Testimony of
Aykut Yilmaz
Energy Committee, Sierra Club DC Chapter
Before the
Transportation & the Environment Committee and Committee of the Whole
Regarding
B23-193, the Electric Vehicle Readiness Amendment Act of 2019 and;
B23-204, the Energy Efficiency Standards Amendments Act of 2019.
I’m Aykut Yilmaz, a volunteer for the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club. Thank you, Councilmember Cheh and Chairman Mendelson, for convening this hearing. The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest environmental advocacy group, and we have around 3,000 dues-paying members in DC. We are here to testify in support of B23-204, the Energy Efficiency Standards Amendments Act. Thank you, Councilmember Cheh, for introducing this bill.
Regarding Bill 23-193, the Electric Vehicle Readiness Amendment Act of 2019, the DC Sierra Club supports council establishing strong legislative mandates on EV infrastructure, including setting minimum thresholds for EV-ready parking spaces based on a substantial percentage of the number of spaces provided. We are still reviewing the details of this specific bill and will share our comments with the committee soon.
“The Best Policy Climate and Energy Policy You’ve Never Heard Of” Is Great for DC
Appliance efficiency standards are “the best climate and energy policy you’ve never heard of.” National efficiency standards for water- and energy-consuming appliances found in homes, offices, and businesses have created tremendous benefits. In DC, it has meant that the average consumer is saving almost $500 every year because of federal standards. It means there is an extra $251 million every year going into the local economy that would otherwise be going to pay for coal in Kentucky or fracked gas in Pennsylvania. That means more money in everyone’s pockets to spend at local businesses and create DC jobs. Appliance standards are also one of the most effective tools to address the split incentives for appliance efficiency -- landlords have little incentive to invest in efficient appliances when they don’t pay utility bills. This is especially relevant in DC where homeownership is only 40%, which is lower than all 50 states and far below the 64% national rate.
DC as a Regional and National Climate Leader
While DC still benefits from past progress, the federal Appliance and Equipment Standards Program is now, to borrow a phrase, “brain dead.” The Trump administration has frozen the development of new standards and has even been rolling them back in a massive capitulation to corporate and ideological interests. You are going to hear from some of those interests today, but it is critical that DC and other states address this absence of federal leadership and be as progressive as possible. The Energy Efficiency Standards Amendments Act would do exactly that, and it would follow the lead of states that have passed similar laws and join other states considering the same. An attached fact sheet lists the appliances covered by the bill, the states that have passed similar legislation, and the states considering passing similar legislation in 2020. One of those states considering similar legislation is Maryland, so we can continue to demonstrate regional leadership by passing this bill, and hopefully convince Maryland and others to do the same. The fact sheet also shows the benefits from the proposed standards for DC. There are multiple products and brands on the market today that meet all these proposed standards. They are based on either the requirements of other states, namely California, or standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR and WaterSense programs, which have all evaluated the technical feasibility and product availability of their standards, so DC is on sure footing to proceed with these standards. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) conducted an analysis showing that many of these standards can be met with appliances at no extra cost. For appliances requiring more expensive products, the average payback period for all standards would be less than five years. We would note that, since the bill’s introduction, several of these standards have been updated, so we support updating the bill as recommended to the council by ASAP.
Climate Goals
The building sector is responsible for three-quarters of DC's emissions, according to the Department of Energy and Environment's Greenhouse Gas Inventory. To meet DC’s climate commitments of 50% emissions reductions by 2032 and carbon neutrality by 2050, the District needs to implement all available solutions to reduce emissions from the building sector. According to an ASAP analysis, which is attached, this bill is expected to eliminate 54,000 tonnes of CO2 per year by 2032. That is equal to 1% of our emissions target for that year. While that might sound like a small amount, it is a substantial step that, when combined with other DC initiatives to decarbonize our energy and boost efficiency, will help us meet or exceed that goal. In fact, energy efficiency is the foundation upon which we can build towards all of our climate goals, including carbon neutrality. This bill cuts our carbon emissions while saving consumers $20 million per year and protecting low- and moderate-income renters from landlords who install cheap, inefficient appliances.
Summary
I thank the committee for the opportunity to speak to you on behalf of the DC Sierra Club on this important proposed legislation. Let’s pass this bill and keep the benefits flowing to DC.