September 21, 2025
The Honorable Councilmember Janeese Lewis George
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Re: Support for DGS Oversight Action and the Solar Acceleration Act of 2025
Dear Councilmember Lewis George:
On behalf of the 12 undersigned organizations, we write to urge you take action via your oversight and legislative authorities to ensure the District government acts to:
1. preserve its ability to utilize federal funding available for solar energy installation on District government property to maximize government energy savings before the funding expires pursuant to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and
2. maximize energy savings from solar on government buildings for District residents over the long term by legislating clear targets and processes for solar PV installations over the next 15 years.
To ensure the District is properly considering the impact of OBBBA provisions on its need to act quickly to preserve maximum possible energy savings for the District government, we urge you first to call an oversight hearing for the Department of General Services within the next month on this topic. To ensure that the District continues to act with the needed speed and regularity to ensure solar energy savings reduce government energy costs in the years to come, we also write in strong support of the Solar Acceleration Act and urge you to introduce this legislation swiftly. This proposed landmark legislation charts a clear path for the District government to harness its own assets—schools, recreation centers, parking lots, and other properties—to generate clean, reliable, and cost-effective solar energy for use in government buildings.
The proposed Solar Acceleration Act establishes annual solar capacity targets for DC government properties, beginning with 30 MW of installed capacity by 2026 and scaling up to at least 75 MW by 2040. To achieve these goals, the Department of General Services (DGS) will issue annual Requests for Proposals beginning in FY 2026, ensuring at least 5MW of new capacity each year is included in the RFP.
This is a timely and fiscally responsible approach. The RFP would require that the installation have no net cost in the long term for the DC government. Analysis by Sierra Club shows that more than 100 MW of solar potential exists across District-owned rooftops, facades, trails, parking lots, and other government land and property. Not deploying this potential is costly: for every megawatt of solar not installed, the District pays roughly $250,000 per year for electricity purchased from the grid. Solar can be deployed at no upfront cost through third-party ownership and power purchase agreements, and in many cases results in immediate or long-term net savings for taxpayers.
This legislation also ensures that progress is transparent. DGS must report annually on solar capacity installed, financial savings achieved, greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and the share of government electricity supplied by local solar.
By leveraging its own infrastructure, the District can help meet Renewable Portfolio Standard requirement of sourcing 15% of its electricity from local solar by 2041, while reducing reliance on expensive purchases of electricity from electricity suppliers, cutting emissions, and demonstrating national leadership.
For these reasons, we urge swift introduction and passage of the Solar Acceleration Act. This legislation offers the District a unique opportunity to lock in savings, build resilience, and accelerate progress toward its clean energy commitments.
Thank you for your leadership in advancing a cleaner, stronger, and more affordable energy future for the District.
Sincerely,
Chris Weiss, DC Environmental Network
Claire August, Sierra Club
Claire Mills, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Blake Lajiness, Climate Reality Project
Linda Vernoy, Citizens Climate Lobby
Jamoni Overby, Nature Forward
Joelle Novey, Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)
Selah Goodson Bell, Solar United Neighbors
Karen Gladding, Third ACT DC
Sidra Siddiqui, Washington Interfaith Network
Vanessa Bertelli, Electrify DC
Robin K. Dutta, Chesapeake Solar and Storage Association