Committee hears support, technical suggestions for Youth Advisory Council on Climate Change bill

The Committee on Transportation and the Environment held a public hearing March 31 on the Youth Advisory Council on Climate Change and Environmental Conservation Establishment Act of 2025, a bill to create a 17‑member youth advisory council to advise the mayor, DOEE, the Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency, and the Council on climate and environmental policy.

Students and advocates urged the committee to pass the bill and offered amendments to strengthen the body’s effectiveness. “We ask that you pass the Youth Advisory Council on Climate Change and Environment giving it a vital outlet,” said Elsa Boehm, a 17‑year‑old Ward 6 resident and East DC High School student who testified as a public witness. Public witnesses — including college and high‑school students, representatives of Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club DC and a commissioner from Los Angeles’ youth climate commission — generally supported the concept while suggesting more explicit training, more…