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NALGEP Announces New Report Clean Communities On The Move: A Partnership-Driven Approach to Clean Air and Smart Transportation
11/22/05
WASHINGTON, DC, November 22, 2005 - The National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP) announces the release of a new report, "Clean Communities on the Move: A Partnership-Driven Approach to Clean Air and Smart Transportation." The report profiles innovative programs by local governments to improve air quality by reducing traffic congestion and vehicle emissions, and changing growth patterns.
Many local communities have taken the initiative to develop new partnerships and transportation programs to improve the livability of their community, but ongoing action is necessary to leverage the progress made toward clean air goals. Local governments, on the front lines of smart growth planning, are uniquely situated to influence clean air and smart transit innovation, and Clean Communities on the Move captures the innovations by local governments.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
- During the 1990s, Charlotte, North Carolina was the fastest growing city in the United States. Low-density, suburban development patterns coupled with increasing traffic congestion compelled the City to develop the "Centers and Corridors Concepts Plan." This long-term plan seeks to integrate transit and land use by concentrating development and redevelopment along five major corridors. Transit improvements, including the construction of rapid transit lines and expansion of bus services, are being financed by a half-cent sales tax. Approved by a popular referendum in 1998, the sales tax generates about $1 million per week. Charlotte residents, committed to maintaining the livability of their community, invested tax dollars in smart growth and transit plans.
- The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) is working with their partners to encourage the auto industry to offer Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) insurance. PAYD is an innovative new insurance pricing concept that rewards motorists for driving less and gives drivers more control over their insurance premiums. Studies suggest that drivers who pay per-mile premiums will reduce their driving by about 10 percent and save up to 25 percent on their PAYD premiums. It is estimated that a 10 percent reduction in driving would result in a 17 percent reduction in automobile accidents; thereby saving lives and reducing auto emissions.
- Minnesota adopted legislation in May 2002 to reduce the unnecessary idling of school buses near schools. When buses idle waiting for students to board, fumes can enter school ventilation systems and flow through open windows, raising air pollution levels for students indoors. The Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance is working with the Sierra Club and other organizations to further minimize children's exposure to harmful diesel emissions. These include projects to redesign bus parking zones by moving parking areas away from school air-intake vents, parking buses at a diagonal to avoid the front-to-back passing of emissions, promoting good maintenance of bus fleets, and investing in cleaner fuels and technologies.
NALGEP's report highlights the diverse ways local governments and state and federal officials are responding to the difficult and growing challenges of sprawl and increasing vehicle miles traveled, by working together to improve the quality of air and investing in the livability of our communities. This report is the culmination of NALGEP's Clean Air Transportation Communities Project that worked to spur local clean air innovations that will improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gases by reducing Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMTs) and vehicular emissions. During the project, NALGEP worked closely with communities from around the country, including ten Clean Air Transportation Communities (CATC) pilots that were awarded grants by EPA to launch exciting new approaches to cleaner air. The findings and recommendations in this report were developed in partnership with a task force of over 30 local clean air officials from around the country. This report was developed under a Cooperative Agreement awarded by the EPA.
For a copy of this report, or additional information, please contact Bridget Stesney at 202.638.6254 or nalgep@spieglemcd.com. The report is also available in our Publications area.
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