TESTIMONY
of
Catherine Plume
Sierra Club DC Chapter
before the
Department of Transportation and the Environment Committee
Oversight Hearing for the Department of Public Works
February 8, 2022
I’m Catherine Plume representing the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club which is the nation’s oldest, largest and most influential environmental advocacy group. We have chapters in all 50 states, and the DC chapter has some 3,000 dues-paying members. Thank you, Councilmember Cheh, for being a champion of environmental issues in DC. We also want to commend the DPW employees–especially those on the streets–for their commitment to DC during the pandemic.
I hope that the mayoral candidates are listening in today as the next DC mayor will govern the District during one of the most critical times in our history. We have an ever smaller window of opportunity to help mitigate the most dire impacts of climate change, and much of what determines the District’s resilience will be determined in the next five years. The Department of Public Works (DPW), with its purview over much of the District’s fleet and waste diversion and disposal will determine whether the District becomes a leader in state of the art technologies that help reduce emissions or if it continues as it does today, to rely on bygone systems that continue to pollute our environment and the air quality for a disproportionate number of marginalized communities. The position of DPW Director is currently vacant, and the Sierra Club hopes the Mayor will seek, and the Council will insist, that new DPW leadership have a proven track record and be a driving force for new technologies. We are concerned however, as while the director position is open, we’ve not been able to find a job announcement for this position. Does it exist? Could you point us to it? When the position was open last year, the environmental community sent a letter to the Mayor outlining the skillset that is needed for leadership of a modern and forward-thinking DPW. A copy of this letter outlining these skills can be found at https://www.sierraclub.org/dc/blog/2021/02/visionary-leadership-needed-for-dcs-waste-management .
Over the past year, we have seen little progressive action towards DC’s climate mitigation and waste diversion at DPW or within the Office of Waste Diversion (OWD). While OWD holds stakeholder meetings, they seem to be only focusing on endless studies versus any real action, but all is shrouded in a lack of transparency. For example:
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In July last year, OWD enthusiastically reported that DC’s waste diversion rate had increased to 25 percent , but the details of this study and its metrics are not available. While DPW is celebrating an increase in recycling, this low rate greatly concerns us, and without an implemented waste management plan that includes residential and commercial composting, we see no way that the District’s goal of 80 percent diversion by 2032–a mere 10 years from now– is attainable. OWD’s focus on sending out flyers and conducting more and more studies does not seem to be a viable strategy.
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In 2021, it seems the OWD conducted yet another study on the cost/benefits of landfills vs. incineration. Such studies have already been conducted, but this OWD deemed it necessary to conduct yet another such study. The results have not been made public though we were told they would be by the end of 2021.
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OWD is focused on the development of a ZeroWaste plan. Unfortunately and despite considerable urging from the environmental community, this seems to be a stand alone plan versus one that is integrated into a wider waste diversion plan, but we don’t know for sure as despite requests, the TOR has not been shared with us.
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Meanwhile, the District’s zerowaste.dc.gov website, a supposed resource for all things waste-diversion is woefully out of date. The last report posted on the site is from CY 2018.
We would like to know what OWD is doing. Specifically, under the ZeroWaste Omnibus Amendment Act. The FY22 budget includes over $2M for the Office of Waste Diversion. We would like to have a breakdown of how OWD is spending these funds. Specifically:
1. The Mayor was supposed to "develop a training and outreach program on proper source separation and waste reduction for janitorial staff and property managers at private collection properties, including District facilities and agencies, multifamily properties, and commercial properties" by January 1, 2022. [Section 2b(3) - New subsection (f) added to D.C. Official Code § 8-1031.03]. We assume that the training program was to have been developed by OWD.
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What progress has been made in the development of this program?
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In the course of developing this program, the Mayor is supposed to "consult with waste collectors, waste management brokers, and property managers" at least 4 times a year. Has that been happening?
2. The Mayor was supposed to establish a collection point for source-separated glass by January 1, 2022 [Section 2c - New section 103b added to DC Official Code].
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What progress has been made toward the establishment of this glass collection point(s)?
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Meanwhile, District residents are still told to place their glass jars and bottles in recycling when in fact this glass is not recycled. DC is actually paying recycling facilities to take this glass that is then used as landfill cover or trashed. When will DPW a) either develop a viable glass recycling program or b) stop using DC taxpayer monies to “pretend” that glass is being recycled.
3. Our reading of the DPW Fiscal Year 2022 budget includes funding for development of the District’s Organic Waste Management Plan ($100,000), food waste separation, outreach and other pertinent programs ($231,957) and 2 FTE program analyst provisions in addition to other funding for Zero Waste Act implementation, which are critical, given that as much as half of organic waste in the District is generated by the industrial, commercial and institutional sector.
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Could you confirm our understanding of these budget allocations and provide relevant information on implementation of these funds? Specifically, is the Organic Waste Plan under development? When can we expect the first draft to be published considering that the Zero Waste Act requires the Mayor to "provide an opportunity for public review and comment" before it is finalized by January 1, 2023. We look forward to having an opportunity to review and comment on this plan.
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Similarly, assuming that our understanding of budget allocations are correct, does DPW have plans to conduct outreach to ensure that large grocery stores and universities separate and arrange for composting of all their back-of-house food waste beginning January 1, 2023. What is DPW’s enforcement plan for these requirements?
A Renovation of the Benning Road Transfer Station
We were pleased to hear that the Mayor included a ~$100M capital budget line item in her 2022 budget for the renovation of the Benning Road Transfer Station with ~$32M of this amount meant to be spent in FY22. Unfortunately, we understand that to date none of these funds have been spent. Is that correct? We would like an update on these funds and plans for Benning Road and welcome reading the quarterly reports on this project, to be made available to Council and public stakeholders, called for by this Committee last year. Currently, DC waste is going to the Fort Totten Transfer Station which is in dire need of repair. The District and it’s 700,000 plus residents need and deserve a state of the art transfer facility.
Residential Composting Services
The environmental community has promoted curbside composting as a way to reduce DC’s greenhouse gas emissions and waste for more than a decade. As it is, far too much of the District’s organic waste is incinerated or landfilled, creating toxic methane gas that contributes to climate change (methane has 86 times the 20 year warming potential of CO2) and negatively impacts the low-income and Black and brown communities who reside near these facilities. The implementation of a residential composting program should be one of DPW’s top priorities.
Recycling Outreach and Education
In 2021, we were told that in 2022, DPW would be increasing outreach efforts to multi-family dwellings, a tactic that we wholeheartedly support as more DC residents are working from home than ever before. We look forward to an update. We also urge OWD/DPW to take a firmer stance on ensuring that recycling is adopted and correctly practiced within all DC government (DCG) facilities as required by law. We don’t need flyers in our mailboxes. We need action on the ground and fines levied on chronic polluters.
Electrification of the DC Fleet
The DPW Fleet Management Administration has the opportunity to improve District air quality and decarbonize its fleet through electrification. DPW operates over 3,000 internal combustion vehicles ranging from sedans to heavy-duty vehicles- all of which have direct negative impacts on air quality and District residents' respiratory health. Electric vehicles (EVs) do not generate the damaging tailpipe emissions which have been linked to asthma, emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease, and climate change. Additionally, lifecycle assessments find that EVs require less maintenance over their years of use, thereby reducing fleet maintenance costs, and the District does not have to plan for the volatility of fuel prices. Importantly, the savings in fuel costs have been shown in other major cities to pay for new EVs within 10 years. The DC chapter of the Sierra Club recommends DPW allocate increased funding for acquisition of electric and zero-emission vehicles, in line with the Mayor's goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. We are grateful that Mayor Bowser signed a Memorandum of Understanding with 15 state governors committing to make medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sales 30 percent ZEV by 2030 and 100 percent ZEV by 2050. While we are also pleased that DPW intends to increase the number of packers, 6-wheel, and 10-wheel vehicles running on biodiesel, we urge the Agency to establish a preference for EV options for these heavy duty vehicles. Biodiesel engines generate fewer emissions than conventional alternatives, however they still cause significant negative air quality impacts. As such, biodiesel vehicles should only be an interim solution until viable 100 percent electric options are available. DC DPW can be a global leader in fleet electrification, and drive crucial air quality improvements for District residents.
Parking and Ticketing
DPW does not meet the District’s enforcement needs. We understand DPW’s booting team has been reduced from 10 to just 4 people. Limited towing and storage facilities have long been an issue in the District, such that many violators see no need to abide by the rules as they likely face no repercussions for doing so. Meanwhile, there is an urgent need for ticket reciprocity with jurisdiction across the region. We urge the Council to take urgent action on this matter.
Conclusion
To summarize, Councilmember Cheh, the Sierra Club DC Chapter continues to have real concerns about DPW’s commitment to waste diversion in the District. We also ask that DPW make a stronger commitment to ensuring a cleaner fleet and ensuring that traffic laws are enforced. We urge the Mayor to take much needed and concerted action and find leadership for the agency that will move quickly and purposefully to meet DC’s climate and waste diversion goals.
This concludes our testimony. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Please contact us should you have any questions regarding the issues we’ve discussed today.