On May 24, the Sierra Club DC Chapter passed the resolution below supporting DC Statehood.
RESOLUTION ON STATEHOOD FOR THE PEOPLE IN DC
Whereas, the rights of the residents of the District of Columbia are abridged when the U.S. Congress imposes its will on local matters -- including important environmental issues facing the District -- and denies citizens who live in the District of Columbia voting representation on federal issues in both houses of the U.S. Congress;
Whereas, D.C. residents are unable to pass local laws -- including efforts to address climate change and other important environmental issues -- without the approval of Congress, an injustice endured by no U.S. state;
Whereas, District residents have voting representatives in neither the U.S. House nor the U.S. Senate, denying them a voice on environmental matters such as the Capitol Power Plant, which burns fossil fuel, polluting the air District residents breathe and contributing to climate change;
Whereas, more than 672,000 District residents have no U.S. senators to vote on confirmation of important judicial and executive branch officials -- such as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;
Whereas, 86 percent of District voters approved a referendum in support of D.C. statehood on November 8, 2016;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Sierra Club DC Chapter supports granting the people of the District of Columbia the full rights of American citizenship by making the residential and commercial areas of the District of Columbia the 51st State, while preserving a smaller non-residential federal district as the nation’s capital.