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A RESOLUTION
20-499
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 3, 2014
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to prohibit the electric
company from shutting off service when the heat index is forecasted to be 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as “Heat Wave Safety Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2014”.
Sec. 2. (a) There exists an immediate need to protect District residents who are vulnerable to health impairments that may be caused by periods of extreme heat and who may be unable to cool their homes if their electricity is shut off.
(b) District law prohibits utilities from disconnecting their service when the forecast predicts the temperature will be 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below during the following 24 hours.
(c) Exposure to extreme heat is more likely than extreme cold to cause people to experience negative health consequences, including death; yet the District does not prohibit the disconnection of electricity during or directly preceding periods of extreme heat analogous to the prohibition on disconnections during or directly preceding periods of extreme cold.
(d) Enacting a prohibition on the disconnection of electricity during or directly preceding periods of extreme heat will provide a measure of security for District residents without creating undue hardship for the electric company.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the
Heat Wave Safety Emergency Amendment Act of 2014 be adopted after a single reading.Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
