Washington, D.C., will consider a climate bill aimed at increasing its clean energy goals by as much as 50 percent, making its standards among the strongest in the country, according to ThinkProgress. D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh announced the bill on Monday, also hailing its first-of-its kind standard for building efficiency.
The proposed “Clean Energy D.C.” Act would require D.C. to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2032, while increasing fees for oil and gas, creating new building efficiency standards, and authorizing programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“If passed, this will be the strongest clean energy and climate protection law in the nation,” said Mark Rodeffer, chair of the Sierra Club’s D.C. chapter, in a statement. “To meet D.C.’s pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2032 and 80 percent by 2050 and to protect our communities from the catastrophic effects of climate change, this kind of resolute action is needed.”
D.C.’s proposal comes as other climate measure falter: A proposed nationwide tax on carbon emissions met Republican opposition in the House of Representatives in July. And in D.C., advocates were disappointed with the exclusion of a carbon tax from Cheh’s bill.
However, there is precedent for an act like this one: Earlier this month, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law requiring the state to get 100 percent of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045.
