All News Releases By Date

Lynchburg Among 43 Communities to Get EPA Technical Assistance for Sustainability Goals

Release Date: 02/07/2013
Contact Information: Terri White 215-814-5523 [email protected]

(PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 7, 2013) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the City of Lynchburg, Va., and 42 other rural, urban, and suburban communities 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 and the U.S. Department of Transportation to select this year’s 43 recipients from 121 applicants through a competitive process. EPA staff and national experts will conduct 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.

“The City of Lynchburg recognizes the value in growing communities in ways that support their economic goals while also improving the health and livability of citizens,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “EPA’s assistance will help the city’s leaders in their plans to create green streets that people can appreciate for economic and environmental reasons as well as the beautification they add to communities.”

The assistance is being provided through EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program to communities in 27 states. Lynchburg applied for technical assistance to help communities develop strategies for greening their streets based on national models and case studies. A green street incorporates green infrastructure to manage storm water while making the street more walkable and aesthetically appealing.

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.

More information on the Building Blocks program: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/buildingblocks.htm

More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/index.html