D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 600
600
600.1
The Environmental Protection Element addresses the protection, conservation, and management of Washington, DC's land, air, water, energy, and biological resources. This Element provides policies and actions for addressing important issues such as climate change, drinking water safety, the restoration of the tree canopy, energy conservation, air quality, watershed protection, pollution prevention, waste management, the remediation of contaminated sites, and environmental justice. The biological, chemical, and hydrologic integrity of the environment are key indicators of the quality of life in the District. Furthermore, environmental sustainability is linked to resilience, population health, and community prosperity. Good environmental management and pollution prevention are essential to sustain all living things and to safeguard the welfare of future generations.
The Environmental Protection Element is divided into the following sections:
600.2
The critical environmental issues facing Washington, DC are addressed in this element. These include:
600.3 Environmental protection has been part of planning in Washington, DC since its inception. In 1791, the L'Enfant Plan used the natural landscape to guide the location of avenues and principal buildings. Later plans in the 19th and 20th centuries created some of the most memorable parks in the country and designated thousands of acres for resource protection. In the 1870s, Washington, DC planted 60,000 trees, leading Harper's Magazine to dub Washington, DC the "City of Trees." Today's images of Washington, DC still portray a city of blue skies, pristine waters, and lush greenery.
600.4 Washington, DC's legacy as America's greenest city has been seriously challenged over the centuries by urbanization. In recent years, Washington, DC has made great strides in incorporating sustainability measures; however, this momentum should be maintained in order to learn, plan, and ultimately meet the District's goals. Although the region's air is cleaner than it has been in 20 years, the air quality does not meet federal standards for ozone, and the rivers and streams are polluted by raw sewage and runoff (oil, gas, dust, pesticides, trash, animal waste, and other pollutants). Ninety percent of Washington, DC's wetlands have disappeared since 1790. Some sites in the District face soil and groundwater contamination problems from former industrial uses and municipal waste disposal.
600.5 The District is tackling these challenges head-on. In 2005, legislation was passed creating a District Department of the Environment, now called the Department of
Energy and Environment (DOEE). In 2012, the Sustainable DC Plan was developed, with the goal to make Washington, DC the healthiest, greenest, most livable city in the United States. After five years of implementation, 71 percent of the Sustainable DC Plan's actions are underway, and another 27 percent are complete. In 2019, the District released Sustainable DC 2.0, the comprehensive update to the plan.
600.6 Critical sustainability issues—including transportation, water quality, air pollution, and waste—are regional in scope. Washington, DC continues to work with the 24 jurisdictions that are part of Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG). Additionally, about 29 percent of Washington, DC (including most of the parks and open space) is controlled by the federal government, and 55 buildings in Washington, DC are managed directly by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), making the federal government a critical partner on sustainability. District government continues to work closely with the federal National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), National Park Service (NPS), and GSA to maximize opportunities to meet the District's ambitious sustainability targets, including increased tree canopy coverage, habitat restoration, and stormwater management.
600.7 Washington, DC, along with hundreds of other cities around the world, has signed on to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and has taken on climate change as the most pressing global environmental challenge of this century. Washington, DC is committed to meeting or beating the GHG reduction target. In 2017, the District reaffirmed its commitment to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord and pledged to become carbon-neutral and climate resilient by 2050. Further, Washington, DC adopted Climate Ready DC in 2016, its plan to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change; it is now also a member of 100 Resilient Cities, which is dedicated to helping cities around the world become more resilient to the physical, social, and economic challenges that are increasingly a part of the 21st century. In addition, Washington, DC has joined the C40 Cities network, which is comprised of the world's cities committed to addressing climate change.
600.8 Washington, DC's increased focus on environmental protection has begun to pay dividends. The District is a leader in green building and energy: Washington, DC leads the nation in LEED-certified square feet per resident, ENERGY STAR certified buildings per capita, and total District-wide green power usage. In 2017, the District was named the first Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design (LEED®) for Cities Platinum-certified city in the world. Washington, DC was the first city in the nation to pass a law, the Green Building Act of 2006, requiring green building certification for both the public and private sectors. In 2015, Washington, DC announced a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that will supply 35 percent of the District government's electricity with wind power. In
2018, the District government established the DC Green Bank as a key mechanism to accelerate the deployment of affordable private and public capital for clean energy projects.
600.9 In addition, the most ambitious tree planting, water quality improvement, and habitat restoration projects in decades are also underway, and great strides are being made to promote more sustainable growth. Integral to this effort are public-private partnerships that have aided the District in advancing many of its Sustainable DC goals, such as nearly reaching the 2032 tree canopy coverage target of 40 percent.
600.10 Washington, DC has become a model for innovative policies and practices, such as the Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018, which demonstrates how enhancing natural and built environments, investing in a diverse clean economy, and reducing disparities among residents can help move toward a more educated, equitable, and prosperous society.
600.10a Text Box: Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018
Washington, DC's historic Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018 provides a road map to achieving the District's clean energy and climate action goals, including:
600.11 The Environmental Protection Element builds on this momentum. It charts a course toward excellence in environmental quality, greater environmental
resiliency, and improved environmental health. This element emphasizes that restoring the natural environment will support a healthier population, society, and workforce. Consistent with the notion of an Inclusive City, it strives for environmental justice so that all neighborhoods are provided with clean air, healthy rivers and streams, clean soils, healthy homes, and an abundance of trees and open spaces. It also takes ambitious steps to prioritize resiliency and connections between environmental stewardship and innovative solutions to some of its most pressing challenges, including sustainable growth and long-term community resilience in the face of a changing climate.
600.11a Text Box: Sustainable DC and Sustainable DC 2.0
Between 2000 and 2015, Washington, DC's population grew by approximately 100,000 people, and all signs point to continued steady growth. As the population continues to expand, decisive actions are needed to ensure that all residents, and particularly the most vulnerable, benefit from a cleaner environment and access to nature and are prepared for any potential sudden shocks and chronic stresses posed by climate change.
600.11b In 2013, the Office of Planning (OP) and DOEE launched Sustainable DC with the goal of making Washington, DC the healthiest, greenest, and most livable city in the nation. The District continues to make significant progress on the implementation of 143 actions designed to help reach that goal, including steps not only to protect natural resources, but also to begin preparing for and adapting to climate change. Sustainable DC 2.0, launched in 2017, is a collaborative District-wide effort to update Washington, DC's sustainability plan. The updated plan incorporates new programs and policies and changes in technology, and it better reflects the priorities of all residents.
600.11c Sustainable DC was quickly followed by several other plans and initiatives. In 2013, Washington, DC's zoning regulations were amended to include the Green Area Ratio (GAR), a site-specific requirement designed to increase the environmental performance of the urban landscape (see a description of the GAR in Section 615 for more information). In 2016, Washington, DC released Climate Ready DC, the District's climate adaptation plan, which outlines the strategies to make Washington, DC more resilient to future climate challenges and crises, including rising temperatures and more heatwaves, increased heavy rainfall and flooding, sea level rise, and severe storm events. In 2018, this was followed by Clean Energy DC, which is Washington, DC's climate mitigation plan. This strategic plan outlines the necessary steps to achieve the Sustainable DC goal of a 50 percent GHG reduction by 2032.
600.11d These plans and initiatives, among others, emphasize the importance and value of preserving and enhancing natural resources and improving the built environment to bolster resilience in Washington, DC. They provide the basis for new metrics to
inform policies in several sectors for the next 15-30 years, including but are not limited to energy, waste, water, health, food, nature, transportation, and the built environment. The plans also set forth road maps with timelines for implementation.
SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (D.C. Law 5-187; 32 DCR 873 (February 15, 1985)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-129; 37 DCR 55 (January 5, 1990)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989 NCPC-Recommended Amendments, and Closing of Public Alleys in Square 669, S.O. 88-452, Act of 1990, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-132; 37 DCR 2213 (April 6, 1990)); as amended by District Government Land Use Temporary Amendment Act of 1994, effective October 1, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-190; 41 DCR 5360 (August 12, 1994)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1994, effective October 6, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-193; 41 DCR 5536 (August 19, 1994)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Amendment Act of 1994, effective March 21, 1995 (D.C. Law 10-235; 42 DCR 30 (January 6, 1995)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 18, 1996 (D.C. Law 11-110; 43 DCR 530 (February 9, 1996)); as amended by Second Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 9, 1997 (D.C. Law 11-255; 44 DCR 1271 (March 7, 1997)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 1998, effective April 27, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-275; 46 DCR 1441 (February 19, 1999)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1999, effective April 12, 2000 (D.C. Law 13-91; 47 DCR 520 (January 28, 2000)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300; 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 2008, effective March 25, 2009 (D.C. Law 17-353; 56 DCR 1117 (February 6, 2009)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361; 58 DCR 908 (February 4, 2011)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021, effective August 21, 2021 (D.C. Law 24-20; 68 DCR 006918 (July 16, 2021)).