DC Environmental Agenda 99: Next | Table of Contents
Introduction
As the District of Columbia moves toward the restoration of fiscal stability and accountable self-government, increasing attention should be drawn to the issues that matter most to its citizens. Issues such as safe drinking water, solid waste management and transportation rank along with education, criminal justice, and street repairs as key indicators of the quality of life in Washington. Management decisions over public lands continue to stir heated debate, and public dissatisfaction with some of the City's environmental services is acute.
At the same time, environmentalists and like-minded citizens have come to recognize the role that an economically viable D.C. can play in the environmental health of the entire Washington Metropolitan Area. Efforts to "Restore the Core" with sustainable business activity will not only provide jobs for residents and funding for essential City services, but will also draw development to locations with established infrastructure and reduce the auto-dependent sprawl that continues to threaten air quality, water quality, and unspoiled natural areas throughout the region.
The D.C. Environmental Agenda 99 is the product of a collaborative effort by citizen activists from October 1998 through February 1999. Taken together, these proposals chart a course toward excellence in the provision of city services and the protection of public health. This effort should put to rest the false notion that the restoration of environmental quality in the District is somehow anti-business or incompatible with economic growth. District residents have long recognized this to be a false choice, one that public officials should not accept.
Indeed, the new Mayor and Council have an unparalleled opportunity to lead the way to sustainable economic redevelopment and a stewardship ethic toward our natural environment. As the City emerges from the financial crisis of recent years, the residents of Washington expect no less from those who would lead us into the next century.