Remarks
prepared for Governor Christine Todd Whitman,
Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
at the
Partners for Smart Growth Conference
San Diego, California
January 24, 2002
It is a pleasure to be with you today - I am always happy to have
an
excuse to come to San Diego. Especially this one - the chance to
speak
about Smart Growth.
I would like to begin by thanking the people who have given all of
us
this opportunity to expand the dialogue on Smart Growth. EPA has
several
co-sponsors in this conference - many of whom have been
partnering
with the EPA on various projects for years - and I would like
to
thank all of them for their dedication to environmental stewardship.
I would also like to thank our hosts - the City and County of San
Diego
- for their hospitality. This is a beautiful city and everyone has
done
a fantastic job of welcoming this conference and I appreciate it.
It
shows that there are many people here in San Diego who understand the
importance
of Smart Growth - not just while this conference is in town,
but
all year long.
Everyone here recognizes that Smart Growth makes sense for our
environment,
our communities, and everyone who lives in them. It is my
pleasure
this evening to emphasize that the Bush Administration - and
the
EPA especially - understands the importance of Smart Growth as well
and
we are looking forward to working with each of you to achieve our
common
goals for smarter growth throughout the Nation.
The environmental challenges we face in the 21st Century - in many
ways
- are entirely different than those we have dealt with in the past.
While
we used to spend so much time focusing on immediate problems, we
now
have the opportunity to plan for the future. Addressing new
environmental
challenges requires us to manage all of our resources
better
- economic, social, and environmental - and manage them for the
long
term.
That is why Smart Growth is so important - it is critical to
economic
growth, the development of healthy communities, and the
protection
of our environment all at the same time. Smart Growth - the
ability
to create a sustainable society where we can reach all of these
goals
simultaneously - really comes down to one thing: quality of life.
We can grow our economy without sacrificing quality of life. We can
preserve
the environment for future generations without sacrificing our
quality
of life. And, we can live and work in healthy and convenient
neighborhoods
without sacrificing our quality of life. We can achieve
all
of these things by applying the principles of Smart Growth.
Given what is at stake - our quality of life and that of our
children
- it should come as no surprise that the public is hungry for
smart
growth initiatives. Since 1998 voters across America have passed
529
referenda supporting more than $19 billion in open space funding.
Last
year alone, voters approved $1.7 billion for parks and open space
conservation
on local and state ballots across the country. They are
telling
us: the time for action is now.
I am so pleased that President Bush and the Congress understood
this
urgency and decided to take action on a vital Smart Growth strategy -
brownfields
redevelopment. Two weeks ago, the President signed the
Small
Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act.
Luckily,
the principles of this bill are simpler than the name - turn
abandoned
properties into productive properties.
This new legislation will enable EPA to help states and local
communities
turn environmental eyesores into economic assets. Perhaps
more
important, the bill has removed the minefields that re-developers
face
when looking to reclaim and improve brownfields. By promoting more
effective
and efficient brownfields cleanup, we will relieve the
pressure
to develop open space and make our urban communities attractive
places
to live and work.
Our work to restore the hundreds of thousands of brownfields that
dot
America's cities and towns is indicative of EPA's overall strategy
for
Smart Growth - partnerships. Whether cleaning up brownfields or
developing
a local smart growth plan, government does not have all of
the
answers. We must rely on partnerships with everyone who has a stake
in
smarter growth in order to achieve our common goals.
In the past, the federal government has worked with a command and
control
style of mandate, regulate, and litigate. I believe that we can
build
a new approach - one that emphasizes a constructive relationship,
a
cooperative spirit, and a commitment to solutions that work. Just as
we
will look to state governments, local communities, and developers as
partners
in our fight to cleanup brownfields, EPA will look to
partnerships
with governments and tribes, corporations and small
businesses,
planners and preservationists to achieve smarter growth
across
the Nation.
Beneath this principle of partnership, of course, is the basic
understanding
that land use decisions are a local matter. EPA's Smart
Growth
program can assist with these important decisions by providing
the
tools necessary for success - regulatory flexibility, technical
support,
and solid information - but ultimately only those closest to a
problem
can find the best solution.
The cornerstone of this approach is the Smart Growth Network. There
are
more than 30 partners in the EPA's Smart Growth Network, including a
wide
variety of interests from the Local Government Commission to the
National
Association of Realtors, and from the Institute for
Transportation
Engineers to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Through
this network, EPA provides targeted resources for smart growth -
including
sponsoring this conference.
An excellent example of what good partnerships can produce is a new
report
titled "Getting to Smart Growth: 100 Policies for
Implementation."
This Smart Growth Network report is available at the
SGN
conference booth or on the website at www.smartgrowth.org.
This is
a
publication that can serve as a road map for states or localities that
recognize
the need for smart growth, but are not yet sure how to achieve
it.
Providing ten policy options for each of ten Smart Growth
principles,
it is especially valuable because it will help communities
turn
smart growth ideas into action - actions that will get us closer to
our
goals for a sustainable society.
This is just one way EPA is committed to helping local communities
achieve
smarter growth. EPA's Smart Growth program also works with
communities
to help them evaluate the environmental impact of future
growth,
assists metropolitan planning organizations to examine smart
growth
transportation options, and provides local governments with best
practices
and innovations for smart growth policy making.
In addition to these ongoing projects, I am very pleased to be able
to
announce two new initiatives as part of EPA's Smart Growth program.
The first includes key strategies for open space preservation to
help
us build Smart Growth principles into the already successful
brownfields
program. In the coming year, EPA will provide additional
grants
and technical assistance to pilot communities that are
redeveloping
brownfields in a manner that is consistent with their own
goals
for smart growth. With hundreds of thousands of brownfields
needing
attention across the country, it is clear that we will need to
prioritize.
This is one way of doing that, and it will help communities
achieve
the goals they have set for Smart Growth in their area.
The second initiative will help us ensure that smart growth success
stories
are shared with everyone. The best way to encourage more
sensible
development is to show people that smart growth is already
working
to improve the quality of life in the town or state next door.
It
relies on one of the most powerful tools we have for smart growth -
"keeping
up with the Jones'."
That is why the EPA will establish a National Award for Smart
Growth
Achievement. This annual award will recognize communities and
individual
leaders who have demonstrated innovation and success in
applying
smart growth principles - and I look forward to announcing the
first
five recipients next year.
As you all know, Smart Growth is at a critical point. People all
over
the country care about how and where their communities grow. This
effort
is gathering momentum and we have to be prepared to use that
momentum
to push further toward our goals. Despite significant progress,
it
is clear that we still have a long way to go. There is still too much
growth
that many would not call smart. Our future efforts must build
upon
the success of previous accomplishments and strive to answer
challenges
that still remain.
These challenges - like Smart Growth itself - require us to balance
competing
interests and, I believe, move past commonly held assumptions.
Open
space, for instance, must be seen as an urban, suburban, and rural
issue
? for preserving park land within the confines of our cities is as
important
as saving farmland from unnecessary development.
Brownfields, too, must be seen in this light - because a family
farm
is as likely to house a brownfield as an abandoned gas station on a
crowded
street corner. We all must be looking for new and innovative
ways
to address these challenges - and several others - in the coming
years.
I am proud of what we are doing - and what we will do - to promote
Smart
Growth across the country. Working together we can ensure that
the
local land-use planners have the information and tools to: save open
space,
save money on roads and sewers, keep homes affordable, and make
our
cities and town centers thrive.
We are giving people the opportunity to make choices that will
improve
their quality of life. Choices on transportation so they can
spend
less time in the car and more time with their families. Choices
about
where to live, or work, or shop. Choices about how they will use
the
resources of today and how they will affect the environment of
tomorrow.
Through smart growth, we are giving people the opportunity to
live
healthier and more prosperous lives - and to protect that same
chance
for their children and grandchildren as well.
I would like to thank all of you for your dedication to making
those
choices available. I look forward to working with you in the
future
to make sure that our country's growth is Smart Growth, and that
our
quality of life does not degrade that of future generations. Judging
simply
by the success of this conference, I am confident that we will
make
that happen.
Thank you.
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