Ward 1 Update: For our kids and their kids

Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and others wearing blue #DCBottleBillNow t-shirts on a boat tour of the Anacostia

WARD 1 UPDATE

Hello Neighbors:

After more than a year of research, conversations with local distributers and retailers as well as residents, advocates, and students, followed by planning and drafting, the Council took its first formal action this week on DC’s bottle bill. I introduced this major environmental legislation to drastically reduce litter in our streets, parks, and rivers by placing a refundable 10-cent deposit on beverage containers sold in the District.

It was a busy week leading up to a hearing in the Committee on Business and Economic Development. On Tuesday, I took reporters and environmental advocates out on the water – what better way to illustrate what’s at stake for D.C. than boating along the Anacostia and seeing the damage that’s been done? You can see the coverage on WUSA9, Fox5, DC News Now, and ABC7, and read more in the Washington Post.

Close up photo of bottles in Anacostia River

Photo of boat at dock in Anacostia River with people starting to board as others make their way down the ramp

Photo of people in boat docked in Anacostia River. Councilmember Brianne K Nadeau wears a green jacket and is seated next to a man holding a TV camera.

On Wednesday, more than 200 people testified, many in support and others offering constructive feedback. The Committee on Transportation and the Environment will take up the bill in the coming weeks before sending it to the full Council. With 10 other councilmembers co-introducing my bill, I’m pushing back against the expected misinformation coming out of the beverage industry.

Bottom line: the bottle bill is really simple. Retailers collect a 10-cent deposit from consumers on every beverage container – excluding dairy, infant formula, or medications. Customers return their containers and get their 10-cent deposit back.

They can take their containers to a reverse vending machine, at a grocery store for example.

Or they can take them to a redemption center.

The program, which would be managed by a nonprofit funded and operated by beverage distributors, would be overseen and enforced by the Department of Energy and the Environment.

The win for residents is a no-brainer: less trash on our streets, in our neighborhoods, and in our rivers. Experience from other states with deposit return laws shows that these laws have reduced container litter by up to 84 percent.

The District’s bottle bill is projected to increase recycling rates by more than three times and cut the number of containers that end up in the incinerator, landfill, or the environment by five times.

The industry has never been able to prove that a bottle bill has increased beverage prices in any state in the more than 20 years these laws have been in place. And they are unfortunately sharing misinformation about the costs to retailers. In fact, the smallest retailers are exempt from nearly all the requirements, and small distributors, like D.C.’s incredible local brewers, are exempt from many of the requirements and costs.

You can read my full remarks from Wednesday’s hearing.

I couldn’t be prouder to have introduced this bill to protect our environment for our kids and their kids. Stay tuned for further updates as it advances through the legislative process.

COUNCIL UPDATES

Protecting human rights

Nominees to the Commission on Human Rights Mr. Sim Singh Attariwala Director of the Anti-Hate Program for Asian Americans Advancing Justice Ms. Alexis Gardner Assistant Federal Public Defender in D.C. Ms. Carmen Moreno Sanz Spanish educator at Winston Churchill High School Mr. Sean Norman President of the DC Association of the Deaf Ms. Jasminlee Scott Community Support Worker at the Healthy Place Ms. Isabelle Vladoiu Founder of the US Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights

Now more than ever, the work of protecting human rights is the District is absolutely critical. Last week I chaired a roundtable to consider nominees for the Commission on Human Rights. The Commission ensures that every DC resident can live and work free from discrimination.

It's not an easy task to serve on the Commission, but it's incredibly important. These nominees bring diverse experience in promoting inclusion, and a deep belief that access to justice is a fundamental right for everyone.

Enhancing traffic safety

Traffic safety is public safety and repeat dangerous drivers threaten us all. The STEER Act, which I introduced with Councilmember Charles Allen, allows us to hold the most egregious offenders accountable, even if they live outside DC. Thank you Councilmember Allen and Attorney General Brian Schwalb for your leadership.

screenshot of DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb bluesky post: NEW: We won our first court judgment against a dangerous out-of-state driver under the STEER Act. The Court ordered Ayanna Khalya Wilson to pay $77,100 for over 200 dangerous driving violations. We also filed 12 new lawsuits against Maryland and Virginia drivers with nearly 2,000 traffic offenses.

Reducing river pollution

Widespread pollution of the Anacostia River threatens the health of the communities living along its banks and prevents residents from enjoying its benefits. Now, Washington Gas will take new measures to stop ongoing pollution of the Anacostia River thanks to a new settlement with the District. Thank you, Attorney General Schwalb, for taking this important step to protect our waterways and improve quality of life in our city.

Update on Empower ride-hailing

Screenshot of Washington Post article - threatened with jail CEO agrees to shut down ride-hailing app in DC

For months, the ride-hailing company Empower has refused to comply with numerous laws and regulations that protect the safety and security of consumers. I've been pushing on this for months and as chair of the Committee on Public Works & Operations, I’ve been in the process of investigating them. It was unsafe – they need to abide the same rules as everyone else and repeatedly refused to do that. Now, the courts have taken the action necessary to keep people safe and to hold companies accountable that think they can play by their own rules.

BRIANNE IN WARD 1

Councilmember Brianne K Nadeau on a boat on the Anacostia River with Trey Sherard, the Anacostia Riverkeeper

Councilmember Brianne K Nadeau about to ride the escalator at Navy Yard Metro Station

View of Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge from a bike

During DC Week Without Driving sponsored by the Greater Greater Washington Transportation Equity Network, I commuted via bike as usual. But I also biked to Anacostia for the first time! The ride over the bridge was beautiful! And I commuted via boat! There are so many ways to get around our city, and I’m committed to improving public transportation access and options for everyone.

Several women, including Councilmember Nadeau, seated in chairs doing leg raise exercises

Several people pose for a photo with Councilmember Nadeau, who is holding a lime green drawstring bag

I was happy to join the Department of Aging and Community Living’s Fall Prevention Awareness Week that offered health screenings, demonstrations on home safety and fall recovery, and simple exercises that lower fall risk. Special shoutout to the Safe at Home team that provide in-home assistance to reduce the risk of falls.

Councilmember Nadeau shakes hands with a man in a black HIPS polo shirt seated at a table with information pamphlets

I'm grateful to have joined the HIPS Recovery Event - a day dedicated to growth, healing, and resilience. I’m glad to be a champion of this important work to advance health rights and dignity, and to have a chance to celebrate the many paths of recovery.

COMMUNITY UPDATES

Get your Covid vaccine without a prescription

The Council approved an emergency measure allowing pharmacists in D.C. to administer Covid vaccines without prescriptions. Look for online appointments or visit your local pharmacy for information about vaccine availability.

Support #HeightsNight

Every Tuesday in October is #HeightsNight, a time for neighbors to dine out, takeout, and shop local. The neighborhood is coming together to support small businesses in Columbia Heights, which have been hit hard by the federal takeover.

Compensation negotiation workshop for female returning citizens

The Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives invites women returning citizens to a skills building workshop on October 8 at Benning Library on how to effectively advocate for fair pay and benefits.

Details and RSVP