Shayla Moon named Board of Trade’s new Senior Vice President of Policy

Author: Board of Trade

Shayla Moon named Board of Trade’s new Senior Vice President of Policy

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Shayla Moon was recently named Senior Vice President for Policy of the Greater Washington Board of Trade to continue our organization’s efforts to engage regional leaders regarding policies and legislation that impact our members and the region’s business community.

Shayla brings an extensive background in public policy, having served in various roles, including Senior Director of Economic and Housing Policy for the National Urban League, Senior Legislative Affairs Specialist for the Department of Commerce, and several trade associations and nonprofit organizations. Her public policy career has included efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina with City Year Inc., issue advocacy on Nuclear Arms Reduction (New START Treaty), ratification of the U.N. CEDAW Treaty, as well as content theft and diversity policy for the Motion Picture Association of America/Creative Future.

Shayla is also an honorably discharged United States Air Force veteran who is actively involved with several civil rights and women’s organizations. She serves on the board of Friends of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her son and dog, gaming, skiing, collecting sneakers, and listening to classic jazz and hip-hop records.

The Board of Trade looks forward to the great work that lies ahead for Shayla and our policy department. And to continue the work we have done that creates value for our region’s business community and for our members.

From waste bins to climate wins

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Since 2022, Washington Gas has teamed up with WUSA9 for multiple Recycle Days. On March 9, our Springfield, Virginia location volunteers welcomed hundreds of vehicles to drop off items rerouted from landfills to recycling facilities. All that behind-the-scenes work resulted in 26 tons of old paper being reclaimed for a new future.

Want to see something even more inspiring? Check out the cumulative results from our five sponsored Recycle Days.

📝 Paper: 252,000 pounds (129 tons) With the average ream of copy paper containing 500 sheets, 129 tons of paper equals over 25 million pages. That’s enough to stack as high as about 20 Washington Monuments and enough square footage to paper more than 270 U.S. football fields.

🖥️ Electronics: 133,000 pounds (60 tons)

Electronic devices are especially problematic in landfills. Their glass alone can take 1-2 million years to decompose, so every reclaimed electronic is a win. Rescuing old items can also reduce the high-energy needs of raw mining and first-time refining. For example, steel is 100% recyclable and can be repeatedly reused at the same quality, while recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing the metal from its original ore.

🌲Trees: 2,100 saved (equivalent)

When envisioning the 2,100 tree equivalents saved overall, picture preserving more than half of the 3,800 flowering cherry trees along the National Mall. Since trees love hydration, they’ll be extra happy to learn that the five combined Recycle Days have conserved more than 154,000 gallons of water.

We thank WUSA9 and everyone in the DMV for being outstanding partners in making small changes that led to staggering results. While we’re very proud of these initiatives, the planning and work toward our energy future are only getting started.

Trash & Trilemma

As we celebrate the immediate wins from Recycle Days, our world is also facing what is known as the Energy Trilemma. If you’re not familiar with this term, it refers to the challenge of balancing our energy systems to be reliable and affordable while supporting climate goals, now and in the future.

  • Reliability means ensuring that energy supplies are consistent and dependable to run homes, businesses and services without interruptions. In 2023, the Washington Gas reliability rate was 99.86%.
  • Truly affordable energy must be equally available and cost-effective for all. The American Gas Association (AGA) confirms that using natural gas has saved families $125 billion over 10 years.
  • Supporting climate goals includes making intelligent, innovative energy decisions that support lower-carbon solutions and long-term efficiency. For example, Washington Gas is making a strategic investment of $1.7 billion over the next five years in pipeline modernization.

From Recycle Days to modernizing our infrastructure, these interlocking steps can help resolve the Energy Trilemma. Our distribution networks enable us to deliver natural gas today and can also provide a foundation for delivering lower-carbon solutions in the years ahead. In the short run, we will primarily pursue energy efficiency and renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. These are ready-now technologies that we will continue to innovate into the future.

Recycling and RNG

While they may seem unrelated, recycling events and RNG share a common thread: transforming waste into wins. Just as recycling helps keep trash out of landfills, RNG technology can convert organic landfill waste into lower-carbon fuel options.

Renewable natural gas can be an exciting, powerful strategy for managing municipal landfill methane emissions. Landfills produce methane because of significant accumulations of biostock: a mix of food and landscape waste, biosolids, manure, digestate, sludges and other organic materials. (Yummy.)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, in 2019 alone, the food retail, food service and residential sectors generated 66 million tons of wasted food, with about 60% of this going to landfills. Municipal solid waste landfills, in 2021, generated about the same greenhouse gas emissions as 23.1 million gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year. Now for the good news. Specialized facilities can collect and process biostock to create concentrated methane gas (RNG). When injected into natural gas pipelines, RNG can provide a readily available renewable energy source. Washington Gas has partnered with various companies to support safe RNG integration into our existing natural gas distribution infrastructure. Strategically located across the DMV service territory, these resources will help ensure reliable, affordable energy while supporting long-term climate goals.

From recycling to RNG, Washington Gas is proud to be the DMV’s modern energy partner. We will soon share more about our plans, including the 2024 results update for our Accelerated Pipeline Replacement Programs.

Please stay tuned, and thank you for 175 years of support. We are honored to provide the safe, reliable energy that powers the DMV.

This is a sponsored piece of content from a member organization at the Board of Trade and does not reflect the views of every member in our organization.

Testimony: Support for DC’s ‘BEST Act’, advancing economic equity and fostering entrepreneurship

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About this Testimony:

Board of Trade President & CEO Jack McDougle submitted testimony on May 9, 2024, in favor of fully supporting the BEST Act, which was before the D.C. Council’s Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection Oversight Hearing before the Committee on Public Works and Operations. This piece of legislation would help spark economic equity and allow for a community that fosters entrepreneurship, which is much needed to help spark economic growth in the Greater Washington region.

Submitted Testimony: 

On behalf of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, we submit testimony in full support to the BEST Act and underscore its critical importance in advancing economic equity and fostering entrepreneurship in the District of Columbia.  

In Mayor Bowser’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal, the inclusion of funding for the BEST Act reflects a strategic investment in our city’s economic vitality and the well-being of our communities. By reducing licensing fees, streamlining business license categories, alleviating late fees, and exempting micro-businesses earning less than $10,000 in annual revenue from licensing fees, the BEST Act addresses longstanding barriers to entrepreneurship, particularly for those from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The Board of Trade recognizes the transformative potential of the BEST Act in promoting economic inclusivity and opportunity. Its provisions align with our commitment to fostering a business environment that empowers entrepreneurs from all walks of life to thrive and succeed. By leveling the playing field and removing obstacles to entry, the BEST Act paves the way for greater economic participation and prosperity for all residents of our District. 

Moreover, the Council’s Office of Racial Equity has affirmed that the BEST Act is poised to improve economic outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and other residents of color who seek to establish or grow their businesses. In a budgetary climate marked by heightened challenges for marginalized communities, it is imperative that the Council supports initiatives like the BEST Act, which serve as critical lifelines to entrepreneurship and economic advancement. 

Furthermore, the Board of Trade firmly believes that the BEST Act will contribute to the District’s ongoing recovery from the pandemic and promote small business growth. By fostering an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and innovation, the BEST Act will drive job creation, stimulate economic activity, and fortify our city’s resilience in the face of adversity. 

In conclusion, I urge you to support and prioritize the full funding of the BEST Act. By doing so, we reaffirm our collective commitment to building a more inclusive, vibrant, and prosperous economy for the benefit of all residents of our District. 

Thank you for your attention and dedication to this matter. 

Letter of Support: Virginia’s budget funding of WMATA and vital regional transportation

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About this Letter of Support:

Board of Trade President Jack McDougle wrote a Letter of Support to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, encouraging and praising the efforts of Virginia lawmakers addressing the short-term funding gap that WMATA was facing that could have impacted vital regional transportation in Downtown D.C., Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland.

Submitted Letter: 

Dear Governor Youngkin, 

The Greater Washington Board of Trade continues to support Virginia by providing FY25 and FY26 funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). 

The importance of Metro to Virginia’s economic development cannot be overstated. Proximity to frequent, safe, and reliable Metro service is instrumental in attracting major investments, corporate relocations, the expansion of our regional workforce, and our overall quality of life. The economic activity supported by Metrorail contributes an estimated $1 billion annually in state tax revenues, benefiting not only Northern Virginia but the entire Commonwealth. 

We commend your efforts to work with lawmakers to reach a consensus on the biennium budget and urge you and the General Assembly to prioritize funding for Metro. The General Assembly had allocated $65 million for FY25 and $87 million for FY26, both to be matched by Northern Virginia jurisdictions. These funds constitute the essential minimum required to address Metro’s operating funding shortfall and meet formula commitments made by DC and Maryland.  

Metro is making progress as it rebuilds from the fallout caused by the pandemic, leading the nation in recovering passengers. Still, there are long-term governance, operating, and financial deficiencies that must be addressed. We are prepared to play a significant role in the recently announced effort between WMATA and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to address these issues to ensure the system remains viable for the long-term.  

I urge you and the General Assembly to work towards a budget that includes adequate support for this essential transportation system. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your dedication to the prosperity of Virginia. 

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