DC Environmental Agenda 99: Next | Table of Contents

The year 1999 is marked by a sense of optimism about the direction of the District of Columbia. The city's financial status is improved, government systems are being made more efficient, services like recycling are back on the street, and people are moving to D.C. in larger numbers.

A new Mayor and Council have the opportunity to reverse some of the negative trends of years past and to work toward a more livable city for all residents. High on the list of livability concerns is protection of the environment. In the District's urban setting, environmental protection means healthy air and water, clean streets, toxic-free homes and workplaces, and good development practices. It means tree-lined streets, attractive open spaces where children are safe to play, and habitat for wildlife like the American Bald Eagle. It also means sensitivity to environmental justice, so that no community is disproportionately burdened by pollution.

A healthy environment in the District attracts people and investments that translate into a healthy economy. It also contributes to a healthy region as more people choose to live in  D.C. rather than choosing sprawl development in the surrounding countryside.

The D.C. Environmental Agenda 99 is a collaborative effort of citizen activists to chart a course for environmental protection. It makes recommendations for action and draws upon the collective wisdom of many District environmental leaders as well as successful initiatives in other parts of the country.

A sampling of actions recommended in the report includes:

Trash, Toxics and Recycling

• Bring recycling to D.C. public schools and government offices
• Promote and enforce D.C.'s commercial-sector recycling law
• Implement and enforce new trash transfer legislation
• Operate a drop-off site for hazardous household waste
• Enact legislation to increase taxes on pesticide application to discourage pesticide use

Safe Drinking Water and Clean Rivers

• WASA and the Army Corps of Engineers should modernize water treatment and distribution facilities
• WASA and the Health Department should cooperate with the CDC and the EPA to carry out their recommended waterborne disease surveillance program
• WASA should restore capital funding for lead line replacement to protect residents against lead poisoning
• WASA should immediately initiate several Combined Sewer Overflow abatement projects to protect the Anacostia River
• The Environmental Health Administration should end its delays in setting quantitative limits on the amount of pollution discharged to our waterways
• Priority should be given by WASA to water conservation programs for churches, social service agencies, public housing and low income residents

Protection of Parks and Trees

• The Mayor and Council should act to prohibit parkland development
• The Mayor should announce a "Citywide Tree Rescue Plan" in 1999 to remove 3500 dead or hazardous trees, plant 5000 trees and prune 10,000 trees
• The Mayor and Council should protect the Oxon Cove area as parkland and should turn Kingman and Heritage Islands in the Anacostia into a park similar to Rock Creek Park
• The Mayor and Council should urge the National Park Service to give full consideration to the citizen-supported Alternative 2 ½, a comprehensive vision for management of Rock Creek Park

Transportation, Energy and Improved Air Quality

• The Mayor and Council should take action to phase out diesel buses and replace them with clean fuel buses
• The Mayor and Council should budget for the restoration of MetroBus service to under-served neighborhoods
• The Department of Public Works should re-establish a Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator position to more effectively use federal transportation money
• D.C. government agencies should offer Metrocheck to employees
• The Mayor should enroll the City in EPA's Energy Star buildings program

Sustainable Development and Economic Revitalization

• The Council should enact new Superfund-type legislation to proactively clean up contaminated sites for redevelopment while protecting public health
• The Mayor and Council should make efforts to enforce mixed-use development zoning rules and to avoid waivers to these rules
• The Mayor and Council should take action to split the rate of taxation on land and buildings to reward those who maintain or improve properties and to discourage vacant lots and abandoned housing
• The Mayor should aggressively work to keep federal jobs in the District as an anchor for economic development

Improved Tools for Protecting Our Environment

• The Mayor should adopt a Green government initiative promoting the purchase of environmentally-friendly products and toxic-free workplaces
• The City Council should establish an income tax check-off and an environmental license plate to raise revenue for environmental protection
• The Mayor should establish an executive position for an environmental advisor and coordinator in his office and ultimately establish an office of Environment and Natural Resources

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