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Anacostia Watershed Citizens
Advisory Committee Anacostia Watershed Society Amicus Design & Build, LLC Aurum SustainAbility Chesapeake Bay Foundation Chesapeake Climate Action Network Clean Water Action Concern, Inc. Friends of the Earth National Resources Defense Council Secret River Design Sierra Club November 8, 2004 The Council of the District of Columbia Dear Council Members: We are writing to urge you to support the "Green Stadium Amendment" to D.C. Council bill #15-1028, "The Baseball Omnibus Financing and Revenue Act of 2004" (see attachment). The amendment would ensure that the proposed major league baseball stadium on the Anacostia River would be built using state-of-the-art environmental design techniques that minimize water pollution, reduce waste and save energy. It also would ensure that a portion of the stadium revenues or a portion of the proposed $450 million community investment fund would be dedicated to restoring the Anacostia, one of the most polluted rivers in the country. Building a "green" baseball stadium would not only be environmentally responsible, it would be fiscally responsible. The average extra cost to construct a green building is only about 2 percent more than that of a conventional one. And green buildings offer economic benefits that conventional buildings do not, including energy and water savings, reduce waste, and lower operations and maintenance costs. The D.C. Council must ensure that the new baseball stadium and any other development along the Anacostia will not contribute additional pollution to the river. A green stadium would feature an on-site wastewater treatment and recycling system and "low impact development" techniques that would reduce stormwater runoff into the District's combined sewer system, which dumps into the Anacostia. Managing water runoff and recycling the millions of gallons of water that would be used in the stadium is critical given the District's ongoing combined sewer overflow problems. Further, any commitment to clean up the river must be supported by a steady stream of dedicated funding to help ensure the viability of projects to restore the river and upgrade the combined sewer system. If you build it, they will come. But if you don't build it right and clean up the rive, they won't stay long. Add the "Green Stadium Amendment" to the Baseball Omnibus Financing legislation. Sincerely, Thomas Arrasmith Robert Boone |
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