On September 23, the DC Council's first day back at work after the summer recess, the DC Sierra Club, along with a coalition of local environmental groups, held a rally in front of City Hall to ask the Council to take action on key legislation that could make DC a national leader on local climate solutions.
The DC Council is currently considering two bills that would help divest our city resources from fossil fuels and instead invest in clean energy sources. Specifically, we asked the Council to pass the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act of 2013 [B20-0481], which would divest city pension and health annuity funds from fossil fuel companies, and the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Amendment Act of 2013 [B20-418], which would amend DC’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard to ensure it is actually investing in clean, renewable fuels.
Reverend Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus spoke to the group, with the message that DC can be a leader for the rest of the country on climate change and clean energy to create a more just, sustainable city that will benefit us all.