ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A RESOLUTION
26-14
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
January 7, 2025
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the District
Department of the Environment Establishment Act of 2005 to clarify that the restriction
on installing fossil fuel-burning systems shall not apply to the repair, reconstruction, or
replacement of components of existing space- or water-heating appliances that rely on the
combustion of natural gas, oil, or other fossil fuels.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Climate Commitment Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025”.
Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate need to amend the District Department of the
Environment Establishment Act of 2005 (“DOEE Act”) to clarify that the restriction on installing
fossil-fuel-burning systems shall not prohibit the District government from repairing,
reconstructing, or replacing components of existing space- or water-heating appliances that rely
on the combustion of fossil fuels. Without existing appliance maintenance, residents will be at risk of significant delays in repairs.
(b) The DOEE Act currently does not distinguish between the installation of new fossil -
fuel systems and the repair of current fossil -fuel component parts of a system. Although the
District government intends to replace fossil fuel-based systems with all- electric systems
whenever feasible, it must be able to repair or replace component parts of a current fossil -fuel
system that are in disrepair.
(c) As of today, there are approximately 117 District of Columbia Public Schools
locations managed by the Department of General Services (“DGS”) containing 162 boiler
systems that need to be maintained throughout the winter season and beyond to accommodate the health and safety of students, staff, visitors, and all residents. Other building clusters include the
following number of boilers: 33 in Department of Parks and R ecreation; 10 in Department of
Human S ervices; 22 in Fire and Emergency Medical Services; 20 in M etropolitan Police
Department; and 28 in the Municipal cluster.
(d) Replacing fossil-fuel systems as part of modernization requires that the following
several key variables be in place prior to making changes to the building: ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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(1) First, DGS must ensure that energy efficient replacements are available within
the regional or designated marketplace, including ensuring that replacements are accessible to
source and ship within the construction timeline, and within the applicable budget to acquire ;
(2) Second, to manage the lifetime of maintenance, DGS must ensure that all
designated Boiler Plant Operators and other Facilities Management Division personnel are
sufficiently trained in how to maintain and operate all new equipment; and
(3) Third, as the construction environment, especially for our schools, may not be
suitable for students, staff, other District employees, and residents, DGS must work with client
agencies to conduct community engagement to raise awareness of, and coordinate, swing space
locations, which, without sufficient planning or budget formation, would cause significant
disruption to the operational environments across the District.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the
Climate Commitment Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 be adopted after a
single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.