already been adopted by Maryland and Virginia) and to update the energy standards for new commercial buildings.
(3) The D.C. Public Service Commission should require Pepco and any other potential marketers of electricity in the District to disclose on customers' electric bills the fuel source of the electric power sold in the City. Utilities should be required at least twice a year to itemize how much coal, nuclear, municipal solid waste incineration, natural gas, and renewable energy sources account for their electricity generation and bulk purchases. Information should also be provided on air and water emissions, nuclear and solid waste generation, and reliability. Much work has already been done in other jurisdictions to standardize the "green labeling" of electric power.
(4) The D.C. PSC should stop attempts by Pepco to terminate the ratepayer supported energy efficiency and low-income assistance programs. Utility customers in the District have long supported energy conservation programs, and insulated low-income households from high energy costs, but Pepco has proposed eliminating most of these programs.
(5) The Council should enact legislation requiring all new windows sold in the District to display labels developed by the National Fenestration Rating Council, informing consumers of the relative energy efficiency of their choices in new or replacement windows. Windows account for about 25% of the heating and cooling bills in a typical home, due to heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. High performance windows are now commercially available that can dramatically cut this source of energy expense and pollution.
(6) The Council should enact legislation reducing the 6% D.C. sales tax on purchases of new home appliances and heating and cooling equipment carrying the Energy Star label. Refrigerators, clothes washers, dishwashers, room air conditioners and furnaces are all major energy users in the home, and the Energy Star label developed by the EPA and the Department of Energy identifies models that are significantly more energy efficient than others on the market. Cutting the D.C. sales tax down to 1% or 2% for a limited time (e.g. 2 years) for these high-dollar items could boost sales of white goods and heating/cooling equipment for District retailers while producing major energy and dollar savings for D.C. consumers.
(7) The Department of Public Works should begin the conversion of the City's traffic signals from incandescent lamps to light emitting diodes (LED). LED fixtures use far less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescents, saving material and labor costs as well as energy. Prices for LED signals have dropped as much as 50% in recent years.
(8) The D.C. PSC should act now to eliminate barriers preventing the use of renewable energy systems. The PSC should ensure that citizens have the right to sell electricity generated by small scale renewable energy.
Join the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign
More than 50 local jurisdictions in the US, including Denver, Memphis, Newark, and Atlanta, are now participating in the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, sponsored by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in Toronto, and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. Participating communities recognize that increasing energy efficiency and decreasing fossil fuel consumption is a cost-effective, common sense strategy for tackling a number of interconnected local issues. The District should be a part of this campaign and adopt a plan for emission reductions. The D.C. Public Service Commission has a key role to play in this area, and the Mayor and Council should be prepared to act if the commission fails to do so.
Recommendations for Action:
The Mayor should propose and the Council adopt a resolution initiating the District's participation in the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign. The District would agree to prepare a local action plan describing the steps to be taken to reduce both greenhouse gas and conventional air pollution emissions. The plan would include –
(a) a greenhouse gas emissions analysis and forecast to determine the
sources and quantity of the District's emissions;
(b) a carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions reduction target;
(c) the strategy for meeting the City's target, e.g. an outline of
the programs and measures that will be implemented to achieve the target.
Contact for more information: Ed Osann, Potomac Resources, Inc.