TESTIMONY
of
Catherine Plume
Vice Chair, Sierra Club DC Chapter
before the
D. C. Transportation and the Environment Committee on
DC Department of Public Works
Budget Oversight Hearing
March 28, 2010
John A. Wilson Building, Room 500
I’m Catherine Plume, the Vice Chair of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club, a lifelong environmentalist, and a 20-year District resident. Thank you, Councilmember Cheh, for convening this hearing and for being a champion of environmental issues in DC.
The DC environmental community had a very constructive meeting with Acting Director Geldart and some of his key staff earlier this week. We are pleased hear that actions are already underway to improve the functioning of the Fort Totten Transfer Station and ensure that waste and recycling rules are enforced with commercial and residential customers.
As we reviewed the draft FY20 budget, the Sierra Club was pleased to see an overall 7.3 percent increase in the Department of Public Works (DPW) budget over FY19 figures, and we support this increase. The increases in spending for upgrades to the Benning Road Transfer Station and a commitment to $3.5m over the next 6 years to expand DPW’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure are encouraging green initiatives are much needed – and in the case of the Benning Road Transfer Station – long, long overdue investments.
Aside from these increases, the Club is particularly pleased to see a $238,000 increase in the Office of Waste Diversion (OWD) draft budget. While we would like to see an even greater investment in this Office, we recognize that District resources are limited. This additional budget represents a minimal amount that will allow OWD to advance on the District’s waste reduction goals. We understand that these funds will allow for two additional FTEs within this office as well as the full funding of the residential composting program and rebate and the continuation and possible expansion of the food waste dropoff programs.
The Club is also pleased to see a $2,766,000 increase for rush hour towing and bike lane enforcement. The Club would ask that DPW take the bike lane enforcement aspect of this funding very seriously. We appreciate that the Councilmember pointed out the decrease in the number of bike lane citations in 2019 over 2018 at the February oversight hearing. Anyone who cycles in the District knows that parking in bike lanes remains a very serious issue that threatens the safety of DC residents and hampers progress towards the Mayor’s Vision Zero plan.
The development of a District Zero Waste plan as prescribed within D.C. Law 20-154 Sustainable Solid Waste Management Amendment Act of 2014 has not been initiated, a point that we have highlighted with this Committee and in our conversation with the Acting Director on Monday. This plan is essential if DC is to reach its 2032 80 percent waste diversion goal. The Acting Director acknowledged the importance of such a plan, while noting that his research indicates that the last District Waste Master Plan was developed sometime around 1970. Times and technology have certainly changed since then, and we agree with the Acting Director that a new waste master plan is merited. And, we all agreed that the Zero Waste Plan would be a subcomponent of that master plan. Furthermore, we were encouraged to hear the Acting Director note that a timeline for the development of any District waste master plan should not take more than six months. The Sierra Club fully endorses the development of such a plan.
And, while we agree that a comprehensive waste master plan for the District is important, pending work and studies should go forward. The identification of a composting facility is proving difficult, and we urge OWD to continue to identify potential properties. A Pay-As-You-Throw pilot has been on the books for the past two years with no obvious action to date. The current tipping fees that incentivize the disposal of waste and recyclables in landfills and incinerators needs urgent review. The results of these efforts can and should inform the master plan. At the same time, already successful programs such as the weekly food waste dropoff and residential composting should be continued and expanded.
But at the end of the day, we all know that recycling and composting will not get the District to its 80 percent reduction goal, and we encourage DPW through ZeroWasteDC.gov and other fora to continue to promote other waste reduction measures such as reducing recycling contamination and promoting DPR’s community composting initiative. We also ask that DPW and ZeroWasteDC.gov promote waste reduction through the other “R”s of “reduce” and “reuse”. Certainly, the District’s “Roll-Off” days in each ward are a step in the right direction, but the District offers many other community options for reducing waste that should be embraced.
As always, the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club stands ready to work with OWD, DPW, and ZeroWasteDC.gov on any of these issues.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.