Testimony
of
Jean Stewart
Sierra Club, Washington DC Chapter
before the
DC Council Committee on Government Operations
in support of
B23-0130, District of Columbia Office of Resilience Establishment Act of 2019
Thank you, Chairman Todd and members of the Committee, for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the Sierra Club in favor of this legislation. My name is Jean Stewart, and I am a member of the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and largest environmental advocacy group. We have 3,000 dues-paying members in DC.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for introducing the “District of Columbia Office of Resilience Establishment Act.” The Sierra Club supports this bill to make permanent the Office of Resilience within the City Administrator’s Office. We hosted the temporary Chief Resilience Officer at one of our meetings but noted that the position was not only temporary, but also funded by an outside source. We welcomed the fact that the DC government was thinking about resiliency plans and policies but were concerned that the initiative was not part of the DC budget nor of any city agency.
We welcome the creation of a permanent, funded Office of Resiliency for the District of Columbia. Urban areas face many risks, including the growing risks posed by climate change. For example, our city is located on two rivers and includes low-lying areas particularly vulnerable to flooding. Heavier-than-normal rainstorms have already caused flooding in parts of the city, creating problems with vehicular traffic and mass transit and requiring emergency rescue services. It is expected that flooding will continue to increase in our area, as climate change brings heavier rainstorms, higher tides, and greater storm surge in the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.
It is imperative that the city be prepared to assist our vulnerable communities adapt and develop resilience measures to meet this threat. The Office of Resilience, if properly funded and staffed, will enable DC to develop policies and plans in preparation for and adaptation to these challenges.
In addition, DC is subject to increasing temperatures driven by climate change, with data from DOEE clearly showing more heat over the last few years. This affects residents of lower- income areas, senior citizens, workers whose jobs are outdoors, and children. Heat waves drive increased illness and often mortality. This in turn adds to the costs of health care and of work productivity.
Climate change threats are not the only reason for our support of this legislation: there are other potential crises that the city needs to be prepared for, including epidemics, failures of our aging infrastructure including sinkholes, and major electrical outages. We also strongly support the Office of Resilience for its focus on increasing equity in the District of Columbia and building a more inclusive and responsible government that will deliver more equitable outcomes for all residents.
Regarding the specifics of the legislation, we recommend that the bill be less specific regarding the elements of the City Resilience Framework and ensure that the Mayor has the authority to revise the framework as the District adapts to new challenges in circumstances. You are probably already aware that the Urban Resilience Strategy released on April 29 has a somewhat different structure than is laid out in this legislation. The Sierra Club strongly supports the emphasis in the Strategy on building and ensuring resilience equity for the city’s more vulnerable communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of this legislation.