Carol for Council

1005 7^th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 737-7337
www.carol2000.com

Carol Schwartz’s answers to Sierra Club questionnaire, July 10, 2000.

YES ______ NO X

The issue of whether or not Rock Creek Parkway should be used by commuters during the weekdays, as compared with the views of those who would like to see no commuter traffic at all or with those who would prefer to see an HOV-2 rule applied during rush hours, is a challenge for any policy-maker. As an elected official representing all of the residents of the District of Columbia, I am not inclined to support a plan that would favor one particular constituency at the expense of numerous others. I think traffic alterations that would pour additional traffic onto District thoroughfares and onto smaller neighborhood side streets at rush hour would be difficult to justify, particularly to residents in the affected neighborhoods, unless there were an offset designed for the benefit of District of Columbia residents. As the former Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Transportation Planning Board, I recognize the value of efficient transportation and would consider the institution of HOV-2 rules during rush hour, which could alleviate traffic while still permitting enjoyment of the park by all citizens.

Improving bike trails throughout the Park for both recreational and commuting bicyclists is really a no-brainer. A network of well-planned and well-maintained trails would enhance the safety of bicyclists in the Park and encourage more people to commute to work on their bicycles. I will continue to press the National Park Service to upgrade bike trails in Rock Creek Park and advocate that we do our part to improve conditions for bicyclists – not only in the Park, but also across the city.

The poor quality of our air and the debilitating effects that pollutants have on the health of our citizens is both troubling and embarrassing. The District, and our neighboring suburban jurisdictions, must act now to mitigate in every way we can the pollution that causes our area to fall behind federal health-based air quality standards, which are going to get more strict when new standards take effect in 2003. Recent advancements in alternative fuel technology have been significant enough to justify, at the very least, broad testing of buses powered by cleaner-burning fuels, such as compressed natural gas. Those who argue against the shift to such vehicles generally do so based on their greater expense, both to purchase and to run. While the costs are higher, I believe that in the long run, the cost to our city, in both fines for violating federal standards and in the impact on the health of our population, will be greater if we do not act to reduce emissions of diesel soot and other air pollutants. Therefore, I will continue to urge the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to institute a program to try out compressed natural gas buses and become a leader in the metropolitan area’s efforts to clean up the air. I also would like to see WMATA retrofit its current fleet of diesel buses with catalytic converters to cut emissions, and study the costs and benefits of gradually replacing its entire fleet of diesel buses with cleaner-burning vehicles.

As we all know, the many tour and sightseeing buses that traverse the District add to our pollution woes. When I took over in January of 1999 as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Public Works and the Environment, one of the first pieces of legislation on which I convened a hearing was The Motor Vehicle Excessive Idling Fine Increase Amendment Act (Bill 13-58), which aimed to reduce both air and noise pollution by lowering the legal idling time for tour buses from 15 minutes to 3 minutes and raising the fine for violating idling laws from $50 to $500. This bill was passed by the Council and is now law, but to be truly effective it must be vigorously enforced. I have urged the Metropolitan Police Department and the Department of Health to be vigilant about educating tour bus operators on our idling law, and enforcing the law. I also introduced legislation to place responsibility for the inventory, management and maintenance of the city’s fleet of non-emergency vehicles under the D.C. Department of Public Works, and I have encouraged DPW to gradually replace gas- and diesel-burning vehicles with cleaner-running cars and trucks.

As Chair of the Council’s Committee on Public Works and the Environment, I have secured additional support to expand recycling in the District and increase awareness about residential recycling. I have used my position to provide more than $1 million to expand recycling education and to monitor the recycling contract to ensure that city is getting its money’s worth with its recycling program. Over the years the Council and the Committee on Public Works and the Environment have fought back efforts to abolish or reduce the amount of recycling that is done by the city. I am disappointed that the D.C. government does not have a more effective recycling program for city offices. During the last budget cycle, I questioned the Executive Branch about its commitment to boosting recycling efforts in city agencies and I will continue to press for the District to reach at least a 40 percent goal in its recycling efforts.

As a member of the Council’s Committee on Education, Recreation and Libraries, I would fully support receiving a CORE budget from the Board of Education and the Mayor that provided funding for a broad recycling education effort in our schools. I think it is imperative not only that our schools recycle all that they can, but also that we teach our students about recycling and how vital it is to the long-term condition of our environment. If we teach good recycling habits to children, then they are likely to bring the lesson home to their families and more likely to practice good recycling – and become good environmental citizens – in the future.

With an open mind and a willing ear, I convened a hearing in June before the Committee on Public Works and the Environment on the current status and the future of Klingle Road. The Committee heard strong and rational arguments both in favor of and opposed to re-opening the road. As most of us know, its closure in 1995 resulted not from any act of government, but from repeated acts of nature, which undermined the roadbed and made it unsafe for vehicular use. Because of the city’s dire financial straits at the time, the needed repairs were deemed too costly. Unfortunately, there were a number of statements made by the Department of Public Works at the time that led people to believe Klingle Road would remain closed, but the legal procedure for permanent closure was not followed.

Officials of the National Park Service requested that we address drainage, stormwater management and water quality issues in Klingle Valley whether Klingle Road is re-built and reopened, or whether the existing roadway is allowed to continue to deteriorate, and I have asked DPW to see to it that this gets done. The Department has also scheduled a traffic survey for the autumn months when a more representative sampling of the true traffic picture will be available. Until that study is completed, my mind remains open and my ear remains willing to listen to all those who have an opinion on this issue.

I viewed the "midnight rider" regarding Oxon Cove, as I do all Congressional riders that fly in the face of our right to self-governance, as an affront to our citizens, particularly to those who live in the vicinity of the Cove.

I opposed construction of a prison at Oxon Cove and I would support returning this land to public ownership under the Department of Parks and Recreation. This site should be used for the benefit of citizens who live in its vicinity, and it should remain an access point to the Potomac River and a home to wildlife.

I am grateful for the draft copy of Restore the Core! A Citizen’s Guide to Building a Livable Washington, DC, which I received prior to its June 29^th release. I read the report, and I think that it will serve as valuable guide not only to citizens, but also to policymakers to use in our efforts to make Washington a more livable – and more populated – place. I am keenly interested in reversing the decline of our urban centers. As First Vice Chair of the Metropolitan Council of Government’s Board of Directors, I work with policymakers from suburban jurisdictions and know how important it is to them to get a handle on suburban sprawl. In our downtown and in neighborhoods across Washington, getting residents back into our city – particularly as homeowners, but also as renters – is key to both economic and aesthetic revitalization. As people who have a vested interest in the vitality of their surroundings start moving in and rediscovering once-blighted neighborhoods, retail and service-oriented businesses are likely to follow, adding to our tax base and enabling us to do more for our citizens. On the Council, I have introduced or co-sponsored numerous measures aimed at bringing new residents into our city and making homeownership affordable. I also support zoning requirements mandating that downtown business and office-building developers set aside a portion of floor space for residential use. In my role as a legislator and a community activist, I have long been working to bring about a living downtown – a vibrant downtown – where everyday life is supported by small grocery stores and service-oriented businesses. If I am re-elected to the Council, I will continue to seek out creative and responsible ways to make the District of Columbia a more attractive place for people to live.

Many of the issues that were raised in the Sierra Club’s Restore the Core! report related to the great need to preserve and maintain green spaces as a means of making our urban center more inviting and more a livable. As Chair of the Public Works Committee, I have, during the past two budget cycles, successfully increased support for the Department of Public Works’ Tree and Landscape Division, which had been cut drastically during the city’s fiscal crisis. As a result of my recommendations, the Tree and Landscape Division received funding to plant 5,000 trees in each of the two fiscal years, and the Division is now better equipped to maintain our beautiful trees and combat tree disease.

YES X NO ______

One of the most pressing environmental issues facing the city is the condition of the Anacostia River, and its clean-up must be a top priority. During the recent budget cycle, the Council’s Committee on Human Services, on which I serve, corrected an oversight in the base budget for 2001 by amending the budget for the Department of Health’s Environmental Regulation Administration to include funds stormwater management and implementation of Total Maximum Daily Load Standards (TMDLS). I have also held a number of hearings over the past 19 months related to what Washington Area Water and Sewer Authority is doing to improve its internal operations and be better guardians of the environment, and I introduced the Environmental License Plate Act, which is now before the Council, to raise funds for environmental activities and enable our citizens to proudly demonstrate their appreciation and concern for our natural resources, and play a direct role in the protection of our parks and waterways.

Thanks, in no small part, to the energetic activism of our large, well-informed and inclusive community of environmentalists and conservationists, I think more and more people in government are beginning to see that sound environmental policy goes hand-in-hand with good economic policy, as I do. If I am re-elected, I look forward to continuing to work with groups like the Sierra Clubs on issues that are of importance to each and every one of us.