The Washington, DC chapter of the Sierra Club has voiced its condemnation of the DC Council’s approval of legislation to use more than $1 billion in public funding to construct a new stadium for the Washington Commanders, arguing that it ignores the economic needs of local residents.
The organization argued the DC Council failed to provide meaningful environmental safeguards in its rush to approve the stadium project, noting there was no prohibition on fossil fuel use in the site’s new buildings on the site. The Sierra Club also pointed out the legislation approving the project ignored local laws requiring new buildings to be all-electric.
Furthermore, the Sierra Club warned the construction will occur on a floodplain along the Anacostia River and pointed out that revenue from the stadium’s parking was not dedicated back to the District. The group added the DC Council only offered “insignificant penalties if the Commanders delay or never build affordable housing” and it lamented a lack of mandated waste reduction measures once the stadium is operational.
“DC families deserve investments in clean energy, affordable housing, public transit, and clean rivers, not giveaways to billionaires that saddle DC residents with air, water, and climate pollution,” said Sierra Club DC Chapter Chairman Mike Litt. “Instead of protections for neighbors and nearby nature, the deal brings DC residents more traffic, more trash, and more pollution.”
Photo: Conceptual rendering of the new Commanders stadium, via Government of the District of Columbia / Wikimedia Commons
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