“We the undersigned residents of the District of Columbia urge our City Council to pass the Distributed Generation Amendment Act of 2011 to help put more solar on the rooftops of our home city. Let’s build DC solar to create jobs, grow DC businesses and protect the environment.”
So reads a local petition circulating throughout our nation’s capital and gaining momentum day-by-day, hour-by-hour.
As we speak, over 1,100 individuals have signed the petition urging DC Council to pass this critical piece of legislation. This number is growing. With tremendous local interest in seeing this legislation advance, our friends at MoveOn.org have picked up this campaign and asked their 30,000+ DC members to join on and sign the petition. If you live or work in DC, we ask you the same; please support this effort to bring even more solar to the nation’s capital. In the coming weeks, the organizers of this effort will be planning a petition delivery to City Council. Petition here.
Over a month ago, DC Council held a hearing on Bill 19-10, the Distributed Generation Amendment Act of 2011. At that time, an over-flowing crowd representing local solar installers, homeowners, community leaders, environmental organizations, and the local solar coalition showed up and testified in support of the bill. The support for the bill was palpable! Since that time, however, the… bill… has… stalled…
DC has what it takes to be a leader in the new energy economy; unfortunately, DC is quickly falling behind the curve for taking advantage of the many benefits attributed to solar energy. They are in need a stronger policy framework in order to build a transparent, long-term solar market in which many more DC residents and businesses can invest. The DG Act does this.
The time has come to urge DC council members to pass this bill, critical for keeping this community on the forefront of the clean energy economy while providing greater opportunities for residents and businesses to harness the power of the sun. This bill will deliver both immediate and long-term benefits to DC’s economy, environment, energy security and public health.
Join us in thanking and supporting our partners who are countering federal trends of inaction with a resounding call for local action.
Vote Solar is a non-profit grassroots organization working to fight climate change and foster economic opportunity by bringing solar energy into the mainstream.