EPA to Help Communities Meet Sustainability Goals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 43 communities—rural, urban and suburban—will receive technical assistance to pursue sustainable growth that encourages local economic development while safeguarding people’s health and the environment. 

EPA consulted with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to select this year’s 43 recipients from 121 applicants through a competitive process. EPA staff and national experts will conduct one to two-day workshops that focus on the specific sustainability goal each community chose in their initial application to EPA. The agency offered nine tools this year, including a Green Building Toolkit, Land Use Strategies to Protect Water Quality and Using Smart Growth to Produce Economic and Fiscal Health.  

"If we want a healthier environment and a stronger economy, sustainable practices must be part of community development across the country," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. ”The EPA’s Building Blocks program helps communities invest in sustainable growth techniques, so they can plan for a better future. The short-term, targeted assistance we are providing will help stimulate local economies, while protecting people’s health and safeguarding the environment."

The assistance is being provided through EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program to communities in 27 states. The selected communities are Atchison, Kan.; Atlanta, Ga.; Beaverton, Ore.; Bellevue, Neb.; Boise, Idaho; Bowling Green, Fla.; Brattleboro, Vt.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Brunswick, Maine; Buffalo, N.Y.; Caddo, La.; Carpinteria, Calif.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Cheney, Wash.; Dayton, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; Dubuque, Iowa; Fargo, N.D.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Gun Lake Tribe, Mich.; Inyo County, Calif.; Jersey City, N.J.; Lake Worth, Fla.; Lake Zurich, Ill.; Lawrence, Kan.; Lynchburg, Va.; Maui County, Hawaii; Murray,  Ky.; New Castle, Del.; New Orleans, La.; Omaha, Neb.; Petersburg, Va.; Pompano Beach, Fla.; Portland, Maine; Seneca Nation, N.Y.; Stamford, Conn.; Tulsa, Okla.; Vinton, Texas; Washoe Tribe, Nev.; Williamson, N.Y.; Yurok Tribe, Calif.; and Zolfo Springs, Fla.

To date, EPA’s assistance through the Building Blocks program has reached 141 communities. Together, EPA, HUD and DOT form the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which coordinates investments in housing, transportation, and environmental protection to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently.

Click here and here for more information on the Building Blocks program and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.  

Source: EPA