Growth and the Environment in the South

Environmentalists Target Southern Company

Environmental groups have united against Southern Company in an effort to force the company to curb power plant emissions. The groups have purchased billboards in the Atlanta area that read, "Southern Company: Bringing you electricity and as much pollution in a year as 17 million cars." The environmental coalition, which includes Washington-based U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund and Georgia Airkeepers Campaign, maintains Southern Company is the most polluting utility in the U.S. The billboards include an Internet address, www.cleanupsoutherncompany.com.

Houston Real Estate Firm Earns EPA Award

Houston-based real estate firm Hines has been awarded the Environmental Protection Agency's Star program for its energy conservation efforts in buildings it owns or manages. The 2001 Energy Star awards recognizes the voluntary leadership of organizations that promote pollution prevention through energy efficiency in their buildings. More than 7,000 organizations are participating nationally with EPA-estimated net electricity savings valued at more than $4 billion a year. In 2000, Hines more than doubled its participation in the 18-month-old program, with 32 of Hines' major commercial properties in the U.S. receiving the Energy Star certification to date. The 32 buildings, representing 12 percent of the total number of Energy Star commercial buildings, translate to more than 28 million gross square feet, or 39 percent of the gross square footage of all Energy Star-certified properties across the country

Maryland Governor Pushes State Government towards Environmental Responsibility

Maryland Governor Parris Glendening has issued an executive order creating a new commission, the Maryland Green Buildings Council, to set criteria for making state operations more environmentally responsible. That includes construction of energy-efficient buildings and setting goals to purchase environmentally friendly fuel sources such as polar and wind power. Green buildings are designed to have lower energy costs and have less impact on the environment. The buildings often include on-site storm water treatment and conservation infrastructure, natural lighting and recycled and indigenous materials in their construction. Glendening, who is also chairman of the National Governor Association, has become a national leader on smart growth and anti-sprawl issues. Many of his growth and land-use policies have been criticized by business and real-estate interests, who want new highways in the Washington area and worry that Maryland appears anti-business, especially when compared to pro-growth Virginia.

Georgia and the Water Crisis

The Georgia General Assembly must address the state-wide water crisis Georgia faces. Georgia, which has a high number of rivers, major lakes, usually adequate rainfall, and a large underground aquifer in the southwest portion of the state, is facing the fact that the quantity and quality of its available water is dwindling. The state had a four-year drought, but that's not the only reason for the diminished water supply to its populus. One problem Georgia has is that a lot of these water sources are not near the primary water-using population centers, like Atlanta, and few of the resources are controlled by local or state governments. The federal government's Army Corps of Engineers is the controlling entity for most of the water resources in Georgia.

Smart-Growth Groups in Virginia May Miss Governor Jim Gilmore When Term Ends

Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, famous for his adherence to low taxes, which has created a major slowdown on spending for new roads, is at the end of his term this year, and is leaving with the smart-growth groups wondering who to back. The three men running for the 2001 gubernatorial race are all much more lenient about transportation spending and tax issues. All three candidates have strong ties to business interests and have adopted portions of the state's pro-growthers' transportation agendas. That worries smart growthers, but brings hope to business and real estate interests that Gilmore's stance often blocked.

Slow-Growthers Unite to Block Bridge in Maryland

Slow-growth groups on both sides of the Potomac River are joining together to dispute a business-backed bridge linking Dulles Airport and Interstate 270. More than 40 smart-growth, environmental and preservation groups are starting a new coalition called Solutions not Sprawl. Organizations involved in the effort are the Piedmond Environmental Council, the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Sierra Club and several civic associations, mostly in Montgomery County. Two Maryland slow-growth proponents, Montgomery Council President Blair Ewing, a Democrat, and Councilwoman Nancy Dacek, R-Germantown, are backing the new anti-bridge coalition. Groups including the Greater Washington Board of Trade and Northern Virginia Technology Council think the new road and bridge are needed to better link suburban job centers and to alleviate traffic on the American Legion Bridge. But the road, which would run through rural western Montgomery County, is opposed by the anti-sprawl groups and many Maryland leaders. They believe the new highway would lead to further suburban sprawl and also take jobs outside the state to Northern Virginia. They also see the proposed highway as a precursor to outer beltway plans that have previously appeared in regional transportation blueprints over the years.

Austin May Match Funds for Land Preservation

The Austin City Council is considering dedicating $10 million in bond money to match funds if it is raised by a private environmental group. The bond money was approved by voters last November; it would be used to match funds raised by nonprofit Hill Country Conservancy. The Hill Country Conservancy's goal is to conserve 50,000 acres of open space in the next five years, which includes lands overlying the Barton Spings Edwards Aquifer in Travis, Hays and Blanco counties.

Kentucky Governor Creates Clean County Program

Governor Paul Patton has signed an executive order to create the Certified Clean County Program. The program, an initiative to give Kentucky counties incentives for cleaning up illegal waste sites, promises to reimburse 75 percent of direct expenses incurred by eligible counties. The state will cover the costs by redirecting existing resources in the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority fund and the Transportation Cabinet Secretary's Discretionary fund. To be eligible, counties must mandate a curbside solid waste collection service requiring all residents and businesses to use the service and pay for it. The reimbursements will only be available through the next fiscal year, but the governor has said he will search for additional sources of income to fund the program permanently.

San Antonio Could Lose Tourists if Noise Pollution and Growth Not Managed at Airport

The San Antonio International Airport could negatively impact San Antonio's $4 billion tourist industry if noise and growth are not better managed. The city's Noise Abatement Advisory Committee are worried that if the problems are not solved, airlines may handle more flights out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which is 70 miles from San Antonio. City Councilman David Carpenter, who chairs the city's committee, doesn't think the city's currrent plan will pass federal regulations as it is. That plan recommends that the city and airport alter flight patterns for take-offs and departures along the U.S. Highway 281 corridor. It also calls for sound-proofing homes, schools and churches within the affected noise area.

TVA Urged to Clean Up Facilities

All members of the North Carolina Senate are stressing the importance to President George W. Bush and the state's congressional delegation to clean up the Tennessee Valley Authority. Senators recently hand-delivered a letter to the president, calling the federally owned and operated power plants the primary cause of air pollution in the western part of North Carolina. The senators recommended the additions of selective catalytic reduction devices and scrubbers to the facilities on a year-round basis to reduce the emission of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide into the air.

New York Times Reports on Florida Drinking Water

The New York Times reported that Florida lawmakers are asking the EPA to relax rules on drinking water safety. Specifically, Governor Jeb Bush wants the state to be able to release billions of gallons of contaminated water that has been only partially treated back into the deep aquifer, the source of drinking water for most of Florida's residents. The request follows drought conditions that have drawn down the available fresh water suppliers. Aides to Gov. Bush are quoted as saying that bacteria in the water could not survive in the underground aquifer. The EPA has yet to rule on the request.