December 2014 marked the end of a nearly two-year campaign effort to dramatically increase the use of wind- and solar-powered electricity in the District by closing a major loophole in DC’s most important clean energy law. Following a unanimous DC Council vote in December, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the “Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Amendment Act of 2014” into law on January 26th, 2015.
The law will make sure that D.C. ratepayers no longer subsidize the burning of dirty “black liquor” and inefficient wood waste – energy sources that pollute on par with coal – under D.C.’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) law. As a result, we’ll reduce carbon pollution by the equivalent of taking 142,000 cars off the road every year — and incentivize the equivalent of about four new utility-scale wind farms throughout our region!
Since July of 2013, with your support, CCAN has been working together with the DC Environmental Network, the Sierra Club DC Chapter, DC Divest, and others to get this bill passed.
This victory puts DC on the path to reducing huge amounts of climate pollution, and incentivizing huge amounts of new clean energy investment across our region. As the world’s top scientists warn that swift action is necessary – at all levels and right now – to avoid irreversible climate impacts, the District is a BIG step closer to doing its part.
We enthusiastically thank the DC Council for voting to support a future with more solar and wind power! Their actions are helping build the infrastructure to create new industries that can employ District residents with good, meaningful jobs.
