5590224 Resolution 21-169, Heat Wave Safety Congressional Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2015

A RESOLUTION

 

21-169                            

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

July 14, 2015

 

 

To declare the existence of an emergency, due to congressional review, 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 the “Heat Wave Safety Congressional Review Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2015”.

 

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.

(e) Further, this congressional review emergency legislation is necessary to ensure that there is no gap in legal authority between the expiration of the Heat Wave Safety Emergency Amendment Act of 2015 on September 15, 2015, and the effective date of the Heat Wave Safety Temporary Amendment Act of 2015.

 

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 Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2015 be adopted after a single reading.

 

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.