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| Statehood Greens Urge Establishment of a Department of Environmental Protection. |
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D.C. Statehood Green Party Tuesday, June 8, 2005 Contact: STATEHOOD GREENS URGE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION WASHINGTON, D.C. -- D.C. Statehood Green Party activists are calling on D.C. City Council to establish a Department of Environmental Protection. Party activists Jenefer Ellingston and David Bosserman will testify in favor of the proposed department (Council Bill B16-0016) during a Tuesday, June 8 hearing conducted by the Council's Committee on Public Works and Environment, which is chaired by Carol Schwartz. The texts of their testimony is appended below. "An urban party, the DC Statehood Green Party finds that ecological and environmental concerns are intricately and intimately related to the health and well being of D.C. residents. You cannot talk of one without the other," said Mr. Bosserman in his testimony. "A healthy environment cannot exist without a healthy populace. A healthy populace cannot exist without a healthy environment. Environment cannot be separated from the totality of city planning including public health, housing, building codes, zoning and development, public transportation, recreation, waste management, and land use." COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Testimony of Jenefer Ellingston, D.C. Statehood
Green Party The need for a free-standing Department of Environmental Protection gains in urgency as we continue on our path of economic development. Our city government has neglected, put off and given second place to the imperative of cleaning our air, land and water for years. Under public pressure we got a recycling law... but getting it enforced was/is another struggle. By now, our city should be recycling at 35%, not the 13-14% that is reported. At the same time, the law controlling pollution from the Trash Transfer stations is largely unenforced and they operate illegally. The more we recycle, the less we need trash transfer and the less waste will be incinerated.. It required the pressure of a law suit to force Metro transit to buy clean buses (natural gas). Now it seems that Metro transit has gone back to buying diesel (upgraded) fuel. Our city enjoys (suffers) a wave of building construction, downtown and in the neighborhoods, all under the rubric of economic development, which can leave a lot of environmental damage in its wake. How many of those buildings are environmentally friendly and were they built with environmentally safe materials and methods? The location of a new baseball stadium in SouthEast is environmentally unsound. In fact, this location is the least environmentally safe of all that were offered. City Council. Did the contract require an Environmental Impact Statement before settling on this space. Was the best environment even a factor when the site was chosen... or do corporate preferences come ahead of everything else? A clean environment is integral to the city's well-being; not an extra that we can't afford. What happened to the Purple Line that was designed to circumnavigate the city and connect all the tentacles of the metro system (like the Paris metro)? Imagine how much the Purple Line would reduce private, auto traffic and emissions commuting in and out every day. The benefits are immeasurable. Need I mention the Anacostia River? The 2nd most polluted river in the US. Despite WASA raising the rates twice to pay for a new method of capturing and rinsing storm water run-off, (spewing filth into the river) it is unabated. Let us thank Fortune for Casey Trees. Without that infusion of funds and dedication of environmentalists, our city would fall farther and farther behind in growing our tree umbrella. Had the Environmental Department been created years ago, the lead crisis, even the asbestos danger would have been addressed early. We are way behind other cities in recognizing the need, and , finally, doing something about our the cloud of pollution in which we breathe. The Statehood Green Party joins all the environmental organizations in town in support of the creation of an environmental dept in Bill 16-0016.. Jenefer Ellingston Testimony of David Bosserman, D.C. Statehood Green
Party The DC Statehood Green Party is the DC state Green Party and shares ecological and environmental concerns with the national green party, Green Party US, with all other state Green Parties, and with Greens all over the globe. An urban party, the DC Statehood Green Party finds that ecological and environmental concerns are intricately and intimately related to the health and well being of DC residents. You cannot talk of one without the other. A healthy environment cannot exist without a healthy populace. A healthy populace cannot exist without a healthy environment. Environment cannot be separated from the totality of city planning including public health, housing, building codes, zoning and development, public transportation, recreation, waste management, and land use. The Department of Environmental Protection should play a central part in all city planning and regulatory decisions. The new department should be founded immediately, integrated with all other departments, and given wide-ranging powers. Our city government has neglected, put off and given last place to clean air, land and water. If a Department of Environmental Protection had been in place years ago, would our recent lead and asbestos scandals been in the headlines? Our environmental issues and solutions are languishing for attention. Where is that Purple Line intended to surround the city and connect metro system spokes to reduce traffic and decrease toxic emissions? What happened to cleaning up the Anacostia River, one of the most polluted rivers in the US, and restoring its ecosystem? We are in the midst of speculative conversion and construction, both downtown and in the neighborhoods. Has the resultant environmental damage been assessed? Are these buildings environmentally friendly? Were they built with environmentally safe materials and methods? DC has a chance to remake itself a model green city for the new millennium. Take the lead now and lead the way to a healthier DC for all residents and to point the way to a healthier world. David Bosserman MORE INFORMATION The D.C. Statehood Green Party Council Bill B16-0016: District Department of
Environmental Protection Establishment Act of 2005 D.C. Statehood Green Party Legislative Agenda for
2005
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