After the D.C. Council approved a $3.7 billion plan, including more than $1 billion from taxpayers to build a new stadium for the Commanders, the D.C. chapter of the Sierra Club, one of the most famous environmental groups in the world, said it plans to hold the team to account during construction.
In a statement, the group criticized the council for what it called a billion-dollar “giveaway” for the billionaire team owners without having environmental safeguards in place.
David Whitehead, who serves as the director of the D.C. chapter, told WTOP that his group plans to hold the team responsible for protecting the Anacostia River and the surrounding neighborhood through a series of public engagement meetings. He urged the team to consider their sustainability platform for the RFK grounds moving forward.
“We’ve got the zoning commission, we’re going to have lots of different community meetings. The development team is going to be talking to our neighbors for the next couple of years, frankly about what’s going to be happening there,” Whitehead said.
“So, have a lot of points of intervention to try to improve this. And, frankly, the Commanders have a really good opportunity to take the lead on this.”
Whitehead said the Commanders have the opportunity to build the greenest stadium in the country.
The statement issued by Whitehead’s group contends that the construction plan, as it stands now, falls short across the board, namely on its zero waste commitments and efforts to ensure flood protections for the region, among other concerns.
In a statement from Commanders managing partner Josh Harris, the football organization laid out its commitment to a partnership with Recycle Track Systems, a professional waste disposal company that will oversee an effort to keep waste as environmentally responsible as possible.
The Commanders have also agreed to preserve “many” of the legacy trees on the construction site. Environmentalists are concerned about the trees being removed, which could lead to a greater risk of erosion.
“We have an opportunity to really lead sports and entertainment greenifying the stadium on a number of measures,” Whitehead said. “We’re not there today, but I’m hopeful that we can figure that out in the next couple of years. There’s a long way to go.”
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