Sustainable Practices for Designed Landscapes

President Obama's Executive Order 13514 sets forth opportunities for Federal agencies and facilities to improve sustainability across their operations.  To help achieve the policy goals of EO 13514, the US Council on Environmental Quality has  issued Guidance for Federal Agencies on Sustainable Practices for Designed Landscapes.  The guidance describes strategies to achieve sustainable landscape practices and is designed to be used by Federal agencies when constructing new or rehabilitating existing facilities, or when landscaping improvements are otherwise planned.

The Federal government controls or owns more than 41 million acres of land and 429,000 building assets, comprising 3.34 billion square feet of space in the US. Consequently, landscaping practices by Federal agencies can have significant impacts on the environment. Decisions regarding the development and maintenance of Federal landscaped property provide an opportunity to promote the sustainable use of water and land, conserve soils and vegetation, support natural ecosystem functions, conserve materials, promote human health and well-being, and ensure accessibility for all users, including those with disabilities.

The guidance is available here.

Federal Agencies Partner to Revitalize Urban Waterways

A new federal partnership aims to stimulate regional and local economies, create local jobs, improve quality of life, and protect Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in under-served communities across the country.

Urban waters impact large populations in the adjacent, upstream, and downstream communities. Reconnecting people with urban waterways results in economic, environmental and social benefits to communities. Healthy and accessible urban waters have the potential to be treasured centerpieces of urban revival, help grow local businesses and enhance educational, recreational, and social opportunities in the communities through which they pass. Many urban waters provide drinking water to cities and towns, but because they may receive pollution from sources like parking lot and roadway runoff, they become vital to protecting the public and environmental health of those communities.

The Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), an innovative federal union comprised of 11 agencies, will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot locations.  UWFP is committed to working with local communities to restore waterways and reconnect people in underserved communities with their rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays, and oceans.  Specifically, UWFP aims to:

• Break down federal program silos to promote more efficient and effective use of federal resources through better coordination and targeting of federal investments.
• Recognize and build on local efforts and leadership, by engaging and serving community partners.
• Work with local officials and effective community-based organizations to leverage area resources and stimulate local economies to create local jobs.
• Learn from early and visible victories to fuel long-term action.
• This partnership aligns with President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, which calls on agencies to support innovative community efforts to provide safe, healthy and accessible outdoor spaces.

Read the fact sheet here and the press release here.

C40 - Large Cities Climate Leadership Group

C40 is a group of large cities committed to implementing plans and initiatives to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through a range of energy efficiency and clean energy programs. The C40 network, working with the Clinton Climate Initiative, provides a forum in which cities work together, share information, and demonstrate leadership.

The current chair of the C40 is Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City.

For information on the C40 Mayors Summit taking place May 31 through June 2, 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, visit http://live.c40cities.org.

Recent EPA News

It is difficult to divert attention from the devastation in Japan.  However, here are a few other news items that may be of interest to our membership:

There are efforts underway in the US Congress to strip the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouses gases.  HR910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, aims to "amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating to, or taking into consideration the emission of a greenhouse gas to address climate change, and for other purposes."

Read more here, here, and here.

The EPA says that New York City’s 10-year plan to identify and replace light fixtures that are leaking PCBs in to city schools needs to be faster and more comprehensive.

Read more here, here, and here.

The EPA has added 10 Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List.  Fifteen additional sites are proposed to be included on the NPL.

Read more here.

Fuel Efficiency and Life Cycle Costs Win One for Boeing

The Air Force recently announced that it would award a $35 billion contract for aerial fueling tankers to Boeing, reversing a 2008 award to the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS).

The award was based on a mathematical algorithm that factors in the government’s preference for a plane that would be less expensive to operate over a longer time span.  The Air Force agreed to changes in the bidding rules that projected the cost of the fuel used to power the tankers over a 40-year period, rather than 25 years. Air Force officials have said that the lengthier projections made sense, given that many of its tankers have already been operating for 50 years.  In addition, commercial planes similar to the EADS tanker burned about 1,900 gallons of fuel per hour, while Boeing’s plane used less than 1,500 gallons.

Read more in the New York Times and in the News Tribune.