Mark Rodeffer, mark.rodeffer@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC – DC Mayor Muriel Bowser signed groundbreaking legislation to transition new buildings and DC government operations off fossil fuels.
Mayor Bowser signed into law the Clean Energy DC Building Code Act, requiring that by 2026, all new buildings in DC are net-zero energy and produce the energy they use on-site from renewable sources. The bill expressly prohibits the combustion of dirty fuels in buildings, including fracked gas and fossil gas alternatives from sources like animal manure.
The mayor also signed the Climate Commitment Act, which accelerates the climate commitments set by Mayor Bowser in 2017 and enshrines into law DC’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2045. The legislation commits the DC government to achieving carbon neutrality in its operations by 2040, ends DC government purchases of fossil fuel building heating equipment by 2025 and ensures the DC government purchases only zero-emissions vehicles starting in 2026.
The two pieces of legislation build on the success of the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018, which requires DC to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2032.
The Sierra Club commends Mayor Bowser for signing these two visionary bills that ensure DC continues its climate leadership. We look forward to further progress to ensure that DC’s greenhouse gas emissions are eliminated over the next two decades. With new buildings no longer using dirty fuels, it’s time for the District to begin transitioning existing buildings off fossil fuels so that DC families and businesses can see the benefits of improved indoor air quality, lower utility bills, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The Sierra Club thanks Councilmember Mary Cheh for introducing the bills and guiding them to passage. Councilmember Cheh has provided extraordinary environmental leadership on the DC Council for the last 16 years.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.