Council Secures Future of Key Energy Programs

by Councilmember Mary Cheh

The ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has painfully highlighted the consequences of our reliance on fossil fuels. Over the years, the District has worked hard to implement a progressive energy policy, including my Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008. That Act established a Sustainable Energy Utility, an innovative approach modeled after states such as Vermont and Delaware. When the SEU ramps up in 2011, it will offer programs for the promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency, green jobs, and a responsible energy policy for the District.

When the proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget was sent to the Council, I was concerned that this reform would be stopped in its tracks. The proposal cut sustainable energy spending by half: from $23 million to $10 million. It also essentially eliminated the SEU, which was supposed to be funded at $7.5 million, not the meager $1 million in the budget.

After consulting with members of the SEU Advisory Board, who opined that this cut would have a destructive chilling effect on competition for the first 5-year term of the SEU, I made it a priority to restore needed funding.

Fortunately, with the help of DCEN and my colleagues, I’m happy to report that we were able to restore the entire SEU budget. But it serves as a lesson that we must be ever vigilant to ensure long-term sustainability in the District.