Last week, the D.C. Council introduced several bills containing progressive, environmentally-minded legislation that may put the District in conflict with the federal government.
Councilmember Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) proposed a non-binding resolution that D.C. join 47 other cities in a nationwide campaign to pressure the EPA and the Obama administration to reduce greenhouse gas pollution using the Clean Air Act. More controversially, Tommy Wells’s (D-Ward 6) legislation looks to outlaw the burning of coal at power plants in the District starting in 2016. Although the proposed measures will require some refinement before they are put to a vote, they are an encouraging continuation of earlier policies passed by the Council, such as the 5-cent citywide bag tax enacted in early 2010.
Although we congratulate the District Council for pushing through environmentally conscious legislation, we realize that D.C.’s precarious situation may preclude these bills from becoming laws. Even if the Council passes the proposed bills, the federal government has the prerogative to override them as D.C. does not enjoy the privilege of reserved powers that states do. The alarming lack of sovereignty highlighted by this possibility threatens to diminish the effectiveness of local representation by diluting it with interference from a federal government whose interests do not match the concerns of D.C. residents.
In the spirit of the Clean Air Act, Congress has begun to embrace a limited number of forward-thinking policies such as establishing energy-efficiency standards. While such measures are a step in the right direction, they serve to draw the attention of the public from the more damaging examples of right-wing resistance to change in Congress.
The Capitol Power Plant in Southeast has powered Capitol Hill for almost a century, and though it mostly burns natural gas thanks to the efforts of progressive Congressional leaders, it remains the only power plant in the District to burn coal. Unsurprisingly, it has been representatives from coal-producing states that have hindered the plant from fully weaning itself off the dirty fuel. This precedent of inaction casts a dark shadow on the fate of District Council’s proposed legislation, particularly the bill that seeks to directly impact the Capitol Power Plant’s production.
Congress should not allow the District to be dragged into the the partisan politicking that has stunted progress for decades on Capitol Hill. Having failed to grant statehood to the District, the federal government is morally obliged to uphold the decisions of the D.C. Council. Failure to do so would undermine not only the will of D.C. residents, but the integrity of local representation throughout the District.
