Police Report. Lt. Johnson reported 9 crimes in the past 30-day period. One was an unarmed carjacking of an older women on the 3800 block of Davis at about 8:30 am on 2/3. The assailant came up behind, knocked her to the ground and took her car. She received minor injuries and did not have to go to the hospital. The car was recovered the next day. If anyone has any video from that area during that day and time, please contact 2nd District MPD. The other eight crimes were mostly retail thefts that occurred at Trader Joe’s, ACE hardware and CVS. Additionally, one theft was a package stolen off a porch in the 2200 block of Observatory Place and another was a patron who left Good Guys without paying their tabe (an arrest was made for that incident). The next community walkthrough is on February 26th at 6:30 pm in Woodley Park. The starting point is 2601 Connecticut Avenue.
Follow-Up Briefing from Paula Hirschoff, League of Women Voters (an active member of 3RCforDC), on the DC Bill B26-0058, Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025. ANC 3B had a preliminary briefing on this topic prior to the introduction of the legislation to Council. The bill was introduced by CM Nadeau on January 15 and seeks to establish a producer responsibility collection and recycling program for beverage containers to be overseen by the Department of Energy and the Environment. The bill is currently under review with the Committee on Business and Economic Development. The deadline for hearings is July 14th. The bill calls for a 10-cent deposit for bottles only sold (and returned) in DC. They would be returned to stores equipped with reverse vending machines. Once the bottles are deposited in the machine, a voucher will be printed that can be redeemed for cash at the store check-out registers. Currently, only about 25 percent of the bottles sold here are recycled. Money from the recycling programs can be used to support social service and community programs. Ms. Hirschoff urged 3B to pass a resolution either supporting the bill, calling for the hearings to happen before the deadline or both. Asked who would pay for the reverse vending machines, she said the nonprofit set up by the participating corporations will pay to install and maintain them. She was also asked about the source of the recycling rates for DC and other states. She will find out the answer and send it to 3B. She will also get responses to questions about the potential impact of this program on low-income families and senior citizens. For more information about the coalition, the website is 3RCforDC.org.
Briefing on the Current Washington Gas Proposal, “District SAFE” (update of Project Pipes). Presenters included Brandon Todd, Alex Howard, Monica West and Opeluwa Olawale from Washington Gas and Light, Ade Adeniyi from the Office of People’s Counsel and Anne DeBuys from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN)
Brandon Todd from WGL described the District Safe initiative as a proactive safety plan to modernize DC’s natural gas infrastructure. It aligns with the Federal safety push by the US Department of Transportation’s Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to implement legislation passed in 2011 replacing aging pipes such as cast iron, wrought iron and steel. WGL first introduced Project Pipes in 2014 to address this legislation. District Safe is an update of that plan. The goal is to replace the most “at risk” pipes, reduce the potential for leaks and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Ade Adeniyi from the OPC briefed on the Public Service Commission’s response to the District Safe proposal. She said that the PSC approved Project Pipes in 2014 to speedily replace the pipe infrastructure at the highest risk and to supplement WGL’s mandatory leak management operations. WGL has consistently under replaced the problem pipes which is what led to the PSC not approving Project Pipes 3. They required WGL to develop and comprehensive strategic pipe replacement plan. This new proposed project, District Safe, is very expensive and does not comply multiple safety and efficiency directives of the PSC. Under the current proposal, pipe replacement would not be complete until 2094.
Anne DeBuys from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network agrees that the WGL pipes are old and leaking methane but that District Safe is not the answer to the problem since it keeps DC dependent on fossil fuels. WGL already has in place a repair and maintenance program to replace actively leaking and broken pipes. Project Pipes/District Safe is their accelerated replacement program but it does not address the most dangerous gas leaks. WGL is also currently charging customers a Project Pipes surcharge on their monthly bills which by 2028 will be $9/month. This surcharge is especially difficult for those on low and fixed incomes. CCAN urges the PSC not to approve the District Safe plan but to require WGL to submit a plan that converts to zero carbon renewable energy. She asks that ANC 3B pass a resolution that also urges the PSC not to approve the latest WGL proposal.
Briefing from Brian Joyner, Superintendent of Rock Creek Park, National Park Service. Superintendent Joyner responded to several questions from Commissioners. Asked about the mowing contract for the triangle area at Whitehaven and 35th, he said that after a myriad of problems, he thinks a new contract will be awarded and regular mowing will take place this summer. In answer to the question about who’s responsible for mowing the area at 42nd ant New Mexico next to the victory gardens, Commissioner Lavezzo believes that it is DC responsibility. He was also asked about coordination with DC regarding the homelessness problem. He said that NPS works closely with several DC agencies and have developed a protocol with DC to address the unsheltered community. Currently, when they are going to close an encampment, 14 days’ notice is given the DC government and third-party groups come in to work with the people who will be displaced. Asked about snow removal on NPS land, he said they did a better job after the more recent storm than they did in January. Part of the issue was that the equipment they had was inadequate. Finally, he was asked to address the issue with the Rock Creek Park Horse Center. He said the current concessioner is GSI who took over in 2019, right before the pandemic. He said they never recovered financially from the pandemic and are planning on ending their contract. That will not happen, however, until a new concessioner is chosen and a contract awarded.