Washington DC Headlines
Vote On Energy Bill Delayed
Efforts by AOBA and other business groups concerned about the “Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008” have momentarily resulted in slowing down the fast track that prime mover Mary Cheh (D-Ward 4) had sought for it. She removed a number of provisions, notably the AOBA-advanced submetering provisions, in order to secure the necessary votes to move the bill out of committee. Stakeholders, public and private, however, continue to have concerns about the revised bill. An AOBA and Pepco-led coalition argued to Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D-At Large) and other councilmembers that they deserved sufficient time to review the 30-page bill in order to understand its impact on their constituents. Cheh ultimately pulled the bill from the June 3 legislative agenda and it will now proceed on the regular legislative schedule, coming before the Council on July 1 and 15.
