EPA

In deciding to leave Kansas City, EPA fails to practice what it preaches

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The New York Times adds to the ongoing debate over the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s decision to move one of its regional offices out of Kansas City, Kan., to an office park 20 miles from downtown. The article, published via Greenwire, explains the contradiction in such a move:

“[T]he decision runs counter to the goals of the Obama Administration’s “livable communities” initiative, run by EPA, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program is based on the idea that denser populations and more mass transit lead to less pollution and less need for sprawling suburban developments on the untouched land outside cities.

‘[The lease] is totally inconsistent with what the national office has been saying and doing,’ said Kaid Benfield, director of the smart growth program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in an interview. ‘EPA has been a government leader in thinking about sustainability and the importance of cities in relation to environmental issues. For some reason, in this particular case, all of that was apparently disregarded.'”

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Tell the EPA: Don't leave downtown Kansas City in favor of costly sprawl!

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Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to move one of its regional offices out of downtown Kansas City, KS, to an office park nearly 20 miles outside of the city. The EPA employs nearly 600 people at these offices, and leaving downtown will hurt both the environment and the economy of the region.

The EPA’s decision to leave downtown contradicts its own mission, hurts employees, hurts Kansas City and wastes taxpayer dollars.

TAKE ACTION: Tell the EPA to stay in downtown Kansas City.

First and foremost this decision contradicts the mission of the EPA, which aims to reduce air pollution. Many employees will now have a longer commute that must be done by car, meaning higher emissions and more congestion on roads in the region.

Tell EPA and GSA: Leaving downtown Kansas City will raise emissions.

Equally troubling, EPA’s decision wastes valuable taxpayer dollars. The U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – both of which work closely with EPA in the Partnership for Sustainable Communities – have invested millions of dollars in projects meant to support the Kansas City region’s economy through smarter growth strategies. EPA’s decision goes against these efforts and undermines other federal agencies’ work and investments.

Tell EPA and GSA: Leaving downtown Kasnas City undermines federal investments.

The EPA’s offices in Kansas City have been a cornerstone of the city’s economic revitalization, and its decision to leave undermines these efforts. In addition, as gas prices reach all time highs the EPA’s decision will also be a burden on employees and their families. More money spent on gas and car maintenance also means less money to spend in other sectors of the economy, further hurting the Kansas City region.

The EPA’s decision is irresponsible and hurts U.S. taxpayers as well as Kansas City’s environment and economy. Help us hold the Agency accountable for its actions.

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EPA announces plan to abandon Kansas City – at the cost of the city and taxpayers

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Crossposted from the Huffington Post.

To avoid small costs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be creating big costs for everyone, including the federal government.

The EPA announced on Monday that it plans to move the Agency’s Region 7 headquarters, currently located in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, to Lenexa, a site nearly 20 miles outside of downtown. The EPA’s decision violates Executive Order 13514, which requires federal agencies to locate their offices in downtown areas and town centers whenever possible. Not following the Executive Order will cost a lot of money for everyone — including Kansas City and its businesses, EPA employees and U.S. taxpayers too.

As one of Kansas City’s major employers, EPA’s decision hurts the city, which has made great strides in the last decade to revitalize its downtown. “The EPA regional headquarters has been instrumental in our urban revitalization efforts,” Mayor Joe Reardon said in a statement on Monday, and the value of such an employer’s presence in a city’s revitalization efforts goes beyond their immediate impact. The EPA headquarters helped anchor renewed economic development in an area that had seen decades of decline, and the Agency’s decision undermines efforts to build a stronger economy in Kansas City.

The relocation will also mean increased traffic on I-35 and the higher maintenance costs associated with additional cars on the road. The Town of Lenexa projects I-35 to capacity by 2020, just 7 years into GSA’s 20-year lease. The EPA’s move will only hasten the arrival of that saturation point, creating costly delays or requiring even more (federal) money to improve conditions.

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Smart Growth America Applauds Congress for Preserving Partnership for Sustainable Communities

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2011

Washington, DC – Thanks to the hard work of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, White House leaders and Smart Growth America’s national coalition, the final Fiscal Year 2011 continuing resolution includes comprehensive funding for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Smart Growth America is proud to be a leader in the effort to support these innovative federal programs that create economic growth in communities across the country.

Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America, said:

“The Partnership for Sustainable Communities is an excellent investment of taxpayer dollars, and exactly the kind of economic development policy the federal government should pursue. These programs have helped communities across the country lay the foundation for stronger economies through smarter growth strategies. I want to thank all individuals, organizations, businesses and Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle who supported the Partnership in this year’s budget. I encourage the Members of Congress who supported this year’s funds to maintain their commitment to these crucial federal programs in the next fiscal year.”

Smart Growth America worked with national and state partners to lead an advocacy campaign for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities funding in the fiercely debated continuing resolutions. More than sixty national organizations signed a public letter to Congressional leaders in support of the Partnership’s programs, and more than 150 state and local organizations sent letters to their Senators voicing their support as well. Smart Growth America worked with hundreds of advocates to express their support for the Partnership programs, and activated a network of more than 40,000 partners, activists and business leaders to call and write their Representatives and Senators.

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Turner Foundation Seeks Information on Local Green Infrastructure Projects

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From the EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program:

Is your community investing in green infrastructure to improve air quality, lower summertime temperatures, or reduce energy costs? The Clean Water America Alliance (Alliance) is conducting a project for the Turner Foundation to engage utilities, cities, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector on green infrastructure policy. The resulting report will be used to help the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with its national rulemaking to establish a program to reduce stormwater discharges.

If you would like to participate in this project, complete the questionnaire at the link below to submit information on your current green infrastructure implementation efforts as well as the barriers you’ve encountered. The questionnaire is intended to seek quantitative and qualitative data on the technical, financial, legal, institutional, and cultural barriers to implementing green infrastructure practices at the local, state, and federal levels of government.

Your contribution will be compiled with others to develop a report highlighting the opportunities, barriers and recommendations. The Alliance will promote and distribute the report to participants in the water sector, conservation communities, and key policy-makers, as well as other interested parties.

Respond to the questionnaire yourself, or circulate the link below to others at your organization to complete some or all of the questions, as appropriate. The deadline for survey participation is April 15, 2011.

http://www.cleanwateramericaalliance.org/gisurvey_about.php

password: GREEN

For more information, please contact Lorraine Loken at the Alliance, (202) 533-1819, or email [email protected].

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EPA Grant Helps Right-Size Saginaw, MI

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This post is part of an ongoing series about organizations that have received grants from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Did your organization receive one of these grants? Tell us about it!

Lapeer Ave in downtown Saginaw, originally uploaded by Ian Freimuth.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently selected 25 communities from across the country to receive technical assistance under its Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program – and one of them was Saginaw, Michigan. Saginaw was selected to receive assistance developing a plan to right-size its urban land area and coordinate its infrastructure investments. Both objectives are directly connected to improving sustainability and livability for the city’s residents and businesses.

Saginaw is a midsize, manufacturing-based city located in the heart of Michigan. Over the past decade, roughly 10% of its total population has moved out of the city limits. This population loss, coupled by an increase in abandoned and vacant properties, means nearly 5,500 properties in the city are currently unused and unmaintained. In total, nearly 25% of the city is physically empty or on the verge of demolition yet still requires a full range of public services, like sewer, water, roads, lighting, and police and fire protection.

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Triggering Economic Growth in Denver, CO

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The Denver Skyline overlooking I-25, originally uploaded by Flickr user mandymooo.

The South Platte River has been an integral part of Denver, Colorado’s history, spanning 14 neighborhoods across the city and bordered by a railroad track dating back to the mid-1800s. Unfortunately, the river has also endured pollution from a variety of sources over the life of the city: early railroad cars dumped their waste directly into the river, gravel quarries along its banks were later converted to landfills that leached pollution into the water, and a number of abandoned gas stations, smelters, and coal burning plants line the river as well.

In October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the City and County of Denver an Area-Wide Planning Pilot Grant to clean up the South Platte River and the properties along its banks. The area also received a Community Challenge/TIGER II Grant from HUD and DOT to create a new transit station nearby.

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