BNA Daily Environment Report, 12/7/09

Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) introduced legislation Dec. 3 that would authorize funding for grants to promote green infrastructure research and technologies to reduce sewer overflows and stormwater runoff.

The Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act (H.R. 4202) would establish a formal green infrastructure program at the Environmental Protection Agency, create a grant program to help local communities plan and implement green infrastructure projects, and launch a series of federal research centers around the nation to improve understanding and expand the use of green infrastructure.

“A growing threat to water quality throughout the United States is due to polluted stormwater runoff from highly urbanized areas flowing into surface waters without being treated,” Edwards said in a statement. “Green infrastructure is a proven method that can help address this challenge.”

Dan Weber, a spokesman for Edwards, told BNA Dec. 4 that Edwards “will do everything she can to move the [legislative] process along.” Edwards is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Clean Water Act, and the Committee on Science and Technology.

The bill was cosponsored by Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.), and Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio).

Stormwater Management Technique
Green infrastructure is a stormwater management technique that preserves the natural hydrology of an area to help reduce stormwater runoff from hard surfaces, according to the statement from Edwards' office. Green infrastructure techniques rely on natural systems to absorb and filter stormwater in a way that relies on soil and plant life to remove toxins and recharge groundwater supplies.

H.R. 4202 already has the support of a broad coalition of clean water officials and advocates who have worked on its development.

A statement, issued Dec. 3 by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies and the Natural Resources Defense Council, describes the bill as “the culmination of hard work” by NACWA, NRDC, American Rivers, the American Public Works Association, the Water Environment Federation, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Clean Water Action, and the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators.

The bill would require EPA to issue grants on a competitive basis to eligible institutions to establish and maintain up to five centers of excellence for green infrastructure, located throughout the United States.

Best Management Practices
Each center would conduct research on green infrastructure that is relevant to the geographic region in which the center is located, including research on stormwater and sewer overflow reduction, other approaches to water resource enhancement, and other benefits.

The centers would develop manuals and set industry standards on green infrastructure best management practices for use by state and local governments and the private sector, provide technical assistance to state and local governments, and help schools and colleges develop green infrastructure curricula. One center would serve as a national electronic information clearinghouse.

The legislation would authorize planning and development grants and implementation grants for green infrastructure projects. In determining eligibility, EPA would give priority to communities with combined storm and sanitary sewer systems and to low-income or disadvantaged communities.

The third part of the bill would require EPA to establish a program to coordinate and promote the use of green infrastructure and to integrate it into permitting programs.

H.R. 4202 would authorize $25 million for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2014 to establish Centers of Excellence, $300 million for each of these fiscal years for green infrastructure grants, and $25 million for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2014 for the EPA green infrastructure program.

NACWA Executive Director Ken Kirk called the bill “an important step forward” in helping public agencies address stormwater flows and other clean water challenges by implementing green technologies.

“EPA has endorsed and supports the use of these innovative solutions that mimic nature, but regulatory barriers have hindered their widespread use,” Kirk said in a statement. “This bill will start to break down those barriers and promote greater use of green infrastructure across the nation.”

Nancy Stoner, co-director of NRDC's water program, said the bill would “make green infrastructure a priority.”

By Linda Roeder