New GAO Report Reveals Air, Water Quality Concerns Regarding Community Growth

WASHINGTON - Today, Senators Jim Jeffords (I-VT) and Carl Levin (D-MI), co-chairs of the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, and Representatives Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and Martin Meehan (D-MA), released a new General Accounting Office (GAO) report entitled: Federal Incentives Could Help Promote Land Use That Protects Air and Water Quality.

The GAO report examined how state and local transportation and air and water quality officials consider the impacts of land use on the environment and how federal agencies can help these officials assess the impact of land use. The GAO surveyed local transportation planners and state air quality officials nationwide and 32 water quality specialists.

The report found that most states and localities do not assess the impacts of land use on air and water quality or develop ways to reduce its negative effects. In an effort to reduce the negative impact of this urban growth, the GAO recommended: that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) devise an overall strategy to help states and localities assess the impacts of land use and provide them with financial, technical and other assistance; and, that the Department of Transportation (DOT) encourage transportation planners to assess the impacts of their plans and to share data with land use officials.

"As Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I am committed to promoting the link between land use and environmental protection. The upcoming reauthorizations of the transportation bill and the water resources development act, in addition to our plans to address water infrastructure needs during this Congress, provide an important opportunity to encourage consideration of land use impacts on air and water quality. This GAO study, the third in a series requested by the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, illuminates areas where federal agencies could collaborate better and integrate their policies more effectively. The EPW Committee will explore these areas in more detail and will work to provide the necessary federal support and incentives to build a stronger and more effective link between land use and environmental protection," said Senator Jeffords.

"Americans want to breath clean air and drink clean water. The Great Lakes are becoming increasingly vulnerable to unsustainable development which is degrading one of our world's greatest natural assets. We must improve how we plan for growth to ensure that it protects the quality of our air and water for future generations. When the Senate considers reauthorization of the transportation bill in 2003, I will work to ensure incentives that encourage coordinated land use and transportation planning to protect the environment, to promote smart growth and to strengthen the quality of life of our urban areas," said Senator Levin.

Between 1982 and 1997, developed land increased by 47 percent nationwide while the population grew by only 17 percent. In the last 30 years, the total number of vehicle miles traveled grew by 125 percent. Urban land use is a significant contributor to air pollution and nonpoint source water pollution. According to the EPA, urban land runoff accounts for up to 40 percent of water quality problems. Pollutants carried in storm water run-off can impair drinking water and reduce biological diversity in aquatic ecosystems. In 1998, motor vehicles contribute to 57 percent of carbon monoxide emissions, 32 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions, and 29 percent of volatile organic compound emissions. These air pollutants contribute to respiratory and other heath problems.

The report is available on GAO's website, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0212.pdf.