Washington DC Headlines
AOBA Attains Accountability, Reduced Costs in New DC Energy Bill
Months of intense advocacy work paid off in July – with energy legislation that will be less costly for members and will bring a new level of accountability to the bureaucracy responsible for the District’s environmental programs. The city’s “Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008,” to become effective this fall, includes several key amendments promoted by AOBA that make the legislation significantly less onerous and more effective in promoting energy efficiency and conservation. Most importantly, thanks to a strong push by AOBA and its members, the legislation now includes a provision authorizing submetering in commercial buildings. (In the fall, AOBA expects Councilmembers to introduce legislation authorizing submetering in multifamily buildings.)
Also, responding to AOBA’s insistence on accountability, the final legislation requires the District’s Department of the Environment (DDOE) and Sustainable Energy Utility to submit quarterly reports detailing the expenditures from each of these funds: Sustainable Energy Trust Fund, Energy Assistance Trust Fund, and Renewable Energy Development Fund. Finally, representing a huge savings for AOBA members, the legislation reduces a previously sky-high alternative compliance fee (ACF) for solar energy.
Also, responding to AOBA’s insistence on accountability, the final legislation requires the District’s Department of the Environment (DDOE) and Sustainable Energy Utility to submit quarterly reports detailing the expenditures from each of these funds: Sustainable Energy Trust Fund, Energy Assistance Trust Fund, and Renewable Energy Development Fund. Finally, representing a huge savings for AOBA members, the legislation reduces a previously sky-high alternative compliance fee (ACF) for solar energy.
