FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 7, 2024
Amid 13-0 vote to help 30,000 low-income households upgrade to highly efficient electric equipment, proposed budget cuts threaten to undermine the bill
WASHINGTON, DC — Today the DC Council voted 13-0 to unanimously pass the Healthy Homes Act, pivotal climate legislation that would help up to 30,000 low-income residents reduce their utility bills and improve air quality by upgrading their homes with highly efficient electric equipment such as heat pumps. This comes as 27 local organizations led by the Beyond Gas DC coalition sent a letter to Councilmember Charles Allen urging the Committee on Transportation and the Environment to preserve the funding set aside for this legislation, currently under threat of elimination.
“Today is a major victory for the residents, community members, and advocates who have fought for solutions that can help preserve Black homeownership in the District and bring us one step closer to our climate goals. By passing the Healthy Homes Act, the DC Council has taken a major step to help low-income residents experience better health and lower their energy bills,” said Pastor André Greene of Varick Memorial AME Zion Church and Washington Interfaith Network. “However, our work to deliver healthier, more affordable homes is not yet done. We must pass a moral budget that preserves the funding that has been set aside for this important program.”
“For years, DC residents have been pushing for solutions to help residents breathe cleaner air and get off of dirty, polluting fossil fuels in their homes,” said Andrea Orozco, Faithful Advocacy Lead of Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVa). “In a unanimous vote, the DC Council took a giant leap toward healthier, more affordable homes across the District. While we’re excited to celebrate this moment, the DC Council must follow through by restoring the funding for this program to help low-income families realize the health and economic benefits of these upgrades.”
“The Healthy Homes Act is critical to equitably and affordably upgrading homes across DC with clean energy, and we’re proud to see the DC Council pass this bill under Councilmember Charles Allen’s leadership,” said Mark Rodeffer, the Sierra Club’s National Building Electrification Campaign Co-lead. “At a time when the District is facing compounding crises of housing unaffordability, childhood asthma, and climate change, the Healthy Homes Act will make a dent in our emissions while helping improve affordability for DC’s overburdened and underserved communities.”
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Beyond Gas DC is a coalition of interfaith, housing, and climate advocates working to ensure that clean and affordable energy is available to all DC residents. We advocate for building electrification to lower household utility bills, improve indoor air quality and public health, and cut climate pollution.
