The lame-duck Council's last real shot at solar panels for renters and safer e-bikes
Tomorrow's November 10 session may be the only chance to pass the GRID Act, which would let apartment dwellers plug in balcony solar without Pepco's approval, and emergency rules cracking down on lithium battery fires in e-bikes and scooters.
In brief
If you rent an apartment in Washington and have ever looked at a balcony solar panel on Amazon and wondered whether you could legally plug one in, tomorrow's D.C. Council session may be the most consequential vote you never knew was happening. Same goes if you own an e-bike with a lithium battery, which at this point is roughly a quarter of the cycling commuters you'll see crossing the Anacostia or coming down 15th Street NW any given morning.
The Council meets Monday, November 10, for a lame-duck legislative session at the Wilson Building. The agenda includes legislative requests for the November 10 meeting, with the Council also set to take up issues touching daily quality-of-life concerns and stadium transportation funding. But buried in those agenda items are two bills that have been months in the making and have a hard deadline: Council Period 26 ends in December, and anything that hasn't cleared the full Council by then is gone.
Any legislation introduced in Council Period 26 must fully make its way through the legislative process within that window, or start the whole process over in Council Period 27. That means new hearings, new fiscal notes, new committee markups, and a new vote total. For a bill that spent 18 months building support, that is not a procedural inconvenience; it is often a death sentence.
The GRID Act: balcony solar, Pepco delays, and skyrocketing electric bills
Monday's agenda lists B26-0602, the "Guiding Renewable Interconnection and Distribution (GRID) Amendment Act of 2026," alongside the Micromobility Fire Safety Standards Emergency Amendment Act of 2026.
The GRID Act amends the Clean and Affordable Energy Amendment Act of 2008 to guide existing processes for District residents and solar developers on connecting their solar systems to the grid, with minimum standards for cost transparency, permitting timelines, and accountability for small generation facilities at or under 20 megawatts. In practice, that means two things that matter to ordinary Washingtonians right now.
First, the bill targets a specific problem that has frustrated homeowners for years: Pepco's interconnection process, the approval a customer needs before any rooftop solar panels can feed power back into the grid. The bill aims to speed up the process Pepco follows to connect new solar panels to D.C.'s electric grid at a time when renewable energy could be blunting steep electricity costs for more D.C. residents. Solar owners should not be billed a much higher interconnection fee than originally estimated, and by requiring Pepco to publish and maintain median interconnection costs online, anyone who is solar-curious can better understand the full picture of costs from the start.
Second, and arguably the bigger story for most Washingtonians: the bill also exempts portable, lower-cost "balcony solar" from these interconnection requirements. The bill was introduced by Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) on February 24, 2026, and referred to the Committee on Transportation and the Environment. A public hearing was held on March 26, 2026, and the bill has since awaited committee markup. Monday's session is the opening for a final vote.
The stakes for renters are real. No D.C. law currently prohibits plug-in solar or sets rules for it, which leaves it unregulated rather than banned. In practice, a renter can get a system with backfeed protection so it cannot send power back to the grid, but otherwise the utility can prohibit it. The GRID Act would exempt balcony solar from interconnection requirements, specifically designed for apartment and condo residents in D.C. The Sierra Club's D.C. chapter put it plainly in a March statement: only Utah has made balcony solar legal and exempt from utility interconnection fees; D.C. should be the second jurisdiction to do so, affirming that utilizing a small, plug-in solar panel to offset daily energy use should not encounter the same interconnection and permitting process as a rooftop solar installation. With the GRID Amendment Act, D.C. can empower residents with the most accessible and affordable form of renewable energy generation while reducing demand on the grid.
The Public Service Commission has effective interconnection standards in place but isn't enforcing them. The bill would bring D.C. in line with Maryland's interconnection standards, which should ensure Pepco would have little challenge meeting them. The bill also establishes an interconnection ombuds office to help resolve disputes and requires electric companies to publish guides and median costs for interconnection on their websites.
Lithium fires and emergency rules for e-bikes
The second significant item Monday is the Micromobility Fire Safety Standards Emergency Amendment Act of 2026. It appears on the November 10 agenda alongside the GRID Act, the Department of Energy and Environment Reporting Requirements Amendment Act, and the Shine Safely Act of 2026. An emergency designation means the Council can pass it immediately, without the usual second reading, so it could take effect before the holiday season, when e-bike and scooter purchases peak.
D.C. has seen a string of lithium battery fires tied to lower-cost e-bikes and electric scooters over the past two years, a pattern that has devastated apartment buildings in New York City and that D.C. fire officials have flagged repeatedly. Emergency legislation bypasses the normal 90-day congressional review period that applies to permanent D.C. laws, making it the fastest tool the Council has. The tradeoff is that emergency acts expire after 90 days unless a permanent bill follows them through the full process.
The lame-duck math
The political context here is uncomfortable and consequential at once. Council members who lost their races or chose not to run face the uncomfortable position of voting on consequential legislation as lame ducks. Members who won will be tempted to wait for January, when they can claim more ownership over the outcome.
The November 3 election reshaped the Council. Lewis George is the city's first-ever democratic socialist mayor-elect, Robert White will be the city's first new congressional delegate in 35 years, and the Council will take a progressive turn with Aparna Raj in the Ward 1 seat and Oye Owolewa in the At-Large seat. Chairman Phil Mendelson, Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen also won their re-election bids handily. Allen, who sponsors the GRID Act, returns to his seat. That matters: a sponsor who won re-election has more standing to push the bill across the finish line than one who is walking out the door.
After December 15, anything still in committee is gone. That is six weeks away. Monday is the first post-election legislative meeting.
Meanwhile, the mayor-elect is already reckoning with the budget
The bills on Monday's agenda don't cost much to pass, but they land at a moment when the incoming administration is already grappling with the finances that will shape what any new law can actually do. Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George has kicked off her first post-election news conference detailing how she'll hit the ground running when she takes office in January. Lewis George introduced members of her transition team, which includes former D.C. Deputy Mayor Beatriz "BB" Otero and several veterans of past White House administrations, including former Office of Presidential Personnel Director Gautam Raghavan and Aaron Jenkins, who served in the Obama administration as the director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
On the budget: facing a multimillion-dollar deficit, Lewis George called for a forensic analysis of government operations and spending. "In doing this forensic analysis and a desk audit, we will be able to make some very clear decisions about any restructuring we need to do in government to make our government more efficient and to save District taxpayers' dollars," Lewis George said.
While Lewis George's win was historic, she's inheriting a difficult set of economic and political circumstances. The District has a budget gap that could stretch upwards of $800 million, and the Washington region has recently seen greater job losses than any other major metropolitan area in the country.
She hasn't weighed in publicly on the GRID Act or the micromobility bill. Lewis George has opened a portal for people to apply for positions within her administration and has begun the process of searching for a permanent police chief. The transition is consuming most of her public bandwidth right now. That leaves the lame-duck Council to decide, without her direct pressure, whether two bills that took the better part of a year to build will survive to become law.
What D.C. Residents Should Watch
Monday's Council vote on the GRID Act (B26-0602). Watch whether the bill gets a final reading or gets pulled. If it passes, D.C. renters with balconies could legally plug in small solar panels without Pepco sign-off as early as late winter. If it stalls, the bill dies in December and the process restarts from scratch in Council Period 27, potentially in 2028. The Council's official agenda page has the full legislative request list.
The Micromobility Fire Safety Emergency Amendment. An emergency designation lets this take effect immediately upon passage and mayoral signature, without waiting for congressional review. Watch whether the Council approves it Monday or kicks it to a later date.
The December 15 cliff.Council.dc.gov lists all remaining Council Period 26 meeting dates. Any bill not passed by December 15 is dead. Residents tracking specific legislation, including the Shine Safely Act (B26-0361) and the DOEE Reporting Requirements bill (B26-0697), also also on Monday's docket, should watch each November and December meeting date closely.
Lewis George's tax and budget signals. Lewis George has said her administration will not "balance our budget on the backs of working people and working families" and that budget work will start on day one. Watch for more specifics in the coming weeks as her transition committees report out. Mayor.dc.gov and the transition's employment portal are the two official channels for announcements.
Pepco's response. If the GRID Act passes, the utility will be required to publish median interconnection costs online and comply with new permitting timelines. Whether Pepco pushes back through the Public Service Commission is the next fight, and it won't be quick or quiet.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
