202-289-4434 ktaylor@artba.org

Custom State Studies

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 1 From: Richard D. Custer Date: 5/18/1999
Subject: Welcome to the artbacse E-Mail Group
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 2 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/18/1999
Subject: CSE E-Mail Group Now Operational
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 3 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/18/1999
Subject: Enviro Update
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 4 From: Paul BEREBITSKY Date: 5/19/1999
Subject: Implementation of new DBE regulations
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 5 From: Tony Milo Date: 5/19/1999
Subject: Re: Implementation of new DBE regulations
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 6 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/20/1999
Subject: Latest Sierra Club Alert
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 7 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/20/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces Railroad Rehabilitation and
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 8 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/20/1999
Subject: Sierra Club Alert
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 9 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/25/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces Plan to Reduce Truck-Related Deaths
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 10 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/25/1999
Subject: From Today’s Sierra Club Alert
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 11 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/25/1999
Subject: FW: Fact Sheet: Commercial Vehicle Safety Action Plan – “The
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 12 From: Robert Briant Date: 5/27/1999
Subject: Release of Bidders Lists Prior to Bid
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 13 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 5/27/1999
Subject: Re: Release of Bidders Lists Prior to Bid
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 14 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/27/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces $124 Million in Fiscal 1999 Grants
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 15 From: Robert Briant Date: 5/28/1999
Subject: Re: Release of Bidders Lists Prior to Bid
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 16 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/1/1999
Subject: FW: FHWA Administrator Kicks Off International Safety Week On Truck
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 17 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/1/1999
Subject: Enviro Defense Fund Newsletter
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 18 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/1/1999
Subject: FW: Statement by Secretary Slater on Adoption by Texas of .08 BAC a
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 19 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/3/1999
Subject: Sierra Club excerpt
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 20 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/4/1999
Subject: Today’ Enviro News
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 21 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/7/1999
Subject: Enviro Update
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 22 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/7/1999
Subject: FW: TEA-21 news conference and media activity
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 23 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/8/1999
Subject: FW: FHWA Announces Maximum Penalties for Truckers Violating Safety
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 24 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/8/1999
Subject: FW: Updated state fact sheets and TEA-21 anniversary
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 25 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/9/1999
Subject: America’s Environmental Regulator Goes Astray
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 26 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/9/1999
Subject: FW: Sprawl and the economy story in NY Times
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 27 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/10/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater’s Remarks at Event Marking the First Anniversa
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 28 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/10/1999
Subject: Sprawl article
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 29 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/10/1999
Subject: FW: focus groups; Philly Inquirer story on EPA/sprawl & Clinton pro
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 30 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/13/1999
Subject: FW: State funding means
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 31 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/13/1999
Subject: FW: Transportation Secretary Slater Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 32 From: Charles R. Lovorn Date: 6/14/1999
Subject: Re: FW: State funding means
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 33 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/15/1999
Subject: No Subject
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 34 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/17/1999
Subject: Today’s Enviro News
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 35 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/17/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater’s Statement Concerning House Passage of FAA
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 36 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/17/1999
Subject: Today’s Sierra Club Alert
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 37 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/21/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater’s Remarks to the American Trucking Association
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 38 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/21/1999
Subject: FW: Statement by Secretary Slater Concerning Settlement Agreement o
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 39 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/25/1999
Subject: Excerpts from the Sierra Club Action Alert
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 40 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/28/1999
Subject: No Subject
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 41 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/29/1999
Subject: FW: Story in US News & World Report
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 42 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/29/1999
Subject: EPA Lawsuit
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 43 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/29/1999
Subject: FW: STATEMENT BY EPA ADMIN. CAROL M. BROWNER ON APPEAL…
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 44 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: FW: State by state listing of most dangerous intersections
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 45 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: Enviro Articles Today
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 46 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: FW: Remarks by Secretary Slater at High Risk Locations Press
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 47 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces Initiatives for Protecting Undergrou
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 48 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/1/1999
Subject: ASAE GR Newsletter feature on Growth
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 49 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/2/1999
Subject: Reminder and FW: Secretary Slater Urges Motorists to Drive Safely D
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 50 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/6/1999
Subject: Honda Unveils Low-Pollution Car

 


 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 1 From: Richard D. Custer Date: 5/18/1999
Subject: Welcome to the artbacse E-Mail Group

The CSE listserv serves as a communication link between executives of affiliated chapters of ARTBA. CSEs are encouraged to use the list for a wide array of issues, whether getting advice from other CSEs, or simply keeping abreast of current developments that affect transportation construction. The listserv is intended to be a clearinghouse for all CSE-related information.

Group Manager: artbacse-owner@egroups.com

To subscribe, send a message to artbacse-subscribe@egroups.com or go to the e-group’s home page at http://www.egroups.com/list/artbacse

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 2 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/18/1999
Subject: CSE E-Mail Group Now Operational
To better facilitate communication to and between ARTBA state chapter
executives, I am pleased to inform you that the CSE E-Mail Group (operated
by eGroups) is now operational.If you are signed up for the list, you should have already received a
welcoming message to the list. If you are having problems with the list or
have questions about how it works, please call me 202-289-4434, ext. 114, or
e-mail me at gsmith@artba.org.Current participants include: John Pourbaix (Mass.), Charles Lovorn (Ky.),
Clark Street (Ohio), Kent Starwalt (Tenn.), Bob Briant (N.J.), Mike Nystrom
(Mich.), Tom Walker (Wisc.), Bill Grams (Ill.), Stephen Gennett (N.C.), Ross
Pepe (N.Y.), Hank Heck (Pa.), Billy Norrell (Ala.), Bob Burleson (Fla.),
Mike Clowser (W.V.), Tony Milo (Mich.), Dick Daugherity (Va.), Paul
Berebitsky (Ind.), Eric Fields (Ill.), Pat Sankey (D.C.), and myself.
Participation will be limited to CSEs and/or their designee.

To send a message to the entire list, please e-mail artbacse@egroups.com

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 3 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/18/1999
Subject: Enviro Update

The attached appeared in today’s Sierra Club e-mail alert:

—————————————————————————-

CONTENTS:
TAKE ACTION: POLLUTERS CHEER COURT RULING AGAINST CLEAN AIR
TRADING AWAY OUR CHANCES TO END GLOBAL WARMING
UTAH: WILL CLINTON APPOINT A BAD JUDGE?
ARIZONA: SAVE THE PEAKS, STOP THE MINE
—————————————————————————

************************TAKE ACTION****************************

Two summers ago, Sierrans fought the good fight for clean air — and won.
Sierra Club grassroots activists pushed for standards to reduce the amount
of
soot and smog in our air. Industry lobbyists were smarting from their
losing
campaign, in which they spent millions to defeat the new standards. They’d
lost in the court of public opinion, but they wouldn’t stop there. They
finally found a backdoor attack on clean air: a lawsuit against the
Environmental Protection Agency, the government branch charged with
carrying
out the standards.

Friday, a key Federal court sided with polluters, just going to show that
in
Washington, any bad idea can find a friendly forum — especially when there
are Reagan appointed judges to be had.

A three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court on Friday overturned our new
clean air standards, and by doing so, they threw decades of standard
setting
to protect public health into disarray.

What’s at stake?
The health of our kids!

Nearly 5 million American kids suffer from asthma, a disease that’s
worsened
by air pollution. And the rates of asthma have doubled from 1980 to 1993,
which makes these standards even more critical. Elderly people are also at
risk. Harvard University data show that the lives of 64,000 Americans were
being shortened by soot.

The court didn’t question the science behind these standards — it was
impecabble — but it raised questions about whether EPA should be setting
the
standards in the first place. The real issue is, Why do these industries
need
to use backdoor tactics to derail needed clean-up efforts? And why has the
court ignored the majority of Americans who demand clean air for their
kids?
We’ll right this wrong only if people outside the Beltway weigh in.
You can help by registering your own outrage about what a small panel of
Washington insiders did to threaten kids’ health — and your letter to the
editor will help us move forward on the next clean air fight — to cut
emissions coming from vehicles — the “Tier 2” Clean Car tailpipe standards.
You’ll see more in an upcoming issue of the SC-ACTION on this subject, but
for
now, take action and send in a letter to the editor!

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 4 From: Paul BEREBITSKY Date: 5/19/1999
Subject: Implementation of new DBE regulations

Attachments :

I’m curious on how other states are proceeding with implementation of the new DBE regulations which give states many options. In Indiana, a joint steering committee has been formed to develop the program. We hope we have an equal voice in determining INDOT’s policy but we won’t know for sure until we deal with some of the stickier issues. Attached are minutes from the initial meeting of this group.

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 5 From: Tony Milo Date: 5/19/1999
Subject: Re: Implementation of new DBE regulations

Paul-

In Michigan we are in a similar situation as you. Industry groups have indicated to MDOT that we want to be involved in the writing of the new regs. MDOT has told us that they are drafting something and will have it ready for review by all of the stake holders shortly.

This is a good topic for all of us to keep in touch on as new developments occur. It will be interesting to see how each state interprets the changes.

Tony Milo
Michigan Road Builders Association

Paul BEREBITSKY wrote:

> I’m curious on how other states are proceeding with implementation of the new DBE regulations which give states many options. In Indiana, a joint steering committee has been formed to develop the program. We hope we have an equal voice in determining INDOT’s policy but we won’t know for sure until we deal with some of the stickier issues. Attached are minutes from the initial meeting of this group.
>
> ————————————————————————
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> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/218
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>
> ————————————————————————
>
> Name: May 13, 1999.doc
> May 13, 1999.doc Type: Microsoft Word Document (application/msword)
> Encoding: base64

 

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 6 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/20/1999
Subject: Latest Sierra Club Alert

From our friends:

SC-ACTION Vol. II, #89
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
May 18, 1999

“The Humbug Marsh is one of those places in the country that is a community
treasure. It cannot be allowed to be lost to development.”
– Mackinac Chapter Director Alison Horton (see story #3)

******************************************************************
1. TAKE ACTION: FIGHT FOR CLEAN AIR–Comment on the Tier 2 Standards!
2. CLEAN AIR: Background Points When Commenting on Tier 2
3. SPRAWL WARS: Michigan Treasure Threatened

*********************************************************************
TAKE ACTION TAKE ACTION TAKE ACTION TAKE ACTION
*********************************************************************

1. FIGHT FOR CLEAN AIR–Comment on the Tier 2 Standards!

In yesterday’s action alert, you read about the D.C. Circuit Court decision
which overturned the national clean air standards. This decision makes our
support of the proposed new Tier 2 auto pollution and clean gasoline
standards even more vital.

While Friday’s ruling may embolden our opponents to fight the Tier 2
proposal, the decision doesn’t directly affect the new automobile pollution
and clean gasoline standards. The fact is that regardless of what standard
is
used, our air is far from clean and we need Tier 2 now more than ever.

Our best defense is a good offense. Show your support for slashing car and
SUV pollution–use the EPA public comment period (now through August 2) to
demand clean air!

***Here’s how you can comment on TIER 2***

A) ATTEND PUBLIC HEARINGS
EPA is holding four public hearings in June. If you live in or near
Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver or Cleveland we urge you to let EPA hear from
you in person. Contact Michelle Artz at michelle.artz@sierraclub.org if you
think you might like to participate or would like more information.

PUBLIC HEARING SITES AND DATES:

PHILADELPHIA, PA-June 9 and 10
Top of the Tower, 1717 Arch Street, 51st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103

ATLANTA, GA-June 11
Renaissance Atlanta Hotel, 590 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA, 30308

DENVER, CO-June 15
Doubletree Hotel, 3203 Quebec Street, Denver, CO, 80207

CLEVELAND, OH-June 17
Holiday Inn Lakeside City Center, 1111 Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44144

B) SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS (electronically or by US mail):

WRITE:
Public docket No. A-97-10
US Environmental Protection Agency
Air Docket (6102), Room M-1500
401 M Street, SW
Washington, D 20460

E-MAIL: tier2.comments@epa.gov

C) CALL THE EPA TOLL FREE: 1-888-TELL-EPA (1-888-835-5372)

2. CLEAN AIR FIGHT — SOME POINTS FOR COMMENT:
Even though the proposed standards are strong, there are a few key ways
they
could be even better. Here are some important points for comment:

*No breaks for the heaviest and dirtiest vehicles: Sport Utility Vehicles
and other light trucks between 6,000 and 8,500 pounds to pollute more than
cars until 2009 — 2 extra years. These super-polluters should be included
in
the same program as cars by 2007, just like lighter SUVs.

*Include heavier trucks used as passenger vehicles in these standards. Tier
2
regulations will only apply to vehicles 8,500 lbs and below. The EPA should
include all passenger vehicles–from the Honda Civic to Ford’s new “Valdez”
(Excursion)– within the Tier 2 program.

*Close the open door for dirtier diesels:
The EPA is leaving the door open for diesel engines that are dirtier than
gasoline engines. EPA’s proposed standards would require cleaner
diesels —
but not clean enough.

*Speed up the gasoline clean up:
The proposed phase-in of the national sulfur standard would allow a per
gallon sulfur cap of 300 PPM in 2004–this is much too high!

(For more information on Tier 2 standards, e-mail
michelle.artz@sierraclub.org, or visit the clean car campaign webpage at
www.toowarm.org)

3. MICHIGAN SIERRA CLUB FIGHTS SPRAWL!

The Sierra Club got great coverage in Detroit last week in our fight to
save
Humbug Marsh, 400 acres of wetlands and woods, home to osprey and eagles,
rich spawning ground for walleye and other fish, and a stopping spot for
migratory ducks and song birds.

From the story: “The Humbug Marsh has soared to national prominence with
the
area’s inclusion on the Sierra Club’s list of the 50 most endangered
ecosystems in the United States. The nationally respected group included
the
area with the likes of the Everglades in Florida and the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.”

Humbug Marsh faces serious damage if a proposed development of 350 homes
and
a golf course are built next to the wetland. Michigan chapter director

Alison Horton said it best: “The Humbug Marsh is one of those places in the
country that is a community treasure. It cannot be allowed to be lost to
development.”

As Sierra Club members around the country know, “Sprawl Costs Us All!”
Smart
development is a necessity: “One of the issues here is looking to the
health
and vitality of an urban environment,” Horton said. “It is clear the
quality
of life for everyone is damaged with these types of developments. (It’s
about) re-energizing urban areas, not the disintegration of the urban core
that creates living space.”

———————————————————————-
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web -http://www.sierraclub.org

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators – http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/
———————————————————————-

—————————————————————–

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 7 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/20/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces Railroad Rehabilitation and
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 19, 1999
Contact: Pamela Barry
Telephone: 202-493-6024
FRA 11-99U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces
Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing ProgramU.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today announced
a new rail direct loan and loan guarantee program that could provide up to
$3.5 billion in loans, including $1 billion for projects primarily
benefitting shortline and regional railroads.

“President Clinton is committed to building a transportation
system for the 21st century that is safe and efficient and that will
continue to grow our vibrant economy,” said Secretary Slater. “This
innovative financing program supports his goal by providing worthy rail
and intermodal facilities an opportunity to leverage investments.”

The program is called the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement
Financing Program (RRIF), and it is being administered by the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

“This investment program will help finance highway-rail grade
crossing elimination projects and help the shortlines finance track to
accommodate 286,000-pound cars and improve the environment by relying on
energy efficient rail freight service,” said Federal Railroad
Administrator Jolene M. Molitoris.

More than 650 shortline and regional railroads in the United
States operate more than 47,000 miles of track.

Molitoris said that priority consideration is provided for
projects that enhance safety; enhance the environment; promote economic
development; are included in state transportation plans; promote U.S.
competitiveness; and preserve and enhance rail or intermodal service to
small communities and rural areas.

RRIF will provide selected applicants loan guarantees and direct
loans for improving railroad infrastructure, developing new intermodal and
railroad facilities and refinancing railroad debt.

RRIF funding may be used to acquire, improve, or rehabilitate
intermodal or rail equipment or facilities, including track, components of
track, bridges, yards, buildings, and shops; to refinance existing debt
incurred for the previous purposes; and to develop and establish new
intermodal or railroad facilities. Eligible applicants include state and
local governments, government-sponsored authorities and corporations,
railroads, and joint ventures that include at least one railroad.

Payment for the cost of the loan will be through the Credit Risk
Premium, which is a cash payment provided to the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) by any non-federal entity. The Credit Risk Premium
must cover the estimated long-term cost to the federal government
of a loan or loan guarantee, taking into consideration estimated defaults,
delinquencies, penalties, and prepayments. The direct loans or loan
guarantees can be provided for up to 25 years.

The RRIF is authorized by the Transportation Equity Act for the
21st Century.

A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) will be posted today and
published in the Federal Register on May 20. This NPRM provides for a
comment period of 30 days, after which a final rule will be issued that
takes into consideration comments received by the FRA.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 8 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/20/1999
Subject: Sierra Club Alert

They continue to complain about last weeks court decision.

From their latest alert:

4. “Bad Decision on Clean Air”

That’s the headline of the lead editorial in the May 19 New York Times. The
Times criticized the “shaky constitutional underpinnings” of last week’s
“bizarre and tortured” federal appeals court decision which threatens to
undermine clean air and perhaps other environmental regulation. The Times
urged
the Clinton Administration to challenge the decision.

On the same day, the Washington Post editorial page offered a similar view.
“The panel majority in effect accused the Environmental Protection Agency of
freelancing. But that’s what the panel itself was doing,” said the Post’s
editorial.

———————————————————————-

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 9 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/25/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces Plan to Reduce Truck-Related Deaths
—–Original Message—–
From: My DOTNEWS Services [mailto:DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov] On Behalf Of
Dot.News
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 1999 12:22 PM
To: DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov
Subject: Secretary Slater Announces Plan to Reduce Truck-Related DeathsU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 25, 1999
Contact: Bill Adams
Tel.: (202) 366-5580
DOT 75-99U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater
Announces Plan to Reduce Truck-Related Deaths

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater and Federal
Highway Administrator Kenneth Wykle today announced a safety action plan
that will combine stronger enforcement, tougher penalties, new
regulations, advanced technology and education and research to reduce the
number of deaths on the nation’s highways associated with commercial
vehicles.

Slater and Wykle also announced a long-range goal of reducing
these fatalities by 50 percent over ten years through a comprehensive
effort involving these and other measures to be developed by governmental,
safety and industry authorities.

“We have made significant advances in safety, but, as President
Clinton has said, this is not a time to rest, but to build,” said
Secretary Slater. “Our plan will focus resources from across the entire
department to provide answers to the tough questions about how we produce
better vehicles with better drivers and how we get the drivers and
companies with bad records off the roads.”

The safety action plan marshals the resources of the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA), which enforces safety requirements for
carriers and drivers, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which develops new vehicle safety performance regulations; the
Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), which administers the
hazardous materials program; the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA),
which conducts a comprehensive highway-rail grade crossing safety program;
the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which oversees the safety of
transit bus operations, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS),
which tracks and analyzes travel and crash trends..

Key components of the immediate safety action plan include the
following:

* New rules providing the authority to shut down unfit carriers;

* Significantly increasing the fines for safety violations, limiting
negotiated settlements or “wrist-slaps,” and eliminating the current
backlog of enforcement cases by the end of the year;

* Doubling the number of compliance reviews each month for safety
investigators. This means an annual increase per inspector from 24 to 48;
* A final rule on hours of service to be completed as soon as possible.
The department will actively engage all interested and affected parties in
the process of achieving this goal;

* Where deaths take place in a crash, aggressively pursuing criminal or
civil action, when warranted;

* The disqualification of drivers who disregard railroad grade crossing
warnings from driving commercial vehicles, to be completed by this summer.

Slater also announced that the Administration has amended its FY
2000 budget, asking Congress to provide an additional $55.8 million to
mount the effort.

To meet the 50 percent goal, during the next 90 days, the
department will engage all affected parties in frank discussions about the
long range strategy that will be needed to achieve the aggressive fatality
and injury reduction goal. Among these will be consideration of crash
worthiness requirements to reduce fatalities in truck/car collisions,
examination of requirements to effectively control speeding of large
trucks and possibly imposing requirements that new carriers demonstrate
knowledge of existing safety regulations.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 10 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/25/1999
Subject: From Today’s Sierra Club Alert
SC-Action Vol. II, #92
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
May 25, 1999The Clinton Administration “overstepped the boundary of seemliness when it
let
Seattle literally sell next November’s ministerial meeting of the World
Trade
Organization to corporate interests.””The Selling of the WTO,”
Editors, Los Angeles Times,
May 19, 1999

*********************************************************************
2. FROM THE FIELD: Alabama Sierrans Fight for Hurricane Creek

Dakotah Chapter Fights for Roosevelt National Park

OK Sierrans Make Democracy Work

ALABAMA SIERRANS FIGHT FOR HURRICANE CREEK

Alabama State Sierra Club Chairwoman Peggie Griffin helped to organize
a bike and canoe trip down Hurricane Creek to save its peaceful
waterfalls from the eastern bypass highway around Tuscaloosa. Under
plans of the Alabama DOT, the highway would place concrete piers
supporting two bridges at two points in the creek set amid old-growth
forests behind the Sumerville subdivision.

“The beauty of this area is very significant to me,” Griffin told the
Tuscaloosa News (May 17), as she pointed reporters to various plants
along the path including jack-in-the-pulpit, star anise, mountain
laurel, and ferns.

“It’s just a very rare place that’s left in Alabama,” said Curtis
Hallman, of the Sierra Club’s southeast field office. “It’s never
been logged. There’s really large and old trees and it would be a
shame to see them cut for the sake of a road or bridge.”

DAKOTAH CHAPTER FIGHT ROAD THAT THREATENS ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK

The Dakotah Chapter is also up in arms about a proposed road near the
Roosevelt National Park, according to a report in the Dickenson Press.
The road would run close to a wilderness area in the park.

“Basically what the counties want to do is straighten an existing
road,” said the Club’s Wayde Schafer. “But the conflict we have is
the route they’ve chosen puts the road literally up against the
boundary of the Teddy Roosevelt park and right through the heart of
the Wannagan Creek roadless area.”

———————————————————————-
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web -http://www.sierraclub.org

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators – http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/
———————————————————————-

—————————————————————–

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 11 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/25/1999
Subject: FW: Fact Sheet: Commercial Vehicle Safety Action Plan – “The
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY
ACTION PLAN
MAY 25, 1999THE CHALLENGE AND OUR COMMITMENT* Over the past ten years, the truck fatality rate has been significantly
lowered, but still, about 5,000 people die in truck crashes every year.
There is enormous personal loss for victims and their families associated
with these statistics

* The progress we’ve made in the past is not enough. We are committed to
reducing deaths and injuries. We are committed to achieving an aggressive
goal of reducing fatalities resulting from large truck crashes 50 percent
within the next ten years.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS

* Increased Enforcement – Tougher Review of Carrier Operations and
Increased Penalties

* Shutting down “unfit” motor carriers. Using new authorities given the
Department under TEA-21.

* Increased penalties for violations: Safety investigators have been
direct to use their new authority to levy penalties of up to $10,000 for
each separate violation. Record keeping violations that conceal a fact
constituting a serious violation can lead up to a $5,000 penalty per
violation. This should persuade irresponsible carriers, who have
histories of repeat violations, that small fines are not just a cost of
doing business.

* Doubling the number of compliance reviews each safety investigator will
conduct each year, from 24 to 48.

* Where a death occurs in a crash, aggressively pursuing criminal or civil
actions, when warranted.

* Limited negotiated settlements of fines in enforcement cases. “Wrist
slaps” will be eliminated.

* Backlog Elimination: By January 1, 2000, we will have eliminated the
current backlog of 1200 enforcement cases.

* Increased Resources: The Administration has amended its FY 2000 budget
asking Congress to provide $55.8M to expand our capabilities and further
aid our state partners.

Enhanced Regulatory Power – More Tools for Safety Inspectors

* Our goal is to have a final rule on hours-of-service completed as soon
as possible. We will engage all interested and affected parties in the
process of achieving this goal.

* Railroad grade crossing violations. By this Summer, we will complete
final rules to disqualify from holding a commercial drivers license,
drivers who violate warnings.

Improved Information Management Systems

* Aid state efforts to improve the quality and timely reporting of data
they collect on accidents and enforcement actions in their states. This
will help target investigations and enforcement.

* By this Fall, a newly strengthened collaborative among FHWA, NHTSA, and
BTS will be started to collect better data on the causes of truck crashes.

New Research and Technology Initiatives

* Improve safety in over-the-road motor coach operations. Collaborative
research with the motor coach manufacturing and operating industries will
start this Fall to identify possible improvements that can practicably be
made to improve rollover protection while maintaining existing frontal
crash performance.

* Real-world, in-service evaluation of advanced technology collision
avoidance systems. Testing will begin early next year.

Public Information, Education, Partnership, and Outreach

* Begin this Fall, a new safety awareness campaign, titled “Safety is Good
Business.” The needs of new motor carriers entering the business will
receive special attention. The campaign will highlight the links between
profitability and following proven safety practices.

* Expand the “Share the Road/No Zone” campaign to inform all drivers how
they can operate more safely and comfortably around large trucks with
which they share our highways.

FUTURE ACTIONS

During the next 90 days, engage all affected parties in frank discussions
about the long range strategy that will be needed to achieve our
aggressive fatality and injury reduction goal. This broad agenda will
involve the integrated and coordinated efforts of the Federal Highway
Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the
Research and Special Programs Administration, the Federal Transit
Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Bureau of
Transportation Statistics. Actions that will be considered include:

* Crashworthiness requirements to reduce fatalities in truck/car
collisions.

* Requirements for effectively controlling speeding of large trucks.

* Imposing requirements that new carriers demonstrate knowledge of
existing safety regulations.

* Setting aggressive and accountable goals for states to reduce
fatalities.

* Imposing stiffer requirements on CDL applicants for traffic and drug and
alcohol related violations.

* Establishing a National Commission to study how pay affects drivers’
decisions to drive too many hours.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 12 From: Robert Briant Date: 5/27/1999
Subject: Release of Bidders Lists Prior to Bid
I am currently working on a legislative issue that would require a public
owner to release their list of project plan holders prior to bid if
someone were to request such information.I need to know if any other States require public owners to release such
information upon request.Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Bob Briant, Jr. – New Jersey
Bobjr@idt.net

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 13 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 5/27/1999
Subject: Re: Release of Bidders Lists Prior to Bid

In Texas we have a very comprehensive open records law. Even without the
law our TxDot has always furnished a list of plan holders as an assist to
subs in their quotes –TomAt 02:57 PM 5/24/99 -0700, Robert Briant wrote:

>I am currently working on a legislative issue that would require a public
>owner to release their list of project plan holders prior to bid if
>someone were to request such information.
>
>I need to know if any other States require public owners to release such
>information upon request.
>
>Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Bob Briant, Jr. – New Jersey
> Bobjr@idt.net
>
>————————————————————————
>
>eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>
>

 

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 14 From: Greg Smith Date: 5/27/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces $124 Million in Fiscal 1999 Grants
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 27, 1999
Contact: Jim Pinkelman
Tel.: 202-366-0660
FHWA 36-99DOT Secretary Slater Announces
$124 Million in Fiscal 1999 Grants
For Borders and Corridors ProgramU.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced
that nearly $124 million in grants would be provided to 32 states for 55
projects under the National Corridor Planning and Development and the
Coordinated Border Infrastructure programs.

“Helping to continue the historic success of the North American
Free Trade Agreement, these grants will provide safer and more efficient
movement of people and goods between Canada, Mexico and the U.S.,” said
Slater. “In addition to supporting safety, President Clinton’s highest
transportation priority, this program will assist our effort to create
jobs and stimulate economic growth.”

Slater called the border and corridor grants critical investments
for the continuing success of NAFTA, noting that annual trade with Mexico
had more than doubled pre-NAFTA levels to $173.3 billion in 1998 and
exceeded $300 billion with Canada.

The National Corridor Planning and Development Program and the
Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program are provided for by the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the landmark
surface transportation law that President Clinton signed on June 9, 1998.

Both the corridor and the border programs provide the U.S.
Department of Transportation authority to allocate dollars to states and
metropolitan planning organizations (MPO). The programs provide up to
$140 million to states in fiscal 1999 and up to $140 million each year
over the remaining four fiscal years (2000-2003) of TEA-21, for a total of
$700 million.

After obligation limitation reductions, $123.6 million was
available under the programs in fiscal 1999. The Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) received more than 150 funding requests for projects
totaling more than $2 billion. All applications were found to be at least
partly eligible for funding. The federal share for projects funded
through these programs is 80 percent.

Under the corridor program, the department established criteria
based on TEA-21 for states and MPOs to apply for discretionary funds.
Projects could be for any of the 21 high-priority corridors identified in
the Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act of 1991, the
eight added in the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, the 14
added in TEA-21, and other significant corridors based on factors
specified in the TEA-21 statute.

The border program aims to improve border infrastructure and
transportation telecommunications to facilitate the safe and efficient
movement of people and goods at or across the United States-Canada and the
United States-Mexico borders. Criteria under which the department could
fund applications included reduction in travel time through a major
international facility, potential for improvements in border crossing
vehicle safety and cargo security, and the applicability of innovative
techniques and technology to other border crossing facilities.

The grants apply to highway, rail and intermodal projects and
demonstrate that states and localities are using multimodal solutions to
transportation challenges, ensuring that the United States’ transportation
system can meet the trade and transportation demands of the 21st century
safely and efficiently.

The fiscal 1999 National Corridor Planning and Development Program
and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program grant recipients, by state,
project and total allocation, are available from the DOT Internet
Briefing Room.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 15 From: Robert Briant Date: 5/28/1999
Subject: Re: Release of Bidders Lists Prior to Bid

Thomas L. Johnson wrote:

>
> In Texas we have a very comprehensive open records law. Even without the
> law our TxDot has always furnished a list of plan holders as an assist to
> subs in their quotes –TomAt 02:57 PM 5/24/99 -0700, Robert Briant wrote:
> >I am currently working on a legislative issue that would require a public
> >owner to release their list of project plan holders prior to bid if
> >someone were to request such information.
> >
> >I need to know if any other States require public owners to release such
> >information upon request.
> >
> >Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > Bob Briant, Jr. – New Jersey
> > Bobjr@idt.net
> >
>
>————————————————————————
> >
> >eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> >http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Tom,

 

Thanks for your response to my request for information on release of
bidders lists.

Bob Briant, Jr. – New Jersey

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 16 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/1/1999
Subject: FW: FHWA Administrator Kicks Off International Safety Week On Truck
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 1, 1999
Contact: Janet Kumer
Tel: (202) 366-0079
David Longo
Tel: (202) 366-0456
FHWA 37-99FHWA Administrator Kicks Off
International Safety Week
On Truck and Bus SafetyAffirming the U.S. Department of Transportation’s commitment to
reduce the number of truck-related fatalities by one-half over the next 10
years, Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth Wykle today kicked off the
fourth annual International Highway Transportation Safety Week.

“Safety is President Clinton’s highest transportation priority,
and this effort underscores his commitment to putting people first,” U.S.
Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said.

“Safety is a promise we should make and carry out together,” Wykle
said at a ceremony at DOT headquarters in Washington, D.C. “Each of us
must take personal responsibility for reducing crashes on our highways
government, industry and private citizens alike.”

The theme this year continues a practice established by Secretary
Slater earlier this year at the DOT-sponsored National Transportation
Safety Conference. During the conference, the Secretary launched the
“Sign on for Safety” campaign. It is intended to move America’s
conversation about transportation safety to the forefront of public
awareness. “Sign on for Safety” pledge cards will be distributed
throughout the nation at safety events this week requesting all Americans
to follow the lead set at the safety conference.

International Highway Transportation Safety Week, June 1-5, is
organized by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Commercial
Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Both CVSA and AASHTO
represent the states and provinces in the United States, Mexico and
Canada.

The week is dedicated to highlighting highway safety throughout
North America. During the week, federal, state and private sector groups
join together in sponsoring events to bring safety information to
passenger and commercial vehicle drivers. Some of the safety issues
highlighted during the week are: sharing the road, driver fatigue and
alertness, seat belts, commercial driver health issues, work zone driving
safety, running red lights, highway-rail grade crossing safety, child
restraints, and pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Wykle was joined at the news conference by Counsellor Terry Wood
of the Canadian Embassy, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator
Ricardo Martinez, Federal Railroad Deputy Administrator Donald Itzkoff,
CVSA Executive Director Steve Campbell, Maryland State Highway
Administrator Parker Williams, who also is chair of the AASHTO Highway
Subcommittee on Highway Transport, and Julie A. Cirillo, Program Manager
FHWA Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety.

# # #

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 17 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/1/1999
Subject: Enviro Defense Fund Newsletter
Below are excepters from this month’s Enviro Defense Fund’s EDF LETTER —
ELECTRONIC EDITION, VOL. XXX, NO. 3
A Report to Members of the Environmental Defense Fund
June 1999
_____________________________________________________________
(c) Copyright 1999 by Environmental Defense Fund, New York,
New York.
All rights reserved. Editor: Norma H. Watson
ISSN 0163-2566*1* HIGHWAY PROJECTS MUST COMPLY WITH CLEAN AIR PLANSIn a decision that halts funding for dozens of polluting
highway projects in several metropolitan areas, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled that current
Federal regulations for approving highway construction
violate the Clean Air Act. The Court ruled for EDF on all
issues, striking down Environmental Protection Agency
regulations that allowed funding of planned highways in areas
where transportation plans do not conform to state air-
pollution control plans.
The Court also overturned an EPA rule that encouraged
construction of roads with non-Federal funds to evade Clean
Air Act accountability. Finally, the Court ruled that
disapproved and inadequate state air-pollution plans cannot
be used as the benchmark for approving new transportation
plans.
“This Court ruling protects the public from highway
projects that would add more pollution in areas that already
violate national air quality standards,” said Michael
Replogle, EDF Federal transportation director. “It will make
it easier for local officials to fund non-highway
alternatives that will improve air quality, protect public
health, and expand travel options.”
The Clean Air Act requires cities with harmful pollution
levels to adopt 20-year transportation plans that will
achieve the limits on motor vehicle emissions shown in their
state air-pollution control plan. The new ruling means that
many previously approved road projects cannot be funded until
cities revise their plans to ensure that motor vehicle
emissions will not worsen an area’s air pollution.
Added Replogle, “This ruling will encourage transportation
agencies to avoid the mistakes of Atlanta, where officials
illegally approved more than $700 million in road projects
after it was known that the projects would add to excess
pollution levels. Atlanta must revise its transportation plan
to cut air pollution before spending more on highway
projects. This is an opportunity to shift funds into
transportation projects that will reduce pollution, boost
low-income workers’ access to jobs, and reduce the harms
caused by major highways that traverse older communities.”
The ruling directly affects road construction within the
D.C. Circuit Court’s jurisdiction, including projects in
Atlanta and the North Carolina metropolitan areas of
Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham, and Winston-Salem. In the longer
run, the ruling will encourage authorities in all polluted
metropolitan areas to draw up transportation plans that will
achieve Clean Air Act requirements.
“When Congress enacted these Clean Air Act provisions in
1990,” said Robert E. Yuhnke, EDF’s attorney in the case, “it
sought to insure that billions of dollars in Federal
transportation funding would not worsen air pollution at the
same time that other government agencies were requiring
emission reductions to protect public health. This ruling
helps assure that transportation investments will be part of
the solution in seriously polluted metropolitan areas, not
part of the problem.”

[Caption: Georgia officials must take steps to curb Atlanta’s
air pollution before funding new highways.] [Caption: Michael Replogle]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

*2* EDF UNVEILS INFORMATION ON WHAT’S IN YOUR LOCAL AIR

Using the Freedom of Information Act, EDF has obtained
unpublicized government information about local levels of
toxic air pollution and has made it available on the Internet
(www.scorecard.org). The information comes from a four-year
effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which
used computer models to estimate the airborne concentrations
of 188 toxic chemicals in each of the 60,000 census tracts in
the United States.
According to EDF toxicologist Dr. William Pease, who
conceived and designed the Scorecard, “The new data show that
pollution from cars and trucks and, in many cases, small-
business sources–such as dry cleaners, furniture
refinishers, and metal-plating establishments–is a greater
health risk in most communities than the industrial pollution
sources that are the current major focus of the Clean Air
Act.”
Marking the EDF Scorecard’s first anniversary as a free
community information service, the popular web site now tells
users about the estimated concentrations of toxic chemicals
in the local air they breathe–and what it means for their
health.
“Scorecard started with facts about what was coming out of
factory smokestacks,” said EDF attorney David Roe. “It’s a
giant step to be able to talk as well about what’s going into
people’s lungs. This is the first time since the Clean Air
Act was passed that the government has released any
information about toxic chemicals present in neighborhood
air,” Roe said.
In addition to making this information easily available,
Scorecard estimates the increased risk of cancer and other
diseases from exposure to toxic chemicals in the air, on a
neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. EPA calculated exposure
from every major source of airborne toxic chemicals, not just
large industrial facilities.
“The EPA calculations are controversial,” Roe cautioned,
“not least because they’re modeled instead of measured, and
the models use numbers going back to 1990. But comparisons
with actual monitoring data, including data as recent as
1996, indicates that the EPA calculations are quite solid.”
This Scorecard effort is made possible by contributions from
EDF members and friends and by grants from The Clarence E.
Heller Charitable Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The New
York Community Trust, and others.

Activists and Teachers Are Using Pollution Data
Hundreds of thousands of people have consulted EDF’s
Scorecard web site for local pollution information since its
launch in April 1998. Among them are:
Teresa Mills, executive director of Buckeye Environmental
Network, a grassroots coalition of small environmental groups
and activists in Central Ohio, used Scorecard data to
convince Ohio EPA and U.S. EPA to take enforcement action
against a local polluter whose toxic emissions, as reported
on Scorecard, violated its permit.
Clifford Slusher, a chemistry teacher at Harlan High
School in southeast Kentucky, assigned a research paper about
pollution using Scorecard information. “The students were
shocked to find all the problems in east Tennessee,” Slusher
said. “They had always judged pollution by visible garbage.
When they found the unseen chemical pollution levels for
places that look fairly clean, they had to rethink how they
perceived pollution. That was the ultimate goal of the
assignment.”
Michigan’s Ecology Center of Ann Arbor demonstrated
Scorecard at a public meeting sponsored by state
environmental agencies and the Big Three automakers, which
focused on how to supply environmental information to people
living near auto manufacturing plants. Past efforts had been
criticized for giving people technical data without context
or explanation. Charles Griffith, director of the Ecology
Center’s auto project, urged the agencies and automakers to
link their community-information project directly to the EDF
Scorecard to provide understandable information about human
exposure to toxic chemicals.

[Caption: The British journal, The Economist, depicted the
power of EDF’s Scorecard in this editorial cartoon.] [Caption: Harlan High School students Frank Shope and Amy
Scruggs, with teacher Cliff Slusher, used Scorecard to do
reports on local pollution.]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

*3* NEW TAX CREDIT WILL HELP MD EMPLOYERS AND COMMUTERS

A new Maryland law will save commuters money, while reducing
traffic and pollution. The measure provides a 50% corporate
income tax credit for employer-provided transit benefits up
to $30 per employee per month. This EDF-proposed initiative
was sponsored by Maryland Senator Ida Ruben and Delegate Paul
Carlson. EDF worked with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
Sierra Club, and other environmental organizations, labor
unions, business groups such as the Maryland Chamber of
Commerce and the Maryland Highway Contractors Association,
and Governor Parris Glendening’s Administration to win
passage of the bill.
“This law will encourage wider use in Maryland of the new
Federal Commuter Choice tax incentives and support smart
growth,” said EDF Federal transportation director Michael
Replogle. “It will especially help low- and moderate-income
workers who are more dependent on transit.” The new program
takes effect July 1.

EDF MEMBER ACTION ALERT
If you work in Maryland, ask your employer to use this new
tax credit. No matter where you work, ask your employer to
let you pay transit expenses with pre-tax dollars, by using
the new Federal Commuter Choice program to save you and your
employer money, potentially several hundred dollars a year.

For more information see http://www.edf.org/more/10504.

[Caption: In Maryland, a new law will help commuters while
giving employers important tax credits.]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 18 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/1/1999
Subject: FW: Statement by Secretary Slater on Adoption by Texas of .08 BAC a
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 1, 1999
Contact: Kathryn Henry
Telephone: 202-366-9550
NHTSA 24-99STATEMENT BY U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SLATER
ON ADOPTION BY TEXAS OF .08 BAC AS THE STANDARD FOR DRUNK DRIVINGI applaud the state of Texas for adopting .08 blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) as the standard for drunk driving for adults, and I
commend the Texas legislature for passing the .08 measure, and Governor
George W. Bush for supporting President Clinton’s commitment that .08 BAC
be the law of the nation and signing the bill.

President Clinton has fought for tough drunk driving legislation
and has encouraged states to adopt .08 BAC as the national standard for
drunk driving. Research shows that, at .08 BAC, virtually all drivers,
even experienced alcohol drinkers, are substantially impaired with regard
to critical driving tasks. The risk of a crash increases with each drink,
but goes up significantly at .08 BAC and beyond. Texas is the 17th state,
in addition to the District of Columbia, to adopt .08 BAC as the threshold
for drunk driving for adults. Most industrialized nations of the world
also have a standard of .08 BAC or less.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released three studies which, in
total, provide additional support that .08 laws are effective in reducing
alcohol-related traffic fatalities, particularly when they work in
conjunction with other laws such as administrative license revocation.
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century authorizes incentive
grants for states which have the .08 standard, and Texas could be eligible
for approximately $9 million.

The .08 BAC measure will send a strong message to drivers in Texas
that the state is serious about impaired driving. With strict
enforcement, the .08 law will work in conjunction with other laws in
Texas, such as the administration license revocation provision passed in
1993, to reduce impaired driving and decrease the more than 1,700
alcohol-related fatalities that occur annually on Texas highways.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 19 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/3/1999
Subject: Sierra Club excerpt

Today, they talk about Georgia.

—————————————————————–

III. SIERRA CLUB ACTIVISTS IN ACTION
Earth day is over, but reports of the good work by Sierra Club activists
continue to roll in. In Atlanta, Club leaders turned Earth Day into a month
of activities aimed at pushing back on Sprawl in one of the nation’s most
sprawl threatened Cities. Their Tour de Sprawl led by the Georgia Challenge
to Sprawl Campaign took 17 community leaders on a bus tour through the Lake
Allatoona watershed to discuss how development has and will impact this
reservoir, and transportation and school overcrowding issues. Highlights
of
the Tour included a satellite image analysis which showed the likely effect
of highway expansions and development on future tree cover and lake
pollution, a hands-on, stream side demonstration water quality testing,
visits to shopping centers contrasting poor and good stormwater management
approaches. The tour stimulated energetic discussion of how development
affects water quality, and whether we can protect water quality when land
is
developed and about the proposed Outer Perimeter highway. All the
participants received a packet with in-depth discussion of non-point source
pollution impacts on water quality, of traffic management and of sprawl’s
impact on quality of life.

Numerous other events — a Tree Protection rally in DeKalb County, release
of
a report outside the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), an open
house showing plans for the Outer Perimeter and its threat to the Lake —
kept the issue in the news all month long, with articles, columns and
television coverage.

Finally, the Georgia Chapter had a very successful tabling drive at various
venues throughout the month, educating the public about sprawl, gathering
signatures, and collection postcards on Lake Allatoona. The folks in
Georgia
are to be congratulated on an incredible Earth Month campaign, and the rest
of
us should try these techniques at home.

—————————————————————

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 20 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/4/1999
Subject: Today’ Enviro News
======================================================================
ENN Daily News
======================================================================
Friday, June 4, 1999 Email EditionCopyright (c) 1998, Environmental News Network Inc.
——————————————————————-MAIL DELUGE URGES ROADLESS AREA PROTECTION
The Clinton administration has been bombarded with more
than 200,000 pieces of mail and email in recent weeks asking
for permanent protection of roadless areas in the country’s
national forests.

In February, the administration announced an 18-month moratorium
on new road building in the country’s national forests while
it mulls how to manage them in the future. According to
the Heritage Forest Campaign, this management decision will
be made in a few weeks.

“What the American public wants is for President Clinton
to ban the bulldozers from forest roadless areas forever,”
said Ken Rait, director of the Heritage Forests Campaign.

While the 18-month moratorium on road building temporarily
protects more than 33 million acres of national forests
from having new roads built, it permits logging, mineral
development and other industrial uses of these areas to
continue.

The moratorium also completely exempts vast tracts of ancient
forests in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Additionally,
it leaves out unprotected wilderness areas of 1,000 to 5,000
acres in size, such as many in the East.

“After decades dominated by logging, mining, road building
and other damaging development on these publicly owned national
forests, the best of the what’s left, remain under siege,”
said Rait.

Roads, clearcuts and mines cover more than half of the 191-million
acre National Forest System. In fact, the national forests
are crisscrossed with nearly 400,000 miles of roads, more
than eight times the U.S. Interstate Highway System, according
to the Heritage Forest Campaign.

The Heritage Forests Campaign has worked in recent months
with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, the Technology
Project and several other conservation groups to generate
an estimated 200,000 public comments in support of permanently
protecting national forest roadless areas.

Roughly half of the comments are in the form of postcards
to Vice President Gore and Forest Chief Dombeck and half
are emails sent directly to Gore via the Heritage Forests
Campaign’s web site.

“Telling our government to do the right thing has never
been easier or faster,” said Sara DiJulio, Internet Organizer
for the Technology Project. “In just 30 seconds, you can
send a free, paperless postcard to Vice President Al Gore.

Source: Environmental News Network

———————————————————–

DENVER AREA GETS A CLEANER GASOLINE
In a major push to reduce ozone pollution in the metro area,
refineries have agreed to reformulate gasoline to reduce
evaporation of harmful chemicals, and the state health department
will begin issuing advisories when levels create a health
risk.

The new gasoline doesn’t evaporate as quickly as previous mixtures,
said Jane Norton, executive director of the Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment. When gasoline evaporates,
it releases ozone-causing volatile organic compounds, or
VOCs, into the atmosphere.

Ozone pollution has plagued the metro area for years, and
readings last summer show it has grown worse, health officials
said.

“We hope our voluntary efforts to refine our product will
inspire other businesses, local governments and individuals to
take a look at how they, too, can help reduce air pollution,” said
Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association. Proposed
regulations that would have tightened ozone standards nationally
were recently struck down by a federal court. But industry
officials in Colorado wanted to take action before the metro
area violated existing or proposed standards, Dempsey said.
“If we take action now, and motivate others to do so, too,
we can keep the air cleaner and head off costly future regulation
which would impact consumers and industry alike,” he said.

Refineries have been producing the reformulated gasoline for
about a month, and it was in all stations as of Tuesday, Dempsey
said. The new mixture, which will be supplied from June 1
through September 15 and is created by reducing the amount
of butane, could increase the cost of a gallon of gas by
2 to 5 cents. It won’t affect the way engines run. Two local
refineries, Conoco and Ultramar-Diamond Shamrock, will produce
the new gas for the metro area. In addition, refineries in
Kansas, Wyoming and two in Texas will produce the gas.

Such gasoline is mandatory in California, which also has
a problem with ozone and other types of air pollution.

Ozone is a secondary pollutant that is formed when hydrocarbons, nitrogen
oxides and VOCs react with heat and sunlight. Though high-altitude
ozone protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation, at ground
level it can cause reduced lung capacity in adults and respiratory
problems in the elderly and young.

“Ground-level ozone really does affect us all,” Norton said.
Gasoline retailers also began a campaign Tuesday urging motorists
not to overfill their tanks, which leads to spills and drips
that evaporate and contribute to ozone pollution. Stickers
reminding motorists to stop refueling when the nozzle clicks
off will be placed on gas pumps throughout the metro area.

In conjunction with industry action, the state health department
will issue advisories any time ozone levels rise to a potentially
dangerous level, Norton said.

Although similar to the department’s winter air pollution monitoring
system, ozone advisories will be issued only when levels
are high, said Christopher Dann, spokesman for the air pollution
division of the health department.

The reformulated gas and campaign to reduce overfilling will
help, but everyone needs to act to reduce ozone pollution, Dann
said. On high-pollution days, people should hold off until
evening, when temperatures are lower, to refuel their cars,
cut the grass and paint their homes, he said. Using waterbased
paint will help reduce evaporation of VOCs, and if a lawn
mower needs to be replaced, consider buying an electric model,
he said.

In addition, using an electric charcoal lighter or a starter
chimney instead of lighter fluid will help.

Ozone pollution is an increasing problem in the metro area.
Last summer, the proposed federal standards were violated 33
times in eight days. The Regional Air Quality Council and
state Health Department asked refiners to voluntarily reduce
the evaporation rate. The steps make sense, said Jim Martin,
an air-quality specialist with the Environmental Defense
Fund.

“The metro area is literally within 1 part per billion of
violating the ozone standard,” Martin said. “This has the
potential for keeping the metro area in compliance with the
ozone standard and out of trouble with the EPA. It’s definitely
worth doing.”

Source: The Denver Post
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

——————————————————————-

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 21 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/7/1999
Subject: Enviro Update
This could be bad for transportation. If states are not requiring stationary
sources to cut emissions, the burden might fall on transportation.——————————————————————-GEORGIA POSTPONING CUTS IN POWER PLANT EMISSIONS
The Georgia state environmental division will postpone creation
of a plan to reduce power plant emissions in Georgia.

The decision is based on last month’s federal court ruling questioning
the Environmental Protection Agency’s Sept. 1 deadline for
22 New England and southern states, including the District
of Columbia, to collectively reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
The rules would have been effective in 2003.

“We are postponing because we are unsure of what the ruling
means,” said Ron Methier, head of the state’s air protection
branch. “That doesn’t mean we won’t come back and submit
a plan for NOX (nitrogen oxide) reduction later.”

Methier said today’s announcement is important, because the
state Environmental Protection Division had set the day as
an internal deadline for proposed rules. It would have taken
the next couple of months to submit the rules for public comment
in order to have them to the EPA by Sept. 1, he said.

Georgia Power officials are pleased with the decision. Although
the electric company has agreed to cooperate, spokesman John
Sell said this gives more time to answer questions concerning the
limits placed on power companies. It will also save the company
between $500 million and $1 billion in compliance efforts
for now.

“We’ll be at the table with EPD to make arguments over allocation
of allowances,” Sell said. “This gives the state more time
to mull over difficult issues and negotiate with all parties
involved.”

Power companies in Georgia are being asked to reduce NOX
emissions from 88,000 tons per year to 30,000 tons. With deregulation
imminent, Georgia Power wants to know what will happen to
its corporate emission limits as more companies are created.

The state could go ahead with its reduction proposal without
the EPA’s blessing, but it won’t work, Methier said. The
state plan called for a national banking and trading program
for NOX limits among participating states.

Any state using less than its annual NOX allotment could sell
or trade the excess, Methier said. This would cover the creation
of new power companies in Georgia.

“Our (statewide) plan, which would have required a NOX reduction
by about 26 percent, doesn’t mean anything until the other
states are working with it, too,” Methier said.

New York and a few other New England states say they will
still pursue NOX emission reductions. Most Southern states
are balking.

Tennessee has proposed draft rules for public comment but
may wait. Kentucky will probably postpone its rules. Methier
met with officials from both states Thursday.

Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina have joined a
lawsuit asking for their removal from the list.

The EPD will still implement its reduction plan for the Atlanta
area, Methier said, because non-compliance there under older
rules has not been challenged. Georgia Power will be involved
partly but not to the degree a state plan would require.

The postponement comes as something of a surprise to the
Georgia AirKeepers, a nonprofit group working to strengthen state
air-quality laws.

“This just extends the period of time where we don’t have
protection,” said Jennifer Lyons of Georgia AirKeepers. “This
is further proof that we need congressional action to remove
loopholes in the Clean Air Act.”

Methier said it could be only weeks before the state actually
does submit a plan. But he couldn’t offer any definite time
for that to happen.

“I can’t tell you if we’ll follow through or not,” he said.
“I can’t even say that we won’t. We just have to wait for
more information from the EPA.”

Source: The Macon Telegraph, Ga.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

——————————————————————-

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 22 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/7/1999
Subject: FW: TEA-21 news conference and media activity

Subject: TEA-21 news conference and media activity

RAN members:

RAN took the week off last week for vacation. Now we’re tanned, rested and
ready. Attached includes TEA-21 news conference and media activity. .

* House T&I Committee Chairman Bud Shuster and DOT Secretary Rodney Slater
are holding a joint news conference on June 9 (Wednesday) – will emphasize
work zone safety and talk about impact of TEA-21. 2 p.m. Rayburn, room 2167.

* On the media front, TRIP research director Rocky Moretti appeared on an
ABC-TV segment on Memorial Day, which included a lead-in from newscaster
Connie Chung saying that Memorial Day travel is way up and there aren’t
enough roads to accommodate the increased travel. Rocky appeared and was
quoted as saying that highway travel increased by 33 percent while new road
capacity increased by only three percent. Thanks to Taylor Bowlden of
Highway Users and Bill Jackman of AAA for referring ABC News to us.

Thanks to the many others who sent other materials to my attention. – I have
not had time to go through everything yet, but will include another update
later in the week.

Bill

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 23 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/8/1999
Subject: FW: FHWA Announces Maximum Penalties for Truckers Violating Safety
—–Original Message—–
From: My DOTNEWS Services [mailto:DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov] On Behalf Of
Dot.News
Sent: Monday, June 07, 1999 7:03 PM
To: DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov
Subject: FHWA Announces Maximum Penalties for Truckers Violating Safety
RegulationsU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 7, 1999
Contact: Gail Shibley
Tel: (202) 366-0660
FHWA 38-99FHWA Announces Maximum Penalties
For Truckers Violating Safety Regulations;
Two To Serve Time in Federal Prison

Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle today announced
that two trucking company officials have been sentenced to time in federal
prison, a lengthy probation and maximum fines for violating federal hours
of service regulations.

“We have made significant advances in safety, and this enforcement
action underscores our commitment to further improving the level of safety
on America’s highways,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater
said. “Tough enforcement of regulations is an important part of our
safety action plan to reduce deaths from those crashes.”

Slater and Wykle on May 25 announced a safety action plan that
combines stronger enforcement, tougher penalties, new regulations,
advanced technology, and education and research to reduce by 50 percent in
10 years the number of deaths on the nation’s highways associated with
commercial vehicles.

“This enforcement action demonstrates we are serious about our
safety action plan which stresses improved safety through stronger
enforcement and tougher penalties,” Wykle said. “Those who disregard
truck safety regulations and endanger the traveling public will feel the
full force of federal response.”

Charles Georgoulakos Jr. and his brother, James Georgoulakos,
owners of C&J Trucking Company, Inc., of Londonderry, N.H., were sentenced
to federal prison for violating federal trucking safety regulations. Each
defendant was ordered to serve four months in a federal prison followed by
eight months in home confinement and one year on supervised release. C&J
Trucking was placed on two years probation and fined $25,000, the maximum
amount allowable under law.

These sentences came at the conclusion of an investigation which
began when one of the trucking company’s drivers was involved in a
collision on Interstate 93 in Londonderry on Aug. 2, 1995, in which four
individuals were killed.

The defendants admitted that they knowingly and willfully
permitted employee truck drivers to violate hours of service safety
regulations. The corporation executed a scheme to hide illegal hours of
driving from detection by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) safety
investigators who conduct periodic examinations of trucking companies’
records. The scheme involved paying drivers “off the books” for illegal
driving time through an account other than the normal payroll account .

The prison sentences are a result of a joint effort by the FHWA;
the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire, Paul M. Gagnon; and the New Hampshire
State Police to increase truck safety through greater compliance with
safety regulations.

C&J Trucking Company, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation doing
business throughout New England with headquarters in New Hampshire, is in
the business of collecting and transporting solid waste. At the time of
the 1995 crash, it employed approximately 35 drivers and 38 trucks.
Charles Georgoulakos Jr. is the president of the company and an owner;
James Georgoulakos is the treasurer and an owner.

All three defendants (the two owners and the corporation) were
charged with violating safety regulations which are part a comprehensive
framework to ensure the safe operation of commercial motor vehicles and
protect the public. The specific regulations violated by these defendants
limit the number of hours truck drivers are allowed to drive and are
generally known as “hours of service regulations.”

C&J Trucking Company, Inc., through its attorneys, issued a
statement “acknowledging that it pled guilty and was sentenced to a
two-year term of probation and fined $25,000.00. [That it] has also
implemented a program to prevent and detect hours of service violations
and has agreed to submit to unannounced reviews of its compliance program
by agents of the Department of Transportation. C&J Trucking Company, Inc.
further acknowledged the importance of all trucking companies complying
with the hours of service regulations.”

# # #

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 24 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/8/1999
Subject: FW: Updated state fact sheets and TEA-21 anniversary

Attachments :

—–Original Message—–
From: Bill Outlaw [mailto:outlaw@tripnet.org] Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 1999 2:41 PMSubject: Updated state fact sheets and TEA-21 anniversaryRAN members:

The attached file contains updated state fact sheets which includes an
additional line in the Motorists Investment section to reflect the percent
increase in TEA-21 funding (average over six years) compared to ISTEA
funding. These were done in light of tomorrow’s first anniversary of the
signing of TEA 21.

Also, a reminder of the Shuster Slater press conference tomorrow at 2 p.m.
at 2167 Rayburn. In addition the T&I subcommittee on the Senate side will be
holding a hearing on TEA-21 Implementation tomorrow morning at 9:30 in SD
406.

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 25 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/9/1999
Subject: America’s Environmental Regulator Goes Astray
Matter of Opinion:
Wednesday, June 9, 1999By Bonner R. Cohen, Lexington InstituteThey’re leaking, they’re
suing, they’re going public
with their complaints and
some are even getting fired.
They are the dissidents at
the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.

And whether the EPA likes
it or not, the dissidents are
becoming a force to be
reckoned with.

A recent U.S. Court of
Appeals ruling that
overturned the EPA’s new
standards for smog and soot has cast an unflattering
light on how the most
powerful regulatory agency in the country goes about
its business.

By saying in effect that the EPA had failed to explain
how it arrived at its
new standards and how public health would benefit from
them, the court
simply confirmed what EPA dissidents have been arguing
for some time.

At the EPA, it turns out, science is regularly
sacrificed on the alter of
politics, and the agency is more interested in
expanding its power than in
developing rational approaches to environmental
problems.

If left standing, the court’s decision will be a
severe setback for an agency
that has become accustomed to riding roughshod over
science and
scientists.

Last year, for example, EPA brass overruled the
recommendation of its
scientists and torpedoed a science-based standard for
chloroform in
drinking water.

The decision, dissidents argue, forces water system
operators to waste
precious resources combating fictitious threats
resulting from purification
of drinking water.

What further angers EPA dissidents is the agency’s
practice of funneling
grants to friendly “public interest” groups that can
be relied on to support
EPA regulatory actions.

According to Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, the
Republican from Missouri
who is chairman of the Senate Small Business
Committee, the EPA has
passed out nearly $1 billion to about a thousand such
groups over the
past five years.

An environmental scientist at the agency, Hugh Wise,
says that “EPA and
its green group allies are deceiving the public by
promoting nonexistent
environmental problems.”

Just what kind of scare tactics does the agency
employ? Wise notes, for
example, that it regularly designates certain
chemicals as “toxic pollutants”
or “hazardous pollutants” but fails to inform the
public of a cardinal rule of
toxicology: The dose makes the poison.

“The mere presence of these chemicals does not convey
toxicity,” he
explains. (Wise’s views are his own and not the
agency’s.)

The EPA not only misuses science, the agency is not
above mistreating its
scientists.

Microbiologist David Lewis, who has spent nearly three
decades at the
agency, became so concerned about the misuse of
science there that he
wrote letters to EPA Administrator Carol Browner and
Vice President Al
Gore, informing them of the situation.

When he got no response, Lewis went public with an
article in the
prestigious British journal Nature in which he stated
that science at the
EPA had reached a “state of crisis.”

The EPA retaliated against Lewis by charging him with
a series of ethics
violations, all of them later thrown out by a
Department of Labor
mediation board.

Lewis filed a whistle-blower complaint against the
agency and, in a
settlement last year, was awarded $140,000 in damages
and legal fees by
the EPA. Lewis’ is no isolated case.

Brian Rimar, a scientist with the EPA’s regional
office in Denver, was
asked by his superiors to conduct a study on the
effects of a cleanup
proposal at a Superfund site in Colorado.

But when Rimar concluded that the EPA’s plan would
endanger livestock
at a nearby community, he, too, was harassed by
superiors before being
driven from the agency. The EPA settled with Rimar
last fall for
$100,000.

According to attorneys familiar with the situation,
EPA employees who
report wrongdoing or refuse to carry out instructions
they believe are
illegal or unethical are typically subjected to just
the kind of retaliation that
Lewis and Rimar suffered.

Stephen Kohn, president of the Washington-based
National
Whistleblowers Center, says the EPA’s arsenal of
weapons includes
“threats to demote or transfer employees, baseless
criminal investigations
and trumped-up charges of ethics violations, all aimed
at ostracizing,
intimidating and ultimately silencing those who speak
out.”

In a letter to The Washington Times last year, over a
dozen EPA
dissidents wrote that they found the situation “so
reprehensible that we
submit this letter, risking our careers rather than
choosing to remain silent.”

They went on to protest what they said was “fraud or
waste in our agency
involving hundreds of millions of dollars, and
alerting the public that EPA
regulations and enforcement actions based on poor
science stand to harm
rather than protect public health and the
environment.”

How oppressive has the climate become? The dissidents
weren’t kidding
when they said they were “risking their careers rather
than choosing to
remain silent.” Of the 13 people who signed the letter
to The Washington
Times, six have since lost their jobs.

While some dissidents go public, others meet quietly
with members of
Congress, urging them to rein in the EPA, including
devolving much of the
nation’s environmental regulatory authority to the
states.

“EPA bureaucrats are more interested in throwing their
weight around
then in promoting sensible environmental initiatives,”
says Lewis, the
microbiologist and whistle-blower.

“The agency,” he concludes, “does more harm than
good.”

BONNER R. COHEN is a senior fellow at the Lexington
Institute,
which is based in Arlington, Va. The author’s views
are not
necessarily those of Bridge News or the Environmental
News
Network.
Copyright 1999, Bridge News
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights
Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 26 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/9/1999
Subject: FW: Sprawl and the economy story in NY Times

Forwarded from Bill Outlaw, TRIP

Subject: Sprawl and the economy story in NY Times

RAN members: Loren Sweatt of AGC passed on story which takes an
interesting economic twist on the sprawl issue.

Fighting Sprawl, a County Gets Intel to Limit Jobs

By SAM HOWE VERHOVEK

<Picture: H>ILLSBORO, Ore.-When county officials sat down with the Intel
Corporation to develop a package of tax incentives that would keep the
state’s largest private employer here, the two sides struck a deal that had
some fairly standard provisions. Intel would invest up to $12.5 billion in
new equipment and plant upgrades over the next 15 years, and the county
would grant $200 million in property tax breaks.
And just one more thing, the county asked: Please don’t create too many new
jobs.
In an unusual arrangement that reflects both the flush national economy and
Oregon’s particular obsession with controlling sprawl, the computer-chip
maker has agreed to pay a “growth impact fee” if it exceeds a ceiling of
1,000 new manufacturing jobs on top of the 4,000 it already provides here in
Washington County, part of the growing Portland metropolitan area.
Under the package, which county commissioners are expected to approve next
week, Intel will pay the county $1,000 per excess worker per year if it
surpasses the job limit. County officials say they are thrilled to keep the
existing jobs here but really are not interested in a major expansion,
which would put new strains on schools, roads, utilities and many other
services in an area
that is trying to hold on to the patchwork of farms, forests, orchards and
other undeveloped space that make it a particularly attractive place to
live.

“This whole process was geared toward consolidating our victories,” Charles
D. Cameron, the Washington County Administrator, said of the negotiations
with Intel. “We’re more concerned about retaining the economic strength we
have rather than creating more.”
Or, as Walter C. Peck, a county spokesman, put it, if Intel had been
“talking about 5,000 new jobs here, the sense is they wouldn’t have gotten
to first base” with any request for tax breaks.
The idea of providing incentives for a company not to create many more jobs
has a certain man-bites-dog quality to it, county and state officials
concede. Indeed, they say that the arrangement between Intel and Washington
County is the first such deal in Oregon and that they know of none like it
anywhere else.
But, the officials say with some pride, if communities are really concerned
about battling sprawl, the innovation here could well prove to be a national
model for how to achieve sensible, precisely defined growth.
“This is maybe a tenor-of-the-times thing,” said Bill Scott, the state’s
Director of Economic Development.
“A few years ago Oregon was really interested in all the jobs we could get.
But the political environment has changed. People know there’s more than one
side to growth. We aren’t just interested in jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Some local opposition to the growth impact fee has arisen, although not
much.
“The hair on the back of my neck stood up on that one,” said State
Representative Jim Hill, a Republican who is from the area and otherwise
supports the tax-break package.
“I think it could send the message to businesses, ‘Yeah, you can show up
here, but you’re going to pay a premium for it,’ ” Hill said of the fee
provision. “I don’t think we can afford to do that. I don’t think any
community anywhere can sit there and say we’re going to pick and choose who
we want to arrive.”
But Tom Brian, chairman of the county’s Board of Commissioners, said:
“We’re certainly still pro-business. It’s just a matter of pace.”
Scott said the package was a creative one that was not in any way a slap at
businesses.
“Yes, the message is more complicated, but it’s a healthy message,” he said.
“The idea is we want you to have incentives for investment that also give us
ways to deal with livability issues.”
Livability is an especially potent issue to many Oregonians, whose passion
for protecting their state’s natural splendor has been interpreted by some
critics as a reflection of a moat mentality and attendant hostility to
outsiders.
Tom McCall, a staunch environmentalist and legendary Oregon Governor, said
memorably in his tourism promotion pitch three decades ago that visitors
were welcome, “but for heaven’s sake don’t come to live here.”
And in the Portland area, planners have brought an almost religious zeal to
regulating an “urban growth boundary” area of roughly 400 square miles into
which almost all development is channeled, while a broad necklace of green
space and farmland maintains the region’s stunning beauty. It is an
anti-sprawl model that other planners from around the country routinely come
to research.
So in Washington County, where more than 90 percent of the population of
some 400,000 live within the 15 percent of the county lying inside the
growth boundary, the desire to limit Intel’s job growth has some obvious
roots.

Officials at Intel, which is based in Santa Clara, Calif., but has more
employees here than there, have worked closely with county planners on
growth issues over the years, even donating land in order to have a
light-rail station placed near their offices and chip plants. They say they
are as concerned with livability as anyone else in the Portland area and
were happy to agree to the impact fees, however unusual.
Whether the fees would be steep enough to deter Intel from creating many new
jobs is, of course, an open question. At $1,000 per excess worker, a total
of even 1,000 excess workers would mean a payment to the county of only $1
million a year, although Mike Salsgiver, an Intel spokesman, said:
“It certainly could be a factor. This is a cost-conscious company.”
More broadly, the provision authorizing the fees has powerful symbolic
value, reflecting a clear effort on the county’s part to set a new-jobs
target that the company calls reasonable.
The fees are also a selling point in information that county administrators
have posted on their Web site for residents who have questions about the tax
package.
“The fact that Intel is combining a $12.5 billion investment and a focus on
job retention, not new employment growth, means new impacts should be
minimal to schools and public infrastructure (roads, sewers, water systems,
etc.),” a message on the Web site says.
Just a few years ago, when the state’s timber industry had collapsed and
Oregon’s unemployment rate soared into the double digits, the idea of
levying growth impact fees would have been almost unimaginable. Indeed, it
was only six years ago that the state, in a determined bid to attract
high-technology companies, kicked off its Strategic Investment Program,
under which Intel has negotiated this and previous tax breaks.

The state has done spectacularly well with its transition from wood chips to
computer chips. Oregon’s Silicon Forest is a large part of the reason why
the unemployment rate in the state is routinely below the national rate. A
study issued this week by the United States Commerce Department said
Oregon’s economy in 1997 grew faster than that of any other state.
Oregon, with no sales tax, has a special reliance on property taxes, and
state officials say the new package is intended to help mitigate a provision
in the state tax code that assesses property taxes on a company’s machinery
and other equipment as well as its buildings and land, and thus imposes
particular burdens on the high-technology industry.
The vast majority of Intel’s investments here will be in equipment, which
sometimes needs to be upgraded in a matter of months to accommodate advances
in the fast-changing industry. As that equipment becomes increasingly
automated, Intel is unlikely to be creating large numbers of jobs here
despite the billions of dollars it is investing, the company says.
The deal also has provisions that would strip away the growth impact fees if
the economic situation here turned and the area wanted more jobs. For now,
though, even many workers who hold good jobs at Intel say they are just as
happy that the company has disincentives to create very many more.
“The housing prices, the traffic, it’s all going off the charts,” Mark Kent,
a 37-year-old technician looking to buy his first house, said at the
company’s Ronler Acres plant as he donned his chip-protective clothing,
which looks a lot like a space suit.
“They’ll never be able to stop the growth,” Kent said, “but if this puts it
at a slower pace, that’s good.”
Dave Stegemann, a technician who moved here from Albuquerque, N.M., a year
and a half ago, said he had found the idea of discouraging growth a bit
jarring, but only at first.
“It was unusual-I’d never really heard of that idea before,” Stegemann said.
“But then I read about it, I thought about it, I talked to my wife about it,
and it seemed like it’s a really innovative approach. I think it’s a fair
idea. Growth does have costs.”

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 27 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/10/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater’s Remarks at Event Marking the First Anniversa
Yesterday, ARTBA participated in a press conference about work zone safety.
You should have received a synopsis of the press event by fax. Below are the
comments made by Secretary Slater.—–Original Message—–
From: My DOTNEWS Services [mailto:DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov] On Behalf Of
Dot.News
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 1999 9:44 AM
To: DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov
Subject: Secretary Slater’s Remarks at Event Marking the First
Anniversary of TEA-21 (6/9/99)U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION RODNEY E. SLATER
ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
JUNE 9, 1999

One year ago today, when President Clinton signed the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, it made good his pledge to
put people first.

Let me commend the key members of the authorizing committees here
today who made TEA-21 the first law of the 21st century. And the many
other people here today who also helped.

The President and Vice President’s leadership on the economy —
six years of economic expansion and the balanced budget — allowed the
record $200 billion of infrastructure investment in TEA 21.

President Clinton set safety as the Administration’s top
transportation priority and we have made America’s transportation system
safer. Last year, traffic fatalities declined to their lowest number in
four years.

Safety also means making sure that those who are doing the
important work of Rebuilding America are getting the most protection
possible.

More than 700 fatalities and 37,000 injuries taking place every
year in work zones is unacceptable — and one in seven deaths involves
construction workers.

New products, along with the education and training, will help
make work zones safer. So will the National Work Zone Safety Information
Clearinghouse which is supported by many groups represented here today.

TEA-21 is a safety act but it is also an environmental act, an act
for balanced infrastructure investment, an opportunity act and, above all,
an equity act.

Equity means planning access to jobs, investing in liveable
communities, and continuing to support small and disadvantaged businesses.

Transportation is about more than concrete, asphalt and steel. It
is about getting people to work, to school, to recreation, to an enhanced
quality of life.

As the gathering here today demonstrates so well, transportation
is truly the tie that binds.

Today, we have a safer — a more efficient — and a more
environmentally-sound transportation system. But, as the President said,
this is not a time to rest, but a time to build.

As a truly visionary and vigilant Department of Transportation, we
stand ready to meet the challenges of the new century and the new
millennium.

Working together, moving from strength to strength, we will create
a transportation system that truly supports equity throughout our society
during the 21st century. If we do that, I know that our best days are
yet to come.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 28 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/10/1999
Subject: Sprawl article
EPA lauds Clinton proposal to limit
suburban sprawl
Thursday, June 10, 1999By Jere Downs, The Philadelphia InquirerCiting suburban sprawl as an emerging political issue,
EPA Administrator
Carol Browner Tuesday promoted President Clinton’s
proposal to issue
tax-free bonds so that local governments and nonprofits
could buy land to
preserve open space.

In remarks at a land-use conference yesterday, Browner
touted the
achievements of the Environmental Protection Agency
under Clinton and
Vice President Gore. She also warned about 500 land-use
experts,
environmentalists and developers from around the United
States that sprawl
threatened hard-won gains in air quality, increased
congestion, and
hampered quality of life.

“We don’t live in communities anymore, but in
subdivisions,” she said. “Our
neighbors have become those people we just pass in our
cars during
commutes that have become longer and more tedious.

“We are driving our cars almost 60 percent more than in
1980. All this
extra driving will — in 10 to 12 years — overtake all
the gains we have
made in reducing tailpipe emissions over the past 25
years.” In the last
century, she said, the environmental movement has
evolved from saving
spectacular places as national parks under President
Theodore Roosevelt
to landmark federal mandates during the 1960s and 1970s
to protect air
and water resources.

In elections in the fall, more than 150 “green” ballot
initiatives authorized
spending for land preservation in communities
nationwide, Browner said.
To build on that momentum, she told those gathered at
the Adam’s Mark
Hotel, the EPA hopes to empower states, local
governments and nonprofit
groups with the financial resources to improve
conditions in their
communities.

Browner said Clinton’s “Better America Bonds”
proposal — to be
introduced soon in Congress — would allow governments
and nonprofit
groups to issue bonds, pay no interest, and use a
15-year window to repay
the principal.

The EPA’s hope is that the proposed competitive program
will yield
measurable reductions in air and water pollution,
Browner said, while
adding immeasurably to the quality of life.

“This will be good for the health of our families, the
health of our
environment, and the health of local economies,”
Browner said. “And it will
help restore our sense of community. Out of our shared
places — be it a
riverfront park or a suburban greenway — will come a
shared vision.”

While acknowledging Browner’s promotion of the
environmental themes
that predominate Gore’s presidential election campaign,
participants at the
Keep America Growing conference nonetheless welcomed
her remarks.

“It sounded like politics to me,” said Steve Pence, a
Virginia state forestry
official. But Pence added that sprawl from nearby
Richmond into his rural
Piedmont region recently sparked a land-use summit that
drew 200
residents, “more than I’ve seen anywhere locally but at
a sporting event.”

The proposed bond program could help central Bucks
County
municipalities offset the cost of providing services to
new homes sprouting
there in record numbers, said Heritage Conservancy
director Michael J.
Frank.

“For all the talk about changing zoning and existing
laws, we’ve got to go
out and buy land to preserve it,” he said. “If
communities can get a
no-interest loan from the federal government, we can
really protect part of
Bucks County.”
Copyright 1999, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights
Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 29 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/10/1999
Subject: FW: focus groups; Philly Inquirer story on EPA/sprawl & Clinton pro
The attached is from Bill Outlaw. I deleted the story he refers to since I
already e-mailed it to the CSE list.—–Original Message—–
From: Bill Outlaw [mailto:outlaw@tripnet.org] Subject: focus groups; Philly Inquirer story on EPA/sprawl & Clinton
proposalRAN members:

TRIP and the Highway Users are combining resources to conduct a series of
focus groups to gain intelligence on how highway industry groups should
addrress issues such as sprawl, smart growth, and how to position highways
in the environmental arena. The first focus group will be in Philadelphia
tomorrow (Friday) night. Other focus groups will take place in San Francisco
(June14); Denver, (June 15); St. Louis, (June 16), Oklahoma City,( June 18);
and Atlanta, (June 25)

We will be sharing information and materials from these focus groups with
those of you that want them.

Greg Smith of ARTBA relayed the attached story on EPA/sprawl which appeared
in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer on Clinton Admin’s proposal to issue tax
free bonds to enable government to buy land and preserve open space..

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 30 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/13/1999
Subject: FW: State funding means
Does
anyone have any ideas to share on the following?
—–Original Message—–
From: MBTA [mailto:mbta@ime.net]
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 1999 3:55 PM
To:
dbauer@artba.org
Subject: State funding means
Hi Dave – We just finished a bruising
legislative session where we tried for a nickel increase in the fuel tax. We
ended up with 3 cents and a $2 increase to motor vehicle registrations. The
Transportation Committee also agreed to set up a long-term funding task force to
look at ways, outside of the gas tax, if possible, to fund highways. What is the
best way to find out what other states are doing to overcome the challenges
created by 1) gas tax not increasing with inflation and 2) more efficient
vehicles. THanks for any info you might have. Maria FUentes, Maine Better
Transportation Association, 146 State Street, Augusta, ME  04330 phone:
207.622.0526

 

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 31 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/13/1999
Subject: FW: Transportation Secretary Slater Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
Subject: Transportation Secretary Slater Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
of TEA-21 by Noting Success of Projects, Programs in PhiladelphiaU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, June 11, 1999
Contact: Bill Adams
Tel : 202-366-5580
DOT 85-99Transportation Secretary Slater Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of TEA-21
by Noting Success of Projects, Programs in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Commemorating the first anniversary since President
Clinton signed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21), U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today cited
several grants to Pennsylvania that are being used to carry out programs
funded under TEA-21.

“The impact of TEA-21 on Philadelphia underscores President Clinton’s
vision of transportation as more than concrete, asphalt and steel.
Simply put, transportation is the means by which Americans get to where
they need to go, to jobs, to schools, to markets, to take advantage of all
the opportunities our great nation offers,” said Secretary Slater. “In an
unprecedented way, TEA-21 is putting people first and helping to rebuild
America, improve safety, protect the environment, spur the economy and
expand opportunity.”

Secretary Slater said that TEA-21 will provide Pennsylvania with almost a
50 percent increase in federal aid funding than it received under the
previous six-year surface transportation bill, the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) . Among all the states, it
will receive the fourth largest amount of federal aid funding and an
average of $1.58 billion in apportionments and formula grants per year
under TEA-21.

As an example of the law’s success, Secretary Slater noted that
Philadelphia received more than $2 million funds under two innovative
provisions in TEA-21, the Access to Jobs program to help those in need
gain access to employment opportunities, and the Transportation and System
and Community Preservation (TCSP) Pilot program to help communities
develop area-wide strategies to promote transportation efficiency.

Secretary Slater also noted that the Federal Transit Administration will
provide almost $5 million in funding to upgrade the Frankford
Transportation Center, a multi-modal terminal located at the
Market-Frankford subway elevated line that is used by thousands of
commuters. In addition, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation
Authority (SEPTA) has developed a new railroad grade crossing sign in
conjunction with DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration, which will improve
safety for school children and other bus passengers.

In May, Philadelphia received $25,000 from federal aid highway research
funds for a national public education program to increase awareness about
how personal travel choices affect traffic congestion and air quality.

The program, known as It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air, is sponsored by the
U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Under the program, the $25,000 will be used to customize and place public
service announcements (PSAs) in local print and broadcast media and to
develop community-based partnership programs to inform the public about
the connections between their transportation choices and traffic
congestion, air pollution and public health.

TEA-21, which President Clinton signed on June 9, 1998, is a six-year
surface transportation reauthorization that guarantees a record $198
billion investment, within the limits of the balanced budget act, to
maintain and improve America’s surface transportation systems for the 21st
century. TEA-21 continues core highway, bridge and transit programs,
with balanced investment for highways, transit, rail, and intermodal
projects.

TEA-21 focuses on improving safety, rebuilding America, protecting the
environment, creating opportunity and ensuring global competitiveness. It
does so while protecting commitments to a balanced budget and recognizing
President Clinton’s other vital priorities, such as education, child care,
and Social Security.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 32 From: Charles R. Lovorn Date: 6/14/1999
Subject: Re: FW: State funding means
From Kentucky:  Does Maine have a sales tax on automobiles?
If so where does it go?  General Fund?…  Try to get a part
of the funds collected for highways.  In Kentucky we have a 6% sales
tax on all merchandise except food.  On vehicle sales, a 6% sales
usage tax is implied on all net transactions on used vehicles and on 90%
of the actual sales price of new vehicles.  The revenue collected
goes to the road fund.  About $400 million per year.  Try to
get a piece of it.  Charlie LovornGreg Smith wrote:

 

 Does
anyone have any ideas to share on the following?

—–Original
Message—–
From: MBTA [mailto:mbta@ime.net]Sent: Tuesday, June
08, 1999 3:55 PM

To: dbauer@artba.org

Subject: State funding
means

Hi Dave – We just finished a bruising
legislative session where we tried for a nickel increase in the fuel tax.
We ended up with 3 cents and a $2 increase to motor vehicle registrations.
The Transportation Committee also agreed to set up a long-term funding
task force to look at ways, outside of the gas tax, if possible, to fund
highways. What is the best way to find out what other states are doing
to overcome the challenges created by 1) gas tax not increasing with inflation
and 2) more efficient vehicles. THanks for any info you might have. Maria
FUentes, Maine Better Transportation Association, 146 State Street, Augusta,
ME  04330 phone: 207.622.0526


 

 
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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 33 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/15/1999
Subject: No Subject
Business leaders take stand against sprawl
Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Business leaders in Washington, D.C., as well as other cities across the
U.S., are promoting efforts to control urban sprawl
Business leaders in the United States are becoming active in efforts to curb
urban sprawl, according to a study by the National Association of Local
Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP).
The study, Profiles of Business Leadership on Smart Growth: New partnerships
Demonstrate the Economic Benefits of Reducing Sprawl, can be found at the
NALGEP <http://www.nalgep.org/sg.html> web site.
Listing many ways sprawl undermines business profitability and
competitiveness, the study identifies a shift in the business community’s
attitude away from resisting growth control toward supporting efforts that
regulate economic expansion.
“Smart growth isn’t anti-growth,” said James P. Dodge, chairman, president
and CEO of Providence Energy Corporation. “Rather, it aims to examine and
refocus a pattern of development so that already-established cities, towns
and villages can thrive and remain tangible manifestations of outstanding
quality of life.”
Business leaders interviewed for the study overwhelmingly named quality of
life the main reason why they are getting involved with smart-growth
projects.
“Portland’s quality of life is one of our greatest economic assets,” said
Clayton Herig, a Portland real estate executive. “Should the city’s quality
of life begin to diminish, the city can expect economic opportunities to
disappear.”
According to a majority of business leaders interviewed, maintaining a
qualified work force is a major challenge in today’s economy. Businesses in
communities experiencing a decline in overall quality of life are finding it
difficult to recruit and retain competent workers.
“We are living in the era of the global marketplace,” says Tracy Grubbs of
the Sierra Business Council, a nonprofit business organization concerned
with growth patterns in California’s Sierra Nevada region. “Because capital
is mobile, companies will leave locations if they no longer provide the
quality of life necessary to attract employees.”
The study also focuses on 19 businesses across the country, which are
involved in urban sprawl projects. These individual reports explore how and
why companies are promoting local smart growth initiatives that protect
quality of life.
In Washington, D.C., Abe Pollin, owner of the NBA Washington Wizards, joined
forces with the District of Columbia to locate a state-of-the-art sports and
entertainment arena, the MCI Center, as part of an effort to revitalize
downtown Washington.
In California, the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, a trade association
representing more than 130 of the largest Silicon Valley employers, is
encouraging improved transportation planning and affordable housing
initiatives to help preserve the region’s quality of life. It hopes to
ensure the nation’s leading high-tech companies can continue to attract
highly skilled workers to live and work in the area.
“Business leaders are searching for innovative approaches to tackle the
issue of sprawl in their communities,” says Kenneth A. Brown, executive
director of NALGEP and a co-author of the report. “Profiles of Business
Leadership on Smart Growth provides tools for businesses and local
governments to work in partnership to address the challenges of sprawl.”
NALGEP’s Smart Growth Business Partnership Project conducted more than 50
interviews to gather information from business leaders and local government
officials to help identify businesses that are actively promoting
alternatives to urban sprawl and why they are motivated to take action.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 34 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/17/1999
Subject: Today’s Enviro News
Air activists and public rally behind EPA
Thursday, June 17, 1999
So who does John Q. Public want setting clean air health standards?
Congress? Nope.
Courts? Nope.
The Environmental Protection Agency? Yep, according to a public opinion
survey conducted for the American Lung Association and released Wednesday in
Washington.
The announcement of the survey results served to kick off a counter-attack
by major health and environmental groups against a May 14 federal appeals
court ruling that set aside EPA’s health standards for smog and soot. The
survey also found that voters overwhelmingly support stricter clean air
health standards.
Paul G. Billings of the American Lung Association predicted that the ruling
would be overturned on appeal. Meanwhile, he noted that dirty air remains a
“clear and present danger for millions of Americans.”
Organizations participating in the clean air campaign include the American
Lung Association, Clean Air Network, Clean Air Trust, Environmental Defense
Fund, National Environmental Trust, Natural Resources Defense Council,
Sierra Club and U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
“We support EPA Administrator Carol Browner’s effort to vigorously appeal
this wrong-headed court decision,” said Steve Cochran of the Environmental
Defense Fund. “The public health and environmental community stand firmly
behind her. And so do the American people.”
The national survey found that 86 percent of voters favor stricter clean air
health standards. Nearly eight of 10 voters trust the EPA to set the
standards.
The summer of 1999 is already showing high smog levels. The official
beginning of summer is still a week away, and more than 25 states have
reported that they have exceeded the ozone standard, said Jayne Mardock of
the Clean Air Network. Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia have had more than a week of dirty air
days, she said.
“The problem is caused by big polluting sport utility vehicles, high sulfur
gasoline, coal-burning electric power plants and dirty diesel trucks,” said
Rebecca Stanfield of U.S. Public Interest Research Group. “Together with
hundreds of state and local organizations, we will work to clean up these
polluters to make our air safe to breathe.”
The poll shows:
Voters strongly favor stricter clean air health standards. More than eight
out of 10 voters (86 percent) favor stricter standards, including 58 percent
who strongly favor. Only 10 percent oppose stricter standards.
Voters would like to see standards set at strict levels that would protect
the health of children with asthma and senior citizens. A third of voters
say the levels should be strict enough to protect the health of an average
person (32 percent). Nearly two-thirds of voters think community air
pollution standards should be set at even stricter levels to protect the
health of children with asthma and senior citizens (64 percent).
Voters place their trust in EPA to set health based air quality standards.
Seventy-seven percent trust the EPA, including 32 percent who trust it a
great deal. Congress and the courts follow at a distance (51 percent trust
including 8 percent trust a great deal for Congress and 56 percent trust, 11
percent a great deal for the courts). Voters are least trusting of the oil
or trucking industries to set these standards (32 percent and 35 percent
trust respectively).
Voters overwhelmingly place their trust in the American Lung Association
when it comes to information on air pollution. Ninety percent of voters
trust the American Lung Association, including 59 percent who trust it a
great deal. Doctors (85 percent trust, including 38 percent a great deal)
and the EPA (79 percent, 35 percent a great deal) round out the top three.
Voters place the least amount of trust in information provided by the Big
Three auto makers (50 percent, 7 percent a great deal), the National
Association of Manufacturers (45 percent, 6 percent) and oil companies (32
percent, 6 percent).
These findings are based on a nationwide poll among 800 adults, 18 years of
age or older, who are registered to vote. The poll was conducted May 20-24
by Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates. The margin of error for this survey is
plus or minus 3.5 percent.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 35 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/17/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater’s Statement Concerning House Passage of FAA
Secretary Slater’s Statement concerning AIR-21. He is recommending a veto if
the off-budget provision remains in the bill through the Senate.—–Original Message—–
From: My DOTNEWS Services [mailto:DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov] On Behalf Of
Dot.News
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 10:03 PM
To: DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov
Subject: Secretary Slater’s Statement Concerning House Passage of FAA
Reauthorization LegislationU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Contact: Bill Adams
Tel.: (202) 366-5580
DOT 87-99

Statement of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater
Concerning House Passage of FAA Reauthorization Legislation

The House took important action today to advance aviation matters by
passing AIR-21 legislation.

This bill has many features that are comparable to the administration’s
bill. However, provisions that would take the aviation trust fund off
budget make it necessary that I recommend the President veto this bill.

It is now my hope that the Senate will proceed expeditiously to pass
legislation so we can begin to attempt to reach agreement on a bill that
includes long-term stable financing for the FAA, provides for
modernization of the air traffic system, provides increased service to
rural communities and provides for adequate competition in the aviation
industry.

Finally, we need a bill that President Clinton can sign into law so that
our aviation system can remain as it is, second to none in the world.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 36 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/17/1999
Subject: Today’s Sierra Club Alert
SC-ACTION Vol. II #103
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
June 16, 1999SIERRANS SPEAK OUT ON CLEAN AIR IN PHILLY SAVE WILDSIERRAS SPEAK OUT ABOUT CLEAN AIR IN PHILLY, ATLANTA

Sierra Club activists are making a big splash at EPA’s public
hearings
held in Philadelphia and Atlanta on the proposed rules to clean up
smog-forming
pollution from cars and SUVs (called Tier 2) and clean up the gasoline they
run
on.
At the Philly hearings, Sierra Club members came from all over
Pennsylvania and Maryland. At the Wednesday (June 9) press conference to
kick
off the first hearing, 9 year old Meggy Bechis (daughter of Bucks County
Group
member Maria Bechis) stole the show with her statement about having asthma
and
how bad air days keep her inside. Maria testified at the hearings and read
Meggy’s statement into the record — the crowd applauded! Thanks to Nancy
Parks
(Air Committee), Jan Milburn, Larry Joyce (Governor Pinchot Group,
Harrisburg,
PA), Alexa Abercrombie who took time out of a visit all the way from
Florida,
and Mary Marsh and Janice Graham, who made the trip up from Maryland
From Philly, EPA headed to Atlanta, where Sierra Club was ready to
welcome them!
At the Atlanta hearings, which were held June 11, Sierra Club
members
were out in force to demand clean air for our children. Thanks to Sierra
Club
members Bob Fletcher (GA chapter), Harvard Ayres (North Carolina Chapter),
Margie Davis (GA Chapter), Pamela Perry (GA- Centennial Group) and Dr.
Randall
White and Dr. Erica Frank for testifying. Thanks, too, to members like Jorg
Voss, Bettye Harris, Michael Knotts and many others who came to the hearings
or
devoted time and effort to support the cause. Working together, we
overwhelmed
the opposition and got our message out loud and clear–Clean Air Now!
Look for an update on the Denver and Cleveland hearings. In the
meantime, call 1-888-TELL-EPA and voice your support for these new
standards,
but urge EPA to clean up all SUVs by 2007! For more information visit
toowarm.org.

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 37 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/21/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater’s Remarks to the American Trucking Association
Attached are Sec’y Slater’s recent comments on truck safety. A number of
CSEs have noted an increase in regulatory activity against contractors over
hours of service.—–Original Message—–
From: My DOTNEWS Services [mailto:DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov] On Behalf Of
Dot.News
Sent: Friday, June 18, 1999 3:59 PM
To: DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov
Subject: Secretary Slater’s Remarks to the American Trucking Association
Board of DirectorsU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION RODNEY E. SLATER
THE AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BREAKFAST MEETING
WASHINGTON, D.C.
JUNE 18, 1999

I am happy to be here this morning with the leaders of an industry
that is truly an essential part of our American economy for the new
century and the new millennium.

You have very capable and talented leaders with the American
Trucking Associations — your President, Walter McCormick and your
Chairman John Wren from Minnesota.

The trucking industry is growing — because of the unprecedented
97 months of continuous economic expansion under the strong leadership of
President Clinton and Vice President Gore. Nearly 19 million jobs have
been created since 1993, and nearly 1 million jobs have been created in
the first 5 months of this year alone.

The U.S. economy today also has the lowest unemployment since
1957. And last year, for the first time in three decades, the budget’s red
ink turned black with a $70 billion surplus.

The welfare rolls are the lowest they’ve been as a percentage of
our population in 29 years. Home ownership is the highest in history, and
in the last six years, 7 million Americans have bought new homes and
another 18 million have refinanced them at lower interest rates.

The visionary and vigilant Department of Transportation is
committed to working with the growing trucking industry for the new
century and the new millennium.

Safety is President Clinton’s top transportation priority and the
Department of Transportation is committed to saving lives. It remains our
north star by which we will be guided. On President Clinton’s watch,
highway fatality and drunk driving fatality rates have reached record low
levels; seat belt use is at an all time high of over 70 percent — up from
under 50 percent in 1990. Highway-rail crossing deaths are at a record low
level, down 58 percent from 1988.

Impressive as these accomplishments are, the President has said ”
This is not a time to rest, but a time to build.” We, at DOT, have not
rested.

We will issue new rules to shut down unfit carriers. In
appropriate cases, we have significantly increased fines for safety
violations and limited negotiated settlements or “wrist-slaps.”

We have also doubled the number of compliance reviews each month
for safety investigators — an annual increase per inspector from 24 to
48. We have issued new rules on truck visibility.

To keep up our momentum, we have requested and the President has
proposed a transportation budget that includes a record $3.5 billion for
transportation safety. Beyond that, we have requested an additional $56
million for motor carrier safety to hire more inspectors, and to focus on
border enforcement.

I have no doubt that every single person here is committed to
operating as safely as possible with drivers who are well-trained and
equipment that is well-maintained. ATA has been out front in support of a
broad range of safety issues — the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance
Program, the Commercial Driver’s License program, TEA-21 safety
initiatives, on outreach programs such as Share the Road and No Zone and
the recently renewed Intelligent Transportation System Incident Management
Program and I applaud you for that.

But, it is time for all of us to do more. Last year, the deaths
resulting from crashes involving commercial motor vehicles dropped by
almost 100, which is great news because almost 100 lives were saved. But
that still means that more than 5,300 people were killed in truck and bus
crashes last year. That number is unacceptable to President Clinton —
and it is unacceptable to me.

Last month, Federal Highway Administrator Ken Wykle and I proposed
a Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Action Plan with the ambitious goal of
reducing commercial motor vehicle-related deaths by half in the next 10
years. Today, I ask you to join with me to make that goal a reality.

In the coming weeks, Assistant Secretary Gene Conti will
coordinate and focus resources from across the Department on ways we can
save lives. As we are doing here today, from now until Labor Day, we will
engage the industry, labor, safety advocates and others in frank
discussions about the long-range strategy that will be needed to achieve
our aggressive goal.

We must redouble our shared commitment to get the safety message
to every company that operates a truck and every driver who sits behind
the wheel. And if we can’t get the safety message through to them, we have
to get them off the road.

Reaching our goal will require making tough decisions. We are
prepared to consider and make those decisions. I challenge you to join
with us in a cooperative effort, so that we can reach our goal. The
trucking industry — from top to bottom — must work with us to develop
our strategy and then to implement it. I believe you are up to that
challenge.

If we are to reduce deaths by half — and we will — we must not
be restricted by the existing, pre-conceived limits on what we can do. To
reach our goal, we must develop new ideas and move in new directions.

We are prepared to start by examining these areas:

* Recorder technologies to control speeding by large trucks.
* Requirements that new carriers demonstrate knowledge of existing safety
regulations.
* Aggressive and accountable goals for states to reduce truck-related
fatalities.
* Stiffer requirements on CDL applicants for traffic and drug and alcohol
related violations.
* How pay affects drivers’ decisions to drive too many hours or to drive
unsafely.
* Crashworthiness requirements to reduce fatalities in collisions between
trucks and cars.

We all share the responsibility for safety — the Department of
Transportation, the American Trucking Associations and your state
organizations and member companies, and each individual driver of all
vehicles on the road.

It is the trucking industry’s responsibility to ensure log books
are accurate. ATA must help us resolve this issue just as DOT updates the
hours-of-service rules to fit the needs of the human body and a 21st
century transportation system.

We are developing the first new hours-of-service regulat
Visit ion in more than 60 years. We will work with everyone
involved — industry, labor and safety groups — to get this done.

The safe companies and the safe drivers — who are the backbone
of the industry — should welcome the opportunity to work with us to
identify the bad drivers and the bad companies and get them off the
road. The trucking industry can help by supporting the development of
a safety management auditing system for all carriers and by developing
and using advanced safety technology. You should be innovators and
users of the best.

We believe striving to achieve the ambitious goal we have set
for ourselves and our partners, rather than management reorganization,
will reduce fatalities and injuries. We will leave the motor carrier
safety program activities in FHWA for the present time and diligently
monitor and periodically report on our efforts to make improvements.
We will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure continued progress
in meeting our goal.

There are some who say we cannot cut deaths from truck and bus
crashes in half in 10 years — that it is too ambitious a goal.

But I believe we have no choice. Driving a commercial truck or
a bus is a privilege, not a right. More than 5,000 deaths from crashes
involving trucks and buses every year is simply unacceptable. So, we
must make the hard choices as we go through the process. The goal of a
50 percent reduction is achievable if we put our minds to it, if we
commit to it.

Efficiency and profitability in transportation must not come at
the cost of safety. We can have a safe transportation system for the
21st century that is efficient and profitable.

I am committing to work with you to continue our shared
commitment to safety. As we build the transportation system of the new
century and the new millennium, moving from strength to strength, we
must join together to save lives. Safety is a promise we must make
together — and keep together

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 38 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/21/1999
Subject: FW: Statement by Secretary Slater Concerning Settlement Agreement o
This is Sec’y Slater’s Statement about the Atlanta case that ARTBA had filed
to intervene in. We will be sending out a more indpeth statement later.—–Original Message—–
From: My DOTNEWS Services [mailto:DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov] On Behalf Of
Dot.News
Sent: Monday, June 21, 1999 1:46 PM
To: DOTNEWS@relay.dot.gov
Subject: Statement by Secretary Slater Concerning Settlement Agreement
on Atlanta LitigationU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 21, 1999
Contact: Gail Shibley
Telephone: 202-366-0660
DOT 91-99

STATEMENT BY U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SLATER
CONCERNING SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON ATLANTA LITIGATION

I am pleased that we have reached a settlement agreement in
Georgians for Transportation Alternatives, et al . v. Shackelford, et al.

Governor Roy Barnes, Commissioner Wayne Shackelford and I worked
together as partners to bring about this historic agreement. This
settlement would not have been possible without their vision and
commitment, and I commend their personal involvement to bring about a
resolution to this important environmental case.

Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore’s leadership, the
Department of Transportation brought the parties together to forge an
agreement that respects both transportation investment and environmental
protection, because both make good economic sense. With this agreement,
17 major projects in active construction will proceed without delay.
Projects now in development will receive no federal dollars until the
region develops its new transportation plan that protects the environment
and promotes quality of life in the metropolitan region.

This new transportation program must strike a balance between the
need for new projects necessary to increase mobility and promote economic
growth and the necessity for solutions to air quality, traffic congestion
and other environmental concerns shared by all Atlantans.

We look forward to continuing to work with all parties to the
litigation and Atlanta’s citizens to ensure a sound, balanced, and
productive transportation plan for the 21st Century.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 39 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/25/1999
Subject: Excerpts from the Sierra Club Action Alert
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
June 23, 19992. WRESTLING WITH SPRAWL: Gov. Jesse “The Body” Ventura Walks Smart Growth
TalkOn June 11, Gary Garczynski, vice president and executive officer of the
National Association of Homebuilders, attacked the Sierra Club at the
Growing
Smart in Minnesota Conference. After calling for everyone to be reasonable
and
get along, he lambasted the Club for its Tour de Sprawl and said they had to
stop distorting what was sprawl development all over the country. Little did
he
know that the North Star (Minnesota) Chapter started the Tour de Sprawl and
they
almost always highlight smart growth development and developers.

Despite repeated attempts by Sierra Club volunteers and staff, conference
organizers refused to allow a Sierra Club response.

Gov. Jesse Ventura then spoke on smart growth and his experiences living in
Los
Angeles. He appears to have been reading the Club’s “Sprawl Costs Us All”
report when he outlined his four-point plan to address sprawl.

1. Use land well. Encourage development where you have existing
infrastructure.
2. Provide a mixture of land uses where we want to develop.
3. Provide a mix of transportation choices. Make land use decisions
that fit.
4. Make development decisions that are cost-effective. We should
provide incentives for smart decisions, and consequences for
shortsighted decisions.

He supported a series of measures that are good steps for fighting sprawl in
Minnesota, but do not include Urban Growth Boundaries or stop floodplain
sprawl.
As Brett Hulsey, Midwest Representative put it, “It’s a good start
nonetheless.”

———————————————————————-

3. QUOTED: From Utah to Louisiana to New Jersey, Our Message Makes the
Papers

The following quotes by Sierra Club activists are taken from recent
newspaper
articles across the country.

NEW JERSEY
“The Highlands is now the borderline against sprawl,” said Jeff Tittle,
director
of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club. “What happened to Bergen
County is
starting to happen in these mountains, and we stand to lose not only
woodlands,
but also our water supply.”

(At a New Jersey event to protect the Highlands — a densely forested
greenbelt
just 40 miles from Manhattan — from sprawl and development. The Record,
6/6/99.)

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 40 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/28/1999
Subject: No Subject
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTICE ISSUED TO EPA PROPOSAL FOR CLEANER VEHICLES
AND CLEANER GASOLINEOSHA SEEKS COMMENTS ON EMPLOYER SURVEY OF PAYMENT FOR PERSONAL
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT————————————————–
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTICE ISSUED TO EPA PROPOSAL FOR CLEANER VEHICLES
AND CLEANER GASOLINE

On Thursday EPA issued a Notice of Supplemental Information to
its May 1, 1999 proposal to achieve cleaner vehicles and cleaner
gasoline. EPA is issuing this supplemental notice to provide the
public with an opportunity to comment on additional modeling
information related to the one-hour smog (ozone) and soot
(particulate matter) standards. The supplemental notice states
that a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for District
of Columbia Circuit regarding the new national standards for smog
and soot does not change the May 1, 1999 proposal requirements.
The May proposal would provide more protective tailpipe emissions
standards for all passenger vehicles, including sport utility
vehicles, minivans and pick-up trucks. The proposal marks the
first time that SUVs and other light-duty trucks would be subject
to the same national pollution standards as cars. The proposal
would also reduce sulfur in gasoline. Comments on the
supplemental notice are welcome through the proposal comment
period which ends August 2. The supplemental notice, proposed
rule and related documents are available via EPA’s Tier 2
Internet site at: http://www.epa.gov/oms/tr2home.htm.

————————————————–
OSHA SEEKS COMMENTS ON EMPLOYER SURVEY OF PAYMENT FOR PERSONAL
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Results of a nationwide telephone survey of employers on current
patterns of personal protective equipment payment and use are
available for review and comment, the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) announced.

The survey is available in the OSHA Docket Office, Room N-2625,
U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20210, telephone (202) 693-2350. It has been
added to the docket (Docket S-042) for the rulemaking on OSHA’s
proposed rule to require employers to pay for most personal
protective equipment.

OSHA is inviting comments and testimony on the survey, as well as
on the impact of the proposed rule on the shipyard industry.

After OSHA issued its proposal, the Shipbuilders Council of
America, a trade association of shipyards, contacted the agency
with concerns about the impact of the proposal on their members.
The council told OSHA that the cost of welding gloves and other
personal protective equipment, especially “leathers” worn to
protect employees against welding sparks, slag, and molten metal,
often is covered in the collective bargaining agreements. OSHA is
seeking comments on how the proposed requirements would impact
the shipyard industry.

A public hearing on the OSHA proposal on personal protective
equipment will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 10 in the auditorium of
the U.S. Department of Labor (Frances Perkins Building), 200
Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. It will extend through
Aug. 20, 1999, depending on the number of persons planning to
participate.

Written comments, notices of intention to appear at the public
hearing, testimony, and documentary evidence must be submitted in
quadruplicate to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket S-042, Room
N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20210 telephone: 202-693-2350.

Commenters should identify the document as a comment, notice of
intention to appear, testimony or documentary evidence. Comments
of 10 pages or less may be faxed to the Docket Office at
202-693-1648. Comments must be postmarked by July 23, 1999, and
notices of intention to appear must be postmarked by July 16,
1999.

Written comments may also be submitted with a hard copy and a
disk in WordPerfect 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 8.0 or ASCII to the Docket
Office.

Comments may also be submitted electronically through OSHA’s
Internet site at URL,
http://www.osha-slc.gov/e-comments/e-comments-ppe.html.
Information such as studies, journal articles, etc., cannot be
attached to the electronic response and must be submitted in
quadruplicate to the above address. Such attachments must
identify the respondent’s electronic submission by name, date,
and subject, so they can be attached to the correct response.
Electronic comments must be submitted by July 23, 1999.

Notice of the request for comments and testimony on the survey is
published in the Thursday, June 24, 1999, issue of the Federal
Register.

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 41 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/29/1999
Subject: FW: Story in US News & World Report

The attached is from Bill Outlaw, TRIP

—–Original Message—–
From: Bill Outlaw [mailto:outlaw@tripnet.org]

RAN members:

The URL here will take to a story on this week’s US News & World Report
(available at news stands) which paints a pretty good picture for our side.
It deals with increased construction leading to more traffic congestion –
while emphasizing that the long-term effect is good one because it will help
address highway needs. The story cites several bullets from TRIP’s fact
sheet and cites data from ARTBA and quotes the Highway Users.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/home.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 42 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/29/1999
Subject: EPA Lawsuit
U.S. air pollution ruling appealed
Tuesday, June 29, 1999
By Associated Press
The Clinton administration, thwarted by a court decision, has taken the
first step to reviving its controversial smog and soot clean air rules.
The Justice Department on Monday formally petitioned a full appeals court to
reconsider a May 14 decision that overturned tougher air standards issued by
the Environmental Protection Agency in 1997.
The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia said in the 2-1 decision that the EPA lacked authority to impose
the tougher smog standards and had improperly issued new standards for soot.
The court action came in a lawsuit filed by some of the country’s most
powerful business interests including trucking, auto, chemical and oil
industries. It sent shock waves through the administration and the
environmental community.
In its filing Monday, the Justice Department argued the three-judge panel
had “erred in concluding that the EPA lacks authority to implement and
revise more stringent ozone” standards and in holding that the agency’s
actions on soot was an “unconstitutional delegation of legislative
authority.”
The full appeals court must now consider whether to uphold the panel’s
decision or reverse it. The administration may appeal the case to the U.S.
Supreme Court, if necessary, department officials said.
An appeal to the full appeals court had been expected.
The 1997 regulation that was struck down by the panel’s May 14 decision, was
one of the most controversial ever developed by EPA. It required much
tougher air pollution controls to reduce soot and ozone levels in the air to
ensure better protection of children, the elderly and people with
respiratory illnesses.
EPA Administrator Carol Browner, who promised an appeal, said she was
gratified by the Justice Department action to try to reverse “one of the
most bizarre and extreme decisions in the annals of environmental
jurisprudence.”
“If allowed to stand this decision would bring real consequences to the
American people,” she said in a statement. If the tougher air standards are
blocked “125 million Americans, including 35 million children, will breathe
air that doesn’t meet health standards based on modern science,” she said.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by a broad cross-section of industry
groups representing the trucking, utility, chemical, oil and auto
industries, as well as small businesses. Three states — Ohio, Michigan and
West Virginia — also joined the suit.
The revised air standards being challenged had limited ozone, an essential
part of smog, to 0.08 parts per million, instead of 0.12 parts per million
under the previous requirement. And for the first time they required that
states to regulate microscopic particulates, or soot, from power plants,
cars and other sources down to 2.5 microns, or 28 times smaller than the
width of a human hair.
Business groups waged an intense battle against the regulation in 1997, but
the EPA and the White House sided with environmentalist and health advocacy
groups, which argued the more stringent air quality standards are needed to
protect sensitive populations such as children and people with respiratory
problems.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 43 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/29/1999
Subject: FW: STATEMENT BY EPA ADMIN. CAROL M. BROWNER ON APPEAL…
!/STATEMENT BY EPA ADMIN. CAROL M. BROWNER ON APPEAL OF RECENT…/SCROLL
FOR RELEASE: MONDAY JUNE 28, 1999STATEMENT BY EPA ADMINISTRATOR CAROL M. BROWNER
ON APPEAL OF RECENT PANEL DECISION ON AIR QUALITY STANDARDSI’m pleased that the Department of Justice will formally appeal one of the
most bizarre and extreme decisions ever
rendered in the annals of environmental jurisprudence. In this decision,
two judges from a three-judge panel would
deny the EPA the ability to set tough public health air quality standards on
behalf of the American people. In
reaching this decision, the two judges were forced to ignore 64 years of
Supreme Court precedent, the history of
the Clean Air Act, and the work of five Presidents and 15 Congresses.

If allowed to stand, this decision would bring real consequences to the
American people. By striking down the new
clean air standards, 125 million Americans, including 35 million children,
will breathe air that doesn’t meet
health standards based on modern science. One million of those people will
suffer serious respiratory illnesses
each year, and 15,000 will ultimately suffer premature death.

The panel never challenged the science on which the new health standards are
based. To the contrary, the court
panel itself even said there was ample scientific support for the new
standard for fine particulate matter, or
soot.

The Administration remains committed to clean air for all Americans and will
pursue all avenues available for
meeting the public health needs of the public, including the petition for
rehearing before the full U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the Department of Justice
will file.

R-68 ###1

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 44 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: FW: State by state listing of most dangerous intersections
The attached web site mentioned by Bill Outlaw not only lists the ten most
dangerous intersections in the U.S., but also lists the most dangerous
intersections in each state.—–Original Message—–
From: Bill Outlaw [mailto:outlaw@tripnet.org] Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 10:13 AM
Subject: State by state listing of most dangerous intersectionsRAN members:

Here is a web site listing of the worst intersections nationwide and on a
state-by-state basis. (thanks to Penny Hill, TRIP’s public relations
consultant in California)
http://www.statefarm.com/media/danger.htm
🙂
Also, Diane Turner of NAII informs us that Secretary Slater held a news
conference on this at the National Press Club this morning. (see listing
below)

9:15 a.m. DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS Transportation Secretary Slater, Barbara
Cowden of State Farm Insurance and traffic safety consultant Sany Zein hold
a ne ws conference to announce the nation’s “Ten Most Dangerous
Intersections.”
Location: National Press Club.

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 45 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: Enviro Articles Today
Below are 3 articles published today on Sprawl and Ethanol.
Activists warn Colorado legislators to control growth
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
By Tom McAvoy, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Armed with surveys showing Coloradans increasingly upset with
traffic-clogging urban sprawl, environmental activists are threatening to go
to the ballot if the Legislature doesn’t control growth.
Rich McClintock, director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group,
put local officials on notice this week to expect a statewide ballot issue
next year to manage growth if the state doesn’t act first.
McClintock told the Colorado Municipal League that a statewide opinion poll
found development sprawl was the top concern of 56 percent of voters.
Traffic congestion was mentioned by 32 percent, he said.
“A number of groups are discussing a possible ballot initiative and will be
developing proposals simultaneous to going back to the Legislature to give
it one more chance,” he said.
McClintock has been through it, having managed the successful campaign in
1996 to give the State Land Board broadened powers to preserve at least
300,000 acres of school trust lands from urban development.
The proposal originated with former Gov. Roy Romer to create natural buffers
of agricultural land between sprawling cities.
McClintock said he wants Gov. Bill Owens, who succeeded Romer, to appoint
transportation commissioners who will push mass transit to reduce traffic
congestion.
Owens also address the Colorado Municipal League, saying he’s going to
continue Romer’s “smart growth and development” efforts — with the
understanding that land-use decisions remain local, not be dictated by the
state.
Democratic Sen. Ed Perlmutter of Golden, predicted the Republican-controlled
Legislature will not pass growth controls next year.
“We’re going to talk a lot, but I don’t think we’re going to do anything
about growth management,” Perlmutter said. “I think we’re going to see a
ballot initiative more ambitious that (McClintock) mentioned.”
Sen. Bryan Sullivant, R-Breckenridge, foresaw a citizen initiative when he
lost his bill this year for ordering local governments to adopt urban growth
boundary policies.
Sullivant will chair an 11-member interim committee study of development and
growth later this summer.
McClintock said a coalition discussing a 2000 ballot initiative will give
the Legislature one last chance next year.
“We think the Responsible Growth Act (Sullivant’s bill) was a step in the
right direction,” McClintock said. “The real question is addressing sprawl
(caused by) poor growth patterns, congestion and pollution.”
McClintock said there would be room for growth in areas such as Pueblo and
Southern Colorado that welcome it.
Yet he advocated “urban growth boundaries, impact fees and other tools to
redirect growth back into existing communities.”
McClintock said Pueblo and other communities would set their own urban
boundary limits, although he didn’t say they also could waive school impact
fees as an incentive to economic development.
“A key to smart growth that will work for all areas will be making
communities more livable, addressing issues of traffic and quality of
schools,” he said.
McClintock’s organization, affiliated with Ralph Nader’s Public Interest
Research Group, also promotes light rail and other mass transit.
“We’re encouraging the state to invest in alternative transportation to
address the issue of sprawl,” he said.
“Colorado is one of only six states that don’t spend state funds on
alternative modes to redirect growth back into the existing community. Rail
lines, whether between Pueblo and Colorado Springs or inside Denver,
encourage people to settle along those lines.”
Not associated with McClintock’s group is Daniel Hayes of Arvada, who
already is circulating petitions for a statewide vote on imposing a 2
percent tax on new housing throughout Colorado.
This tax, projected to raise $101 million the first year, would general
school impact fees paid by developers or home purchasers.
Hayes has launched school impact fee initiatives in the past and failed to
make the ballot.
Another idea floating around is a 1 percent cap on building permits
statewide.
Copyright 1999, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business
News, All Rights ReservedUpcoming EPA decisions crucial for ethanol industry
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
By Bill Hord, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.
After being propped up by clean-air programs for years, the ethanol industry
is in the cross hairs of a new government emissions standard for the year
2000.
In one swoop, industry leaders say, ethanol could be made far less desirable
to petroleum refiners and lose much of its market as a clean-burning fuel
additive.
The consequences would be far-reaching in Nebraska and in other states that
have nurtured ethanol production as a source of jobs, private investment and
economic growth for agriculture. Nebraska’s seven ethanol plants employ
about 900 people and drive up the market price of corn by 8 cents to 10
cents a bushel, according to the State Ethanol Board.
Decisions over the next six months by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency could either curtail demand for the corn-based fuel additive or
create new opportunities.
“This is a unique time right now,” said Rodney Weinzierl, executive director
of the Illinois Corn Growers Association. “It could be a boom or it could be
a bust, all within the same central decision.”
The threat comes as the EPA ratchets down allowable gasoline vapor pressure
in cities fighting ozone problems.
Although ethanol has clean-burning qualities that make it a desirable
additive in reformulated fuel, it also increases vapor pressure during
warm-weather months.
By some estimates, it would cost refiners 2 cents or 3 cents a gallon to
alter their base fuel to leave room for ethanol’s vapor-pressure increase.
But refiners aren’t likely to increase their own costs to accommodate
ethanol, said Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board.
“Historically, the relationship between petroleum refiners and ethanol has
been antagonistic,” he said.
The EPA has taken the position that most refiners will stick with ethanol,
even if it means adding costs to meet the new emissions standards. But
ethanol industry sources aren’t as optimistic.
Said Weinzierl: “The petroleum industry operates on a very thin margin, and
it is going to use what makes the most economic sense, maybe not the most
environmental sense. I’ve seen gas stations cut each others’ throats for a
penny.
“The biggest problem is trying to convince the EPA that this is a real
problem.”
Changes in the St. Louis area suggest that the threat is real. The city
recently adopted new standards for reformulated gasoline, setting more
stringent vapor-pressure limits. As a result, MTBE, a petroleum-based
ethanol rival that does not have the same vapor-pressure problem, captured
85 percent of the area’s additive sales. Ethanol dropped to 15percent.
If the same thing were to happen in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas — where
about 450million gallons of ethanol, made from 160million bushels of corn,
are used annually — the industry could lose nearly 25percent of its
revenue.
Such a setback could have a devastating impact, said Roger Burken, general
manager of Chief Ethanol Fuels Inc. in Hastings, Neb. Terry Jaffoni,
commercial ethanol manager for Minneapolis-based Cargill Inc., agreed: “This
is a very, very serious concern.”
Ethanol and MTBE — which stands for methyl tertiary butyl ether — add
oxygen to fuel, making it burn more completely. The EPA estimates that
reformulated gasolines have eliminated about 300 million tons of pollutants
from the atmosphere since 1995.
The new threat to ethanol comes from the same initiative that launched it
into prominence. The 1990 Clean Air Act called for EPA regulations requiring
gasoline to be reformulated in a way that would significantly reduce
polluting vehicle emissions.
Major cities with the worst ozone problems were required to meet the new
guidelines, and other regions could opt in. As a result, demand for ethanol
and MTBE skyrocketed.
Ethanol promoters are trying to persuade the EPA, as it implements the next
phase of clean-air requirements, to factor in reduced carbon monoxide
emissions and to be more lenient concerning vapor pressure.
Another compromise could be an averaging approach that would give ethanol
credit for its much-reduced vapor pressure during cooler months to offset
higher vapor pressure when the weather is hot.
Any compromise could play to ethanol’s advantage in other markets, even
those where MTBE has dominated. California, for example, is considering its
own standards for emissions since banning MTBE because of that product’s
alleged water-contamination problems.
An important Nebraska industry may hang in the balance. Through an excise
tax on corn and grain sorghum, the state has provided $170million in tax
credits to help lure $800million worth of investments in ethanol factories.
During the last legislative session, Nebraska lawmakers extended the grain
tax to support ethanol production through 2000. Producers who expand are
eligible for a tax credit worth 7.5 cents per gallon of ethanol.
The trick now is seeing that the market for ethanol doesn’t vaporize.
Copyright 1999, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business
News, All Rights ReservedU.S. cities – big and small – growing Wednesday, June 30, 1999 By
Associated Press Like thousands of other transplants from the Midwest, Mark
Janousek moved to Phoenix from Minnesota to escape the snow. He found
plentiful sunshine, and he also found plenty of company. “The people drive
much, much too fast and follow too close. There’s too many tailgaters — I’d
never seen that before,” he said. Aggressive drivers on congested highways
are just two byproducts from Phoenix’s explosive expansion in the 1990s — a
population surge that made the city the nation’s fastest growing. The U.S.
Census Bureau reported Tuesday that Phoenix’s population increased 21.3
percent between 1990 and 1998 to 1,198,064. San Antonio was second among
cities of 1 million people or more, with an increase of 14.1 percent to
1,114,130 over the same period. San Diego (9.9 percent, 1,220,666), Houston
(8.0 percent, 1,786,691) and Dallas (6.8 percent, 1,075,894) rounded out the
top five among major cities. But the Census Bureau said the fastest growing
category was cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000, which grew
8.6 percent overall. Mesquite, Nev., rocketed 441.2 percent to 10,125
people, and Frisco, Texas, grew 328.5 percent to 26,304. Of course, a few
new folks can make a relatively dramatic difference in smaller cities. A
city of 1 million, by contrast, would have to grow by 86,000 people to show
an 8.6 percent increase. According to the new estimates, New York remained
the nation’s most populous city, with 7.4 million people, followed by Los
Angeles, with 3.6 million. Phoenix became the nation’s seventh most populous
city in 1998, climbing from ninth in 1990. San Antonio rose from 10th to
eighth place. The fact that Phoenix was tops in population growth doesn’t
surprise residents. “All you have do is look around Phoenix to see that we
have been growing quickly,” said Sandy Bahr, spokeswoman for the Sierra Club
in Phoenix. “But we haven’t planned that growth very well.” During the
decade, the massive growth has reshaped the look of the city, with new
factories, highways, houses, office buildings, schools, shopping centers and
sports stadiums. “The economy has become much more diversified,” said
Ferrell Quinlan, spokesman for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. “We have a
lot of high-tech, high-paying jobs that have brought wealth in.” San
Antonio officials say they have also diversified beyond a traditional
reliance on the military. The city has developed a vibrant medical and
biomedical economy and increased its tourism and convention business. “What
we’re seeing is the payoff from the transformation of this city’s economy
over the last 25 years,” said Joe Krier, president of the Greater San
Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Phoenix’s growth this decade continues a
pattern from the 1970s and ’80s, driven in part by retirees looking for
warmer days and blue-collar workers fleeing declining industries in the
rust-belt states. But cheap housing and land in the early 1990s and an
influx of California transplants helped launch the current boom, Quinlan
said. For Phoenix officials, the go-go growth has been a cultural and
recreational boon. The city added major-league hockey and baseball teams
this decade to the football and basketball clubs it already had. But Bahr
and others say there is a clear downside to the influx of more than 200,000
newcomers in eight years. More people means more cars and longer commutes,
more accidents and higher insurance rates. A transportation research group
ranked Phoenix third among large metro areas for traffic deaths. More
people means more pollution from lawn mowers, cars and factories. The city
could lose federal highway funding if it doesn’t improve its air quality,
especially during the winter months when brown smog shrouds Phoenix and
increases respiratory problems. More people also means overcrowded schools,
more stress on the city’s social services and more crime. “Our quality of
life has suffered because of this very rapid, unplanned growth,” said Bahr,
whose group is involved in a petition drive to create controls on growth.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 46 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: FW: Remarks by Secretary Slater at High Risk Locations Press
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION RODNEY E. SLATER
HIGH RISK LOCATIONS NEWS CONFERENCE
JUNE 30, 1999
WASHINGTON, D.C.Thank you for the important work you are taking on. Safety is
everyone’s responsibility and I welcome the efforts by State Farm in the
cause of highway safety.Safety is President Clinton’s top transportation priority and the
Department of Transportation is committed to saving lives. It remains the
North Star guiding everything we do. On President Clinton’s watch,
highway fatalities per mile traveled and drunk driving fatality rates have
reached record low levels; seat belt use is at an all time high of over 70
percent — up from under 50 percent in 1990. Highway-rail crossing deaths
are at a record low, down 58 percent from 1988.

Impressive as these accomplishments are, the President has said
“This is not a time to rest, but a time to build.” We at DOT are not
resting. We are building.

Among our current projects are physical improvements to the roads
and highways, particularly intersections; the design of more crash-worthy
vehicles; and working with states to support .08 blood alcohol standards
for drunk driving.

Safety is a very timely subject. This coming weekend, the Fourth
of July holiday, is one of the heaviest driving periods of the year. I
have an estimate from the National Safety Council, an estimate that
between Friday, July 2 at 6:00 p.m. and noon on Monday, July 5, there will
be 500 deaths and 26,700 nonfatal crashes.

Given the number of crashes at intersections on the State Farm
list, many of those collisions and even some deaths during the holiday
weekend may come at places you’ve highlighted.

We at DOT have given special attention to intersection safety
since the Highway Safety Act of 1973. More than $700 million has been
invested through the Act to improve safety at high risk intersections. We
have seen positive results through a concentration on enforcement,
education, and engineering.

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, known as
TEA-21, passed just one year ago. It guarantees at least $198 billion in
federal funds through 2003 to invest in building and repairing highways
and bridges, roadway safety, and public transit. TEA-21, as much as
anything, is a safety bill.

Today, we are working in partnership with organizations in every
state on a wide range of life saving efforts. For example, we are
partnering with private sector groups in a national educational campaign
to warn Americans about the dangers of red light running. In some cities,
these campaigns have reduced red light running collisions by one-third.

New and developing technology offers hope for even greater
reductions in intersection crashes in the future.

The international community has been using photo enforcement
successfully for years. Some U.S. cities are starting to use the
technique and are documenting success. For example, Fairfax, Virginia
City police report that their program is responsible for cutting the
number of crashes by approximately 35 percent.

Last week, I announced the first Intelligent Vehicle Initiative
operational test. Collision warning technology helps prevent crashes by
detecting and assessing hazardous conditions in a vehicle’s forward path,
such as a rapidly decelerating or stopped vehicle, and alerting the
driver.

As we build the transportation system of the new century and the
new millennium, moving from strength to strength, we must join together to
save lives. Safety is a promise we must make together — and keep
together.

I welcome State Farm’s intersections project to our safety
partnership . . . to the family of companies, communities, states, federal
agencies and involved citizens everywhere who are devoting their time,
energy and money to save precious lives.

# # #

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 47 From: Greg Smith Date: 6/30/1999
Subject: FW: Secretary Slater Announces Initiatives for Protecting Undergrou
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Contact: Patricia Klinger
Tel: 202-366-4831
RSPA: 16-99U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces
Initiatives for Protecting Underground FacilitiesAt a major symposium on preventing damage to underground
facilities, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today
announced three U.S. Department of Transportation initiatives to help
improve safety by preventing outside force damage to pipelines,
telecommunications, electrical, water, and sewer lines and also urged all
Americans to take personal responsibility for digging safely.

“Outside force damage is the leading cause of failure for
pipelines and underground telecommunications lines, and poses a threat to
safety, which is President Clinton’s highest transportation priority,”
Secretary Slater said. “By taking responsibility, we will help prevent
damage, possible serious injuries and potential threats to the quality of
life and livability in our communities.”

The three initiatives reflect efforts by the department’s Research
and Special Programs Administration (RSPA). They are:

* Release of “Common Ground,” a report describing best practices that
communities will be able to use to help protect underground services. The
report is an outcome of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21).

* A nationwide public education campaign, to be known as “Dig Safely.”

* The formation of an independent non-profit entity to advance these
damage prevention initiatives.

“Communities can use the guidance outlined in the best practices
report to protect people and the environment from outside force damage
which disrupts vital public services,” RSPA Administrator Kelley S. Coyner
said. “By sharing the responsibility and working together, we can make
our communities safer places to live.”

DOT will make “Dig Safely” materials available nationwide and
hold training sessions to teach the damage prevention community how to
implement the program. Both the “Dig Safely” campaign and the best
practices report reflect the department’s commitment to safety; both are
the result of public-private partnerships.

The symposium is being broadcast through the Federal Emergency
Management Agency’s Emergency Electronic Network to DishNetwork
subscribers, who can receive the broadcast beginning at 3 p.m., EDT, on
Channel 900. Additional information also is available on the Internet at
http://ops.dot.gov

# # #

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 48 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/1/1999
Subject: ASAE GR Newsletter feature on Growth
From the July 1999 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
Government Relations Section Newsletter (front page) — Congrats Bob!Strong Grass Roots Overcomes Giant Opposition
A Legislative Case Study
By Robert E. Latham, CAE
Maryland is known as “America in Miniature.” The phrase refers to the
state’s relatively small size and the fact that its geography encompasses
majestic mountains and the Atlantic coast. Lately, Maryland has come to
represent a harbinger of political trends as well. The professional
environmental lobby’s “New Urbanism” agenda to eliminate suburban America by
stopping highway construction recently came before the Maryland legislature.
New Urbanism is backed not only by professional environmental extremists,
but also by urban leaders and planners, transit administrators, community
organizations, naturalists, bicycle enthusiasts, and health groups such as
the American Lung Association. So when this juggernaut brought forth a
seemingly modest proposal to decrease by 10 percent “vehicle miles traveled
(VMT) per capita,” we knew it would be very difficult to stop given
Maryland’s political context, in which any idea that can be sold as
improving the environment or “Saving the Bay” has a realistic chance of
approval. Couched as an air quality and congestion reduction bill, SB 254
(“environment-air quality-VMT”) was introduced by Sen. Brian Frosh, the
Maryland legislature’s leading environmentalist. Proponents contend the bill
was designed to place in law methods to block any highway improvement that
road opponents wanted to stall. The bill was referred to the committee on
which Senator Frosh sits and wields great influence. The Maryland Department
of Transportation supported the concept of reducing reliance on single
automobile trips. Lack of departmental opposition created a big hurdle for
opponents.
MESH Steps In It fell to an organization known as MESH—Marylanders for
Efficient and Safe Highways—to defeat the bill. MESH was organized in 1991
by the Maryland Highway Contractors Association to promote adequate funding
for roads and bridges. The group has an annual budget of about $125,000. The
combined resources of our opposition in this case is estimated to be well
over $100 million per year. It was recently disclosed that the Environmental
Protection Agency is providing “anti-road” groups with grants in the
hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fortunately, MESH had been working for
several years to develop a strong, broad-based, grass-roots network of
business, government, and civic groups working to generate support for
additional funding of much-needed highway improvement projects. Citizen
groups include the County Residents Action for Safe Highways (C.R.A.S.H.),
which campaigns for improvements to U.S. 113 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
where unsafe conditions have resulted in traffic fatalities. Inclusion of
these “non-contractor” supporters has been crucial to MESH’s success. The
first rule of lobbying for an issue of such importance is that traditional
allies either take a walk or give the appearance of helping while doing
nothing. In Maryland’s lobbying circles, we call it the “Little Red Hen”
syndrome. For a while, MESH became the “Little Red Hen.” Fortunately for
MESH, a number of groups came forward to help oppose this bill. Key
supporters included the county executive for Baltimore County, who
dispatched his government affairs representative to work the bill and made
calls personally. Local chamber executives from Montgomery County and
Baltimore County were also instrumental in keeping up the pressure. MESH’s
grass-roots coordinator kept everyone up-to-date with daily broadcast fax
reports on the status of the bill. MESH worked the business media as well as
the Senate, searching for allies. The issue was overlooked by Statehouse
reporters amid the crush of high profile bills such as electric power
deregulation. This might have worked in MESH’s favor, as there is no telling
which side of the issue The Baltimore Sun or The Washington Post would have
supported. Our darkest hour came when the committee passed the bill and
sent it to the Senate floor by a vote of 7-4. Two key senators bowed to
pressure and voted for the bill. When we initially assessed the proclivity
of senators, given Maryland’s environmental and political nature, we could
only count on 11 of the 24 votes needed to defeat the bill on the Senate
floor.
Targeting the Senate We needed a break. Meanwhile, MESH’s grass-roots
network targeted the Senate. Coalition members made phone calls and sent
letters and faxes. Our message was simple: “A vote for S.B. 254 means
certain death for major road projects in your district, Senator!” Suddenly,
all senators were aware of the bill and what it meant. One of our
supporters from the Eastern Shore made delaying motions to buy time. A
senator from Southern Maryland agreed to offer an amendment for MESH
designed to weaken the bill but not be seen as a “killer” amendment. Our
sponsor, being a moderate Democrat, was the ideal senator to offer the
amendment. When it was adopted 25-16, we knew the tide had shifted. Another
senator “laid the bill over” to prepare amendments “exempting the Eastern
Shore”. We drafted other killer amendments, just in case. MESH began
shifting its attention to the house of delegates, just in case. We alerted
the house speaker, a highway supporter, about the bill. In the end, this
precautionary step was unnecessary. Two days later, after 35 minutes of
debate on the Senate floor, S.B. 254 was defeated by a vote of 15 in favor,
32 opposed. MESH’s many preparations to develop support for highway funding
had paid off. We met with legislators in MESH member’s offices. Last summer
we sent members to visit legislators face-to-face and deliver campaign
support. We also developed relationships that went beyond traditional
highway-user allies. These efforts and the activism of MESH’s members were
the keys to victory.
Robert E. Latham, CAE, is executive director of the Glen Burnie-based
Marylanders for Efficient and Safe Highways and the Maryland Highway
Contractors Association, and a member of the ASAE Government Relations
Section.*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 49 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/2/1999
Subject: Reminder and FW: Secretary Slater Urges Motorists to Drive Safely D
Please remeber to register for the CSE Summer Meeting at the Homestead if
you have not done so already. I am also forwarding you the attached DOT
Press Release because it mentions ARTBA and the Workzone Safety
Clearinghouse.Have a nice weekend!U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 2, 1999
Contact: Ben Langer
Tel. No: 202-366-5580
DOT 98-99

U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Urges
Motorists to Drive Safely During July 4 Weekend

U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today urged
motorists to drive safely as they travel during the July 4 weekend. He
reminded motorists to ensure the safety of both drivers and passengers by
buckling up, not drinking and driving, and by driving safely through work
zones. He reminded boaters to use life jackets while boating on the
nation’s waterways.

“The risk of accidents and injury is greater during holidays
because of increased travel and recreational activities,” Secretary Slater
said. “We can avert accidents by paying close attention to safety, which
is President Clinton’s highest transportation priorityit is especially
important for motorists to buckle up and observe work zone signs, for
boaters to wear life jackets and for boat operators and drivers alike to
stay sober.”

According to U.S. Department of Transportation figures, about half
of the 508 traffic fatalities over the July 4, 1997, holiday period were
alcohol-related, and Independence Day, compared with other holidays, has
the highest rate of alcohol-related fatalities. That year also took the
lives of 821 people in recreational boating accidents. About 9 out of 10
drowning victims were not wearing life jackets, and about 27 percent of
the drownings were alcohol-related. Traffic crashes in roadway work zones
account for about 700 fatalities and 37,000 injuries each year.

“Motor vehicle injury is a preventable epidemic caused by
speeding, drunk driving and other risky behavior,” NHTSA Administrator
Ricardo Martinez, M.D., said. He asked motorists to be especially mindful
of the three Ps for safety: Prepare for the trip, protect yourself, and
prevent crashes.

To prepare, motorists should ensure that their vehicles are fit
and help themselves avoid problems by checking fluids, tires, lights,
wipers and brakes before long trips. To protect themselves, Dr. Martinez
said that all motorists should use their seat belts and place children
properly in child safety seatsalways in the back seat. To prevent
crashes, he said that drivers should avoid risky behavior, such as
speeding, aggressive driving, and drinking and driving. He also enjoined
drivers to avoid driving while fatigued by stopping every three hours and
rotating driving responsibilities on long trips.

Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle said that his
agency, in an effort to improve safety in work zones, has joined with the
American Road and Transportation Builders Association to create a work
zone information clearinghouse. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
has set a goal to reduce by 20 percent in 10 years the number of work
zone-related traffic fatalities.

“Safety is a promise we should make and carry out together,” Wykle
said. “Each of us must take personal responsibility for reducing crashes
on our highways caution pays off by saving lives in work zones.”

Wykle offered the following tips for survival in work zones:

* Expect the unexpected. Normal speed limits are reduced, traffic lanes
may be changed, and people and vehicles may be working on or near the
road.

* Slow down, be alert and pay attention to the signs. Orange
diamond-shaped warning signs are generally posted in advance of road
construction projects.

* Obey work zone signs and flagger’s directions. A flagger has the same
authority as a regulatory sign, so drivers can be cited for disobeying a
flagger’s directions.

* Calm down. A work zone is a temporary inconvenience that will result in
an improved road.

* Merge as soon as possible. Motorists can help maintain traffic flow and
posted speeds by moving to the appropriate lane at the first notice of an
approaching work zone.

* Slow down when the signs say so. At a sign “Road Work 1500 feet,” a car
traveling 60 mph will take 17 seconds to reach the work zone.

* Keep a safe braking distance from the vehicle ahead. The most common
crash in a highway work zone is a rear-end collision.

* Protect highway workers. This is best accomplished by keeping a safe
distance between your vehicle and traffic barriers, trucks, construction
equipment and workers.

* Observe posted work zone signs until you see “End of Road Work.” Some
work zones, like line painting, road patching and mowing, are mobile, so
workers may be beyond your line of sight.

* Expect delays. The FHWA suggests planning for delays by leaving early
to reach your destination on time or trying an alternate route.

More information about work zones and making roadway construction
zones safer is available by calling the clearing house at 1-888-447-5556
or going to http://wzsafety.tamu.edu on the Internet.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 50 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/6/1999
Subject: Honda Unveils Low-Pollution Car

Attachments :

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Honda unveils fuel efficient car
Tuesday, July 6, 1999
By Associated Press
Honda Motor Co., Japan’s third-largest automaker, said today it has
developed a low-pollution car that is also the world’s most fuel efficient
mass-production vehicle. The automaker said it will equip its “Insight”
cars, scheduled for release later this year, with a so-called Integrated
Motor Assist System, a motor and a battery that help propel a 1 liter
gasoline engine. The technology will allow the car to drive 84 miles per
gallon of fuel — the highest in the world for a gasoline-powered consumer
car, the company said. The cars’ exhaust emissions will also be much
cleaner than required by planned regulation, Honda said. As lawmakers
around the world take steps to protect the environment, automakers have
sought ways to reduce the pollution released by their cars. At a 1997
conference on global environmental issues held in Kyoto, Japan, 38 countries
promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions — mainly carbon dioxide — to 5.2
percent below 1990 levels by 2008 to 2012. The Honda technology “is part of
the company’s overall thrust to develop environment-friendly autos,” said
Yuriko Yabe, a Honda spokeswoman. The company said it will also use
aluminum in the car’s body, making the body at least 40 percent lighter than
one made of steel and helping reduce fuel consumption. The company has
developed a new catalytic converter, a device that neutralizes toxic exhaust
fumes, that will make vehicle emissions 50 percent cleaner than required by
Japanese regulations slated for next year, the company said.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 51 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/7/1999
Subject: FW: Correction to the Final DOT DBE Rule
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 52 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/7/1999
Subject: FW: Sample DBE Program
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 53 From: Hank Heck Date: 7/12/1999
Subject: Re: FW: Correction to the Final DOT DBE Rule
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 54 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/13/1999
Subject: Re: FW: Correction to the Final DOT DBE Rule
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 55 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/13/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION, Vol. II, #113
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 56 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/13/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #112 July 9, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 57 From: Billy Norrell Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 58 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 59 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: Rail Article
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 60 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: FW: vote tomorrow on Treasury Approps could weaken the Shelby amend
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 61 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 62 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: FW: Pennsylvania DBE memo
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 63 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 64 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 65 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: DBE — Response from Brian Holmes
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 66 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION, Vol. II, #114
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 67 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Three Stories: Sprawl/Incentives/CAFE
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 68 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: FW: Kentucky DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 69 From: MRBADon@aol.com Date: 7/16/1999
Subject: Re: FW: Mississippi DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 70 From: Robert Latham Date: 7/16/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 71 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/19/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Special Alert #1 — 7/15/99
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 72 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/19/1999
Subject: FW: Updates on the DOT DBE Regulation
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 73 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/20/1999
Subject: FW: EPA discontinues Transportation Partners Program; NY Times publ
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 74 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/20/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #116 July 19, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 75 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/21/1999
Subject: Salary Survey Request
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 76 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/21/1999
Subject: Georgia DBE information
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 77 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/21/1999
Subject: Environmental Permits
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 78 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/22/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #117, July 21, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 79 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/22/1999
Subject: Design Build
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 80 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/22/1999
Subject: FW: Sprawl story and farm land
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 81 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: Today’s Washington Post
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 82 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: 3 Stories: Poll/CA Parkway/New EPA Headquarters
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 83 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: FW: US DOT News
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 84 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: Re: Salary Survey Request
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 85 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: Re: Georgia DBE information
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 86 From: Billy Norrell Date: 7/26/1999
Subject: Re: Salary Survey Request
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 87 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/27/1999
Subject: FW: * L.A. Roots * Environmental Justice * Stay Cool *
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 88 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: DBE
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 89 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: 2 Stories — EPA Fines / Oil Polluters
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 90 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: FW: MODERATE — brian@dis-systems.com wants to post a message toart
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 91 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: Re: DBE
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 92 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/30/1999
Subject: FW: certified weigher law
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 93 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/30/1999
Subject: FW: FY’99 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT AWARDS
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 94 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/30/1999
Subject: 2 Stories: MTBEs / Large Polluters
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 95 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: FW: Hot Tips for DBE program document completion
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 96 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #121 July 30, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 97 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #120 July 28, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 98 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: MTBE
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 99 From: CICWHV@aol.com Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: Re: REACTION TO YOUR S.C. EMAILS
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 100 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: Re: REACTION TO YOUR S.C. EMAILS

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 51 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/7/1999
Subject: FW: Correction to the Final DOT DBE Rule

The following text provides information that the Department of
Transportation Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
(DOT-OSDBU) has determined to be of interest to OSDBU DBE Update List
subscribers. In its Final Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Rule, the Department of
Transportation intended to ensure the confidentiality of personal financial
information submitted to recipients by owners of DBE firms. The Department
inadvertently omitted the regulatory text language on this point. On June
28, 1999 a correction to the Final Rule was posted in the Federal Register.
This correction document remedies the omission described above. In
addition, this document corrects minor omissions concerning the threshold
for Federal Transit Administration recipients to establish DBE programs and
a requirement for transit vehicle manufacturers to have DBE programs,
removes a potentially confusing word from the rule’s provisions concerning
DOT review of recipients’ overall goals, clarifies language concerning the
certification and personal net worth of airport concessionaires and others,
and clarifies that a lease is viewed as a contract for purposes of the rule. This correction to the DOT DBE Final Rule is posted, as it appeared in the
Federal Register June 28, 1999,
on the OSDBU web site at http://osdbuweb.dot.gov/programs/dbe/dbe.htm.

Again, thank you for subscribing to our OSDBU DBE Update List
Server which has been provided to assist the small and disadvantaged
business community to remain abreast of current information on this
important rule.

If for any reason you want to discontinue receiving this notification,
please submit an e-mail to dbe-request@osdbulist.dot.gov.
Simply type the words “unsubscribe” in the body of the message and you
will be deleted from the distribution list. No e-mail “subject” line is
required.

Technical questions should be submitted via e-mail to
dbe-owner@osdbulist.dot.gov or phone our toll free number at
1-800-269-1169.”

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 52 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/7/1999
Subject: FW: Sample DBE Program

The U.S Department of Transportation has prepared a Sample Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise (DBE) Program to help recipients comply with 49 CFR Part
26, the DOT DBE Rule. This sample program is being provided for informational purposes, and
recipients are not required to use it or its format. However, recipients
may wish to use it as a guide in preparing their program documents.
Recipients may customize the sample program to fit their circumstances. This sample program can be accessed on the DOT OSDBU web site at
http://osdbuweb.dot.gov/programs/dbe/dbe.htm under “Guidance on DBE Program
Regulation”.

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 53 From: Hank Heck Date: 7/12/1999
Subject: Re: FW: Correction to the Final DOT DBE Rule

Greg,

Following is the website address for Pennsylvania’s goal-settting
methodology in response to the new DBE regs:
http://psdc.hbg.psu.edu/psdc/dot/Goal1.htm. Chairman Geoff Clarke suggested
that perhaps we could have Dr. Bill Buechner analyze the formulas and
provide us with feedback on what it all means. Thank you in advance for
your assistance.

Awaiting your reply,
Hank Heck
Associated Pennsylvania Constructors

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 54 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/13/1999
Subject: Re: FW: Correction to the Final DOT DBE Rule

Hank,

Bill Buechner is going to take a look at the formula. We will get back to
you by the end of the week.

Thanks,

Greg

—–Original Message—–
From: Hank Heck [mailto:hheck@paconstructors.org] Sent: Monday, July 12, 1999 3:47 PM
To: artbacse@egroups.com
Subject: [artbacse] Re: FW: Correction to the Final DOT DBE Rule

Greg,

Following is the website address for Pennsylvania’s goal-settting
methodology in response to the new DBE regs:
http://psdc.hbg.psu.edu/psdc/dot/Goal1.htm. Chairman Geoff Clarke suggested
that perhaps we could have Dr. Bill Buechner analyze the formulas and
provide us with feedback on what it all means. Thank you in advance for
your assistance.

Awaiting your reply,
Hank Heck
Associated Pennsylvania Constructors

————————————————————————
Scream your mind
Be as loud as you want at FortuneCity.com
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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 55 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/13/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION, Vol. II, #113

Below is an excerpt from today’s Sierra Club Alert.
————————————————————– 2. SIERRA CLUB LAUDED IN NEW BOOK
Author Cites Integration of Grassroots Organizing and National
Support When San Francisco author/activist Randy Shaw set out to write
a book about grassroots activism in the United States, he
didn’t think the Sierra Club would provide a good model. At
the time, he perceived the Club as too reliant on inside-the-
Beltway deal-making. But upon further investigation, he
learned that wasn’t the case and he ended up using the Club as
one of his examples of effective on-the-ground activism.

He says in the book: “The Sierra Club’s official and public
shift from lobbying politicans in Washington to mobilizing
citizens in communities across America is one of the most
significant if largely unreported political developments of
recent times.”

Shaw devotes almost 20 pages to the story of the Club’s clean-
air-standards fight in 1997. He is especially impressed by the
integration of local grassroots mobilizing and national
support and direction — the activists dominating the
hearings, the “Where’s Al” tour, the double-postcard campaign
(unifying local and national messages), the radio ads and so
on.

Many Club people are cited: Kathryn Hohmann, Ken Midkiff,
Marge Hanselman, Adam Werbach, Bob Bingaman, Robbie Cox, Jack
Darin, Mark Bettinger….

The book is from University of California Press.

———————————————————

3. CAN WE BE PART OF THE PROBLEM AND PART OF THE SOLUTION?
Sprawl Could Radicalize the Middle Class, Suggests NYT Writer

Sprawl continues to generate a lot of juice in the media.
In a provocative piece in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine
called “Land of the Free Market,” Michael Pollard suggests
that “sprawl could radicalize the middle class.”

He doesn’t mention the Sierra Club or repeat any of our
mantras, but argues that President Clinton and Vice President
Gore, by injecting sprawl and “livability” into the national
agenda as a quality of life issue — akin to the V-chip and
family leave — have, “in a remarkable feat of political
jujitsu,” launched a conversation about the contradictions of
consumer capitalism.

Pollard writes: “Conservatives like to argue that, with
sprawl, the free market has given Americans exactly what their
spending decisions say they want. And yet many of us — or
maybe I should say some part of most of us — are dismayed by
the landscape and traffic that our own dollars and desires
have wrought. That’s why it is possible both to deplore the
arrival of a new Home Depot in my area and also to shop
there.”

________________________________________________________________________

Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web – http://www.sierraclub.org

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators – http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/

—————————————————————–

————————————————————————

eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 56 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/13/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #112 July 9, 1999

More from the Sierra Club:

————————————————
1. TAKE ACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING
Raising miles-per-gallon standards for cars and trucks would slash global
warming and help protect our environment. It would also reduce America’s
dependence on foreign oil, reduce pressure to drill for oil in sensitive
wilderness areas, and strengthen our economy. After years of ducking the
issue
through anti-environmental riders in the Transportation Appropriations
bills,
the US Senate will soon vote on a CLEAN CAR RESOLUTION. Senators Gorton,
Feinstein, and Bryan will be offering a resolution urging that the
anti-environmental CAFE freeze rider be dropped from the Transportation
Appropriations bill. Calls are pouring in to Senate offices, but there is
more
to be done! Please write, phone, or fax your Senators and urge them to
support
the upcoming Gorton/Feinstein/Bryan CLEAN CAR RESOLUTION! Tell them that
sport
utility vehicles and other gas guzzlers should meet the same fuel efficiency
standards as cars. Remind them that raising miles per gallon standards is
the
biggest single step we can take to curb global warming!

3. TAKE ACTION ON SPRAWL. The Clinton Administration’s Better America Bonds
program would help communities preserve open space and clean up abandoned
industrial sites. This sprawl-busting program would allow communities to get
tax-free, 15-year bonds for actions like land acquisition and clean up.
Recently, key Democrats in the House, including Matsui (D-CA) and Gephardt
(D-M0) introduced legislation to fund the Better America Bonds! They’re
looking
for other Representatives to join them, and this is the time to call yours.
Ask
him or her to cosponsor this important legislation. For more information
contact the Environmental Quality Program (202) 547-1141.

4. TAKE ACTION ON CLEAN WATER: Within the next week EPA may issue draft
guidance for issuing Clean Water Act permits to factory farms. This the
first
detailed action the Clinton Administration is taking under the new plan to
protect health and the environment from these facilities. This draft
guidance
should require permits to include strong, enforceable, measurable, and
nationally-consistent conditions to protect our rivers, lakes and streams.
Measures to ensure that animal factories more carefully store their waste,
apply the manure onto the land properly, locate animal factories away from
places that are ecologically sensitive, and measure and report their water
quality are all essential features needed in every Clean Water Act permit.
Instead, EPA appears to be prepared to allow states to have variable
standards
(undermining the concept of a national baseline of protection), based on
loose
and unenforceable “considerations,” and include little public comment and
accountability. Call the White House comment line and leave a message in
support of strong permitting guidance, using the information above. For more
information, contact Ed Hopkins at ed.hopkins@sierraclub.org or (202)
547-1141.

____________________________________________________________________________
__

Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web – http://www.sierraclub.org

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators – http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/
____________________________________________________________________________
___

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 57 From: Billy Norrell Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: DBE Regs

Dear Colleagues:

We (Alabama Road Builders) are conducting a seminar at the end of this
month to review (and hopefully shape) the proposed regulations for Alabama
under the new DBE ruling handed down by FHWA. Can you advise me as to what
kind of response or actions your states, particularly those in the
southeast (Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee) are taking to prepare
for life in highway constructin after October 1st? I really appreciate
your assistance with this question.

Billy Norrell
ARBA
334-832-4331

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 58 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs

Also, Brian Holmes from Connecticut would like some input on states that
have already set new DBE goals. He would like to know the old and the new
goal to see if the goals have gone down, remained the same, or increased. —–Original Message—–
From: Billy Norrell [mailto:norrell@alrba.org] Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 1999 10:45 AM
To: ‘artbacse@egroups.com
Subject: [artbacse] DBE Regs Dear Colleagues:

We (Alabama Road Builders) are conducting a seminar at the end of this
month to review (and hopefully shape) the proposed regulations for Alabama
under the new DBE ruling handed down by FHWA. Can you advise me as to what
kind of response or actions your states, particularly those in the
southeast (Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee) are taking to prepare
for life in highway constructin after October 1st? I really appreciate
your assistance with this question.

Billy Norrell
ARBA
334-832-4331

————————————————————————
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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 59 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: Rail Article

Trains back on the fast track
Wednesday, July 14, 1999
By Linda Baker, E/The Environmental Magazine
Amtrak will soon break the speed barrier with a 150-mile-per-hour train on
the well-traveled New York to Boston route. Meanwhile, light rail lines are
under construction in many US cities.
On a late summer weekend last year, more than 260,000 people celebrated the
opening of the 18-mile Westside Line in Portland, Ore. They got out of their
cars, partied at the station stops and waited for a chance to squeeze aboard
the jam-packed train cars.
Trains are back. Fifty years after the United States tore up more than 8,000
miles of urban trolley track, light rail — the modern-day equivalent of the
tram car — is resurfacing on city streets. Political opposition still runs
strong. And the money, despite $8.2 billion earmarked for light rail
projects under the federal transportation bill (TEA-21), is scarce. But the
proof is in the building. Light rail lines are under construction in Dallas,
Denver, New York, St. Louis, Salt Lake City and San Jose, Calif. An
extension of the light rail system in San Francisco is scheduled to open
this year, and more than 20 light rail projects are currently in the
planning or design phase.
“Everything old is new again,” says Barbara McCann, campaign manager for the
Washington, D.C.-based Surface Transportation Policy Project. “There’s an
explosion in demand for these systems.” Light rail isn’t the only form of
rail transportation making a comeback. Thirty years ago, both science
fiction writers and civic visionaries predicted that the world would soon be
zipping around on high-speed ground transportation. While Japan and Europe
went on to invest in the Bullet and TGV trains, funding problems in the
1980s killed ambitious high-speed projects in Florida, California and Texas.
But this fall, Amtrak will launch the nation’s first high-speed train in the
Northeast corridor, slicing two hours off the Boston-New York route. Florida
was planning a 186-mile-per-hour Florida Overland Express supertrain that
would have connected Miami, Orlando and Tampa, but it was canceled in one of
the first official acts of Governor Jeb Bush. In partnership with Amtrak,
Midwest transit authorities unveiled plans last January for a high-speed
regional network centered in Chicago. Next year, California will vote on a
gas-tax referendum to fund a statewide high-speed rail corridor.
“There’s been a notable increase in recognition of high-speed rail,” says
Anne Chettle, communications director at the High Speed Ground
Transportation Association. “Now we just have to make sure the money is
appropriated and goes where it’s supposed to.” Under TEA-21, $2 billion has
been earmarked for high-speed rail. Congress has also designated six regions
in the United States as high-speed corridors, which means they are eligible
for federal funds to upgrade existing track and signals for high-speed
travel.
A response to traffic congestion and air pollution, the new rail renaissance
is part of a flourishing national movement to develop more livable
neighborhoods and contain urban sprawl. Rail has done for this effort what
Greyhound and city bus systems never could: take a transportation
alternative and link it to a larger vision of community.
“When you put down a rail, you have a spine of fixed transit,” says Chris
Hagerbaumer, air and transportation director at the Oregon Environmental
Council. “It’s less about ridership numbers than about building efficient
neighborhoods, places where people can work, go to school and shop.” Train
stations promote downtown development, says Hagerbaumer. “They should also
be the modal center, where light and heavy rail, buses and other forms of
transportation converge.”
Around the country, dozens of train stations are being renovated to do just
that. By 2006, for example, the Seattle Amtrak station will house both heavy
rail and light rail stations, as well as a stop on the city’s underground
bus tunnel. And the trains themselves — both heavy and light — provide the
sleekest form of public transportation around.
Consider Amtrak’s newly minted Talgo trains, which feature “custom Class”
seating, movies, outlets for computers and gourmet dining. Train travel has
the “luxury of first-class air travel, and a social atmosphere lacking in
the car,” said Washington state Department of Transportation Secretary Sid
Morrison when the Amtrak Cascades, the railroad’s newest passenger train,
debuted last December.
Rail advocates caution, however, that the battle has just begun. A political
culture steeped in the logic of the automobile could still derail many
projects slated for development. Libertarian groups are increasing their
efforts to defeat light rail measures across the country, says G.B.
Arrington, director of strategic planning at the Tri-County Metropolitan
Transportation District in Oregon. Only a month after the jubilant
celebration of the Westside light rail, for example, voters in Portland
rejected a $475 million bond measure to extend the line north and south. The
Cascade Policy Institute, a local conservative think tank with ties to the
Cato Institute, played a significant role in the opposition. The right-wing
think tanks are motivated by an inherent antagonism toward public
transportation. “They start with the truth and then stretch it like taffy
and turn it into something else,” says Arrington.
Heavy rail, with higher upfront costs than light, is an even tougher sell.
The Florida Overland Express, for example, came under attack from Florida
Governor Jeb Bush and Ohio Representative John Kasich, with the latter
ordering a General Accounting Office investigation of the $5 billion dollar
line. Meanwhile, Congress plans to wean Amtrak from public subsidy by 2002.
This will place Amtrak’s fate squarely in the hands of the individual
states, few of which have demonstrated any willingness to support the
nation’s passenger railroad.
“The biggest problem is that we do everything on an incremental basis
because people don’t want to invest the money,” says Hagerbaumer. “Would
Federal Express have succeeded if they said, `First we’ll serve New York,
then Boston, then California’? No. They had to provide service everywhere
from day one.”
But whatever the roadblocks, it is unlikely they will stop the momentum
building behind both light and heavy trains. Communities around the country
are realizing that pouring $28 billion a year into the highway industry is
not the answer to gridlock, poor air quality and other environmental
problems associated with the automobile. Meanwhile, new federal initiatives,
such as the Clinton Administration’s “Smart Growth” proposal, confirm that
rail in America is much more than a nostalgia trip. On the contrary, it’s
headed for the fast track.
For more information, contact Surface Transportation Policy Project,
(202)466-2636.
(Linda Baker is a contributor to E, the Environmental Magazine.)
Copyright 1999, E Magazine Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate,
All Rights Reserved *******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet ————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 60 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/14/1999
Subject: FW: vote tomorrow on Treasury Approps could weaken the Shelby amend

Forwarded from Bill Outlaw of TRIP:

Subject: vote tomorrow on Treasury Approps could weaken the Shelby
amendment

RAN members:

Sally Jefferson of the Chamber passes this on regarding a vote to take place
tomorrow (Thursday) that could weaken the Shelby amendment.
— It deals with the implementation of a new law authored by Senator Shelby
which would provide public access to taxpayer funded research data that is
used to develop federal rules like new Clean Air Act standards.
We have been informed that there is likely to be a vote to weaken or delay
the implementation of the “Shelby amendment” during House floor
consideration of the Treasury, Postal Service appropriations bill tomorrow .
The attached one-pager provides background and more information on the
issue.

July 14, 1999

LAST MINUTE VOTE TO PROTECT THE DATA ACCESS PROVISION

PROTECT PUBLIC ACCESS TO FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH DATA THAT SUPPORTS
FEDERAL POLICIES OR REGULATIONS

The Issue: A new law requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to
direct all Federal agencies to provide the public with access to the studies
and the data used to support regulations.

OMB has begun to implement this law which will allow the public, for the
first time, to challenge an agency based on the facts as determined by the
research, not just on the information an agency selects as appropriate to
support its policy position. With such data in public hands, it will be
much more difficult for agencies to impose regulations on the business
community without substantial evidence.

Background: In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s refusal to
provide Congress data that EPA relied upon in support of the revised
National Ambient Air Quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate
matter, Senator Shelby led congressional efforts that resulted in the
enactment of the federal data access amendment last year.

Yesterday, Reps. Walsh and Price offered an amendment to delay the
implementation of the federal research data amendment that was defeated
during the full Appropriations Committee markup of the FY 2000 Treasury,
Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act.

Action Needed: Today, the House leadership has announced that the FY 2000
Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act will be
voted on by the full House tomorrow, July 15th. It is critical that House
members be contacted immediately and urged to oppose any amendments that
would weaken or delay the new law requiring the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to direct all Federal agencies to provide the public with
access to the taxpayer-funded studies and the data used to support
regulations.

For more information about the Data Access Issue, please contact Louis
Renjel at (202) 463-5552 or via e-mail at lrenjel@uschamber.com or Sally
Jefferson at (202) 463-5761 or via e-mail at sjeffers@uschamber.com.

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 61 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs

Billy,

Florida is trying to figure out just what it will do with regard to the new
DBE regs. They have scheduled meetings around the state the next couple of
weeks to get input from various people. We have no formula at this time for
establishing goals. Everything surrounding this issue is very political right
now and it is like walking through a minefield. I’ll keep you posted.
Bob

Billy Norrell wrote:

> Dear Colleagues:
>
> We (Alabama Road Builders) are conducting a seminar at the end of this
> month to review (and hopefully shape) the proposed regulations for Alabama
> under the new DBE ruling handed down by FHWA. Can you advise me as to what
> kind of response or actions your states, particularly those in the
> southeast (Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee) are taking to prepare
> for life in highway constructin after October 1st? I really appreciate
> your assistance with this question.
>
> Billy Norrell
> ARBA
> 334-832-4331
>
> ————————————————————————
> Click Here to apply for a NextCard Internet Visa and start earning
> FREE travel in HALF the time with the NextCard Rew@rds Program.
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/449
>
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> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications

 

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 62 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: FW: Pennsylvania DBE memo

Attachments :

Attached is a short analysis that Dr. Bill Buechner did on the Pennsylvania
DBE formulation. Essentially he concludes that the DBE percentage derived by
a state is a highly subjective exercise that can be easily scewed depending
on what data the state picks to go into the formula. Of course, this can cut
both ways. Greg —–Original Message—–
From: William (Bill) Buechner
Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 1999 5:31 PM
To: Greg Smith
Subject: Pennsylvania DBE memo

Here it is:

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 63 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs

We have used Cordel Parvin to review regs–We have developed a program with
state but DOT is enroute down to throw a fit–TomAt 09:44 AM 7/14/99 -0500,
Billy Norrell wrote:

>Dear Colleagues:
>
>We (Alabama Road Builders) are conducting a seminar at the end of this
>month to review (and hopefully shape) the proposed regulations for Alabama
>under the new DBE ruling handed down by FHWA. Can you advise me as to what
>kind of response or actions your states, particularly those in the
>southeast (Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee) are taking to prepare
>for life in highway constructin after October 1st? I really appreciate
>your assistance with this question.
>
>Billy Norrell
>ARBA
>334-832-4331
>
>————————————————————————
>Click Here to apply for a NextCard Internet Visa and start earning
>FREE travel in HALF the time with the NextCard Rew@rds Program.
>http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/449
>
>
>
>eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>
>

 

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 64 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs

We intend to reduce our mandatory goal by 50% and make it up with a
voluntary equal amount –TomAt 11:15 AM 7/14/99 -0400, Greg Smith wrote:

>Also, Brian Holmes from Connecticut would like some input on states that
>have already set new DBE goals. He would like to know the old and the new
>goal to see if the goals have gone down, remained the same, or increased.
>
>—–Original Message—–
>From: Billy Norrell [mailto:norrell@alrba.org] >Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 1999 10:45 AM
>To: ‘artbacse@egroups.com
>Subject: [artbacse] DBE Regs
>
>
>Dear Colleagues:
>
>We (Alabama Road Builders) are conducting a seminar at the end of this
>month to review (and hopefully shape) the proposed regulations for Alabama
>under the new DBE ruling handed down by FHWA. Can you advise me as to what
>kind of response or actions your states, particularly those in the
>southeast (Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee) are taking to prepare
>for life in highway constructin after October 1st? I really appreciate
>your assistance with this question.
>
>Billy Norrell
>ARBA
>334-832-4331
>
>————————————————————————
>Click Here to apply for a NextCard Internet Visa and start earning
>FREE travel in HALF the time with the NextCard Rew@rds Program.
>http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/449
>
>
>
>eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>
>
>————————————————————————
>GET $10 OFF ANY ORDER @ healthshop.com! No min. purchase req.
>Save on vitamins & supplements. Use coupon code: EGROUPS99
>at checkout. http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/463
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>
>
>
>

 

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 65 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: DBE — Response from Brian Holmes

This will reply to Alabama’s request for info. In Connecticut, CRBA is
working with CONNDOT. We are trying to keep things as simple as possible.
There is some (informal) backing for this from FHWA, e.g., forget about
using census data and SIC codes–use what you have; all you have to do is
show how you got to your final numbers. We would like to ignore the prompt pay requirements by citing our state
law, which is not equivalent in its protection of subs to what’s in here,
e.g., we don’t make you pay retainage until you have been paid for it. We
would take the position that growing viable contractors means helping them
learn to work well, to work safely, and to get paid. Getting paid is a
major deal in construction, as in many other industries. This is
basically a race conscious remedy that is being applied to everybody so
the bureaucrats can say it’s race neutral. So, if you did ignore it, they
might not come after you. Brian Holmes
CCIA // CRBA
912 Silas Deane Highway
Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 529-6855
brian@constructioncorner.com // CRBA@constructioncorner.com
W3 Site: http://www.constructioncorner.com

\=========================================================================/

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 66 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION, Vol. II, #114

Excerpts from the Sierra Club Action Alert. Note that the New York Times
story referred to at the end was actually in yesterday’s Times. The story
was also referred to during yesterday’s hearings on conformity. Contents: 1. IN THE AIR: Cascade Chapter Provides a Bird’s-Eye Look at Sprawl

2. ON THE ROAD: A Tale of Two Cities — And Their Freeways

————————————————————–

1. IN THE AIR: Cascade Chapter Provides a Bird’s-Eye Look at Sprawl

Think about the best sprawl photographs you’ve ever seen. They tend to be
aerial shots, dramatically depicting how subdivisions creep out into
undeveloped land, right? So what better way to educate reporters than to get
them into the sky for a personal look-see? That’s what environmental groups
in
Washington did last Thursday. The Cascade Chapter’s EPEC program sponsored
two
Lighthawk airflights to highlight the effects of sprawl on the rapidly
growing
Snohomish County, which forms the northern boundary of the Seattle
Metropolitan area.

The passengers on the two 45-minute flights included activists and staff
from
Snohomish County environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and
Audubon Society, and reporters for the Seattle Times, Everett Herald and
Lake
Stevens Journal. The flights highlighted upcoming growth decisions that the
Snohomish County Council will soon vote on. Passengers also checked out
ongoing problems, including runoff, street designs that exacerbate
congestion
and vehicle use, the results of ineffective wetlands mitigation and
buildings
whose cumulative effects are not being considered cumulatively.

The bird’s-eye view helped everyone connect the dots that on-site visits can
only suggest.

_____________________________________________________________

2. ON THE ROAD: A Tale of Two Cities — And Their Freeways

An eye-opening page one story in today’s New York Times compares and
contrasts
two cities and their approach to freeway planning. One of them, Salt Lake
City, is currently $1.6 billion to expand Interstate 15 from six lanes to 12
lanes of traffic, and is proposing to build another freeway — the Legacy
Highway — parallel to it. The other city, Milwaukee, is spending $20
million
to tear down a segment of freeway, expecting it to save neighborhoods.

The Times article says subsidies for the road projects come from “the
largest
public works bill ever made law, last year’s $217 billion transporation
bill.”
Some will be used for commuter rail projects and bike paths, but most will
be
used to serve cars. “Sprawl is the direct result of accommodating the
automobile,” says Milwaukee Mayor John O. Norquist, who is also quoted in
the
article as saying that “The urban superhighway should be relegated to the
scrap
heap of history.”

But Utah Gov. Michael Leavitt doesn’t seem to get it. Even though there’s
evidence that expanding highways doesn’t reduce traffic, he says people have
to get around somehow. and that the overwheming majority of people (the
Times
says some surveys indicate 97 percent) won’t use mass transit.

“What we have done over the last 50 years with the federal highway system is
subsidize the worst kind of sprawl,” says University of Utah law professor
Robert Adler in the article. “In building these roads, you skew people’s
choices.”

————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 67 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: Three Stories: Sprawl/Incentives/CAFE

The Worldwatch Report:
U.S. voters tell suburbia to slow down
Thursday, July 15, 1999
By Molly O’Meara
The number of families living in U.S. suburbs increased by 60 percent
between 1970 and 1997, while the number of urban families grew by 12
percent.
In November 1998, voters throughout the United States — the world leader in
runaway suburban development — approved a variety of proposals to hold
sprawl at bay. A Brookings Institution report identified 13 state and 226
local ballot initiatives to rein in suburbia, protect green space and
channel new development toward existing communities. Voters in 31 states
approved 72 percent of these measures.
The number of families living in U.S. suburbs increased by 60 percent
between 1970 and 1997, while the number of urban families grew by 12
percent. As a result, car travel has mushroomed: Between 1983 and 1995, the
average round-trip commute to work in the United States grew 37 percent, to
nearly 12 miles. Now metropolitan drivers in the United States each spend 40
hours per year sitting in stalled traffic.
The number of “livability” ballot proposals may have set a record in 1998.
The Brookings report’s author, Phyllis Myers, estimates that there were 50
percent more initiatives on parks, conservation and smarter growth than in
the previous election in 1996.
New Jersey residents made one of the most far-reaching decisions, amending
the state’s constitution to set aside sales tax revenues for conservation.
Each year for the next 30 years, the state will use $98 million to protect a
million acres of farms and forest — half of the land in the state that
could be developed. In Michigan, voters approved a $675 million long-term
bond for environmental improvements. In Southern California, Ventura County
citizens voted to create urban-growth boundaries that require county
officials to receive voter approval to rezone agricultural and rural land
outside development boundaries.
The anti-sprawl backlash is reverberating up to the federal level. Vice
President Al Gore has proposed a “livability agenda” to provide $700 million
in new tax credits for state and local “Better America Bonds” that would
raise money for protecting open spaces and revitalizing abandoned lots. It
also calls for new investment in public transit, and federal efforts to
promote metropolitan cooperation. The report, “Livability at the Ballot
Box,” is available at: http://www.brook.edu/ES/urban/myers.pdf <
http://www.brook.edu/ES/urban/myers.pdf>
Copyright 1999, Worldwatch Institute Distributed by The Los Angeles Times
Syndicate, All Rights Reserved Bill offers reward for early emission cuts
Thursday, July 15, 1999
“If industry wants to take actions which reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
the government should not be standing in its way,” Rick Lazio, R-N.Y.
Companies and communities that take steps to reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases before being required to under federal law would be rewarded under
legislation introduced in the House of Representatives Wednesday.
The Voluntary Reductions Act, introduced by Rep. Rick Lazio, R-N.Y.; Rep.
Cal Dooley, D-Calif.; and a host of bi-partisan co-sponsors, would give
companies and communities credit for taking early action on climate change.
“American companies agonize over whether to make major capital investments
in emissions reductions because of the uncertainties of federal climate
change policy,” said Lazio.
“They fear these investments would penalize them should a future Congress
require a greenhouse gas emissions reduction program. If industry wants to
take actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government should not
be standing in its way.”
The prominent feature of the act is the doling out of credits to companies
that take early action. These credits can be used to help meet future
emissions reductions requirements, or purchased by others who might need
them to help manage their own reduction obligations.
The legislation would provide strong incentives for companies to take
immediate action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The act’s sponsors say that the legislation would provide strong incentives
for companies to take immediate action, eliminating the uncertainty that
would incline businesses to wait until stricter regulations are in place.
The introduction of the act was applauded by the Environmental Defense Fund,
which has urged Congress to move forward with consideration of the
legislation.
“Climate change won’t wait while politicians debate,” said Fred Krupp,
executive director of the environmental organization. “We need to begin now
to protect ourselves from impending changes in Earth’s climate caused by the
buildup of greenhouse gases.”
“The longer action is postponed on cutting greenhouse gases, the higher the
costs will be,” said Joe Goffman, an attorney for the Environmental Defense
Fund. “This approach is a wise investment in our nation’s future.”
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved Fuel economy standards called deadly
Thursday, July 15, 1999
The easiest way for automakers to increase the fuel efficiency of their
fleet is to down size their cars, according to a study by the Competitive
Enterprise Institute.
Federal fuel economy standards have given automakers the opportunity to
build small, unsafe cars that result in 2,600 to 4,500 car deaths each year,
according to a free enterprise and small government policy group.
Environmental groups contend that the fuel economy standards, known as CAFE
standards, have not forced automakers to build cheap, unsafe cars but that
the automakers have skimped on safety in the name of profits.
“As long as people drive, there will be fatal accidents,” said Ann Mesnikoff
of the Sierra Clubs global warming and energy program. “It is the auto
industry’s choice to use auto technology how they choose. The fact of the
matter is they make cheap cars and don’t put safety in them.”
The death toll attributed to the CAFE standards is the centerpiece of a
study, Deadly Effects of Fuel Economy Standards, put out by the Competitive
Enterprise Institute.
According to the study, the easiest way for automakers to increase the fuel
efficiency of their fleet is to down size their cars. Smaller cars lead to
more fatal accidents.
“You can make small cars safer,” said Emily McGee, a spokeswoman for the
institute. “But you can’t argue with physics — the bigger the car the safer
it is.”
The CAFE standards arose in the mid-1970s as a response to the energy
crisis. It was believed that fuel-efficient cars would help Americans
conserve oil and reduce their dependence on foreign oil.
While the standards have resulted in cars that are about 50 percent more
fuel efficient than they were in 1975, they have done nothing to decrease
America’s dependence on foreign oil. About half of the oil consumed today is
imported, up 35 percent from 1975, according to the Sustainable Energy
Coalition.
Today, the push for fuel-efficient cars has morphed from a response to the
energy crisis to a response to the threat of global warming — the most
serious environmental problem we have ever faced, according to the Sierra
Club.
Many of the world’s prominent scientists agree that increased concentrations
of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide from the burning of oil, are
expected increase global average temperatures by a few degrees resulting in
a rise in sea levels that could swamp coastal communities, an increase in
severe weather and the rapid spread of infectious diseases.
Environmental groups argue that raising the CAFE standards to 45 miles per
gallon for cars and 34 miles per gallon for light trucks will help reduce
pollution and consequently the threat of global warming
The Competitive Enterprise Institute argues that raising the CAFE standards
will result in even more deaths — between 3,800 and 5,700 deaths annually —
a price, they say, that is too high.
To counter the institute’s study, Mesnikoff cites a study from the federal
government’s General Accounting Office that concludes, “the unprecedented
increase in the proportion of light cars on the road since the 1970s has not
increased the total highway fatality rate.”
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 68 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/15/1999
Subject: FW: Kentucky DBE Regs

—–Original Message—–
From: Charles R. Lovorn [mailto:clovorn@kahc.org] Subject: Kentucky DBE Regs Greg: Please share this with other state Execs concerning the Kentucky
approach to establishing the new DBE goals. KAHC and the KDOT work
closely to achieve our current goal of 11.5%. In the state we have a
difficult geographic spread of available DBE’s. The new rules address
the geographic problem. We expect to see higher percentages in
metropolitan areas like Louisville and less in more rural areas of the
state. A outside contractor linked with the University of Kentucky
Transportation Center, an affiliate of the Civil Engineering
Department. The UK Transportation center is using information obtained
from the KDOT to determine as a third party a fair % goal based on
ready, willing and able DBE’s. KDOT is reviewing the personal net worth
data submitted from current DBE’s to determine eligibility on the new
regulations. A program of providing support for establishing new DBE’s
is also being reviewed but has not taken on a formal shape at this
time. As you would expect, Kentucky contractors think the DBE goal
should be 5 %. KDOT does not think it should be that low based on
unknown information. The use of the outside party should remove bias
from all parties. Currently, sub contractors are paid on a timely
basis as the contractor is paid twice a month. The requirements to pay
promptly will not be problem here. Charlie Lovorn ————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 69 From: MRBADon@aol.com Date: 7/16/1999
Subject: Re: FW: Mississippi DBE Regs

In Mississippi, we expect very little change. Although our current goal
of 10% is being removed on several “test” projects, our contractors are
expected to show good faith by voluntarily committing at least 10% to
DBE’. We will be working under a threat of a higher future goal unless
this “unofficial” 10% is reached. Meanwhile, a DOT committee is being set up to look at permanent state
goals and regulations. ————————————————————————

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 70 From: Robert Latham Date: 7/16/1999
Subject: Re: DBE Regs

Greetings from Maryland the Home of Parren Mitchell

Maryland has a state DBE law and of course the federal program. Our state
law is set to expire on July1, 2000. DOT is now at work with the 3rd
Disparity study. MGD is this years lottery winner with more than $1 million
budgeted for the study.

We met with MDOT and discussed the following
1. 1. Information required to be submitted regarding subcontractor quotes.
TEA 21 required that States gather information on sub-contractor quotations.
It was clarified that only the low bidder would be required to submit a list
of subcontractor quotations, not all bidders on a project.

2. Participation achieved via ³race neutral methods². MDOT will establish a
goal for subcontractor participation based on the results of the MGD
disparity study and the amount of participation achieved when DBEs are
awarded prime contracts.

Prime contract awards to DBEs are considered ³race neutral methods² of
achieving participation. This seems to make a case that there is no
discrimination in the bidding process.

3. Decertification of DBEs. Should a DBE ³graduate² during the course of a
contract, the DBE¹s participation would count. As in the past, DBEs who do
not perform must be replaced with another DBE.

There are now two levels of ³graduation². Personal net worth of $750,000
and volume of work by the firm over a 3 year period.

4. Overconcentration of DBEs in certain areas of contracting. Non-DBE
speciality subcontractors have finally moved this issue into the
regulations. MDOT has yet to determine how it will approach this issue. It
was indicated that the Department will examine DBE portions of speciality
work from both the prime and subcontractor angle before determining whether
there is overconcentration. The federal regulations permit alot of local
decision making in this area.

MDOT originally said they would add prime and sub awards together to
determine overconcentration. But is was pointed out that the regs. say to
consider prime and sub concentration separately.

5. Prompt Pay/Retainage. The new regulations seem to direct contractors to
pay retainage to subcontractors even when they have not been paid. This is
unfair and MHCA¹s committee strongly argued against this practice. MDOT will
take another look.

6. Trucking. There are new rules regarding the counting of trucking
services when truckers lease vehicles from non-DBE. Only the mark-up on
trucking services will count. This is a real problem because minority firms
will hire owner operators who may or may not be minorities, but who haven’t
bothered to get certified.

———-

>From: “Greg Smith” <gsmith@artba.org>
>To: <artbacse@egroups.com>
>Subject: [artbacse] Re: DBE Regs
>Date: Wed, Jul 14, 1999, 3:15 PM
>

> Also, Brian Holmes from Connecticut would like some input on states that
> have already set new DBE goals. He would like to know the old and the new
> goal to see if the goals have gone down, remained the same, or increased.
>
> —–Original Message—–
> From: Billy Norrell [mailto:norrell@alrba.org] > Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 1999 10:45 AM
> To: ‘artbacse@egroups.com
> Subject: [artbacse] DBE Regs
>
>
> Dear Colleagues:
>
> We (Alabama Road Builders) are conducting a seminar at the end of this
> month to review (and hopefully shape) the proposed regulations for Alabama
> under the new DBE ruling handed down by FHWA. Can you advise me as to what
> kind of response or actions your states, particularly those in the
> southeast (Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee) are taking to prepare
> for life in highway constructin after October 1st? I really appreciate
> your assistance with this question.
>
> Billy Norrell
> ARBA
> 334-832-4331
>
> ————————————————————————
> Click Here to apply for a NextCard Internet Visa and start earning
> FREE travel in HALF the time with the NextCard Rew@rds Program.
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/449
>
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>
>
> ————————————————————————
> GET $10 OFF ANY ORDER @ healthshop.com! No min. purchase req.
> Save on vitamins & supplements. Use coupon code: EGROUPS99
> at checkout. http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/463
>
>
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>
>
>

 

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 71 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/19/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Special Alert #1 — 7/15/99

From the Sierra Club:

—–Original Message—–
From: Sierra Club Action [mailto:SIERRACLUB-ACTION@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG] On Behalf Of SF Moderator
Sent: Friday, July 16, 1999 2:15 PM
To: SIERRACLUB-ACTION@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG
Subject: SC-ACTION Special Alert #1 — 7/15/99

SPECIAL GLOBAL WARMING ALERT!

** TAKE ACTION ** TAKE ACTION ** TAKE ACTION ** TAKE ACTION **

Critical vote on global warming, gas guzzlers continues to loom!

Regular SC Action readers will recall that for the last several weeks we
have
asked you to call your US Senators and urge them to support efforts to
combat
global warming by requiring cleaner, more fuel efficient cars and trucks.

Your response has been FANTASTIC! Calls have been pouring in to Senate
offices, demanding action. The efforts of grassroots environmental
activists
around the country has auto industry in a panic, and their lobbyists
pounding
the halls of Congress. But don’t just take our word for it… here are a
few
recent newspaper quotes on YOUR efforts:

“There’s no question that there is an extremely well-organized campaign by
select interest groups on the (fuel economy) issue,” said Susan Skerker,
senior director of global public policy at Ford.
— Detroit News page 1, “War on Trucks Escalates” July 9, 1999

“It’s an issue that’s going to be ripe sooner rather than later”, said Janet
Mullins, Ford Motor Co.’s vice president for Washington affairs. She noted
that the freeze opponents gathered the senators’ names for a letter on fuel
economy in a relatively short time and got a couple of fence-siting freshman
to commit to higher standards.
— Automotive News, “31 Senators Back Higher Cafe” June 7, 1999

“When you get 31 senators to sign onto a letter, that’s uncomfortably close
to
the number of votes that would be needed to make changes in the program,”
said
Mark Kemmer, senior Washington representative at General Motors Corp.
— Detroit News page 1, “Tougher Fuel Rules Loom” June 23, 1999

“We at Ford are seriously concerned about a possible Senate floor debate or
vote on automotive fuel economy (CAFE) standards. We know you have signed a
letter supporting higher CAFE standards and are asking you to reconsider
this
support.”
— Letter from Ford to all 31 Senators who signed the Feinstein,
Bryan, Gorton letter to the President on CAFE standards.

Your efforts have been fantastic, but the fight is not over yet! Please
take
a few moments to call your Senators!!!

Raising miles-per-gallon standards is the biggest single step we can take to
curb global warming. It would also slash America’s dependence on foreign
oil,
reduce pressure to drill for oil in sensitive wilderness areas, and
strengthen
our economy. After years of ducking the issue through anti-environmental
riders in the Transportation Appropriations bills, the US Senate will soon
vote on a CLEAN CAR RESOLUTION. Senators Gorton, Feinstein, and Bryan will
be
offering a resolution urging that the anti-environmental CAFE freeze rider
be
dropped from the Transportation Appropriations bill.

TAKE ACTION: Write, phone, or fax your Senators and urge them to support
the
upcoming Gorton/Feinstein/Bryan CLEAN CAR RESOLUTION! Remind your Senators
that global warming is one environmental threat we cannot afford to ignore!

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
For more information on how to contact your senators visit –
http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm

**** For more information on the vote, or other actions you can take to help
stop global warming, contact the Sierra Club’s global warming and energy
team.
Call (202) 547-1141 or send email to <steve.pedery@sierraclub.org>.****

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 72 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/19/1999
Subject: FW: Updates on the DOT DBE Regulation

Updates on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program Regulation
are posted on the OSDBU web site at
http://osdbuweb.dot.gov/programs/dbe/dbe.htm Recent additions include the “Sample DBE Program” and “Corrections to the
DBE Rule”. The Sample DBE Program, for recipients, can be viewed on-line or
downloaded to your word processor for ease of use. A series of “Questions and Answers on the DBE Rule” also provide extensive
clarification.

The General Counsel of the Department of Transportation has reviewed these
documents and approved them as consistent with the language and intent of 49
CFR Part 26. They therefore represent the institutional position of the
Department of Transportation.

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 73 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/20/1999
Subject: FW: EPA discontinues Transportation Partners Program; NY Times publ

ARTBA has a copy of the letter to McIntosh in case anyone is interested in
seeing it. Just call me. Thanks, GS —–Original Message—–
From: Bill Outlaw [mailto:outlaw@tripnet.org] Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 1999 4:22 PM
Subject: EPA discontinues Transportation Partners Program; NY Times
publishes TRIP letter

RAN members:

Congressman David McIntosh has been notified in a letter from EPA
Administrator Carol Browner that the EPA has “discontinued” the
Transportation Partners program and will replace it with a more “balanced”
program. The Browner later came in response to a hearing that Cong.
McIntosh’s Committee was going to hold regarding the TP program. McIntosh
had asked Browner to explain the legislative authority for the program and
who was receiving funding from it.

Everyone will recall the EPA program has included funding for groups such as
the Environmental Defense Fund and the Surface Transportation Policy
Project, the latter included money for its web site.

this came about as a result of lobbying by TCC members and by the Highway
Users. Congratulations to those who helped bring this about.

–In other news, the NY Times published TRIP’s letter to the editor in
Sunday’s paper in response to the Times’ one-sided piece which tried to
blame highways for sprawl. Those who want copies of that letter should
contact the TRIP office.

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 74 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/20/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #116 July 19, 1999

SC-ACTION Vol II, #116
Excerpt from the Sierra Club today. DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
July 19, 1999 1. EPA suspects Grandfathered Power Plants of Skirting the Law.

According to the Washington Post, US Environmental Protection
Agency investigators have uncovered what they believe are
widespread violations of federal air pollution laws by coal-fired
power plants that have significantly added to the nation’s smog
problems.

At least a half-dozen electric power plants have boosted the
amount of electricity they can generate without getting the
required permits and without adding new pollution controls as
required under the 1990 Clean Air Act. Dozens more plants are
under investigation in what an administration official said
appears to be a pervasive sidestepping of the nation’s air
pollution laws.

The Clean Air at included a provision which grandfathered old power
plants, allowing them to bypass clean air provisions due to their
age. The act allows for routine maintenance to these plants, but
requires power companies that make significant improvements, such
as adding boilers or turbines that will increase their emissions by
40 tons or more a year, to secure new pollution permits and install
state-of-the-art emissions controls.

According to an EPA official who told the Post he wished to remain
anonymous, “It looks to us like the industry used the
grandfathering provisions on routine maintenance and chose to
expand them and create a loophole that goes way beyond what the
law allows.”

EPA officials believe that the suspected violations have produced
increased levels of smog producing Nitrogen Oxide as high as
10,000 tons a year at some sites.

The EPA is launching an in-depth investigation into the suspected
violations of the Clean Air Act which could include as many as 100
investigators and extend to as many as 100 plants. If violations
were committed on the scale that officials suspect, the plants
could face tens of millions of dollars in fines.

2. Smog–it’s not just for cities anymore…..

According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer Journal, air pollution
at the southern base of Mount Rainier has become so bad that the
air is considered among the dirtiest in the region. Ozone problems
in the region are reported to be so severe that federal and state
officials have installed equipment to alert hikers when it’s too
dangerous to hit the trails.

The cause: The rapidly growing number of cars in the Seattle,
Tacoma and Everett area.

You don’t have to drive up to Mount Rainier to pollute it,” said
Mary Burg, manager of the state ecology department’s air quality
program. Vehicle emissions from throughout the Puget Sound area
often end up at the national park.

Stu Clark, an air quality official with the state ecology
department told the Seattle Post Intelligencer Journal that if the
pollution consistently exceeds permissible levels, the region
could be found out of compliance with the federal Clean Air Act.
That would trigger new limits on factory emissions, posing a
threat to the region’s economic growth, he said.

The heavy air pollution on what most consider a pristine mountain
it is yet more proof that smog is not only an urban problem, or
one that is concentrated in the Eastern US. The EPA is currently
taking public comment on proposed new auto pollution and clean
gasoline regulations that are aimed at reducing the smog forming
Nitrogen Oxide emissions from vehicles. To call the EPA in
support of cleaning up our cars, light trucks and the gasoline
that fuels them, dial toll free, 1-888-TELL-EPA. For more
information, e-mail Michelle Artz at michelle.artz@sierraclub.org
__________________________________________________________________

Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web – http://www.sierraclub.org

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators-http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 75 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/21/1999
Subject: Salary Survey Request

GHCA’s Industry Service Committee is planning to conduct a salary survey
among members of our Association. To assist them, I would like for the
committee members to review a couple of completed salary surveys. If you
have conducted a salary survey, or had one conducted for you by someone
else, I would appreciate your sending me a copy of it. It doesn’t matter if
the survey is not recent, since I am more interested in the providing the
committee with the format used to obtain the survey data; and the format
used to report the results to include the description of duties for each
title being benchmarked in the survey. If you have such a survey, I would
appreciate it if you would call me at (770) 716-1668 and advise me
accordingly; and then subsequently mail a copy to: Georgia Highway
Contractors Association, 175 Carnegie Place, Suite 133, Fayetteville, GA
30214. Thanks for any assistance you can provide. Therol R. Brown
Executive Director
GHCA

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 76 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/21/1999
Subject: Georgia DBE information

Dear Colleagues:

I n regard to Bily Norrell’s request, the following is submitted as relates
to Georgia’s DBE Plan.

GHCA has had a series of meetings with GDOT staff in an effort to jointly
develop the GDOT DBE Implementation Plan. GHCA has made numerous
recommendations but as of today, we have not received a draft implementation
plan. GDOT recently had a consulting firm conduct a Disparity Study. The
study (approximately 1,400 pages) concludes that there is a disparity in
the amount of work awarded to non-DBE’s and DBE’s during the period
1990-1996. However, the study acknowledges that this should not be
construed to mean that discrimination occurred. Like most disparity
studies, some of the conclusions appear to be “flawed”. Supposedly, bases
upon the results of the Disparity Study, the GDOT staff recommended that
Georgia DBE goals be increased from 10% to 12% by the State Transportation
Board. GHCA, in turn, asked the board not to increase the goal but instead
to decrease it. Last Thursday, in order to meet the 45 day public hearing
period required by the regulation, the Transportation Board adopted a
resolution to retain the 10% DBE goal with the provision that all factors
would be considered during the next 45 days. Again, the draft
implementation plan outlining the various components has not been released.
GHCA and/or some of its members have been considering a legal challenge
against GDOT. However, this is being held in abeyance until their final
implementation plan is released and evaluated. Georgia previously had an
additional 4 % DBE goal on state funded projects, but this was abandoned a
few years ago.

Therol R. Brown
Executive Director
Georgia Highway Contractors Assn.

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 77 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/21/1999
Subject: Environmental Permits

ARTBA will be testifying again next week on environmental streamlining. Does
anyone have any specific anecdotes that we can use in the testimony where
the permitting process has led to project delays or cancellations. Please
reply. Thanks. Greg Smith *******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 78 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/22/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #117, July 21, 1999

Excerpts from our friends at the Sierra Club:

1. STEELHEAD MAY STALL HIGHWAY
Scientists at the California Department of Fish and Game last week
identified
trout found in San Mateo Creek, San Diego County, as southern steelhead, a
species which gained federal protection two years ago as endangered.

San Mateo Creek, and the San Onofre State Beach Park containing it are in
the
path of the final 16 mile leg of a proposed toll road being built by the
Transportation Corridor Agencies. If federal scientists determine that the
trout
species is a sustainable population, the road project could be put on hold
while
the developer conducts required studies on how the highway would effect the
fish. “Taking into account one of God’s creatures could be a problem for
them,”
said Elizabeth Lambe, Sierra Club Representative.

The Sierra Club has made protection of the park one if its national
priorities,
and has formed a coalition, Friends of the Foothills, to fight the proposed
toll
road. The Club believes the area is vital, not only to the endangered
species
and their habitat, but also to local residents’ quality of life. “This
seems to
us like a wonderful piece of Wild Orange County,” said Jim Blomquist, head
of
the Sierra Club Campaign

The developer, Transportation Corridor Agencies is telling residents that
the
toll road will save people from gridlock, frustration and wasted time spent
in
traffic. The Sierra Club sees the road as a recipe for loss of natural land
and
worsened sprawl, fearing that it would encourage development in the
wilderness
area northeast of the park.

In addition to the trout finding, the park is famous for the high-quality
surfing waves found there at its Trestles beaches–sometimes referred to as
the
“Yosemite of surfing.” Unlike every other rivermouth surfing spot in
Southern
California, the coastal waters at the mouth of the San Mateo Creek are clean
and
receive an uninterrupted, natural flow of sediment from the creek. The park
and
river represent rare undeveloped, undammed federal land–all too scarce in
Southern California.

To learn more about the fight to save the park and view a 4 minute video
interview with the 21 year old student activist who discovered the
steelhead,
visit http://www.sierraclub.org/field/southerncal/steelhead.html

2. SIERRA CLUB UNVEILS WEB PAGE TO HELP CONSTITUENTS TRACK ENVIRONMENTAL
VOTES IN CONGRESS

The Sierra Club launched a new Internet site this week to help constituents
and
reporters track how their Representatives and Senators voted on important
environmental issues. The web site, which already includes three budget
votes
cast late last week, will be updated shortly after Congress casts any major
vote
affecting clean water, air or land.

By logging onto Sierra Club’s new VoteWatch web site — at
www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/ — you can know in an instant whether your
members
of Congress are voting to protect America’s environment. Politicians often
say
they’re working to protect the environment, but VoteWatch will allow you to
find
out whether your public officials walk the walk, or simply talk the talk.

Check it out!

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 79 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/22/1999
Subject: Design Build

As you all know, FHWA is moving ahead with their Design-Build Regulations.
Below is some background from FHWA as well as a letter already sent to FHWA
from the Indiana Constructors, Inc. about the new regulations. ARTBA’s
Contractors Division has formed a Design Build Task Force being chaired by
Ed Nyland of George Harms Const. (NJ). Background: TEA-21, Section 1307 (c)(1) requires FHWA to consult with
AASHTO and the affected industries prior to initiating a rule making for
design-build contracting. Specifically, Congress said: “ -Not later than the effective date specified in subsection (e), after
consultation with the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials and representatives from affected industries, the
Secretary shall issue regulations to carry out the amendments made by this
section.”

Proposal: In order to comply with the Congressional requirement, the
Contract Administration Group (of FHWA) is implementing a two-step process
to consult and coordinate design-build contracting issues with the affected
parties. In step one of this effort, FHWA is coordinating with the major
associations that would be affected by this regulation – the Associated
General Contractors (AGC), the American Road and Transportation Builders
Association (ARTBA) and the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC). In
phase two, FHWA would coordinate with all associations and groups who may
have an interest in this regulation.

Phase One – Completed, except:

AASHTO Subcommittee on Construction August 2, 1999, New Orleans, LA, Cox

Phase Two

1) Fall 1999 – Convene a one-day meeting with all associations and
individuals who may have an interest including but not limited to the
following: AASHTO, AGC, ARTBA, ASCE, NSPE, ACEC, insurance industry, ACPA,
NAPA, NSA, and TRB.

2) Present FHWA summary of the “FHWA Region 6 – Design-Build Reviews” and
other issues and potential concerns of the industry to date, etc.

3) Conduct breakout sessions and ask for specific recommendations and list
of concerns from associations.

4) Ask for written position papers from each representative within one month
of the meeting.

From Indiana:

April 29, 1999

Mr. David O. Cox, P.E.
Senior Engineer
Highway Operations Division
Federal Highway Administration
HNG-20, Room 3211
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

Dear Mr. Cox:

Indiana Constructors Inc., a trade association serving highway contractors
in Indiana, believes Design-Build is not appropriate for most public works
construction projects. When public funds are involved in a project, it is
important to maintain public confidence in the bidding process. This can
best be accomplished through a system which awards contracts to the low
bidder and in which bids are submitted in sealed envelopes and opened at a
public forum.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has shown that these
principles can be followed for Design-Build projects although this appears
to be the exception rather than the rule for how Design-Build is normally
used. To protect the integrity of the system, the process used by INDOT
should be followed when public contracts utilize a Design-Build delivery
system.

Key components of the INDOT system are:
Prequalification of eligible design firms.
Allowing contractors (who are already prequalified) to work with the
prequalified design firm of their choosing and limiting design firms to
working with only one contractor.
No other restrictions on the number of firms that can submit bids.
Using an independent designer to develop a detailed scope.
Using a two-step bid process involving technical proposals and price
proposals.
Requiring technical proposals to achieve a minimum score – as ranked by an
INDOT technical committee -and then opening price proposals for all bidders
whom achieve the minimum score.
Awarding the contract to the low bidder.

This process assures taxpayers that qualified contractors will perform the
work at competitive prices. This public safeguard against fraud,
favoritism, graft, and extravagance is eliminated with systems that involve
a totally subjective process to limit the number of firms that can submit
bids, involve negotiation of prices, and allow the contract to be awarded on
totally subjective criteria.

While Design-Build is an acceptable practice for private construction
projects, there are important distinctions between private construction and
public works. Foremost of these is a duty to wisely use public resources.
An open competitive bidding process – where the award is made to the lowest
responsible and responsive bidder – best assures this and can always
withstand public scrutiny.

When Design-Build is used, another concern is the environmental requirements
that impact construction projects. Certainly all environmental studies
should be completed before the contract is put out for bid. Since one of
the alleged benefits of Design-Build is speeding the process of getting a
project built, this potential benefit is lost if a lengthy environmental
study must be conducted before design and construction can commence. The
bid package should also clearly identify the responsibility for any required
environmental permits.

Even when Design-Build follows the parameters above, this delivery method
should still be used only in rare cases where the public agency has made a
determination that special circumstances are involved. Since Design-Build
shifts more risk to the contractors, not all contractors will be willing to
participate and this will reduce competition.

We appreciate the opportunity to participate in Federal Highway
Administration’s rulemaking process on Design-Build.

Sincerely,

Charles V. Kahl

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 80 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/22/1999
Subject: FW: Sprawl story and farm land

—–Original Message—–
From: Bill Outlaw [mailto:outlaw@tripnet.org] Sent: Thursday, July 22, 1999 3:58 PM
Subject: Sprawl story and farm land Thanks to Christian Klein of AED for sending this our way. Yet another twist
to the sprawl story. bandwagon Wednesday July 21 3:32 PM ET
Urban Sprawl Threatens Farms
By ANICK JESDANUN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) – Urban sprawl threatens to pave over some of the nation’s
most fertile farmland if Washington does not help pay more farmers to keep
farming, government and farm officials said Wednesday.
Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rick Santorum, R-Pa., seek at least $50
million a year to help state and local governments buy easements, or
development rights, from farmers. Farmers would continue to own their land
but would be barred from pursuing non-farm activities.
“Farmers on the edge of urban development face many challenges,” Deputy
Agriculture Secretary Richard Rominger said. “As development ensues, these
lands are taxed at a rate that reflects their potential for residential
development. So family farms are forced to sell to meet this increasing tax
burden.”
Rominger said farmland loss averages about 1.5 million acres each year.
Conversion of prime farmland occurs two to four times faster than
less-fertile land, he said.
“Conversion of farmland threatens the future of the nation’s food supply and
also means lower standards of water and air quality and lack of open space,”
Rominger told the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
The 1996 farm law set aside $35 million in federal funds over five years to
match state and local spending for farm preservation programs, but the money
lasted only three years. Rominger said the money was paying for 460
easements covering more than 127,000 acres. But the needs are greater, he
said.
Leahy’s bill to renew the program would increase spending to $55 million
each year, while Santorum’s bill would provide $50 million annually.
President Clinton requested $77.5 million for farm preservation in his
fiscal 2000 budget.
Santorum said the pressure on agricultural land “becomes even more intense”
as the nation’s economy continues to thrive.
Although few object to preserving farms, questions have come up about the
program’s price tag and effectiveness.
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, said that although he did not necessarily oppose
the program, he was concerned that the easements might not withstand court
challenges.
By selling an easement, a farmer agrees to keep the land for agricultural
uses and passes on that requirement to any subsequent owners. Rominger said
an easement should carry as much legal weight as the sale of mineral rights
to a particular tract.
Guy F. Donaldson, a fruit grower who is president of the Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau, said selling easements helps give farmers the money needed to buy
additional farmland or farm equipment.
Michael Fitzpatrick, chairman of the Bucks County, Pa., Board of
Commissioners, said his county next to Philadelphia has lost two-thirds of
its farmland since 1950.
“If the federal, state and local governments do not step in to save family
farms, we’re certain they will disappear in the future,” he said.

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 81 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: Today’s Washington Post

THE REGULATORS: Oh, Say, Can You See? EPA Takes Long-Term View Toward Park
Vistas By Cindy Skrzycki
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 23, 1999; Page E01 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo.—It’s hard to believe,
rocking on the front porch of the Roosevelt Lodge, looking
out on a
magnificent mountain range, that the nation’s oldest
national park has an
air-pollution problem — regional haze.

Could a place such as this, filled with wild lupines and
sticky geraniums,
open fields of sagebrush and a porcelain-blue sky,
possibly have air quality
so poor that it would damage the visual feast of 2.2
million acres of forest,
waterfalls and steamy geyser shows?

It does, say regulators at the Environmental Protection
Agency. The
agency, after years of study and controversy over the
issue, came out with
a final rule recently that will attempt over the next 65
years to return
Yellowstone and 155 other national parks and wilderness
areas to their
former natural beauty and pristine status. In other words,
on a clear day,
visitors to these areas should be able to see forever.

“It’s the difference between seeing 60 miles or six
miles,” said William
Becker, executive director of the State and Territorial
Air Pollution
Program Administrators.

That’s not the case at many national parks right now. A
top EPA official
who worked on the rule said that on a good day at
Yellowstone there may
seem to be no visual impairment, but, on a bad one, vistas
can be reduced
from 127 miles to 72 miles. At the Grand Canyon, views can
be reduced
by as much as 50 percent.

In Pinkham Notch, N.H., at the Appalachian Mountain Club
visitors
center, Bruce Hill, who is head of research for AMC, has
his office in the
shadow of Mount Washington. From his vantage point, and
from checking
air-quality monitors, he can attest that there are days —
such as last
Saturday — that the air is as polluted there as in any
major urban area.

“On a clear day, you can see 130 miles to the Adirondacks.
On Saturday,
we exceeded the federal health standard for ozone and
smog. And we’re
one of the cleaner places in the Appalachians,” Hill said.
The peak of
Mount Washington is 6,288 feet above sea level.

Reducing haze to natural background levels means returning
the
picturescape to a condition where no human-caused
pollution impairs
visibility, according to the Clean Air Act.

Federal regulators said sulfates, nitrates, organic
carbon, diesel emissions
and smoke know no boundaries. These pollutants create a
general haze
that can move over large geographical areas. Automobiles,
power plants
and large industrial boilers are contributing factors.

The EPA’s rule is in response to a mandate issued by
Congress 20 years
ago to establish national goals for visibility in these
special areas. After two
proposals, and discussions with hundreds of interest
groups and
businesses, what the agency came up with is a highly
technical haze
abatement plan that in its mind-numbing complexity is the
antithesis of the
simple natural beauty that visitors see at Yellowstone.

Under the rule, the states will have to participate in
planning, analysis and
emission-control programs. Some will be expected to cut
emissions even
more than they have already through programs such as
vehicle emission
reductions, while others may choose to trade pollution
credits among
themselves. Some will have to make sure that older
industrial sites such as
smelters, refineries and electric utilities are using the
best available
technology to clean up pollution.

The aim of the rule is to improve visibility on the
haziest days and ensure
that no degradation occurs on the clearest days. The
agency will use
“deciviews,” or an atmospheric haze index, to track
changes in visibility,
and it will measure emission fluctuations reported by the
states as well.

EPA has asked all states — regardless of whether they
have a park within
their borders — to develop plans for how they will cut
pollution over the
next 60 years. The first plans are due in 2003.

“The idea here is to have a long-term strategy to return
these pristine areas
to natural visibility,” said a top EPA official, who asked
not to be named.
“We hope to have significant progress in less than 60
years.”

But even before the first step toward improvement is made,
12 large
industrial groups representing railroads, coal,
manufacturers and utilities
have petitioned the EPA to stop the rule. They claim the
regional haze rules
cannot go forward because they are tied to other
pollution-abatement rules
that recently were struck down in court.

“It’s arbitrary to go forward now,” said Paul Seby, a
lawyer in Denver who
filed the petition.

As for the cost of the rule, it’s a pretty penny. The EPA
estimates that it’s
somewhere between $1 billion and $4 billion, with benefits
that could be
worth as much as $10.8 billion annually.

But who’s counting? Certainly no one on the front porch of
the Roosevelt
Lodge.

OUT FOR COMMENT: Regulation magazine, a quarterly
published by
the libertarian Cato Institute since 1977, has a new look,
a new set of
editors and a new editorial direction, which it is showing
off with a new
issue next week. A must-read for regulatory wonks in
Washington, the
magazine will now be in the seat pocket in front of you on
shuttle flights
between Washington and New York. The cover story: “Three
Routes to
Regulatory Reform.” Talk about taking your work with you .
. .

© Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company
*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 82 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: 3 Stories: Poll/CA Parkway/New EPA Headquarters

Poll shows strong support for open space
Friday, July 23, 1999
Eighty-five percent of Americans polled agree that parks and open spaces
contribute to the property values and economic stability of neighborhoods.
With debate continuing on Capitol Hill over how much money should be
allocated to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a national poll conducted
by Frank Luntz, shows strong public support for parks and open spaces.
In fact, many Americans rank this issue above other major congressional
priorities this year. “The poll shows no issue speaks more directly to
American’s ‘quality of life’ than their ability to enjoy open spaces, parks
and wilderness areas,” said Luntz.
“In this super-charged political season, delivering tangible results on a
topic of broad public appeal seems to be the best kind of politics and
policy. Since the conservation of land and water and open space is a strong
winnable issue, almost any political leader can run on it and win with it in
November 2000, it should be a major legislative focus this year,” he said.
Among some of the poll’s key findings are:
88 percent of Americans polled are concerned that many of the country’s
special places may be lost unless action is taken now to protect them
the myth of “Too much public land” does not hold, even in the western
mountain states, where over 90 percent of the land is owned by the
government owned
89 percent of Americans polled support using a conservation trust fund such
as the Land and Water Conservation Fund, to protect wildlife habitat for
native plants and animals
Over half of the Americans polled cited an outdoor location, such as a
national park, wilderness area, or the beach as their preferred place to
spend a vacation this year.
85 percent of Americans polled agree that parks and open spaces contribute
to the property values and economic stability of neighborhoods.
Those who think the overall quality of the environment is deteriorating
outnumber those who think things are improving.
The poll shows that what matters to most American is “quality of life
issue,” not environmental and conservation issues, said Chris Mathey, a
spokesperson for Luntz. In addition, he said the poll aimed to dispel the
myth that western states care more about the environment.
“Whether we are talking about soccer fields in the suburbs or remote
wilderness areas, the American people understand the value of these places
and want to see action,” said Jane Danowitz, executive director of Americans
for our Heritage and Recreation.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund was created by Congress in 1964 for the
acquisition of public lands in order to meet the outdoor recreation and open
space needs of all Americans. With revenues from offshore oil drilling, the
Land and Water Conservation Fund is authorized to receive $900 million each
year. However, since its inception, Congress has diverted a significant
percentage of the fund for purposes other than conservation and recreation.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved River Parkway contributes millions to central California economy
Friday, July 23, 1999
By Mark Grossi, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
The San Joaquin River Parkway has brought $25.5 million into Central
California in the last decade, but that’s just a warm-up for the next
century, a new study suggests. The parkway someday may raise area property
values by $34 million and generate between $3.1 million and $4.5 million
each year through increased tourism. The figures are part of a study
completed this year by the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust
and a professor from California State University, Fresno. Parkway officials
say the study puts tentative dollar values on the recreation and
quality-of-life additions the parkway makes to the community. “We have
something tangible to talk about when someone asks the question about what
the parkway is worth,” said Parkway Trust board chairwoman Coke Hallowell.
One riverside landowner, Madera County resident Dennes Coombs, says he has
not seen the study, but he has read similar documents. He said the new
information would not change his skepticism about green space having as much
value as development. “You can’t tell me that housing and a $15 million
golf course won’t bring in more money and more value to this area,” Coombs
said. Rather than development, though, the study suggests people will be
attracted to the natural river, and more businesses will come to Fresno and
Madera. The parkway, a planned 22-mile river corridor from Millerton Lake
State Recreation Area to Freeway 99, would attract people who want to canoe,
hike, fish, picnic, bird watch, bicycle, walk, run and ride horses, the
study says. Fresno State economics professor Scott Houser, who co-wrote the
report with the trust, said people spent $193,562 in 1998 just to enter
Woodward Park, near the river. He wondered how much more they would spend if
they could go to a complete parkway to enjoy. “The next step is to survey
people at the park to find out,” he said. Such a survey may begin early next
year. Beyond the recreation, the parkway would provide a natural buffer to
protect people and property from millions of dollars in damage during
floods, he said. And studies of other areas lead Houser to believe
surrounding property values probably would increase as the parkway is
completed. “None of these studies has been done on a linear parkway, such
as this,” he said. “We don’t know if benefits from a natural resource in
Boulder, Colo., would translate into the same benefits in rural Madera
County.” But officials do know that businesses all over the country are
locating in places where cities make “quality of life” investments in parks,
parkways and other natural amenities, said Deborah North, land stewardship
director for the trust and the other co-author of the recent study. In one
recent publication, by the Trust for Public Land Management, small
businesses ranked recreation, parks and open space as the highest priority
in choosing a new location. “The parkway will benefit the entire area, not
just the people who live nearby,” she said. “It is a good investment.” The
$25.5 million already invested in the parkway since 1988 came mostly from
public agencies to purchase property, restore land and build trails. The
parkway, projected for 6,000 acres, now has about 2,300 acres, and more
acquisitions are planned. Madera County resident Coombs, who has opened a
golf course next to the river, says private landowners would have built the
entire parkway trail by now if development was part of the picture. “Why
can’t we have a nice restaurant or conference facilities at the river, like
they do in Portland or San Antonio?” Coombs asked. North said rivers in San
Antonio and Portland differ from the San Joaquin. She said the other rivers
already were a central part of the cities and had become less than natural.
“The San Joaquin is quite a significant resource in this area,” she said.
“We want to keep it natural and allow people to enjoy it that way.”
Copyright 1999, The Fresno Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News,
All Rights Reserved New EPA campus project half-complete in North Carolina
Friday, July 23, 1999
By Lisa F. Smith, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.
Workers have crossed the halfway point on the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s $272.7 million new campus — one of the largest single construction
projects under way in the Durham, N.C., Triangle.
The new facility will consolidate about 2,200 EPA and contract workers onto
a campus in Research Triangle Park off of T.W. Alexander Drive near the
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.
Together, the EPA and NIEHS will have one of the largest concentrations of
environmental science researchers anywhere. NIEHS has some 1,800 employees
across the lake from the site under construction.
Right now, the EPA is spread across seven leased facilities that will be
consolidated onto the campus. The agency also will continue to lease a
laboratory at UNC and a building in RTP that it uses for reproductive
toxicology research.
The campus will consist of a main building of about 1.1 million-square-foot
as well as the agency’s national computing center and a child care center
that will be shared by NIEHS and the EPA. Two parking decks will be built to
accommodate the about 1,300 EPA workers and 900 contract employees expected
to work at the site.
Employees will start moving in by early to mid 2001. The main facility has
been under construction since 1997 and the agency is requesting proposals
from contractors for the computing center. The daycare center construction
also will start within the next year.
The new building makes sense from the taxpayer’s perspective, considering
that the agency now pays about $12 million a year to lease space for
research that will be conducted at the new site.
Over 30 years, the agency projects it will save $100 million by building and
operating its own site, said Chris Long, project manager for the EPA’s new
campus.
“It costs a lot to rent and maintain those buildings,” he said. “What we’ve
built is a very flexible building. The cost of maintaining that will be
lower for us.”
This will be the first time that EPA researchers will work in space
specifically designed for their needs. The EPA inherited a
400,000-square-foot, leased facility on Alexander Drive from its
predecessor, the National Pollution Control Administration.
When that space proved not to be enough, the agency fanned out into other
sites, stretching from downtown Durham to near Raleigh-Durham International
Airport.
“Aside from saving the taxpayers’ money, the biggest advantage to the EPA is
bringing the work force together,” Long said.
The campus will be home for research into human and ecosystem exposure to
pollutants and the effects from that exposure. The building also will serve
as the hub for the EPA’s air pollution programs under the Clean Air Act.
Bill Laxton, director of administration for the EPA in RTP, said the new
site will make it easier for scientists to collaborate. The facility also
will feature state-of-the-art research laboratories compared with some of
the aging space that the agency now leases.
People who answer to Laxton are spread out over three different buildings
right now. A meeting can easily mean a 20 minute drive to downtown Durham
each way for him.
“There is a great deal of wasted time people spend in vehicles,” he said.
The land that will be home for the new EPA campus has belonged to the
government since 1968 when it was purchased from the Research Triangle
Foundation for $1. But since the EPA had interim facilities to lease in the
park, the push to build wasn’t that urgent.
“It took an awful lot of courage and conviction politically to do this,”
Laxton said.
While a government-owned facility would be less expensive in the long-run,
that was a hard sell for many politicians, Laxton said. It took leadership
from a several interested politicians to push the government toward funding
a new building, he said.
“Many times, politicians don’t make decisions in the long run,” he said.
“For 20-some years, there wasn’t that conviction or that political will to
do that.”
The EPA and NIEHS presence creates positive side-effects for the Triangle,
said Gary Shope, vice president of the Research Triangle Foundation.
“It puts us essentially at the center of the universe for environmental
research and technology,” he said.
The government agencies bring research grants to area universities and
contract work to companies, such as RTP tenants Lockheed Martin with 365
employees and ManTech Environmental Technology with 110 workers.
The foundation also hopes that the EPA, NIEHS and university programs in the
area will help attract other environmental engineering companies, Shope
said.
Copyright 1999, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business
News, All Rights Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 83 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: FW: US DOT News

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 23, 1999
Contacts: FRA, Pamela Barry, 202-493-6024
FHWA, Virginia Miller, 202-366-0660
FRA 17-99 U.S. Transportation Secretary Announces Funding
For Grade Crossing Hazard Elimination Programs
In Designated High-Speed Corridors U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced
financial assistance grants totaling $6.95 million to eight
federally-designated high-speed rail corridors to eliminate hazards at
public and private highway-rail grade crossings.
“President Clinton and Vice President Gore launched a
comprehensive livability agenda to strengthen the federal government’s
role as a partner in helping communities across America grow in ways that
ensure a high quality of life and strong, sustainable economic growth,”
Secretary Slater said. “These grants will facilitate the coming of
high-speed rail and improve safety, which is President Clinton’s highest
transportation priority, by helping to remove hazards at highway-rail
crossings.”

All public and private highway-rail grade crossings in designated
corridors are eligible for funding which may be spent on crossing closure;
consolidation or grade separation; installation or upgrade of warning
devices; improvements to track circuitry, crossing surfaces, crossing
sight distances or illumination; installation of advanced train control or
traffic control systems; and other related project development, analysis
and engineering activities. The federal share of costs for improvements
funded under the hazard elimination program may be up to 100 percent of
the total engineering and construction costs.

Fiscal 1999 apportionments to the eight designated corridors are
as follows:

* California Corridor: California, $250,000.
* Pacific Northwest Corridor: Oregon, $400,000; Washington,
$500,000.
* Chicago Hub Corridor: Illinois, $350,000; Indiana, $200,000.;
Michigan, $500,000; Wisconsin, $500,000.
* Florida Corridor: Florida, $300,000.
* Southeast Corridor: North Carolina, $1,000,000; South Carolina,
$150,000; Georgia,$250,000; Virginia, $500,000.
* Gulf Coast Corridor: Louisiana, $325,000; Alabama, $345,000;
Mississippi, $355,000; Texas, $125,000.
* Keystone Corridor: Pennsylvania, $500,000.
* The Empire Corridor: New York, $400,000.

The funds will be used with other federal and state grade crossing
funding to accelerate the implementation of high-speed rail in designated
high-speed rail corridors. A Federal Register Notice on Dec. 11, 1998
solicited applications from states, either singly or in conjunction with
other states, for funding projects in the above corridors.

“The hazard elimination program is key to making high-speed rail
successful in the United States,” Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene M.
Molitoris said. “This program also will significantly improve the safety
of both rail and highway users in each corridor where improvements are
being made.”

“This money is important toward eliminating safety hazards and
continuing the reduction of highway-rail crossing fatalities,” said
Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle. “We have successfully
reduced highway-rail grade crossings fatalities by two-thirds since 1973
and are committed to reducing them even further.”

Since the enactment of the Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing Program
in 1973, highway-rail grade crossing fatalities have declined at public
crossings from 1,185 in 1973 to 385 in 1998, representing a 67.5 percent
decline in fatalities since the program began.

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
expanded the highway-rail grade crossing hazard elimination program
originated under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of
1991 (ISTEA). The program is managed jointly by the Federal Railroad
Administration and Federal Highway Administration, both agencies of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.

###

Note: A chart detailing funding for Grade Crossing Hazard Elimination by
region is available at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/fra1799.htm

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 84 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: Re: Salary Survey Request

Therol,
We have not done any salary surveys.
Bob

Greg Smith wrote:

> GHCA’s Industry Service Committee is planning to conduct a salary survey
> among members of our Association. To assist them, I would like for the
> committee members to review a couple of completed salary surveys. If you
> have conducted a salary survey, or had one conducted for you by someone
> else, I would appreciate your sending me a copy of it. It doesn’t matter if
> the survey is not recent, since I am more interested in the providing the
> committee with the format used to obtain the survey data; and the format
> used to report the results to include the description of duties for each
> title being benchmarked in the survey. If you have such a survey, I would
> appreciate it if you would call me at (770) 716-1668 and advise me
> accordingly; and then subsequently mail a copy to: Georgia Highway
> Contractors Association, 175 Carnegie Place, Suite 133, Fayetteville, GA
> 30214.
>
> Thanks for any assistance you can provide.
>
> Therol R. Brown
> Executive Director
> GHCA
>
> *******************************
> Greg Smith
> Managing Director, Contractors Division
> American Road and Transportation Builders Association
> 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
> Washington, D.C. 20001
> (202) 289-4434, ext. 114
> (202) 289-4435, fax
> gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
> http://www.artba.org, Internet
>
> ————————————————————————
> GET $10 OFF ANY ORDER @ healthshop.com! No min. purchase req.
> Save on vitamins & supplements. Use coupon code: EGROUPS99
> at checkout. http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/463
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 85 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/23/1999
Subject: Re: Georgia DBE information

Dear colleagues:

Florida has proposed a goal of 8% and has proposed that it be obtained
through race-neutral methods. In other words, we will have no goals on projects
for at least a year. If we can achieve close to 8% participation we will keep
it that way.
Bob

Greg Smith wrote:

> Dear Colleagues:
>
> I n regard to Bily Norrell’s request, the following is submitted as relates
> to Georgia’s DBE Plan.
>
> GHCA has had a series of meetings with GDOT staff in an effort to jointly
> develop the GDOT DBE Implementation Plan. GHCA has made numerous
> recommendations but as of today, we have not received a draft implementation
> plan. GDOT recently had a consulting firm conduct a Disparity Study. The
> study (approximately 1,400 pages) concludes that there is a disparity in
> the amount of work awarded to non-DBE’s and DBE’s during the period
> 1990-1996. However, the study acknowledges that this should not be
> construed to mean that discrimination occurred. Like most disparity
> studies, some of the conclusions appear to be “flawed”. Supposedly, bases
> upon the results of the Disparity Study, the GDOT staff recommended that
> Georgia DBE goals be increased from 10% to 12% by the State Transportation
> Board. GHCA, in turn, asked the board not to increase the goal but instead
> to decrease it. Last Thursday, in order to meet the 45 day public hearing
> period required by the regulation, the Transportation Board adopted a
> resolution to retain the 10% DBE goal with the provision that all factors
> would be considered during the next 45 days. Again, the draft
> implementation plan outlining the various components has not been released.
> GHCA and/or some of its members have been considering a legal challenge
> against GDOT. However, this is being held in abeyance until their final
> implementation plan is released and evaluated. Georgia previously had an
> additional 4 % DBE goal on state funded projects, but this was abandoned a
> few years ago.
>
> Therol R. Brown
> Executive Director
> Georgia Highway Contractors Assn.
>
> *******************************
> Greg Smith
> Managing Director, Contractors Division
> American Road and Transportation Builders Association
> 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
> Washington, D.C. 20001
> (202) 289-4434, ext. 114
> (202) 289-4435, fax
> gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
> http://www.artba.org, Internet
>
> ————————————————————————
> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/475
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 86 From: Billy Norrell Date: 7/26/1999
Subject: Re: Salary Survey Request

Therol:

ARBA has not done a salary survey.

Billy

—–Original Message—–
From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 1999 7:55 AM
To: ‘CSE E-Mail Group’; ‘Starwalt-TRBA’
Subject: [artbacse] Salary Survey Request
Importance: High

GHCA’s Industry Service Committee is planning to conduct a salary survey
among members of our Association. To assist them, I would like for the
committee members to review a couple of completed salary surveys. If you
have conducted a salary survey, or had one conducted for you by someone
else, I would appreciate your sending me a copy of it. It doesn’t matter if
the survey is not recent, since I am more interested in the providing the
committee with the format used to obtain the survey data; and the format
used to report the results to include the description of duties for each
title being benchmarked in the survey. If you have such a survey, I would
appreciate it if you would call me at (770) 716-1668 and advise me
accordingly; and then subsequently mail a copy to: Georgia Highway
Contractors Association, 175 Carnegie Place, Suite 133, Fayetteville, GA
30214.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Therol R. Brown
Executive Director
GHCA

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

————————————————————————
GET $10 OFF ANY ORDER @ healthshop.com! No min. purchase req.
Save on vitamins & supplements. Use coupon code: EGROUPS99
at checkout. http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/463

eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 87 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/27/1999
Subject: FW: * L.A. Roots * Environmental Justice * Stay Cool *

Attached are excerpts from the EDF DISPATCH: From the Environmental Defense
Fund
Tuesday, July 27, 1999 The EDF has recently put up a new web page on environmental justice and
“transportation equity.” If you have time to check out the site, I would
highly recommend it. It is very disturbing. -Greg Smith, ARTBA

******************************
1. NEW TIMELINE CHARTS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN L.A.

Civil Rights and Environmental issues have been uniquely connected
throughout the history of Los Angeles. Our new timeline illustrates
the parallel developments of these movements and the emergence of
Environmental Justice.

http://www.edf.org/programs/ej/timeline/

******************************

2. NEW WEB PAGES FEATURE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Environmental problems affect all of us. But some communities,
especially communities of color and poorer communities, are likely to
suffer disproportionate impacts from environmental degradation. The
Environmental Defense Fund is committed to finding equitable
solutions for all.

http://www.edf.org/programs/ej/

*****************************

Copyright 1999 Environmental Defense Fund. All rights reserved.

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 88 From: Thomas L. Johnson Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: DBE
The Feds are trying to force states to release retainage that has not been
released by the state for DBE subs. We suggest that all request a waiver.
Tom
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 89 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: 2 Stories — EPA Fines / Oil Polluters

Virginia polluters learn fine points of EPA rules
Wednesday, July 28, 1999
The Roanoke Times, Va.
The Environmental Protection Agency just fined Stanley Furniture Co. of
Stanleytown $174,831 for Clean Air Act violations.
When the EPA calculates a fine, it is exacting. It uses a more than 15-point
checklist to fine air polluters.
Long-term violations cost more than spot violations. Big companies get
bigger fines than small ones, even if the violations are the same, to
“equalize the pain,” EPA spokeswoman Donna Heron said.
Companies that cooperate with investigators get dollars taken off their
fines. Companies that don’t and those with past violations get dollars added
on.
The smogginess of air before a company polluted also matters. As the EPA
sees it, polluting already smoggy air is worse than polluting good air.
The points add up. Bassett Furniture Industries Inc. of Bassett, another
furniture company in Henry County, agreed recently to pay a $575,000
air-pollution fine. It’s the second largest Clean Air Act fine levied by the
EPA in Virginia in four years. Hercules Inc. was fined $1.2 million for
releasing asbestos while demolishing an office building in Covington.
Bassett’s fine-calculation report wasn’t available Friday, but here’s how
Stanley’s fine, which the company contests and is under appeal, was figured:
— $50,000 for allowing its boilers to pollute the air in July 1998 and,
allegedly, for the previous five years.
— $54,438 to take back the money that the EPA believes the company saved by
not fixing its equipment during those five years.
— $10,000 because the July 1998 emissions were 1 1 / 2 times the legal
limit.
— $5,000 because the air quality in the Martinsville area meets federal
guidelines. If it didn’t, the $5,000 could have been $15,000 or more.
— $15,000 because U.S. clean-air goals depend on companies following the
law.
— $50,000 based on the size of Stanley Furniture. The EPA found its net
worth reported in a Dun & Bradstreet guide as $62 million.
The company saved $13,377 by cooperating. It shut down the polluting
equipment. After adjusting for inflation (another $3,770) the EPA came up
with $174,831.
But even though the EPA is precise about fines, when it comes to measuring
pollution, sometimes the EPA just eyeballs it.
EPA field inspectors are trained to look at a plume coming from a smokestack
and judge how dark it is with their naked eyes. They stand no more than a
quarter mile from the smokestack, position themselves so the smoke is
against a contrasting background and estimate how much of the view the smoke
obscures. Twenty percent is the legal limit.
An inspector decided to investigate Bassett Furniture — and, later, Stanley
and Hooker Furniture Corp. of Martinsville, too — after making just such a
curbside investigation and getting readings as high as 40 percent. Bassett
also failed other tests in which probes inserted in its smokestacks showed
that harmful dust and soot exceeded limits, the EPA reported.
Nothing is done to alert the public when pollution violations are found.
That comes months, even years later after long, secret legal negotiations.
At that point, a press release is sent out.
Companies that receive EPA pollution-violation notices don’t have to tell
their shareholders through a filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission unless the matter could hurt the company in the long term. This
is seldom the case for a financially sound corporation. Not being required
to give notice, the companies seldom do, experience would indicate.
Hooker Furniture did tell its shareholders it was hit with a notice in
March. Neither Bassett nor Stanley Furniture did. Bassett told shareholders
that in 1998, when it received three EPA notices of pollution violations,
“in management’s view, the company has complied in all material respects
with all federal, state and local standards in the area of safety, health
and pollution and environmental controls.”
Copyright 1999, The Roanoke Times, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News,
All Rights Reserved Oil plants breaking air quality laws in California
Wednesday, July 28, 1999
By Denis Cuff, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
Fines for East Bay oil refineries are still too small to deter repeat
violations some two years after a federal audit chided the regional air
quality district for being too lenient, environmentalists charged Tuesday.
The refineries paid an average fine of $699 per violation to the Bay Area
Air Quality Management District over the last two and a half years,
according to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington DC based research
group.
“The data shows big polluters continue to break the law and pay minuscule
fines. The worst violators are all East Bay refineries,” the researchers
wrote in a 40-page report.
Tosco refinery in Avon east of Martinez and Equilon (formerly Shell) in
Martinez each had 115 violations — the highest in the state, according to
the study based on federal and air district records.
The Bay Area air district cited its refineries eight times more often than
did its counterpart agency in Southern California.
The average refinery fine meted out by the South Coast Air Quality
Management District, however, was $19,459.
The environmental group said it couldn’t conclude whether bigger fines or
more violations was a stronger deterrent.
“It’s a significant difference We can’t say which air quality district has
the better approach. We don’t want to be accused of shooting from the hip,”
said Bill Walker, a San Francisco-based spokesman for the group,
Some Contra Costa business leaders and residents blasted the Environmental
Working Group last year for a study it did on pollution near schools. The
report contained some statistical errors.
Bay Area, state, and federal pollution regulators said Tuesday they couldn’t
say much about the refinery study because they hadn’t seen it.
A spokeswoman for the Bay Area air district, however, said her agency has
increased its fine schedule added six field inspectors to provide a greater
pollution deterrence.
“We are devoting more resources in the field to respond to the advise from
the federal auditors,” said Teresa Lee.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency two years ago and the California
Air Resources Board last year said the Bay Area district was failing to
discourage pollution because its fines averaged $426 per violation.
Lee said her district may issue more violations than its sister agency in
Southern California because the Bay Area agency has at least one inspector
assigned to each oil refinery, and two stationed at Chevron in Richmond.
She said the Bay Area district also has may find more violations because it
has stricter limits on refinery valve emissions.
Copyright 1999, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif. Knight
Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved *******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 90 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: FW: MODERATE — brian@dis-systems.com wants to post a message toart

From: “Brian Holmes” <CCIA/CRMA@alpha.recol.net>
To: artbacse@egroups.com
Subject: Re: [artbacse] DBE
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 12:11:59 -0500 Response to Tom: We have simply deferred to our pre-existing prompt pay statutes and are
ignoring the fact that the DBE regs seem to say that the contractor has to
pay subs their retainage (1) for work that the state has approved but not
accepted and (2) when the state has not paid the retainage for those items
of work.

By imposing the prompt pay requirement on everybody, the feds think they
can get around the the race conscious issue, i.e., DBEs are often under
capitalized and are thus more dependent on getting paid on a timely basis
than a non-disadvantaged sub. What they don’t realize is that they have
not leveled the playing field. What they have done is to obliterate it.

Brian Holmes
CCIA // CRBA
912 Silas Deane Highway
Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 529-6855
brian@constructioncorner.com // CRBA@constructioncorner.com
W3 Site: http://www.constructioncorner.com

\=========================================================================/

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 91 From: Bob Burleson Date: 7/28/1999
Subject: Re: DBE

Tom,

We are attempting that approach in Florida as well. We have proposed a
reduction in the subs retainage at completion of his work to the % being
withheld by the state on the prime contractor. In Florida the retainage
withheld on the prime is 2.5%.
Bob

“Thomas L. Johnson” wrote:

> The Feds are trying to force states to release retainage that has not been
> released by the state for DBE subs. We suggest that all request a waiver.
> Tom
>
> ————————————————————————
> GET WHAT YOU DESERVE! A NextCard Platinum VISA: DOUBLE Rewards points,
> NO annual fee & rates as low as 9.9% FIXED APR. Apply online today!
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/606
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> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 92 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/30/1999
Subject: FW: certified weigher law

Please see the attached from Kent:

Greg,

Could you please poll the CSE to see if any one has a state law
concerning certified weighers. In Tenn. the certified weigher has to
individually stamp and sign each weigh ticket when the truck leaves the
quarry or asphalt plant. We would like to amend the law to allow
electronic signatures. What do other states do? For those attending
the CSE Meeting, it would be great each state executive could bring a
copy of their law, if they have such a thing. All others can fax their
law to me at 615-255-6937.

Thanks

Kent Starwalt

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 93 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/30/1999
Subject: FW: FY’99 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT AWARDS

!/FY’99 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT AWARDS/SCROLL
FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1999 FY’99 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT AWARDS EPA today announced a total of almost $2.5 million in environmental
education grants to over 200 organizations
nationwide. EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., awarded over $870,000 to
nine winners and EPA’s regional offices
awarded the remaining $1.6 million. The environmental education grants
program was established to assist schools,
universities, not-for-profit organizations, state, local and tribal
governments in developing projects that will
benefit the environment while educating the public. Since 1992 EPA grant
funds have been awarded to almost 2,000
recipients. The Environmental Education Grants Program was established
under Section 6 of the National
Environmental Education Act of 1990. In making selections, EPA gives
priority to projects that address health
problems, education reform programs, and outreach and community programs for
the public. The nine EPA
headquarter’s 1999 Environmental Education Grant winners are from: Martinez,
Calif.; Davis, Calif.; Starkville,
Miss.; Glassboro, N.J.; New York, N.Y.; Rochester, N.Y.; Newark, Ohio; Salt
Lake City, Utah; and Montpelier, Vt.
To obtain information on these projects, contact Tanya Meekins at
202-260-1387. Information on the EPA regional
grant winners can be obtained from the appropriate offices listed below.
For information on how to apply for
environmental education grants, contact the Office of Environmental
Education at 202-260-4965 or visit Internet
address http://www.epa.gov/enviroed.

Region 1 (New England) Region 6 (Southwest)
Maria Pirie — 617-918-1068 Ed Curran — 214-665-2172

Region 2 (Northeast) Region 7 (Great Plains)
Terry Ippolito — 212-637-3671 Rowena Michaels — 913-551-7003

Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic) Region 8 (Mountain Plains)
Larry Brow 215-814-5527 Cece Forget — 303-312-6605

HEADQUARTERS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS 1999

CALIFORNIA

Contra Costa County Health Services Department – $97,150
Mary Foran, 20 Allen St., Martinez, Calif. 94553

Center for Health Environmental Education Program
The Contra Costa County Health Services Department has won national
recognition for innovative programs that
solicit the participation of residents in designing and implementing
enviro-health improvements. In 1993, a major
toxic spill occurred in the area and recently the Center for Health in North
Richmond was created to respond to
similar situations should they occur. This project trains local
enviro-health educators to teach residents to plan
and carry out neighborhood environmental action plans. Interactive learning
resources provided through a formal
Environmental Resource Center teach residents to interpret and disseminate
correct environmental information,
define community issues, select action strategies and sustain neighborhood
education projects. Having been
trained, residents will then train their neighbors, who will train others in
a continuing process of community
enlightenment. Partner organizations include the West County Toxics
Coalition, East Bay Regional Parks, the Bucket
Brigade and the city of Richmond.

Regents of the University of California – $113,493
Joyce Gustein, 410 Mrak Hall, One Shields Ave., Davis, Calif. 95616

Return of the Salmon
This project addresses uses and diversions of creek water and the resulting
ecological effects on the Putah Creek
watershed. Middle school students will participate in activities in school
and on field trips to explore how
salmon can be studied as an indicator of the ecological health of the creek.
Teachers will facilitate the youth’s
entry into the watershed first through in-school activities and later via
field trips. Subsequently, the students
will be able to pursue educational activities with their families using a
guidebook and website developed through
this project. The project also provides teachers in service training and
internet development. The project has an
advisory committee of university and regional science and education
specialists.

MISSISSIPPI

Starkville School District – $91,200
Janet Henderson, 401 Greensboro, Starkville, Miss. 39759

Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge Environment Education Center and Program.
The Starkville School District serves more than 4,000 students across a 100+
square mile area. The school district
has established an Environmental Education Center and Program at the Noxubee
National Wildlife Refuge in
cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Mississippi State
University. This essentially rural
program emphasizes sustainable use of diminishing resources, fish and
wildlife ecology and the historical
significance of natural assets in creating the culture of the South.
Students from Mississippi as well as Alabama
will benefit from learning on-the-ground, where theories can be tested
against empirical reality. Very few such
opportunities are available in this countryside. The ultimate target is 69
school districts within a larger 140-
mile radius.

NEW JERSEY

Farmworker Health and Safety Institute Inc. – $40,000
Teresa Niedda, 4 South Delsea Dr., Glassboro, N.J. 08028

Farmworker Training and Development Program
The Farm Health and Safety Institute is a consortium of three
community-based farmworker organizations that will
replicate an innovative curriculum and model training program for
farmworkers. The institute has a unique
educational program that trains farmworkers to teach their peers and their
families about environmental issues such
as pesticide safety, runoff, spills, solid waste incineration, and crop
dusting and its effect on air quality. The
institute has created materials and workshops that teach farmworkers how to:
1) analyze their work and community
for environmental hazards (mapping), such as pesticides and unsafe drinking
water; 2) train their fellow
farmworkers; and 3) evaluate this program and the comprehension of their
trainees through follow-up training and
community visits. The program also teaches experienced farmworker trainers
how to conduct the “Train-the-trainer”
workshops which will consist of three separate training sessions totaling
over 250 hours of training. Follow-up
evaluations will also be conducted throughout the duration of the project to
evaluate the process as well as ensure
that the methodology, tools and training are being conducted in a consistent
manner. Farmworkers will receive
training in Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico,Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico,
Texas, and in the state of Chihuahua in
Mexico. This project may serve as a model for similar programs in other
states.

NEW YORK

Seneca Park Zoo Society – $33,470
John Scott Foster, 2222 St. Paul St., Rochester, N.Y. 14621

Amphibian Alert!
A large amount of research over the past decade has documented in some
cases, catastrophic extinction of amphibian
species or populations around the world. Many of these population declines
are associated with non-point source
pollution. This project will train informal educators in zoos, museums,
nature centers, and classroom teachers
around the country to address the topic of declining amphibian populations
and provide community members with the
problem solving skills. Seneca Park Zoo Society with its partners are
developing Amphibian Alert!, a curriculum
package for informal educators and classroom teachers. This package will
provide a concise summary of the issues
leading to declining amphibian population as well as teaching strategies,
activities, population assessment tools
and audiovisual materials to be used in presenting these issues to school
age children across the country.
Amphibian Alert! will also be made available to all informal and classroom
educators who wish to incorporate this

information into their educational activities.

Educational Broadcasting Corporation – $145,500
Caroline Crumpacker, 450 W. 33rd St., New York, N.Y. 10001

Wild TV
“Wild TV” is a 13-week, half -hour televison series to engage children 8 to
12 years of age in an exploration of
nature in the world around them. “Wild TV” takes the students straight to
the environs they know best–city
streets, suburban ponds, rooftops, parking lots and backyards–to find out
what’s actually going on there
ecologically. The process will be facilitated by a teachers’ guide, a
docents’ guide for outdoor settings, a Web
component and workshops for educators. The series will explore community
issues vis-a-vis terrain, air, water, flora and fauna. It will be broadcast
in every state in the Fall of the year

2000. Outreach materials will also be disseminated to thousands of young
people. The entire series may
ultimately be packaged for dissemination to libraries, community centers,
schools and related venues. The
National Science Foundation and various nonprofit groups are also funding
this project.

OHIO

Environmental Education Council of Ohio – $125,685
Deb Wandala, 397 W. Myrtle Ave., Newark, Ohio 43055

Ohio Infrastructure for Success
This project implements Ohio’s strategic plan for environmental education.
The goal is to build capacity in Ohio
for environmental education by expanding upon existing collaborative efforts
to create both a leadership network
and a programmatic infrastructure that will foster long-term grassroots
initiatives. This goal will be achieved
through six objectives: 1) expand and coordinate leadership by establishing
a statewide steering committee and
interagency governmental council 2) establish an environmental education
center to develop programmatic
infrastructure, 3) use marketing strategies to increase awareness about
environmental education, 4) develop and
adopt guidelines for best practices, 5) establish an environmental education
research consortium to coordinate
research efforts, and 6) assess the availability of environmental education
for preservice and in service
educators.

UTAH

National Energy Foundation – $74,000
Christian Scheder, 5225 Wiley Post Way, Suite 170, Salt Lake City, Utah
84116

Living Wise
The National Energy Foundation was created to develop and distribute
educational materials to schools and other
institutions to teach about the links between energy, water, technology and
conservation. The “Living Wise”
project, through a partnership of public and private agencies, will reach
students and their parents in Denver,
Colorado and the surrounding area. The project demonstrates the virtues of
ecological management for sustainable
living and long-term prosperity. “Living Wise” combines carefully designed
classroom instruction and debate with a
variety of hands-on projects families can undertake at home. Hands-on
experience is highly reinforcing and it
elicits new attitudes and behavior, and thus can generate lifelong
commitment to responsible stewardship of natural
resources. The target group is fifth and sixth grade students. In addition
to classroom activities, students will
enter contests, use an interactive website, and play a 3-Dimensional CD-ROM
game that explores conservation method.

VERMONT

State of Vermont Department of Public Service – $150,000
Tom Franks, 112 State St., Drawer 20 Montpelier, Vt. 05620-2601

Vermont Multi-Agency Environmental Education Project
The Building Education for Sustainable Society (BESS) project will develop
place-based environmental education that
is fully integrated with traditional academic programs in Vermont. Drawing
upon and amplifying a rich array of
existing informal initiatives, the project uses the entire state as a
classroom and laboratory. Students will
learn how natural systems function, and the effect of mankind upon
ecosystems. The students will develop the
powers of observation and analysis required of responsible citizens in a
global environment. As part of this two
year program, environmental educators will work with teachers to create a
core ecological curriculum that embraces

basic concepts in math, science, technology and sustainability.

###

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 94 From: Greg Smith Date: 7/30/1999
Subject: 2 Stories: MTBEs / Large Polluters

Plant research gets more money
Friday, July 30, 1999
by Associated Press
Hoping to capitalize on the phase-out of a fuel additive, a Senate committee
voted today to authorize $300 million in research on new ways to make
ethanol and other chemicals from crops, grass and trees.
The action by the Senate Agriculture Committee is intended to boost farm
income and follows a decision this week by the Environmental Protection
Agency to curtail use of methane-based MTBE because of evidence it
contaminates groundwater.
MTBE’s chief rival as a fuel additive is ethanol, which now is made from
corn but theoretically can be processed from any plant.
Ethanol, already heavily subsidized by the government, costs more to make
than MTBE and primarily is made in the Midwest, which makes it difficult now
to get it to West Coast and Northeast markets. Researchers hope to find ways
to make ethanol more cheaply.
Plastics also could be made from plant material, known as biomass.
“This research initiative holds the promise of meeting clean fuel demands by
bringing to the market a competitively priced alternative fuel by 2005,”
said the committee’s chairman, Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved Power of fossil fuel producers exposed
Friday, July 30, 1999
In 1997, the world energy industry produced 26.4 billion barrels of
petroleum.
The economic and political power of the world’s major energy companies must
be overcome before an effective policy to combat climate change can be
implemented, according to a report released Thursday by a coalition of
environmental groups.
The report, “Kingpins of Carbon: How Fossil Fuel Producers Contribute to
Global Warming,” tabulates carbon pollution based on 1997 fossil fuel
production. The figures show that just a few companies are responsible for
most of the world’s carbon pollution.
“It is time for fossil fuel producers to take responsibility for the global
warming pollution they cause,” said Dan Lashof, a spokesman for the Natural
Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that issued the report.
In 1997, the world energy industry produced 5.2 billion tons of coal, 26.4
billion barrels of petroleum and 81.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
When these carbon-based fuels were consumed, their combustion resulted in
emissions of 6.2 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere, according to
the report.
Nearly 80 percent of that carbon came from fossil fuels produced by 122
companies. 22 percent of the world’s carbon pollution comes from fuels
produced by just 20 private companies, according to the report.
The report urges Congress to take a stand against the fossil-fuel industry
and invest in clean energy technologies.
“There are no mandatory sentences for carbon pushers, but we can expose them
in the court of public opinion,” said Katherine Silverthorne of the U.S.
Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, a group that collaborated on
the report.
A component of the report demonstrates how energy companies on one hand
promote fossil fuel use in developing nations while on the other hand argue
that the United States should not sign a treaty to combat climate change
through reduced carbon emissions until there is meaningful participation
from developing nations.
The fossil-fuels industry adopted the stance that the United States should
not enter such a treaty until there is participation from developing nations
in a $13 million ad campaign that aired during the December 1997 climate
change meeting in Kyoto, Japan.
At the same time, according to the report, the chief executive officer of
Exxon addressed the World Petroleum Congress in Beijing, China, with the
following remarks:
“The most pressing environmental problems of the developing nations are
related to poverty, not global climate change. Addressing these problems
will require economic growth, and that will necessitate increasing, not
curtailing, the use of fossil fuels.”
The report urges Congress to take a stand against the fossil-fuel industry
and invest in clean energy technologies that both reduce carbon emissions
and improve the technological leadership of the country.
“Rather than providing additional tax breaks to the ‘Kingpins of Carbon,’
Congress should provide incentives for clean cars, renewable energy, energy
efficient homes and other technologies that would reduce U.S. dependence on
fossil fuels,” said Alden Meyer, a spokesman for the Union of Concerned
Scientists.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved *******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 95 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: FW: Hot Tips for DBE program document completion
The following text provides information that the Department of
Transportation Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
(DOT-OSDBU) has determined to be of interest. We know that, as the September 1, 1999, submission date grows closer,
recipients are working hard to complete their DBE program documents and to
set their new overall goals. Here are suggestions that can be found on the
OSDBU website at http://osdbuweb.dot.gov/programs/dbe/hottips.html, that
will make these tasks clearer and easier.
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 96 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #121 July 30, 1999

SC-ACTION Vol II, #121
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
July 30, 1999 “They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.”
– Joni Mitchell ———————————————————————

Friday is the ALL ACTION edition of the SC-ACTION, including actions
that you can take on each of the Sierra Club’s priority campaigns.
The featured campaign this week is the Sierra Club’s Clean Air
Campaign.

But please be sure to check out the rest of the campaigns to find out
what else you can do to defend the environment. Current action items
follow on: Global Warming, Wilderness, Sprawl, Human Rights, Ending
Commercial Logging, Responsible Trade and Population.

*********************************************************************

ACT NOW: COMMENT ON AUTO POLLUTION AND CLEAN GASOLINE STANDARDS

DON’T LET YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SUPPORT CLEAN AIR SLIP AWAY!!

THE TIER 2 COMMENT PERIOD ENDS MONDAY, AUGUST 2

You’ve probably noticed that summer is upon us, and for too many
Americans that means not only hot days, but days when it’s actually
unhealthy to breathe. Preliminary data collected by the Clean Air
Network from 26 states shows that all 26 had at least 1 bad air day
between March 12 and June 28 this summer; 15 of the states have had
at least 10 bad air days already this summer. Pennsylvania is
leading the nation at 21 days when the air has been unhealthy to
breathe because of high smog pollution levels. Other “leading
states” are Michigan (19), Ohio (18), Texas (18) and Georgia (17).
The summer is far from over, and these numbers are sure to climb.

YOU can help make sure that we all have cleaner air to breathe in the
future.

THE DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NEW AUTO POLLUTION AND CLEAN
GASOLINE STANDARDS IS THIS MONDAY, AUGUST 2 (close of business).

Cars and light trucks (SUVs, minivans and pickups) spew out about 30%
of the pollution that causes smog. The new auto pollution standards,
called Tier 2, would close the loophole that allows light trucks
(SUVs and pick-ups and minivans) to pollute 3-5 time more than cars
and set tough new standards for cars and light trucks.

The proposed standards would also clean our gasoline by establishing
a national sulfur standard of 30 parts per million (ppm)–that’s 300
parts per million less than the current national average! (Sulfur in
gasoline clogs catalytic converters in vehicles which in turn allows
for more auto pollution.)

If implemented, these new standards would have the same effect as
taking 166 million cars off the road! This is quite significant,
considering that there are approximately 207 million cars and light
trucks on the road today.

The EPA needs to hear from concerned citizens! The powerful auto and
oil industries are opposed to many aspects of the EPA’s plan. We need
to be sure that EPA doesn’t weaken the standards and we must work
hard to make them stronger. If people don’t speak up, the proposed
standards could be weakened, putting polluters’ profits ahead of our
health.

YOU CAN CONTACT EPA BY CALLING 1-888-TELL-EPA or E-MAILING comments
to tier2.comments@epa.gov

TELL THEM THAT YOU SUPPORT THESE AUTO POLLUTION AND GASOLINE
STANDARDS AND ASK THEM TO MAKE THE PROPOSAL EVEN STRONGER BY
ADDRESSING THE FOLLOWING POINTS:

*The EPA should not give a break to big SUVs, all light trucks
intended for passenger use must be as clean as cars by 2007
regardless of weight.

*The proposal shouldn’t pave the way for diesel engines that will
pollute more than cars. Diesel exhaust is a possible carcinogen.

*The proposal must ensure a NATIONAL low sulfur standard.

*The EPA should eliminate a “technology review” that would allow the
auto industry to delay cleaning up their biggest SUVs (see detailed
talking points at the end of this message).

You can find more detailed information on Tier 2 below or by visiting
www.toowarm.com/tier2 (you can comment directly to EPA from our
website).

*********************************************************************

1. TAKE ACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING
Raising miles-per-gallon standards for cars and trucks would slash
global warming and help protect our environment. It would also reduce
America’s dependence on foreign oil, reduce pressure to drill for oil
in sensitive wilderness areas, and strengthen our economy. After years
of ducking the issue through anti-environmental riders in the
Transportation Appropriations bills, the U.S. Senate will soon vote on
a Clean Car Resolution. Sens. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), Dianne Feinstein
(D-Calif.), and Richard Bryan (D-Nev.) will be offering a resolution
urging that the anti-environmental CAFE- freeze rider be dropped from
the Transportation Appropriations bill. Calls are pouring in to Senate
offices, but there is more to be done! Please write, phone, or fax
your senators and urge them to support the upcoming
Gorton/Feinstein/Bryan Clean Car Resolution! Tell them that
sport-utility vehicles and other gas guzzlers should meet the same
fuel-efficiency standards as cars. Remind them that raising
miles-per-gallon standards is the biggest single step we can take to
curb global warming!

5. TAKE ACTION ON SPRAWL
The Clinton administration’s Better America Bonds program would help
communities preserve open space and clean up abandoned industrial
sites. This sprawl-busting program would allow communities to get
tax-free, 15-year bonds for actions like land acquisition and clean
up. Recently, key Democrats in the House, including Robert Matsui
(D-Calif.) and Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) introduced legislation to fund
the Better America Bonds! They’re looking for other representatives to
join them, and this is the time to call yours. Ask him or her to
co-sponsor this important legislation. For more information contact
Kathryn Hohmann (202) 547-1141.

KEY ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS
—————————————————————–
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web – http://www.sierraclub.org

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121

To contact your senator –http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/

——————————————————

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 97 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION Vol II, #120 July 28, 1999

Excerpt from the Sierra CLub:

1. Gorton
2. SC Bike Tour on Sprawl — This time in MN

SC-ACTION Vol II #120
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
July 28, 1999

OPENING THE “SAFE”
Here’s Northwest Field Staffer Jim Young’s report:

Much to Senator Slade Gorton’s (R-WA) chagrin, a veteran team of
Sierra Club volunteers/staff was on hand to celebrate the opening of
Seattle’s new $517 million “Safe” — the Mariners brand-new outdoor
baseball park, Safeco Field. But Sierra Club’s Opening Night
Celebration involved a little more than hot dogs and crackerjacks.
Like 6,000 collectors’ edition Slade Gorton baseball trading cards.

Inspired by the Mariners selection of Sen. Gorton to toss out the
ceremonial first pitch (to, ironically, former Speaker Tom Foley), the
Northwest Sierra Club farm team devised a limited edition Gorton
baseball card to appropriately honor the occasion. The classic
70s-style card includes important statistics such as Slade’s
year-by-year environmental batting average and key personal notes like:
Throws — Curveballs on saving endangered salmon; Bats — Switch-hitter
on environment … says he’s concerned about our quality of life but
votes against it; Steals — Leads Congress in sneaking anti-environment
“riders” into unrelated spending bills.

The manager of Sierra Club’s major league ballclub (Muir’s Marauders)
— Carl “Senator” Pope — visited his Seattle minor league affiliate to
officially unveil the card at a press conference next to the already
legendary “Bronze Mitt” at the northwest gate of the Safe. Seattle’s
top-rated local TV news station covered the event even though the
Mariner Moose failed to make an appearance. A cousin of his is
depicted in a hand-drawn cartoon on the back of the card however.
Noting that Slade’s campaign contributors from the mining and timber
industries wrote his bill to gut the Endangered Species Act, cousin
Bullwinkle says: “Please stop hurting my forest friends.”

The top-rated AM news/talk Puget Sound radio station (as well as its FM
sister) gave the card’s release and distribution great play. So much
in fact that our team was surprised that a number of fans seemed to
already know about the cards and sought them out. Turns out that KIRO
was leading its every half-hour local news report with a teaser about
the Sierra Club issuing a special Slade Gorton card all afternoon in
drive time before the evening game. Seattle’s NPR affiliate’s story
the next morning is alleged to have included a sound bite from one
Deborah Arthur.

A grand time was had by all — except Slade himself. For reasons that
have been the subject of much speculation and rumor (no comment from
this peanut gallery), the Senator put himself on the disabled list and
declined the honor of throwing the first pitch. The Ms radio
play-by-play broadcaster from Day 1 in 1977 was a widely popular choice
out of the bullpen and sailed one high over Foley’s head (any symbolism
in that?)

A final note: Larry “Twinky” Mehlhaff, manager of the Sheridan AA
club, was also in town for the big event and passed out hundreds of
cards personally in exchange for the privilege of attending the game
(whose place he went in is a story for another time). One woman in
particular like the card so much after studying it for a few moments
that she came back and asked for more. At which time she said, “I’m
running against Slade Gorton for the Senate.” To which Mr. Mehlhaff
replied, “Oh yeah, well who are you?” “Deborah Senn” came the answer
— WA State Insurance Commissioner and the only Democrat officially in
the race at this point.

Fortunately for all, some alert Seattle volunteers rode to the rescue
before any permanent damage was done. Which only goes to show
something I’ve long suspected — there’s the big city way of doing
things and then there’s the “cowboy way.”

Where’s Lance Armstrong? Sierra Club Bike “Tour de Sprawl”

Nearly 100 people hoped on bikes and toured Cottage Grove, a St. Paul
suburb, to raise awareness about urban sprawl. This is the fourth year
the Sierra Club has done the tour, which focuses on development and
land-use issues in the area.

One stop on the tour was Gene Smallidge’s farm. His family has been in
Cottage Grove since 1916, and he began building farm fields on his
ancestors’ tiny land in 1960. Think Gene is feeling sprawl pressure?
Surrounding his farm is a highway, a housing development, two golf
courses and two industrial plants. Gene is in a constant battle to
save his farm.

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Sprawl makes acquisition of land more
expensive and more impossible,” Smallidge said. “Farmers have a very
week voice in Congress. Unless groups like the Sierra Club understand
and support us, we have little hope.”

Great job!
———————————————————————-
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web –http://www.sierraclub.org

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators – http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/
———————————————————————-

—————————————————————–
To get off the SIERRACLUB-ACTION list, send any message to:
SIERRACLUB-ACTION-signoff-request@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 98 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: MTBE
Corn growers grinning ear-to-ear
Thursday, August 5, 1999
By Associated Press
Worries that a common petroleum-based gasoline additive is polluting the
environment have ignited optimism among corn growers and ethanol producers
in the Upper Midwest.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt this could be very positive for everyone in
our business,” said Trevor Guthmiller, executive director of the Sioux
Falls, S.D.-based American Coalition for Ethanol. “And anything we can do to
help create demand for the raw product is going to be good for the bottom
line of the farmer, too.”
A panel of the Environmental Protection Agency has recommended the agency
immediately begin “substantial reductions” of the gasoline additive MTBE
because of evidence it contaminates groundwater.
The recommendations, some of which would require congressional approval,
have not been acted on yet by the EPA.
MTBE — short for methyl tertiary butyl ether — is the most widely used
additive. It is blended with gasoline to produce cleaner-burning, oxygenated
fuel as required by the federal government in more than a dozen of the
nation’s most polluted cities.
But a study released last month indicated that MTBE is seeping into drinking
water supplies across the country.
MTBE producers already are fighting the panel’s recommendation to phase out
use of the product over four years in favor of ethanol and other
alternatives.
But few in the ethanol industry believe the arguments will be successful.
And they already are beginning to prepare for what many believe will be a
huge increase in the demand for ethanol.
“I think everyone in the industry is excited about this,” said Dwight
Enockson, a Washburn-area farmer and member of the North Dakota Corn
Utilization Council. “If California alone had to switch from MTBE to
ethanol, that alone would literally take nearly all the ethanol production
in the U.S. right now to meet the demand.”
“The potential effect for corn producers and ethanol producers is tremendous
right now,” added Mark Dillon, executive vice president of Golden Growers
Cooperative, a North Dakota-based corn growers co-op. “And the industry is
working hard at the state and federal level to convince leaders that ethanol
really is the leading alternative to MTBE.”
Guthmiller said early projections are that if ethanol were to replace MTBE,
the new demand would use up an additional 240 million bushels to 300 million
bushels of corn.
Ethanol adds about 30 cents to each bushel of corn, but ethanol supporters
said that probably would double if ethanol replaces MTBE. Corn prices
currently are at about $1.50 per bushel, their lowest in a decade.
“The immediate benefit would be much better corn prices for farmers,” added
David Kolsrud, vice chairman of Agri-Energy, a company that began operating
an ethanol plant near the small town of Luverne, Minn., about a year ago.
“But it would also provide an economic boon to rural areas like ours that
build ethanol plants and that haven’t really enjoyed the economic benefits
the rest of the country seems to be enjoying,” he said.
Ethanol supporters know they still face hurdles. Ethanol costs considerably
more to make than MTBE, and its production is almost completely restricted
to the Midwest.
To be economically feasible and to meet the demand on the West Coast and in
the Northeast, some production would need to shift to those areas, experts
say.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved *******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 99 From: CICWHV@aol.com Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: Re: REACTION TO YOUR S.C. EMAILS
Gary Smith:
To be truly simplistic, when it comes to clean air and automobiles, its up to
Detroit, Tokyo and Washington to do their part. From our end–meaning the
transportation construction side, including the DOTs and FHWAs, the Bridge
and Tunnel authorities, etc.–the best bet is to keep cars moving at a
constant 35 to 55 mph. That means no tolls and better roads to avoid
stop-and-goes, congestion, etc. How we achieve this is probably very
different from what the Sierra Club has in mind. Mind you, the Construction
Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, Inc., (New York) works
very closely with a number of environmental organizations. But jumping on
their band wagons isn’t always the best idea. Forming coalitions with them
under another banner creates not only a third party, it allows us the freedom
to lobby on our own behalf and not necessarily on theirs.
Sometimes I think we as an industry go a little overboard trying to share the
“Green” mantle. Call a spade a spade. The enviros more often than not would
just as soon bury the construction/development industry, even when our goals
are shared. Be careful!
George Drapeau
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 100 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/5/1999
Subject: Re: REACTION TO YOUR S.C. EMAILS

We do not send out the Sierra Club Alerts because we are working with them.
We send it out because we want people to know what they are up to. I would
not necessarily characterize our relationship with them as hand-to-hand
combat, but it is very close. I apologize if you for some reason thought that we were endorsing their
actions. However, if you read all of our information, you would know that we
have actively taken on the Sieera Club and other related groups in a number
of arenas, including direct legal actions, regulatory changes, etc. Greg Smith
ARTBA

—–Original Message—–
From: CICWHV@aol.com [mailto:CICWHV@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, August 05, 1999 12:50 PM
To: artbacse@egroups.com
Subject: [artbacse] Re: REACTION TO YOUR S.C. EMAILS

Gary Smith:
To be truly simplistic, when it comes to clean air and automobiles, its up
to
Detroit, Tokyo and Washington to do their part. From our end–meaning the
transportation construction side, including the DOTs and FHWAs, the Bridge
and Tunnel authorities, etc.–the best bet is to keep cars moving at a
constant 35 to 55 mph. That means no tolls and better roads to avoid
stop-and-goes, congestion, etc. How we achieve this is probably very
different from what the Sierra Club has in mind. Mind you, the Construction
Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, Inc., (New York) works
very closely with a number of environmental organizations. But jumping on
their band wagons isn’t always the best idea. Forming coalitions with them
under another banner creates not only a third party, it allows us the
freedom
to lobby on our own behalf and not necessarily on theirs.
Sometimes I think we as an industry go a little overboard trying to share
the
“Green” mantle. Call a spade a spade. The enviros more often than not would
just as soon bury the construction/development industry, even when our goals
are shared. Be careful!
George Drapeau

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 101 From: clark street Date: 8/7/1999
Subject: Re: FW: certified weigher law
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 102 From: Tom Johnson Date: 8/7/1999
Subject: Re: FW: certified weigher law
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 103 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/9/1999
Subject: FW: ARTBA Press Release
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 104 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/10/1999
Subject: Re: FW: certified weigher law
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 105 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/11/1999
Subject: 3 Stories: Renewable Energy/Pollution/Srawl
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 106 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/11/1999
Subject: FW: ABC News Story Blames Highways for Sprawl
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 107 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/12/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION, Vol II, #126, August 11, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 108 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/13/1999
Subject: The Cost of Enviro Protection
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 109 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/17/1999
Subject: Smog and Ethanol Stories
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 110 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/20/1999
Subject: Clean Air Article
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 111 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/24/1999
Subject: FW: Article on sprawl in the Economist
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 112 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/26/1999
Subject: FW: DOT Calls for Entries for Transportation Design Awards
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 113 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/27/1999
Subject: Air pollution Story
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 114 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Test
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 115 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 116 From: Michael Covington Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 117 From: Billy Norell Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 118 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Some stories: Atlanta/California Highways
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 119 From: Stephen Gennett Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 120 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: From: Brian Holmes
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 121 From: Tony Milo Date: 9/13/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 122 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/13/1999
Subject: CO and Suflur Stories
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 123 From: Michael Covington Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 124 From: Robert Latham Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 125 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Fwd: Retainage
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 126 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Mid-Year Meeting
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 127 From: Robert Latham Date: 9/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 128 From: Michael Covington Date: 9/17/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 129 From: Robert Latham Date: 9/20/1999
Subject: Re: Mid-Year Meeting
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 130 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/22/1999
Subject: Retainage
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 131 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/22/1999
Subject: VA — DBE
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 132 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/22/1999
Subject: Georgia Sprawl Plan
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 133 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/23/1999
Subject: AP Story on Congestion
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 134 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/24/1999
Subject: New Smog Requirement Story
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 135 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/27/1999
Subject: Fwd: STATEMENT BY ADM. BROWNER ON THE SENATE VOTE ON EPA’S BUDGET
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 136 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/28/1999
Subject: Fwd: Secretary Slater Reports Progress in Motor Carrier Safety
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 137 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/3/1999
Subject: Fwd: Earthmoving Equipment Maintenance Seminar
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 138 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/3/1999
Subject: Clean Air Stories
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 139 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/3/1999
Subject: Sierra CLub Excerpt — CA Roads
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 140 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/4/1999
Subject: FY 2000 Transportation Approps Bill
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 141 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/6/1999
Subject: Fwd: SC-ACTION Vol II #140, Oct. 4, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 142 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/6/1999
Subject: Fwd: REDUCE AIR POLLUTION FROM HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 143 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/7/1999
Subject: Story on Ad Blitz
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 144 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/7/1999
Subject: Fwd: SC-ACTION Vol II #141, Oct. 7, 1999
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 145 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/19/1999
Subject: Polluted Parks Story
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 146 From: Robert Latham Date: 10/20/1999
Subject: Re: Polluted Parks Story
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 147 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/20/1999
Subject: Bradley on Kyoto and Bush Attacked
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 148 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/20/1999
Subject: Re: Polluted Parks Story
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 149 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/21/1999
Subject: Excerpts from the Sierra Club
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 150 From: Robert Latham Date: 10/21/1999
Subject: Re: Polluted Parks Story

 


 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 101 From: clark street Date: 8/7/1999
Subject: Re: FW: certified weigher law

———-

> From: Greg Smith <gsmith@artba.org>
> To: ‘CSE E-Mail Group’ <artbacse@egroups.com>; ‘Starwalt-TRBA’

<Kent@trba.org>

> Subject: [artbacse] FW: certified weigher law
> Date: Friday, July 30, 1999 8:55 AM
>
> Please see the attached from Kent:
>
>
>
> Greg,
>
> Could you please poll the CSE to see if any one has a state law
> concerning certified weighers. In Tenn. the certified weigher has to
> individually stamp and sign each weigh ticket when the truck leaves the
> quarry or asphalt plant. We would like to amend the law to allow
> electronic signatures. What do other states do? For those attending
> the CSE Meeting, it would be great each state executive could bring a
> copy of their law, if they have such a thing. All others can fax their
> law to me at 615-255-6937.
>
> Thanks
>
> Kent Starwalt
>
>
> ————————————————————————
> Click Here to apply for a NextCard Internet Visa and start earning
> FREE travel in HALF the time with the NextCard Rew@rds Program.
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/449
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 102 From: Tom Johnson Date: 8/7/1999
Subject: Re: FW: certified weigher law

Do not have one in Texas –TomAt 03:46 PM 8/6/99 -0400, clark street wrote:

>
>
>———-
>> From: Greg Smith <gsmith@artba.org>
>> To: ‘CSE E-Mail Group’ <artbacse@egroups.com>; ‘Starwalt-TRBA’
><Kent@trba.org>
>> Subject: [artbacse] FW: certified weigher law
>> Date: Friday, July 30, 1999 8:55 AM
>>
>> Please see the attached from Kent:
>>
>>
>>
>> Greg,
>>
>> Could you please poll the CSE to see if any one has a state law
>> concerning certified weighers. In Tenn. the certified weigher has to
>> individually stamp and sign each weigh ticket when the truck leaves the
>> quarry or asphalt plant. We would like to amend the law to allow
>> electronic signatures. What do other states do? For those attending
>> the CSE Meeting, it would be great each state executive could bring a
>> copy of their law, if they have such a thing. All others can fax their
>> law to me at 615-255-6937.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Kent Starwalt
>>
>>
>> ————————————————————————
>> Click Here to apply for a NextCard Internet Visa and start earning
>> FREE travel in HALF the time with the NextCard Rew@rds Program.
>> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/449
>>
>>
>> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>>
>>
>>
>
>————————————————————————
>Click Here to apply for a NextCard Internet Visa and start earning
>FREE travel in HALF the time with the NextCard Rew@rds Program.
>http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/449
>
>
>eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 103 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/9/1999
Subject: FW: ARTBA Press Release

Attachments :

Attached is a press release that you should also receive by fax. The press
release shows how the low bid system has saved American taxpayers money in
the past four decades. This might be something you want to include in your
magazines / newsletters.Greg

—–Original Message—–
From: Matt J. Jeanneret
Sent: Monday, August 09, 1999 11:14 AM
To: STAFF
Subject: ARTBA Press Release

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 104 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/10/1999
Subject: Re: FW: certified weigher law

Connecticut doesn’t have them Weight tickets are from scales that are
inspected by state weights and measures inspectors. Regards.Brian Holmes
CCIA // CRBA
912 Silas Deane Highway
Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 529-6855
brian@constructioncorner.com // CRBA@constructioncorner.com
W3 Site: http://www.constructioncorner.com

\=========================================================================/

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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 105 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/11/1999
Subject: 3 Stories: Renewable Energy/Pollution/Srawl

Aggressive climate change policy urged Wednesday, August 11, 1999
Investment in renewable energy, such as solar power, would grow the United
States’ economy, according to the WWF-Tellus report.
An aggressive climate change policy laden with incentives for renewable
energy and fuel efficient technologies would benefit the environment, save
the United States billions of dollars and create thousands of jobs,
according to a report released Tuesday. “With smart policies, climate
protection could become an economic engine, unleashing entrepreneurial
creativity on a problem that otherwise threatens huge economic and
environmental costs,” said Jennifer Morgan, director of the climate change
campaign at the World Wildlife Fund. Many of the world’s leading scientists
believe that increased emissions of carbon dioxide since the industrial
revolution have led to increased global temperatures and if left unchecked,
they threaten to wreak havoc on Earth. World leaders at a summit in Kyoto,
Japan, in December 1997, agreed to curb global emissions of greenhouse
gasses, including carbon dioxide, by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990
levels by 2008-2012. The United States agreed to a seven percent cut. While
the United States has signed the Kyoto Protocol, the Senate refuses to
ratify the treaty out of a fear that doing so will irreparably harm the
economy of the country.
Efficient vehicles not only use less energy, they are cleaner for the
environment.
Environmentalists beg to differ. The most recent volley in the debate over
how the treaty will not harm the economy comes from World Wildlife Fund and
the Tellus Institute. The report, “America’s Global Warming Solutions,”
shows how efficient and non-polluting technologies could save the United
States as much as $43 billion a year in energy costs, create more than
870,000 jobs by 2010 and allow the country to reduce emissions by 14 percent
below 1990 levels. The results come from a mix of policies designed to
drive innovation in energy resources and technology, including incentives
for efficient vehicles and equipment, elimination of regulatory impediments
and new efficiency standards for buildings, cars and other gear. “If you
put it all together, each house would have $400 to spend (a year) on things
other than energy,” said Morgan. As well, every state in the country would
benefit in new jobs, even those states that are likely to experience job
losses in sectors such as old, coal-fired power plants. “In some of the
more energy intensive industries, there would be negative change in jobs,”
said Morgan. “But when you look at state levels, even states that had large
sectors of the energy industries in them, they had overall positive change
in jobs.”
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights ReservedNorth American pollution slowly declining, report says
Wednesday, August 11, 1999
By Reuters
Pollution generated by North American manufacturing plants is on the
decline, according to a U.S.-Canada trade report released Tuesday.
The report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, set up under the
North American Free Trade Agreement, said pollution from manufacturing fell
by 2 percent in the United States and by 5 percent in Canada, in 1996 over
1995.
The commission also expects figures for last year to show a pollution
reduction of 6 percent in the United States and 8 percent in Canada.
But the results do not include Mexico, which is in the process of
implementing a pollution reporting system.
Emission of chemicals suspected of causing cancer was down by 13 percent in
Canada and 3 percent in the United States, the Montreal-based agency said.
Despite their vast underpopulated surroundings, Canadians live in industrial
regions with a proportionally higher pollution output than their southern
neighbors, the “Taking Stock” study said.
Canadian facilities produced 10 percent of the total measured pollution
output, but accounted for only 7 percent of the industrial sites included in
the study.
But the findings do not mean that Canadian plants are less effective at
controlling pollution, cautioned a spokeswoman for the commission.
“It’s unfair to compare the two countries because each one has different
ways of measuring pollution and the raw numbers don’t reflect things like
toxicity, risk for human health and the severity of pollution legislation,”
commission spokeswoman Manon Pepin told Reuters.
That kind of downplaying has been typical of the agency since it first
started releasing its polluters’ lists two years ago. Under fire by states,
provinces and companies singled out as particularly bad for the environment,
the research agency, which has no authority to establish or enforce rules,
has tried to distance itself from the political implications of its reports.
The oil-rich state of Texas topped again the worst-polluter list drafted by
agency, but it also registered a the steepest reduction of pollution output.
It produced more than 122 million tons of various chemical wastes, nearly
twice as much as its nearest rival on the list, Ontario, Canada’s most
populated province.
The top four polluters — Texas, Ontario, Louisiana and Ohio — had industries
that accounted for a quarter of the total pollution releases and transfers
in 1996.
Copyright 1999, Reuters, All Rights Reserved

Colorado considers ways to direct population growth
Wednesday, August 11, 1999
By Tom Mcavoy, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
Colorado’s continued population growth is inevitable, so the question is how
and where to direct it, state lawmakers were told Monday.
The Front Range already has 80 percent of Colorado’s 4 million people and
will draw three-fourths of the 1.5 million population increase projected by
2020, according to testimony at the Interim Committee on Development and
Growth.
The 11-member committee, chaired by Sen. Bryan Sullivant, R-Breckenridge,
will meet again Aug. 30 and Sept. 14 to explore the state’s role in the
problem.
Sullivant said there is some urgency, since others outside the Legislature
may be ready to fill the void if lawmakers don’t act.
The Colorado Forum, a private business group, plans to hold its own growth
discussions, reported Rep. Dorothy Gotlieb, R-Denver.
Also, the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, an affiliate of Ralph
Nader’s organization, is talking about a ballot initiative to mandate
controls — perhaps development impact fees or urban growth boundaries.
All sides evidently agree that Coloradans, especially in the Denver area,
see the resulting noise and congestion as a threat to their quality of life.
Sullivant’s committee has started looking for answers.
Thomas Clark chairman of the University of Colorado at Denver’s Department
of Planning and Design, testified that the state might set a framework for
regional coordination since one community’s sprawl affects its neighbors.
Clark cited forecasts of population growth over the next 20 years of 70
percent in Greeley, 40 percent in Denver, 50 percent in Colorado Springs and
60 percent in Pueblo.
Another 40 percent would push Pueblo County’s population above 200,000 by
2020.
While growth has evaded rural Colorado, Clark predicted population rising by
74 percent on the Western Slope, 49 percent on the Eastern Plains and 40
percent in the San Luis Valley.
“The evidence is they (urban areas) are spreading out far more widely,”
Clark said. “It’s not just sprawl on the edge of our metropolitan areas.
It’s going far out into the countryside.”
Sullivant sponsored a bill in the last legislative session to establish at
least a growth and development planning process statewide.
When it died, Sullivant resolved to form an interim committee to draft a
second bill for next year’s legislative session.
The initial witnesses represented “academic” pro-planning views.
Sen. Jim Congrove, R-Arvada, said he wants to see more balance at future
meetings to hear from the private property and development rights side of
the equation.
The general impression Monday was that government decisions influence when
and where growth occurs in the absence of a conscious plan to manage it.
Where the government builds a highway or approves a new subdivision or strip
mall inevitably influences the geography of development, witnesses said.
Tax policy also triggers incentives for or against urban growth and rural
agricultural land preservation.
Sen. Mark Hillman, R-Burlington, is an Eastern Plains farmer who wants to
consider tax credits for keeping ag land in production.
The Legislature passed a conservation easement bill last session by Rep.
Lola Spradley, R-Beulah, offering state income tax credits of up to $100,000
for donating away lucrative development rights.
Hillman said the Legislature should consider a bigger, more permanent
incentive for selling the development rights and keeping the land in
agriculture.
Copyright 1999, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business
News, All Rights Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 106 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/11/1999
Subject: FW: ABC News Story Blames Highways for Sprawl

From Bill Otlaw of TRIP

Subject: ABC News Story Blames Highways for Sprawl

RAN members

There they go again. ABC News last night ran a story similar to the one the
NY Times ran several weeks ago which basically blames highways for sprawl.
TRIP is obtaining transcript and will provide copies to those who want it.
We also will write ABC News to alert them of GAO study and other studies
which conclude otherwise asnd we encourage others to do so as well. Thanks
to Tom Kuennan of Expressways Publishing for calling this to our attention.

Bill

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 107 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/12/1999
Subject: FW: SC-ACTION, Vol II, #126, August 11, 1999

From the Sierra Club Action Alert:

1) Sierra Club president receives Medal of Freedom
2) Sierra Club activists win slots in MS and NC
3) Sprawl in the news — esp. in MN

SC-ACTION Vol II, #126
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
August 11, 1999

**********************
2 QUOTES OF THE DAY

“Edgar Wayburn has worked to preserve the most breath-taking examples of the
American landscape. In fact, over the course of more than a half-century,
both
as President of the Sierra Club and as a private citizen, he has saved more
of
our wilderness than any person alive. And, I might add, his wife, who is
here
with us today, has been his colleague every step of the way in that
endeavor.
Those who have been involved in these struggles with him credit his success
to
his persistence and to his profound conviction as a physician and as a
conservationist that our physical health depends on the health of our
environment. As we look toward a 21st century in which the world and the
United
States must combat new challenges to our environment — and especially the
challenge of climate change — we will need Edgar Wayburn as a model and a
guide.”

— President Bill Clinton, on awarding Dr. Edgar Wayburn, 5 time Sierra
Club President, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Aug. 11, 1999

“When I heard President Clinton was giving me the Medal of Freedom, it was a
total surprise and shock to me, but I am extremely gratified to receive such
a
high honor. This award recognizes the importance all Americans place on
protecting our environment. When I started in conservation 53 years ago,
the
movement was far outside the mainstream — today, it is the mainstream.
President Clinton has acknowledged that Americans treasure our environment
by
making it a policy cornerstone for his Administration.”

— Dr. Edgar Wayburn, commenting on receiving the Presidential Medal
of Freedom.

**************************************************************************
CONTENTS: REPORTS THE FIELD
I. Sierra Club: Launching Pad to Bigger Things
1. Former MS Club leader Elected to MS State Senate
2. Former Club Staffer appointed to NC office
II. Sprawl: You Know it When You Set It in MN.
III. You Win Some and Your Lose Some: Club Loses Battle to Stop FL Tollway

****************************************************************************
* I.
Sierra Club: Launching Pad to Bigger Things

1. Sierra Club Leader Elected to MS State Senate

Congratulations to Deborah Dawkins, former chair of the Gulf Coast Group of
the
MS Chapter, who was elected to the Mississippi State Senate last week.
Dawkins
was cited as “a frequent and well-spoken critic of
the [Mississippi] Legislature’s handling of environmental issues.”

Greenwire reports that she was a known environmental activist, whose
“concern
for the environment heightened in 1995 when she protested a Waste Management
Inc. proposal to expand the Pecan Grove Sanitary Landfill in her district.
She
later became a volunteer citizen lobbyist for the Sierra Club and the League
of
Women Voters.” Dawkins pledges to maintain her emphasis on environmental
issues
for the District she will represent. [Greenwire, Aug. 10, 1999]

2. Former Sierra Club Staffer Appointed to NC Office

Bill Holman, a former staffer of the North Carolina Chapter, was appointed
as
Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources by Gov. Jim
Hunt.

Responding to criticism from the business community over Bill’s appointment,
the
Governor noted that we have always had educators as head of the Department
of
Education, business persons as head of the Department of Commerce. Why not,
he
asked, have an environmentalist head the state Dept. of the Environment?

Congratulations!!

II. Sprawl: You know it when you see it

“When people ask the head of Minnesota’s Sierra Club chapter what sprawl is,
she
doesn’t bore them with technical definitions. Ginny Yingling simply says,
‘Think
Woodbury.'”

So goes the lead sentence of an expose on sprawl entitled “You know sprawl
when
you see it… or do you?” that graced the front page of the Sunday, August
8th
edition of the Star Tribune.

The piece, which included a two-page photographic spread inside, examined
smart
growth vs. what the governor of Minnesota calls “dumb growth.”

“As the battle against urban sprawl escalates, it’s wise to consider exactly
what’s being fought; metro-area planners say sprawl is not so much where we
build as how we build,” the sub-header reads.

The article was also accompanied by a sidebar entitled “Sprawl a hot topic
as
suburbs boom,” which opened as follows:

“The New York Times announces ‘New Recruits in the War on Sprawl.’ Newsweek
describes ‘hypergrowth.’ The Economist magazine of London spotlights the
Sierra
Club’s ‘Tour de Sprawl’ through the St. Paul suburbs of Woodbury and Cottage
Grove.

It has become cool to debate sprawl.”

III. Club Loses Battle to Stop FL Tollway

Sprawl and road ways that devour the land won a victory in court. Sierra
Club’s
motion to halt the construction of the Suncoast Parkway tollroad in an area
of
Florida called the Nature Coast.

The Club’s Frank Jacalone is quoted in the Tampa Tribune: “We can’t afford
to
let this highway open the last pristine region to the cancerous growth of
urban
sprawl.”

Jacalone has pledged to continue the fight and the spokeswoman for the
parkway
project recognized that the battle isn’t over. At risk are species
protected by
state and Federal law and wetlands.

———————————————————————-
Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web – http://www.sierraclub.org
White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators – http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your Representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 108 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/13/1999
Subject: The Cost of Enviro Protection

Salamander halts Virginia expressway project
Friday, August 13, 1999
By Mark Di Vincenzo, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
A decision by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to protect a
species of salamanders that live in Hampton will cost taxpayers about $1
million.
These dark, stout salamanders, known as Mabee’s salamanders, breed in a
gully that is in the path of the East-West Expressway, which will provide a
fast way to cross Hampton and Newport News.
The gully is dry in the spring, summer and much of the fall, then fills with
water in the winter, creating a pool, where the salamanders breed.
The Virginia Department of Transportation initially instructed road builders
to install two large pipes under where the road will be built. With this
design, the road would have divided the pool in half, creating two pools,
one on each side of the road. The pipes would have served as tunnels to
allow the salamanders to cross under the road and from one pool to the
other.
But the state environmental department, known as DEQ, decided that would not
be in the best interest of the salamanders, which are common in the
Carolinas but are unusual enough in Virginia to be considered a threatened
species here.
So VDOT designed a 100-foot-long bridge to be built over the pool, and the
road builders had to dig up the pipes.
The pipes and the labor to install the pipes cost about $70,000. The bridge
is expected to cost about $900,000 to $1.1 million.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Stuart Patterson, vice president of Henry S.
Branscome Inc., the company building the bridge and the road. “I’m an
environmentalist guy. But I looked at that and said, ‘Whoa!'”
Hampton officials also said whoa.
Because the bridge will be in Hampton, the city will pay for it — at least
indirectly. The money spent on the bridge will come from the city’s share of
state funds for road projects built in Hampton. (Hampton receives about $8
million a year in state road funds.)
Last month, City Manager George Wallace sent a letter to state Sen. Marty
Williams, R-Newport News, who pleaded the city’s case to DEQ Director Dennis
Treacy. Treacy told Williams the department was sticking to its decision.
“It’s painful for Hampton,” Williams said. “I don’t want precious highway
money going to fix environmental problems that aren’t real problems.”
Williams said he does not know much about these salamanders, “but I think
they can crawl through pipes.”
Hampton City Engineer Fred Whitley said city officials gave up trying to
change minds at DEQ.
“It’s a question of what do we give up to fund this bridge?” Whitley said.
“I just hope that DEQ gave this a lot of attention and weighed the
environmental cost effectiveness of this.”
Patterson said the road builders have begun driving the pilings for the
bridge.
Although Henry S. Branscome will make money building the bridge, Patterson
said the company would rather not do it.
“We didn’t plan on building a bridge,” he said. “It will cause a delay, and
time is money for us. It really makes me mad as a taxpayer more than
anything. It’s silly. It’s not a killer to us. It’s a killer to the
taxpayers.”
Copyright 1999, Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News, All Rights Reserved*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 109 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/17/1999
Subject: Smog and Ethanol Stories

Tiny particles in air deadly, engineer says
Tuesday, August 17, 1999
When ground-level ozone mixes with air pollution, smog can blanket cities,
reducing visibility by 70 percent in some regions.
Tiny particles of air pollutants can zoom through human lungs up to two
times faster than previously thought and pose a risk to healthy adults,
according to a university scientist.
“Smog kills,” said Anthony S. Wexler, a professor of mechanical engineering
at the University of Delaware, “perhaps partly because pollutant particles
are so deeply deposited in our airways.”
A study conducted by Wexler and colleague Ramesh Sarangapani shows how
pollutant particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers — a size identified by the
Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous — penetrate buildings and
people’s airways.
Pollutant particles are found in car exhaust, power-plant emissions and the
smoke from fireplaces and wood stoves. Clusters of the particles produce
clouds of dust, haze and smog. “Tens of thousands of elderly people die
prematurely each year from exposure to ambient levels of fine particles,”
according to EPA.
In a paper to be published in the Journal of Aerosol Science, the scientists
explain how particles penetrate human airways through dispersion and
expansion resulting from contact with moisture.
“As people breathe, a clump of fine particles called a bolus will rapidly
disperse throughout the lungs,” said Anthony S. Wexler, University of
Delaware.
“As people breathe,” said Wexler, “a clump of fine particles called a bolus
will rapidly disperse throughout the lungs. At the terminal alveoli — little
sacks at the end of each respiratory branch where oxygen and carbon dioxide
trade places with blood — these particles take up water and expand, much
like a sponge, because of hydroscopic effects.”
Mathematical models of these physical events suggest that “the smallest
particles can sometimes penetrate almost two times farther into airways than
we had suspected,” said Wexler.
That’s because air in the center of a lung tube flows faster than the
surrounding stream, he said. And, particle-laden air mixes with clean air at
each intersection of the respiratory branches. All that secondary mixing
“dramatically speeds the movement of these fine particles through the
respiratory system,” he said.
The next step, Sarangapani said, is to further investigate why fine
particles can be toxic in the lungs. “With the current amount of knowledge
available to us,” he said, “I think that the EPA’s current standards are a
reasonable response. But, additional research is needed to identify the
precise mechanisms involved in particulate toxicity.”
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights ReservedEthanol industry feels threat from rival fuel source
Tuesday, August 17, 1999
By Clare Howard, Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.
Williams Co. of Pekin, Ill., fears that in eight months it could get edged
out of its largest, most lucrative market — a loss that would “devastate”
the entire fledgling ethanol industry. The company, which recently
completed a $15 million expansion, feels it is hostage to forces beyond its
control, unable to grow more until a battle that affects ethanol nationwide
is settled. At issue is ethanol vs. methyl tertiary butyl ether or MTBE, a
petroleum-based substance banned in California and Iowa but eight months
away from possibly taking over Chicago’s lucrative annual market of 400
million gallons of ethanol. Some state legislatures have acted, banning
ethanol’s chief rival. But not Illinois, the nation’s largest ethanol
producing state. So far, the Illinois Legislature has passed a resolution
urging the state’s Congressional delegation to lobby on behalf of the
industry. And ethanol proponents believe this state has one of the most
knowledgable people about the industry in Tom Skinner, new director of the
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. But for Williams Co., a
Pekin-based corn processor hugging the Illinois River, it could mean a
life-or-death battle fought in the nation’s capital — pitting the only
registered ethanol lobbyist against a phalanx of 120 petroleum industry
lobbyists and attorneys. “As other states ban MTBE, we could be going to
MTBE. We should be up in arms to keep that product out of our state,” said
James Redding, director of marketing at Williams. “We are probably okay
until April 15, but inaction by the federal EPA means that after that, if
MTBE is put in the pipeline, it will be in Chicago. It scares me that we
even talk about MTBE usage.” The Clean Air Act of 1990 mandated
reformulated gasoline in the nation’s most polluted cities, Chicago among
them. By adding a compound to oxygenate gasoline, toxic emissions are
reduced and air pollution is lessened. Both MTBE and ethanol are gasoline
oxygenates. MTBE makes profits for the petroleum industry. Ethanol helps
farmers. MTBE also creates less vaporous emissions than ethanol, meaning it
helps air quality more. However, while good for air, MTBE creates serious
water pollution. Redding and industry proponents say if both vaporous
emissions and tailpipe emissions are analyzed, ethanol is the clear winner.
“MTBE may not be a crisis now in Illinois, but if it seeps into water,
that’s it. This stuff is horrific. Over 35 percent of Lake Tahoe is beyond
repair for 700 years because of MTBE,” said Eric Vaughn, president of the
Renewable Fuels Association and the only registered ethanol lobbyist in the
nation. “MTBE bio-accumulates. It won’t break down, is highly toxic and
spills of MTBE race to water.” Vaughn said the federal reformulated
gasoline program becomes more restrictive next year, requiring a more
expensive gasoline to blend with oxygenates. That cost factor could drive
producers to blend with MTBE and abandon ethanol, he said. “Unless the
federal EPA acts to change the regulations, we’ve got just months to go. EPA
must look at the whole picture, not just vaporative emissions,” Vaughn said.
“I’m worried.” He cited an example in Maine where an automobile accident
resulted in a ruptured gas tank that spilled gasoline containing MTBE at the
scene. That spill polluted 14 drinking wells within a mile of the accident
site for 700 years, he said. The industry hopes Skinner will help.
Referring to Skinner, Vaughn said, “There is one person who is flat out
terrific, who’s aware of the issues and can focus on what’s important.”
Redding said, “There is one person who’s got the best grasp on the issues of
anyone in the nation.” A Chicago environmental attorney, Skinner was
appointed earlier this year by Gov. George Ryan. “While we have not banned
MTBE like California and Iowa, we are probably heading down that road,”
Skinner said. “Based on science, ethanol is better than MTBE for
multi-media; not just air pollution but air, water and land.” However,
Skinner said because of all the activity in Washington and the states, it
remains too early for him to favor a ban on MTBE. “I come at this from the
scientific community, not just the perspective of agriculture and economic
development,” he said. “The potential problem needs to be addressed, but
it’s not yet a crisis. Williams’ concern is different from my concern. They
would like to ban MTBE. But there may be other ways to ski that slope.”
Skinner is organizing a meeting with officials from the federal EPA and
ethanol and petroleum industries. He believes a reasonable action is
extension of the deadline for tighter clean air regulations or a revision
that would allow the economically feasible, continued use of ethanol. “I am
not giving any ultimatums,” he said. But Skinner concedes that continuation
of the status quo leaves the ethanol industry dealing with uncertainty that
has plagued it from the start. “The whole ethanol industry is held hostage
by indecision,” Redding said. “Pollution from MTBE is not something that
could happen. It will happen. It’s as inevitable as a spill of gasoline.”
Copyright 1999, Journal Star, Peoria, Ill. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business
News, All Rights Reserved

*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 110 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/20/1999
Subject: Clean Air Article

Smog and soot research urged
Thursday, August 19, 1999 By Associated Press
A scientific advisory panel is pressing the Environmental Protection Agency
to expand its research into the hazards of smog and soot despite a court
ruling overturning EPA clear air standards. “Whatever the resolution of
legal proceedings, public health and regulatory issues concerning
particulate matter will remain,” the National Research Council said in its
second annual report on research into airborne particulate matter. The EPA
established regulations in 1997 to control particulates _ the tiniest
particles of soot and smog that are thought able to penetrate deep into the
lungs, posing a serious health risk to people with asthma and other
breathing problems. But in May, a three-judge panel overturned those
standards. In a 2-1 decision, the panel ruled the EPA lacked authority to
impose the tougher smog rule and improperly issued new standards for soot.
The Justice Department has asked a full appeals court to reconsider the
decision. A recent report by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis said that
while scientists still do not understand how particulates affect human
health, “there is a growing body of epidemiological evidence that suggests
that such effects do exist.” Potential effects of exposure to particulates
cited in the Harvard report included the possibility of lack of oxygen
reaching the heart muscle and inflammation of the lungs. Asked to review
the EPA’S study of particulate matter, the Research Council, part of the
National Academy of Sciences, issued a report in 1998 recommending extensive
research into the health effects. Much of that work has begun and the new
report Wednesday is an update, suggesting additional analysis and calling
for expanded research. “This is an area in which scientific uncertainties
are of paramount importance to public policy and a promising national
research effort to reduce those uncertainties has been initiated at great
effort and expense,” according to the report. The overall research plan is
scheduled to cover 13 years at a total cost of $370 million. “A research
program of this scope cannot be stopped and easily started again and any
significant disruption … might be very costly to the nation in public
health and economic terms,” the report said. The court action came in a
lawsuit filed by some of the country’s most powerful business interests,
including trucking, auto, chemical, and oil industries. The 1997 regulation
that was struck down was one of the most controversial ever developed by
EPA. It required much tougher air pollution controls to reduce soot and
ozone levels in the air to ensure better protection of children, the elderly
and people with respiratory illnesses. The standards had limited ozone, an
essential part of smog, to 0.08 parts per million, instead of 0.12 parts per
million under the previous requirement. Also, for the first time they
required that states to regulate microscopic particulates, or soot, from
power plants, cars and other sources down to 2.5 microns, or 28 times
smaller than the width of a human hair.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 111 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/24/1999
Subject: FW: Article on sprawl in the Economist

Attachments :

Original message from Bill Outlaw, TRIP

Subject: Article on sprawl in the Economist

RAN members:

Thanks to Bill Kelleher of National Stone Association for calling our
attention to the article in the current edition of The Economist which is
headlined, “Not quite the monster they call it.” The article argues that
while sprawl has some negatives associated with it, it also has many
positives and is in fact desirable as nation’s population continues to
increase. It also states it is much more preferable than European models for
growth.

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 112 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/26/1999
Subject: FW: DOT Calls for Entries for Transportation Design Awards

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary ~ Office of Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20590
—————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 26, 1999
Contact: Bill Mosley
Tel.: (202) 366-5571
DOT 129-99DOT Calls for Entries
For Transportation Design Awards

U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today invited entries to a
competition that will recognize transportation projects around the country
exemplifying the highest standards of design.

Entries to the Design for Transportation Excellence 2000 National Awards
Program are due Nov. 1, 1999.

“The transportation system we develop for the 21st century will be more
than concrete, asphalt and steel — it will be the means by which we get
to jobs, to school, to market, to take advantage of all our nation has to
offer,” Secretary Slater said. “Good design enables us to get where we
need to go more safely, efficiently and economically, while it enhances
livability by adding beauty to our lives and enriching our communities.”

At the last transportation design awards ceremony, held in February 1996,
37 projects were recognized for their excellence of design and their
outstanding contributions to the nation’s transportation system and the
people it serves.

Entries must achieve one of more of the following goals of the U.S.
Department of Transportation: promoting safety, ensuring mobility,
advancing economic growth and trade, protecting and enhancing the human
and natural environment, and advancing national security. They also must
demonstrate innovation, aesthetics, performance and economy.

Entries may be design products such as structures, equipment, landscaping
or artworks. Also eligible are activities that develop, foster or sustain
design excellence such as administrative or management programs, research
and educational activities, master plans and design guidelines. Awards
will be granted in the following categories:

* Architecture — including passenger, freight and intermodal
terminals, stations, ports and other structures.

* Engineering, energy conservation, technology and systems —
including highways, bridges, tunnels, overpasses, vehicles, vessels,
equipment, information, control and navigation systems.

* Art and graphic design.

* Historic preservation and adaptive use.

* Urban design, planning and landscape architecture.

* Special emphasis — Entries that enhance livability and
accessibility of communities and regions through measurable
improvements in the quality of life.

Entries may be submitted to Design for Transportation Awards, U.S.
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Room 10309,
Washington, D.C. 20590. Application forms may be obtained via the
Internet at http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/. Potential entrants may direct
questions to Robert Stein, (202) 366-4846, or Ken Reinertson, (202)
366-0582.

###

Visit the DOT Public Affairs Web Site at:
http://www.dot.gov/briefing.htm

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 113 From: Greg Smith Date: 8/27/1999
Subject: Air pollution Story

Air pollution kills, but deaths can be prevented
Friday, August 27, 1999
Eight thousand people a day die from air pollution but some simple
preventative steps and increased monitoring could lessen the toll, according
to a recently released report by Australia’s Commonwealth Science Council.
Of the 3 million annual deaths, 2.8 million are from indoor air pollution.
Ninety percent of the deaths occur in developing countries, according to
World Health Organization estimates. Over 500,000 people a year die in China
alone due to air pollution, said Peter Manins, a scientist at Australia’s
federal science agency, CSIRO.
The report is the result of a conference held July 19-23 in Brisbane,
Australia, which examined the links between air pollution and health. The
meeting was attended by experts from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,
Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
In the developed world, the greatest source of particulate matter is from
diesel engines. The same is true for some developing countries.
“Transport and industrial emissions generate smog that destroys sensitive
tissues (in people and animals), as well as producing fine carcinogenic
particles that reduce lung function, and are ultimately responsible for many
untimely deaths each year,” Manins wrote in the report.
But in many Asian and African countries, the indoor use of coal and biomass
fuels for cooking and heating is a hidden killer. What to do about that was
one focus of the conference.
In the developed world, the greatest source of particulate matter is from
diesel engines.
“Simple steps, such as ventilation to take the smoke outside, can greatly
reduce the problem,” said Manins. Other steps discussed at the conference
range from the practical, such as replacing biomass fuels with kerosene or
natural gas, to the idealism of cities developed so that no cars are needed,
and thus no car-related pollution is generated.
One thing all the attendees agreed on was that extensive air quality
monitoring is crucial to ensuring public health.
To provide air monitoring capabilities to third world citizens, CSIRO has
developed a tool that measures fine particulate levels. The tool, called
AirWatch, costs about $390(US). The CSIRO scientists hope it can be used
throughout the developing world, said Manins.
The impact of air pollution on heritage sites was also addressed at the
conference. Dr. Gopalakrashne Thyagarajan monitored the impact of air
pollution on the Taj Mahal.
“The marble and sandstone were being weathered by atmospheric fumes,
including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides,” Gopalakrashne says. “We
needed to take action to protect this wonder of the world, so we relocated a
large power plant, closed and moved 212 coal-based small industrial units,
changed the energy source of many others in the area to gas, and diverted a
national highway to reduce the effects of air pollution. Public interest,
awareness and pressure forced the government to move swiftly to protect a
heritage site once the evidence was widely known.”
“We need to move now to protect other heritage sites around the world,
before it is too late,” says Gopalakrashne.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved*******************************
Greg Smith
Managing Director, Contractors Division
American Road and Transportation Builders Association
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 289-4434, ext. 114
(202) 289-4435, fax
gsmith@artba.org, e-mail
http://www.artba.org, Internet

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 114 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Test
Group: ARTBACSE Message: 115 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: DBE — Retainage & Data

Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it has taken a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server installation. Greg

The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE rules. There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How are other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other issues affecting other states?

1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14 days after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too concerned about prompt payment but they don’t want to release retainage when the DOT hasn’t released prime’s retainage, plus no way to guarantee sub will come back to complete or fix work.

2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual gross volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info, not require the prime to provide it.

WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has any other state used MGT.

Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia

\=========================================================================/

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 116 From: Michael Covington Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

The South Carolina Department of Transportation had a disparity study
performed and published in 1995 by the consulting firm of MGT of
America, Inc.. This study (the “MGT study”) was reviewed by a number of
experts on behalf of Carolinas AGC. It is the consensus of those
experts that the MGT study was severely flawed in a number of respects
and that it would not withstand judicial scrutiny if used to defend the
establishment of DBE goals. There were problems with the study’s
methodology which substantially undermined its validity, and therefore,
any recommendations the study offered for race conscience remedies were,
in our opinion, of little or no value.

The MGT study used Census data as its primary measure of availability.
These data are imprecise and overinclusive as measures of the
availability of firms “qualified” and “willing and able” to contract
with SCDOT to perform construction and other services. These Census
data can provide no information on which firms actually bid on SCDOT
contracts or which have the experience, bonding capacity, and other
characteristics necessary to be awarded those contracts. The SCDOT’s
list of pre-qualified firms would have been a far more accurate source
of “qualified,” “willing and able” firms. Based on sheer numbers, not
accounting for the capabilities of those firms, the pre-qualified DBE
firms represent about 5% of the available firms compared with the 20%
availability derived from Census data.

The MGT study made unsupported assumptions of straightline growth in the
construction industry for each of the six years between 1987 and 1993,
the date of the last available survey of minority and women-owned
businesses. (In actuality, the facts show that after 1987, many sectors
of the construction industry went into decline and showed little or no
growth.)

The MGT study failed to match DBE availability in construction industry
specialties with the actual areas of SCDOT spending. In fact, DBEs are
generally concentrated in specialties where SCDOT makes very few
purchases.

The MGT study’s attempt at regression analysis, which might have
examined whether non-racial factors such as firm age, size, and bonding
capacity explained differences in awards between DBEs and non-DBEs,
failed for lack of data. The intercorrelation of these variables was
totally lacking. The study did not identify and document a causation
for what was represented as disparities in contract awards.

The MGT study compared DBE subcontract dollars awarded to total dollars
awarded rather than subcontract dollars awarded. This methodology
provides no information about the share of subcontracting dollars
received by DBEs which is the question required to be answered by the
courts in this regard.

Finally, the anecdotal evidence of discrimination contained in the MGT
study was never substantiated, or even investigated. It is subjective
in nature and largely based on rumor, perception and innuendo.

Because of the above stated flaws and other inaccuracies, we believe
that the MGT study provided no compelling reasons for the use of
race-conscience remedies to address alleged discrimination in the award
of contracts. SCDOT is planning to have another study done.

As for the other questions……… I couln’t have stated it better
myself. If anybody knows how to build a better mousetrap with regard to
the retainage issue, please let us know.

Michael Covington
SC Director
Highway-Heavy Division
Carolinas AGC
803.799.5380

> —–Original Message—–
> From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] > Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 1:16 PM
> To: artbacse@egroups.com
> Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data
>
> Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it has
> taken a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server
> installation. Greg
>
> The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE rules.
> There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How
> are other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other
> issues affecting other states?
>
> 1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14
> days after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too
> concerned about prompt payment but they don’t want to release
> retainage when the DOT hasn’t released prime’s retainage, plus no way
> to guarantee sub will come back to complete or fix work.
>
> 2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual
> gross volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info,
> not require the prime to provide it.
>
> WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has any
> other state used MGT.
>
> Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia
>
>
> \=====================================================================
> ====/
>
>
>
>
>
> ———————————————————————-
> —
> Was the salesman clueless?
> Productopia has the answers.
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555
>
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 117 From: Billy Norell Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

Alabama is having the same recommendations and our contractors agree with
yours in W.Va. Alabama DOT is suggesting an 11% program. We are trying to
respond to all areas that are not satisfactory.Billy Norrell
Alabama Road Builders

—–Original Message—–
From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 12:16 PM
To: artbacse@egroups.com
Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data

Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it has taken
a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server installation. Greg

The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE rules.
There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How are
other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other issues
affecting other states?

1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14 days
after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too concerned about
prompt payment but they don’t want to release retainage when the DOT hasn’t
released prime’s retainage, plus no way to guarantee sub will come back to
complete or fix work.

2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual gross
volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info, not require
the prime to provide it.

WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has any
other state used MGT.

Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia

\=========================================================================/

————————————————————————
Was the salesman clueless?
Productopia has the answers.
http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555

eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 118 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Some stories: Atlanta/California Highways

· Georgia businesses work to reduce Atlanta smog Wednesday, September 1, 1999 By Gita M. Smith, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution On the cusp of a new millennium, Atlanta’s luster is dimmed by the worst air quality the city has recorded in this century. Last year, amid signs that federal highway dollars would be cut off, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division approached area businesses and county agencies to help reduce air pollution. The agency’s Partnership for a Smog-Free Georgia was born in early 1998 out of the premise that the workplace is the starting point for changing Atlantans’ commuting habits. The PSG offered private and government employers a menu of smog-reducing suggestions, and to date 160 “partners” have come on board, a tiny ― but slowly growing ― fraction of metro employers. Some observers have their doubts the program can make a dent if major polluters don’t change their manufacturing methods, or if suburban dwellers continue to reject initiatives like MARTA. But the PSG points out that, by encouraging employees to use MARTA cards or van pools instead of single-occupancy cars, everyone wins. Workers save on gas while businesses relieve crowded parking lots, and ozone levels will improve. And, it points out, the Transportation Equity Act of 1998 gives payroll tax reductions to companies that lease vehicles for van pools or subsidize public transportation tokens. Menu items for the operations side of business: Don’t mow corporate property on smoggy days, and do refuel your fleet after dark. Those small measures cut down on volatile vapors going into the air when sunshine can convert them to ozone. Norcross-based Rock-Tenn, which manufactures clay-coated paperboard, is an example of a partner company using the full range of ideas. It offers incentives to 1,000 employees at seven metro area facilities for cutting their commutes, such as drawings for two pairs of round-trip airline tickets at the end of smog season. Biweekly drawings for T-shirts, mugs and gift certificates keep employees motivated, said Rock-Tenn’s environmental and safety compliance manager, Michael Hagenbarth. The company has looked for materials to use in its manufacturing process that have lower volatile organic compound content, as those chemicals contribute to smog. “We avoided grass cutting on smog-alert days, but finally brought the mowers in at night when the lawns got to looking ratty,” Hagenbarth said. The PSG’s secret weapon is anti-pollution whip Jeane Pierce, a formidable proponent for smog reduction. She is knowledgeable about both the science and business of corporate environmentalism, and her modulated manner goes over well with CEOs uncomfortable with flexible scheduling models like telecommuting and compressed workweeks. Pierce and her staff still have a pool of 111,039 employers in the metro area yet to persuade. So, at a time when the city must drastically cut pollution, is the PSG really able to make a significant difference? Or is it a sop to a few businesses who want a feel-good program? Jim Chapman, head of Georgians for Transportation Alternatives, calls the PSG “an important piece of the puzzle,” but says its impact can go only so far if employees have no public transportation, sidewalks or bike paths to choose instead of cars in their suburban neighborhoods. “Remember, MARTA only runs in two counties,” Chapman said. “Furthermore, we should be encouraging companies to locate their plants or offices where there is existing infrastructure instead of building further and further out,” Chapman says. Rita Kilpatrick, with the nonprofit energy study group Campaign for a Prosperous Georgia, says the PSG has made a beachhead in its short existence, “but so far they have no hard numbers to show what difference their efforts are making.” That’s not to say PSG won’t have numbers by the end of this smog season, Kilpatrick qualified. But her concern is that companies not get lulled into thinking a carpool or two is the answer. Rather, she wants Georgians to keep the pressure on state leaders and the utilities to modernize electrical plants that pour nitrogen oxide ―- a major smog component ―- into Georgia’s air. “I think in the long-term the PSG’s work can make a difference. But keep in mind, if our power plants were cars, they would have been outlawed years ago,” she said. Ironically, the PSG gave its highest rating for corporate performance last year to Georgia Power, one of the state’s top air polluters. The 1997 list of 100 dirtiest plants in the nation, compiled by Georgia Airkeepers, included three Georgia Power plants. In 1998, spokesman John Sell said the company’s plants pumped 169,625 tons of nitrogen oxide into the air, and of those, about 21,300 tons came from the five plants that most affect Atlanta’s ozone. Estimates vary, but environmentalists and Georgia Power place the utility’s portion of the state’s nitrogen oxide emissions between 23 percent and 40 percent. “We have never denied our role in adding to the pollution in the state,” Sell said. “We know we are a part of the problem, but we are planning to spend $500 million in emissions-reducing changes by year 2003.” At the same time, the company’s serious effort to provide alternative transportation to its employees has reduced by 4.5 million the number of miles employees drove, Jan. 1 to July 1, says company spokeswoman Susan Carter. She points to the 23-vehicle fleet that carries van-pool employees to far reaches of the metro area at a cost of $780 a month per van. “We are committed to letting 100 employees per year lease electric cars at discounts to drive back and forth to work (a difference of 49,000 miles to date in non-gasoline cars), we encourage four-day workweeks and we have 350 employees working alternate schedules,” Carter said. Since January, the company gave employees 2,556 free monthly MARTA passes, guaranteed a ride home to more than 2,100 who carpool, and boarded 67,000 people on its electric shuttles between the Civic Center MARTA station and downtown offices. In many cases, PSG partners say they have found that what’s good for the air also is good for business. “In a tight labor market, things like a shorter workweek or subsidized transit can be a recruitment tool,” said Pierce. “If you had to choose between two employers, salary being equal, wouldn’t you go with the one who offers you the chance to work four 10-hour days and gives you that extra day with your family?” Cement manufacturer Blue Circle’s corporate environmental director, Dan Willis, agrees. “If you have happy employees, you’ll have greater productivity. By cutting down their commutes you will improve their morale,” Willis said. In addition to offering workers flexible schedules, the company plans to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions from its Atlanta plant smokestack by burning recycled tires in its cement kilns, starting next fall. That technology in other cement companies has been shown to reduce NOx emissions by 50 percent. Joining the PSG is a year-round venture for some partners. For others, the heart of the program is smog season, May 1 through Sept. 30. During those 150 days, whenever a forecaster at the Environmental Protection Division predicts unhealthy air quality for the coming day, Pierce and co-worker Tom Shillock contact the smog “partners.” They in turn alert their employees, by phone message or e-mail. “Smog Alert” signs go up in elevators and at exits in government offices and private companies, reminding everyone to drive less. At the same time, Department of Transportation highway signs tell drivers that tomorrow will be a day to carpool and combine errends. Ted Turner donates space on his electronic sign on the Downtown Connector, to help put out the word. The cafeteria in Emory University’s Cox Hall offers lunch specials to keep staff and students from driving to restaurants. Numerous county governments get set to mow after dark, or not at all. Beers Construction Co.’s top executives catch the Peachtree Center MARTA train to meetings. Turner Broadcasting presents its PSG program as an employee benefit, says spokeswoman Lisa Frank. “The Turner Clean Air Commuters program was launched June 14, and we’ve now got 800 people riding MARTA.” Turner also began a van- and car-pool program. The company pays the lease and gasoline costs of the vans. Today a Henry County pool will start, and Frank estimates that route will save 120 miles per participant per day. In the public sector, Cobb County government’s Laraine Vance said 12 percent of the county’s 4,000 employees are working flexible schedules. Since joining the PSG, county workers’ single-occupancy vehicle trips were cut by 14 percent from May 1 through July. “The county has planted more trees, and departments are refueling vehicles after 6 p.m.,” she said. Moreover, studies show Cobb employees are changing their leisure-time driving patterns combining errands and driving less in general, she said. If anything, that very change bears out Pierce’s premise, that patterns of behavior learned at work are the starting point for a larger sort of change. “We in the Atlanta area drive 34.7 miles per day, per person ―- more than any other urbanized area in the USA,” says Pierce. “I see us as change agents to bring that number down.” CORPORATE PARTNERS: The Partnership for a Smog-Free Georgia has a dozen public sector partners and links to 85 state agencies and universities and 25 federal agencies. Here are its corporate partners: Atlanta Gas Light Co. Atlanta Motor Speedway Bank of America BellSouth Beers Construction Blue Circle Cement CH2M Hill Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Clayton County Chamber of Commerce Cobb County Chamber of Commerce Coca-Cola Co. Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce Delta Air Lines Douglas County Chamber of Commerce Emory University Enterprise Network Solutions Fayette County Chamber of Commerce Georgia-Pacific Corp. Georgia Power/Southern Co. Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce Greystone Power Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce Henry County Chamber of Commerce IBM Kimberly-Clark Lucent Technologies MARTA McKinsey & Co. Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Rock-Tenn Sealed Air Corp. Snapper Inc. Solectron Southern Aluminum Tenneco Turner Broadcasting Systems United Parcel Service Wachovia Yancey Bros.
Copyright 1999, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights ReservedAtlanta developers set aside green space under `smart growth’ plan
Wednesday, September 8, 1999
By Paige Bowers, The Washington Times
Atlanta developers are learning that when they eye a potential construction site, they’ll have to balance the area’s growing need for more business and residential space with residents’ hunger for a bit of clean air, leafy trees and empty streets.
“Developers don’t want to be seen as land rapers anymore,” said Cheri Mason of Mike Wilson Public Relations. “Talk to any of them and they’re all setting aside green space now.”
Green space has become a buzz phrase in the Atlanta area since Gov. Roy Barnes said at a conference with other governors that he wants his state’s fastest-growing counties to set aside 20 percent of their undeveloped land for parks and green space or risk losing state funds.
Mr. Barnes is just one of several governors trumpeting the cause of “smart growth” by showing developers and politicians that conservation and economic development can go hand in hand with proposals like these.
Thirty-seven governors have mentioned smart growth in their State of the State address this year, officials said, acknowledging that it’s a hot-button issue in today’s growing cities.
Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening mobilized the smart growth movement two years ago and calls Mr. Barnes the “sultan of sprawl.”
Mr. Glendening’s own efforts to confine state-funded development to established growth centers rather than outlying farmland helped Mr. Barnes to frame portions of his initiative for the Geor-gia Regional Transportation Authority, a group to combat smog and sprawl as a way of sustaining Atlanta’s growth. The GRTA initiative drew heavy support from the business community.
Mr. Glendening called the GRTA, which has the power to veto any road project or major development in 13 Atlanta counties, “one of the most significant achievements” to combat sprawl.
Other states like North Carolina are using the GRTA as a blueprint for other transportation task forces.
Minnesota’s Jesse Ventura has come up with his own sprawl initiative, saying he wants to counter Minneapolis-St. Paul’s traffic troubles by building a light-rail system.
And in Nashville, mayoral candidates are using sprawl as a campaign issue, saying they want to prevent the Tennessee capital from becoming just like Atlanta.
“Many politicians, neighborhood activists and members of the media mistakenly believe that curbing development will reduce traffic,” Mr. Barnes told the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce recently. “Smart growth can reduce congestion, and studies show that building moratoriums can actually increase congestion by forcing development further out — adding to already long commutes.”
Mr. Barnes’ foray into smart growth began last year with his GRTA initiative. He’s using the same logic for his green-space program, saying, “Quality of life sells houses.”
Mr. Barnes said he will introduce legislation next year that will make the 20 percent set-aside goal part of county land-use plans. His plan would give incentives to counties that built community parks close to neighborhoods.
The legislation would target counties like Forsyth and Cherokee — the latest to be caught in the swirl of Atlanta’s rapid growth — and include more aggressively growing counties like Cobb and North Fulton.
Mr. Barnes said he wants children to be able to ride their “bicycle or tricycle and use 20 percent of the green space that reaches all over the county.”
The green-space initiative is still in its early stages, and Mr. Barnes said he still needs to work out the details on the number of acres involved, the size of the tax incentives and the counties to be covered.
The governor wants a package of matching funds and tax incentives for local governments who participate. Counties who don’t participate in this plan won’t be eligible for state money for infrastructure improvements.
Growth fueled by the 1996 Summer Olympics has drawn construction in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, where developers see great potential for residential areas and retail spaces centered around a large urban park like Central Park in New York City.
“Centennial Olympic Park has replaced what used to be unsightly and blighted land uses and contributed to Atlanta’s expansion to the west,” said David Marvin, president of Legacy Property Group. He noted that the area, which is the largest urban green-space plan in the past 25 years, will be the anchor for a new downtown hub.
Copyright 1999, The Washington Times Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved

Report shows population growth will tax California highways
Thursday, September 2, 1999
By Robert Oakes, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif.
California highways will become gridlocked, pothole-filled stretches of forsaken pavement unless the state overhauls transportation financing, a new report says.
A projected 12 million more people — one-third of the current state population — will move to California in the next 20 years and put even more pressure on aging, inadequate freeways, roads and streets, said Transportation California, a group supported by the construction industry and unions.
The state must invest $83.7 billion more than currently planned to deal with expected traffic congestion, says the report, which will be released today.
A proposal pending in the Legislature would make it easier for counties to extend one-half percent sales taxes for transportation. Most of those taxes will eventually expire, but the legislation would help provide badly needed funding, said Larry Fisher, Transportation California’s executive director.
“If we lose that, it’s obvious where we’re going to wind up, because we’re already in the hole,” Fisher said.
Supporters of public transportation said the state needs to devote more funding to buses, trains and ferries instead of highways that will still be crowded with cars.
“The choice we’re always giving people is a wider freeway or more automobile travel, rather than more efficient public transit,” said Mike Daley, conservation representative with the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay chapter.
The Transportation California report coincides with statewide discussion about improving freeways, bridges, dams, reservoirs and public buildings. Several proposals are being weighed.
A commission appointed by Gov. Gray Davis recommended in late July a bond package, for ballots next year, to allocate between $4.25 billion and $6 billion for transportation, housing, parks and water projects.
In addition, the Legislature is considering State Constitutional Amendment 3, which would let counties — including Contra Costa and Alameda — pass or extend one-half percent transportation sales taxes with a majority vote. Those measures now require a two-thirds majority, which transportation advocates consider almost impossible to achieve.
“We see it as our best opportunity to solve these problems,” said Jim Earp, executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs, an advocacy group for the Northern California heavy construction industry.
Meanwhile, state Republicans last week introduced their version of a competing infrastructure financing proposal.
Transportation California commissioned the report from The Road Information Program, a nonprofit, construction industry-supported organization in Washington, D.C. The report surveyed local and regional authorities about transportation needs not funded with current revenue.
The Bay Area will need $8.3 billion for a rebuilt Interstate 680-Highway 4 junction in Martinez, more Highway 4 widening in East Contra Costa, and a fourth bore of the Highway 24 Caldecott Tunnel, the report says.
Some observers agreed that California should spend more on street and freeway maintenance, but they don’t think spending more on construction will resolve traffic woes.
“We’ve been learning the hard way that just putting money into the existing system will not solve the problem,” said James Corless, Northern California campaign manager for the Surface Transportation Policy Project, a nonprofit group.
Transportation California supports a balance between freeways and public transit, but money should go only to projects that will make a difference, Fisher said.
“We’ll still be left with the fact that the vast majority of people have to have their automobile to go where they want to go,” Fisher said. “You can’t force people to take transit if it doesn’t meet their needs.”
Copyright 1999, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 119 From: Stephen Gennett Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

MGT has done work in the Carolinas. Not very good either.

> —–Original Message—–
> From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] > Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 1:16 PM
> To: artbacse@egroups.com
> Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data
>
> Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it has
> taken a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server
> installation. Greg
>
> The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE rules.
> There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How
> are other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other
> issues affecting other states?
>
> 1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14
> days after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too
> concerned about prompt payment but they don’t want to release
> retainage when the DOT hasn’t released prime’s retainage, plus no way
> to guarantee sub will come back to complete or fix work.
>
> 2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual
> gross volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info,
> not require the prime to provide it.
>
> WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has any
> other state used MGT.
>
> Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia
>
>
> \=====================================================================
> ====/
>
>
>
>
>
> ———————————————————————-
> —
> Was the salesman clueless?
> Productopia has the answers.
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555
>
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 120 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/10/1999
Subject: From: Brian Holmes

From: Brian Holmes

Congratulations. You passed.

BTW, despite our best efforts, CT seems to be for an overall goal of 10%
(down from 12% last year), with 3% race neutral and 7% race conscious.

Question: if we were to press CONNDOT to apply the DBE percentages to only
the 80% federal share of project costs, could a state then apply its own
MBE/WBE program to the remaining 20%, which represents the state share?

Brian Holmes
CCIA // CRBA
912 Silas Deane Highway
Wethersfield, CT 06109
(860) 529-6855
brian@constructioncorner.com

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 121 From: Tony Milo Date: 9/13/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

Michigan contractors have the same concerns about the retainage language in the
prompt payment portion of the rules. We are suggesting to MDOT that pay to
subs parallel that of pay to contractors, including retainage (pay when paid).

The first MDOT draft recommended a 12 percent goal (10 percent race conscious
and 2 percent race neutral). We are opposing this based on no means to
demonstrate ready willing and able DBE’s. We are suggesting a 10 percent
aspiration goal until we can pre-qualify all DBE’s in order to ascertain their
capacity.

Tony Milo
Michigan Road Builders Association

Billy Norell wrote:

> Alabama is having the same recommendations and our contractors agree with
> yours in W.Va. Alabama DOT is suggesting an 11% program. We are trying to
> respond to all areas that are not satisfactory.
>
> Billy Norrell
> Alabama Road Builders
>
> —–Original Message—–
> From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] > Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 12:16 PM
> To: artbacse@egroups.com
> Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data
>
> Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it has taken
> a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server installation. Greg
>
> The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE rules.
> There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How are
> other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other issues
> affecting other states?
>
> 1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14 days
> after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too concerned about
> prompt payment but they don’t want to release retainage when the DOT hasn’t
> released prime’s retainage, plus no way to guarantee sub will come back to
> complete or fix work.
>
> 2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual gross
> volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info, not require
> the prime to provide it.
>
> WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has any
> other state used MGT.
>
> Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia
>
> \=========================================================================/
>
> ————————————————————————
> Was the salesman clueless?
> Productopia has the answers.
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
> ————————————————————————
> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 122 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/13/1999
Subject: CO and Suflur Stories

Decrease seen in carbon monoxide levels
Friday, September 10, 1999
By John Roach
Carbon monoxide levels in Shenandoah National Park, Va., have decreased over the past 10 years.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s bid to decrease emissions of carbon monoxide in the mid-Atlantic region is paying off, according to a study to be published in the Sept. 15 issue of Geophysical Research Letters.
A team of university and federal researchers compared carbon monoxide concentration levels at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park, Va., in 1988-1989 to 1994-1997. According to their measurements, concentrations have decreased 22.9 percent.
“The decrease suggests U.S. reductions in anthropogenic CO emissions have been effective in reducing pollutant levels,” the researchers write in the introduction to their study. “The observed trend is consistent with the U.S. EPA reported trend in emissions.”
The Big Meadows site, where the measurements were taken, has long been accepted as representative of air quality in the mid-Atlantic region as a whole. Located at 3,609 feet, it is removed from local sources of pollution.
Reductions in emissions from automobiles has contributed to the overall decrease in atmospheric carbon monoxide.
The researchers attribute the decrease in carbon monoxide largely to reductions in manmade emissions, consistent with trends in emissions reported by the EPA and other Northern Hemisphere research.
Carbon monoxide is a trace pollutant in the troposphere, or lower atmosphere, and is released by the combustion of fossil fuels (such as gasoline) and by biomass burning (such as forest fires). It is an important link controlling the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere, through its chemical interaction with the hydroxyl radical.
The mean level of carbon monoxide at Big Meadows in 1988-1989 was 204 parts per billion by volume, as compared with 166 ppbv in 1997, a decrease of 4.8 ppbv a year or 22.9 percent total. EPA estimates that in the same time span, manmade carbon monoxide emissions decreased by 18.3 percent, with reduction in on-road vehicle emissions accounting for much of the decrease.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights ReservedOil refiners agree on goal of reducing sulfur
Friday, September 10, 1999
By Bob Vandewater, The Daily Oklahoman
A proposed federal mandate to reduce the sulfur content in gasoline has some oil refining industry officials concerned, others relatively confident and still others seeing opportunities.
But they are united on at least two key points.
One is that minimizing the amount of sulfur in gasoline is a worthy goal.
The other is that the government should not rush to extremes by setting a sulfur reduction deadline so close that it does not allow time for the best and most economical technologies to be developed, tested and installed.
Citing automobiles as a major air polluter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported, “It will be very difficult to obtain a significant reduction in pollution from motor vehicles unless fuels are cleaned up.”
Under authority provided by the federal Clean Air Act, an agency-mandated phaseout of lead from gasoline was completed years ago. Now the agency is targeting sulfur, considered a contributor to acid rain and smog, and by year’s end is expected to come up with a standard and timetable for sulfur reductions.
The government hasn’t imposed a ceiling on gasoline’s sulfur content, but both gasoline manufacturers and automobile makers want to see less of it in their fuels, officials said.
In May, the environmental agency proposed requiring the nation’s refiners to meet an average sulfur level of 30 parts per million by 2004, down from the current average content of more than 300 parts per million.
The proposal would allow some smaller refiners an additional four years to comply. Those that demonstrate severe financial hardship would have the opportunity for an extension.
Under the agency’s proposal, “The maximum amount of sulfur in gasoline, for purposes of averaging, could not exceed 80 parts per million after 2005.”
Clint Ensign, government relations vice president for Sinclair Oil Corp., which has a refinery in Tulsa, gave his opinion on the proposal in testimony before Congress in May.
“Under EPA’s proposal, more than 97 percent of the refining capacity in the United States must meet the 30 parts per million average sulfur standard by Jan. 1, 2004,” he said. “This represents an astonishing 90 percent reduction from existing sulfur levels in a very short period.”
Ensign urged more time to let the industry assess how best to meet the low-sulfur goals and make the necessary investment in new equipment.
Jerry Thompson, a senior vice president with Tulsa-based CITGO Petroleum Corp., also testified at a hearing this summer.
He said, “It is unrealistic to expect the industry to meet the 30-parts-per- million sulfur level by the fall of 2003, with technology that still has not been commercially demonstrated.”
Bartlesville-based Phillips Petroleum Co. expects to move to the demonstration stage with its “S Zorb” sulfur-reduction process, a technology the company reports “can be used to make gasoline that more than meets proposed regulations.” The plan is to license the technology to refiners for a fee.
John Mihm, Phillips senior vice president of downstream technology, said, “I think every oil company that is in the refining business is working on ways to lower the sulfur. There are other technologies out there that we’ll compete with.”
Mihm said the Phillips technology is very competitive because tests show it can slash the sulfur content with little octane loss while limiting manufacturing cost increases.
But a demonstration plant, which can test the technology on a larger scale, will take time to build and then must be operated for several months, he said. If the demonstration is fully successful and many refiners order the technology, it will take additional time to build more plants and get them operating, he said.
A sulfur-reduction deadline that is too soon could cause problems for some refiners that might not be able to get the technology tested and installed in time, Mihm said.
“We’re just saying, ‘Gosh guys, we’re so close to a good thing, please let us check it out,’ ” he said.
However, Rebecca Stanfield, with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer and environmental interest organization, said, “We believe the EPA’s proposed gasoline sulfur standards allow too much time to pass before the significant air pollution benefits can be expected.”
She said California and several countries, including Japan and Canada, already require gasoline with the lower average sulfur content, so the rest of the United States is generally lagging behind some other markets.
California fuel dealers, because of severe air pollution problems in major cities such as Los Angeles, are required to sell a “reformulated” fuel, containing less of certain volatile compounds such as benzene. However, the special gasoline is more costly. While regular gasoline in Oklahoma recently has averaged about $1.15 per gallon, the price of regular reformulated gasoline in California has been topping $1.50.
The environmental agency estimated that the extra cost for gasoline with the lower sulfur content it is proposing would amount to only about 1 or 2 cents per gallon.
But the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association warned, “EPA has selected overly optimistic assumptions to gauge the cost of its … proposal, which will require significantly greater investment and have more widespread cost impacts than EPA foresees.”
When asked for an opinion on how gasoline pump prices would be affected if the EPA proposal is mandated, Jayme Cox, spokeswoman at Sunoco’s Tulsa refinery, said, “It’s just really hard to know.” But she said consumers need to be reminded that gasoline remains a very good buy, often costing less than bottled water on a pre-tax basis.
Cox said she expects Sunoco’s Tulsa refinery, with some adjustments, will be able to meet the agency’s sulfur standard.
“We have a low sulfur product to start with,” she said. “So, we’re not going to have nearly as far to go as some other refineries.”
Equipment and new systems to cut the sulfur content in gasoline can cost many individual refiners millions of dollars.
“Particularly for some small refiners, that kind of a capital investment will be tough,” Cox said.
The national refiners association reported, “EPA’s proposal goes too far too fast, endangering the nation’s energy supplies and putting refineries at risk. In fact, EPA’s plan threatens to play a game of Russian roulette with our gasoline supply, a vital component of U.S. energy security.
“The proposal does not recognize basic maintenance concerns and fails to incorporate the time necessary to secure required federal and state permits needed to comply.”
Thompson said the refining industry supports reductions in gasoline sulfur levels but would prefer a phased-in, regional approach that takes into account air quality differences across the country.
“In contrast to EPA’s severe national sulfur proposal, California’s achievement of a 30-parts-per-million average gasoline standard took place over 20 years,” he said. “EPA is considering requiring the entire nation to accomplish this in five years or less.”
Copyright 1999, The Daily Oklahoman Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 123 From: Michael Covington Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

So, is MDOT buying the parallel-pay idea? I was told that FHwA has
nixed it even though it is the standard rule in all other federal
procurement. We are meeting with SCDOT today to brainstorm the
retainage issue. We’re thinking that maybe we can carve out some
special exceptions to the retainage proviso, e.g. curb, gutter,
sidewalks, driveways, painting/striping, permanent erosion control
items, seeding, and electrical components.
Also, some items require the submittal of final drawings and we do not
consider the work to be complete until those drawings have been
submitted by the subcontractor performing the subject work.

Any other ideas out there?

> —–Original Message—–
> From: Tony Milo [SMTP:tmilo@voyager.net] > Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 10:23 AM
> To: artbacse@egroups.com
> Subject: [artbacse] Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
>
> Michigan contractors have the same concerns about the retainage
> language in the
> prompt payment portion of the rules. We are suggesting to MDOT that
> pay to
> subs parallel that of pay to contractors, including retainage (pay
> when paid).
>
> The first MDOT draft recommended a 12 percent goal (10 percent race
> conscious
> and 2 percent race neutral). We are opposing this based on no means
> to
> demonstrate ready willing and able DBE’s. We are suggesting a 10
> percent
> aspiration goal until we can pre-qualify all DBE’s in order to
> ascertain their
> capacity.
>
> Tony Milo
> Michigan Road Builders Association
>
> Billy Norell wrote:
>
> > Alabama is having the same recommendations and our contractors agree
> with
> > yours in W.Va. Alabama DOT is suggesting an 11% program. We are
> trying to
> > respond to all areas that are not satisfactory.
> >
> > Billy Norrell
> > Alabama Road Builders
> >
> > —–Original Message—–
> > From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] > > Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 12:16 PM
> > To: artbacse@egroups.com
> > Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data
> >
> > Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it
> has taken
> > a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server installation.
> Greg
> >
> > The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE
> rules.
> > There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How
> are
> > other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other
> issues
> > affecting other states?
> >
> > 1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14
> days
> > after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too concerned
> about
> > prompt payment but they don’t want to release retainage when the DOT
> hasn’t
> > released prime’s retainage, plus no way to guarantee sub will come
> back to
> > complete or fix work.
> >
> > 2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual
> gross
> > volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info, not
> require
> > the prime to provide it.
> >
> > WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has
> any
> > other state used MGT.
> >
> > Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia
> >
> >
> \=====================================================================
> ====/
> >
> >
> ———————————————————————-
> —
> > Was the salesman clueless?
> > Productopia has the answers.
> > http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555
> >
> > eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> > http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
> >
> >
> ———————————————————————-
> —
> > MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> > Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> > http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
> >
> > eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> > http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
> ———————————————————————-
> —
> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 124 From: Robert Latham Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

Greg:

You will recall that we discussed the retainage issue in VA and asked that
ARTBA get involved to get DOT to clarify that retainage is “pay when paid”.

Maryland has used MGT as well.

Bob Latham

———-

>From: “Greg Smith” <gsmith@artba.org>
>To: artbacse@egroups.com
>Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data
>Date: Fri, Sep 10, 1999, 5:15 PM
>

> Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it has taken
> a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server installation. Greg
>
> The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE rules.
> There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How are
> other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other issues
> affecting other states?
>
> 1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14 days
> after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too concerned about
> prompt payment but they don’t want to release retainage when the DOT hasn’t
> released prime’s retainage, plus no way to guarantee sub will come back to
> complete or fix work.
>
> 2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual gross
> volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info, not require
> the prime to provide it.
>
> WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has any
> other state used MGT.
>
> Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia
>
>
> \=========================================================================/
>
>
>
>
>
> ————————————————————————
> Was the salesman clueless?
> Productopia has the answers.
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555
>
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 125 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Fwd: Retainage

Attachments :

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 126 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/14/1999
Subject: Mid-Year Meeting

Please note the fax I sent today regarding the Mid-Year meeting. We need everyone to register and make hotel reservations if you are going to attend. It is going to be a great meeting.

The Hotel Roanoke is filling up fast! The hotel is saying that it is booked on Saturday night, but we still have some slots available if you want ot stay there. However, we need to hear from you right away.

Thanks,

Greg

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 127 From: Robert Latham Date: 9/15/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

MIke

They are considering it.

Our arguement is “pay when paid”. If the prime is not paid
retainage for sub work until the end of the job, then retainage
is due the sub within 10 days of the payment to the prime from
the state.

Our position is now being reviewed by the MDOT attorney general.

———-

>From: Michael Covington <Mcovington@carolinasagc.org>
>To: “‘artbacse@egroups.com‘” <artbacse@egroups.com>
>Subject: [artbacse] Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
>Date: Tue, Sep 14, 1999, 1:01 PM
>

> So, is MDOT buying the parallel-pay idea? I was told that FHwA has
> nixed it even though it is the standard rule in all other federal
> procurement. We are meeting with SCDOT today to brainstorm the
> retainage issue. We’re thinking that maybe we can carve out some
> special exceptions to the retainage proviso, e.g. curb, gutter,
> sidewalks, driveways, painting/striping, permanent erosion control
> items, seeding, and electrical components.
> Also, some items require the submittal of final drawings and we do not
> consider the work to be complete until those drawings have been
> submitted by the subcontractor performing the subject work.
>
> Any other ideas out there?
>> —–Original Message—–
>> From: Tony Milo [SMTP:tmilo@voyager.net] >> Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 10:23 AM
>> To: artbacse@egroups.com
>> Subject: [artbacse] Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
>>
>> Michigan contractors have the same concerns about the retainage
>> language in the
>> prompt payment portion of the rules. We are suggesting to MDOT that
>> pay to
>> subs parallel that of pay to contractors, including retainage (pay
>> when paid).
>>
>> The first MDOT draft recommended a 12 percent goal (10 percent race
>> conscious
>> and 2 percent race neutral). We are opposing this based on no means
>> to
>> demonstrate ready willing and able DBE’s. We are suggesting a 10
>> percent
>> aspiration goal until we can pre-qualify all DBE’s in order to
>> ascertain their
>> capacity.
>>
>> Tony Milo
>> Michigan Road Builders Association
>>
>> Billy Norell wrote:
>>
>> > Alabama is having the same recommendations and our contractors agree
>> with
>> > yours in W.Va. Alabama DOT is suggesting an 11% program. We are
>> trying to
>> > respond to all areas that are not satisfactory.
>> >
>> > Billy Norrell
>> > Alabama Road Builders
>> >
>> > —–Original Message—–
>> > From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] >> > Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 12:16 PM
>> > To: artbacse@egroups.com
>> > Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data
>> >
>> > Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it
>> has taken
>> > a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server installation.
>> Greg
>> >
>> > The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE
>> rules.
>> > There are at least two points that have our members concerned. How
>> are
>> > other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other
>> issues
>> > affecting other states?
>> >
>> > 1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage 14
>> days
>> > after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too concerned
>> about
>> > prompt payment but they don’t want to release retainage when the DOT
>> hasn’t
>> > released prime’s retainage, plus no way to guarantee sub will come
>> back to
>> > complete or fix work.
>> >
>> > 2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual
>> gross
>> > volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info, not
>> require
>> > the prime to provide it.
>> >
>> > WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study. Has
>> any
>> > other state used MGT.
>> >
>> > Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia
>> >
>> >
>> \=====================================================================
>> ====/
>> >
>> >
>> ———————————————————————-
>> —
>> > Was the salesman clueless?
>> > Productopia has the answers.
>> > http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555
>> >
>> > eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>> > http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>> >
>> >
>> ———————————————————————-
>> —
>> > MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
>> > Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
>> > http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
>> >
>> > eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>> > http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>>
>>
>> ———————————————————————-
>> —
>> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
>> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
>> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
>>
>>
>> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
>> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>>
>>
>>
>
> ————————————————————————
> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 128 From: Michael Covington Date: 9/17/1999
Subject: Re: DBE — Retainage & Data

We met with SCDOT Tuesday (on the eve of Hurricane Floyd) and discussed
various ways to resolve the retainage issue. Our final recommendation
was to #1 Do away with all retainage on the prime contractor level and,
#2 Institute a procedure to disqualify subs from performing further
SCDOT work if they repeatedly (Three Strikes?) a.) fail to pay subs and
suppliers, b.) fail to perform punchlist items, or. 3.) fail to
relinquish overpayments in the event of downward adjustments on final
estimates. The last of the three bases for disqualification is not
really a big deal because SCDOT has begun a month-to-month final
estimate procedure that finalizes estimates as the job progresses, but
it could be a problem at some point.

This two-pronged recommendation does not really resolve the issue. If
implemented, it will simply make the DBE Retainage issue more palatable.

Call me at 803-799-5380 if you have any questions about our
recommendations.
Michael Covington
Carolinas AGC
Columbia, SC

> —–Original Message—–
> From: Robert Latham [SMTP:rlatham@mdhighways.org] > Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 1999 5:53 AM
> To: artbacse@egroups.com
> Subject: [artbacse] Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
>
> MIke
>
> They are considering it.
>
> Our arguement is “pay when paid”. If the prime is not paid
> retainage for sub work until the end of the job, then retainage
> is due the sub within 10 days of the payment to the prime from
> the state.
>
> Our position is now being reviewed by the MDOT attorney general.
>
> ———-
> >From: Michael Covington <Mcovington@carolinasagc.org>
> >To: “‘artbacse@egroups.com‘” <artbacse@egroups.com>
> >Subject: [artbacse] Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
> >Date: Tue, Sep 14, 1999, 1:01 PM
> >
>
> > So, is MDOT buying the parallel-pay idea? I was told that FHwA has
> > nixed it even though it is the standard rule in all other federal
> > procurement. We are meeting with SCDOT today to brainstorm the
> > retainage issue. We’re thinking that maybe we can carve out some
> > special exceptions to the retainage proviso, e.g. curb, gutter,
> > sidewalks, driveways, painting/striping, permanent erosion control
> > items, seeding, and electrical components.
> > Also, some items require the submittal of final drawings and we do
> not
> > consider the work to be complete until those drawings have been
> > submitted by the subcontractor performing the subject work.
> >
> > Any other ideas out there?
> >> —–Original Message—–
> >> From: Tony Milo [SMTP:tmilo@voyager.net] > >> Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 10:23 AM
> >> To: artbacse@egroups.com
> >> Subject: [artbacse] Re: DBE — Retainage & Data
> >>
> >> Michigan contractors have the same concerns about the retainage
> >> language in the
> >> prompt payment portion of the rules. We are suggesting to MDOT
> that
> >> pay to
> >> subs parallel that of pay to contractors, including retainage (pay
> >> when paid).
> >>
> >> The first MDOT draft recommended a 12 percent goal (10 percent race
> >> conscious
> >> and 2 percent race neutral). We are opposing this based on no
> means
> >> to
> >> demonstrate ready willing and able DBE’s. We are suggesting a 10
> >> percent
> >> aspiration goal until we can pre-qualify all DBE’s in order to
> >> ascertain their
> >> capacity.
> >>
> >> Tony Milo
> >> Michigan Road Builders Association
> >>
> >> Billy Norell wrote:
> >>
> >> > Alabama is having the same recommendations and our contractors
> agree
> >> with
> >> > yours in W.Va. Alabama DOT is suggesting an 11% program. We are
> >> trying to
> >> > respond to all areas that are not satisfactory.
> >> >
> >> > Billy Norrell
> >> > Alabama Road Builders
> >> >
> >> > —–Original Message—–
> >> > From: Greg Smith [SMTP:gsmith@artba.org] > >> > Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 12:16 PM
> >> > To: artbacse@egroups.com
> >> > Subject: [artbacse] DBE — Retainage & Data
> >> >
> >> > Please see the attached message from Michael L. Clowser. Sorry it
> >> has taken
> >> > a while to get out, but we’ve been doing new server installation.
> >> Greg
> >> >
> >> > The West Virginia DOT is finalizing its regulations for new DBE
> >> rules.
> >> > There are at least two points that have our members concerned.
> How
> >> are
> >> > other states dealing with the following issues? Are there other
> >> issues
> >> > affecting other states?
> >> >
> >> > 1/ Paying subcontractors within 14 days and release of retainage
> 14
> >> days
> >> > after subs’ work is completed. —- Our members aren’t too
> concerned
> >> about
> >> > prompt payment but they don’t want to release retainage when the
> DOT
> >> hasn’t
> >> > released prime’s retainage, plus no way to guarantee sub will
> come
> >> back to
> >> > complete or fix work.
> >> >
> >> > 2/ Prime’s must submit a list of all subs and their subs’ annual
> >> gross
> >> > volume. — Our members think the DOT should compile this info,
> not
> >> require
> >> > the prime to provide it.
> >> >
> >> > WVDOT is utilizing MGT of Tallahasee, Fla. to do their study.
> Has
> >> any
> >> > other state used MGT.
> >> >
> >> > Thanks, Mike Clowser, Contractors Association of West Virginia
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> \=====================================================================
> >> ====/
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> ———————————————————————-
> >> —
> >> > Was the salesman clueless?
> >> > Productopia has the answers.
> >> > http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/555
> >> >
> >> > eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> >> > http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> ———————————————————————-
> >> —
> >> > MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> >> > Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> >> > http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
> >> >
> >> > eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> >> > http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
> >>
> >>
> >>
> ———————————————————————-
> >> —
> >> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> >> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> >> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
> >>
> >>
> >> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> >> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> ———————————————————————-
> —
> > MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> > Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> > http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
> >
> >
> > eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> > http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> ———————————————————————-
> —
> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 129 From: Robert Latham Date: 9/20/1999
Subject: Re: Mid-Year Meeting

Greg

I will not be able to attend the mid-year meeting.

Bob Latham

———-

>From: “Greg Smith” <gsmith@artba.org>
>To: artbacse@egroups.com
>Subject: [artbacse] Mid-Year Meeting
>Date: Tue, Sep 14, 1999, 8:33 PM
>

> Please note the fax I sent today regarding the Mid-Year meeting. We need
> everyone to register and make hotel reservations if you are going to
> attend. It is going to be a great meeting.
>
> The Hotel Roanoke is filling up fast! The hotel is saying that it is booked
> on Saturday night, but we still have some slots available if you want ot
> stay there. However, we need to hear from you right away.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Greg
>
>
> ————————————————————————
> MyPoints-Free Rewards When You’re Online.
> Start with up to 150 Points for joining!
> http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/805
>
>
> eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
> http://www.egroups.com – Simplifying group communications
>
>
>
>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 130 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/22/1999
Subject: Retainage

Attachments :

Bob:

West Virginia adopted the following language on prompt pay and retainage:

“Contractors shall pay subcontractors for work satisfactorily performed by the subcontractor within 14 days of receipt from the department of payment for subcontracted work. Retainage may be held by the contractor during the pendency of a subcontractor’s work in accordance with the terms of the subcontract but must be released by the contractor within 14 days of satisfactory completion of the subcontractor’s work and payment for the completed work by the Department. Acceptance of the subcontracted work by the WVDOT shall constitute satisfactory completion of subcontracted work. Delay or postponement of payment to subcontractor for work or release of retainage may be imposed by the contractor for failure by the subcontractor to pay for labor, supplies, or materials or to provide required documentation or for other good cause shown but delay or postponement may only be effected after written approval by the WVDOT. Exceptions will be approved ….”

Under this language, the contractor will release retainage to the sub 14 days after WVDOT has ACCEPTED the sub’s work. We think this will give contractors assurances that they are not going to be held responsible for a sub’s work if quantities or quality is different at the end of the project.

Mike Clowser

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 131 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/22/1999
Subject: VA — DBE

We have the same concerns with Virginia’s proposed DBE program that W.Va.
and Alabama have.1. Prompt Payment – Release of retainage to subcontractor prior to release
by owner.
2. Collection of DBE Bid Data.
VDOT is leaning toward requiring the DBE bid data as a condition of the
bid.
We are also concerned about how VDOT will actually handle and store this
“huge” amount of data if it is obtained.
3. VRTBA is also concerned about the confusion created by implementing both
a race-conscious percentage and a race-neutral percentage on a contract to
achieve the overall goal.

At this point there has been no resolution on these items.

Tom Witt
Engineer Director – VRTBA
Phone: (804) 330-3312
Email: tom@vrtba.org
—–Original Message—–

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 132 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/22/1999
Subject: Georgia Sprawl Plan

Georgia governor’s growth-control plans gain interest in other states
Wednesday, September 22, 1999
By Kathey Pruitt, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
As sleepy-eyed governors and their staffers listened to technical discussions over energy policy one morning in Memphis last week, Gov. Jim Hunt of North Carolina busily penned and passed notes to his Georgia counterpart.
Hunt, a veteran chief executive, was intrigued by freshman Gov. Roy Barnes’ plan to set aside 20 percent of undeveloped land in Georgia’s fast-growing counties for green space. He wanted a closer look.
So, following Hunt’s request last week at the Southern Governors’ Association conference in Memphis, Barnes has agreed to host an entourage of North Carolina business and civic executives from some of that state’s largest cities to find out firsthand what Georgia is considering about preserving open space. The group is expected to visit Georgia later this year.
North Carolina officials, facing a burgeoning air pollution problem, also hope to get a deeper look at Barnes’ other major growth initiative — a superagency to tackle transportation and smog.
“I am very excited about the idea,” Hunt said of the green-space plan. “We’re going to look at it and see if it’s something we can do.”
No stranger to environmental proposals, Hunt this year pushed through legislation requiring the phase-in of cleaner-burning fuels throughout North Carolina and the first vehicle-emission testing in many of the state’s counties. He also has a plan for protecting an additional million acres of land in North Carolina from development.
But Hunt said Barnes’ concept of connecting green belts, so that neighborhoods can easily access passive areas with walking and biking trails without getting in the car and driving to a park, is an even more advanced idea.
“We’ve not gone as far as Georgia in terms of making a plan around our bigger cities to connect up with green space,” Hunt said. “We want to have a lot of green space connected up.”
Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist also expressed interest in Barnes’ Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the green-space plan during the conference, asking Barnes for details about Georgia’s approach to both issues. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit was scheduled to draw national attention to Barnes’ open-space plan, but his planned trip last week was postponed because of Hurricane Floyd.
But even as the green-space plan is getting attention as a model for other states, it’s missing some assembly instructions.
Barnes unveiled the 20 percent green-space set-aside plan at a governor’s conference in St. Louis in August and since has released only a few details about how it will work:
Local governments would be required to incorporate the 20 percent set-aside goal into their land use plans.
Those that don’t would risk losing a variety of state grants for infrastructure improvement.
Barnes plans to ask legislators this year to set aside an undisclosed amount of money to help with the land acquisition.
Just where the local green-space program begins and ends is open to question. Barnes said he wants first to include the fastest-developing counties where land is being gobbled up, and has emphasized the role county officials would play. He also said the creation of a 180-mile park — an effort led largely by corporate and private donations with some state assistance — along both sides of the Chattahoochee River from Helen to Columbus would be an integral part of the effort.
Last week, at the conference in Memphis, Barnes said he hopes the green-space plan can tie into a system of impact fees in metro Atlanta’s fast-growing counties, allowing developers to donate critical pieces of land in lieu of paying cash to help serve the demands created by the new developments.
Counties would get state help to acquire other land to protect as green space under a matching formula, Barnes said, but he declined to discuss specifics.
“I’m trying to push (details about the exact dollar amounts) off as far as I can so I can get some revenue estimates” to determine the money available in next year’s budget, Barnes said.
Copyright 1999, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights ReservedGeorgia governor’s green-space concept draws nationwide interest
Wednesday, September 15, 1999
By Kathey Pruitt, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes has garnered national attention for his approaches to attacking smog and preserving green space, and now he’s taking his ideas on the road again.
Barnes is participating this week in the Southern Governor’s Association annual conference in Memphis, where his colleagues will discuss air quality problems and pending federal regulations.
Most other states in the 19-member association experience some of the same problems besetting Atlanta and Georgia — heavy traffic, the steady creep of sprawl into exurban areas and pollution problems that create unhealthy air. But the approaches adopted by Barnes and by Maryland’s Gov. Parris Glendening are generally hailed as the most innovative.
An attorney for the U.S. Department of Transportation this week praised Barnes’ new Georgia Regional Transportation Authority — a 15-member body that exercises control over all transportation and some development decisions in the air-poor metro Atlanta region — as a tool other states can use.
“The authority has great promise to solve the challenges of many counties,” said Nancy McFadden, general counsel for the U.S. DOT. “We hope in many ways Atlanta will be a model for the nation.”
Maryland also is a model, using a so-called smart-growth philosophy to contain development in already established regions. State funds for infrastructure and schools can be spent only on development within those areas, an idea Barnes has borrowed in proposing a new green space set-aside plan.
Barnes unveiled his green space initiative at a national governor’s conference in St. Louis last month, saying he will propose legislation to require fast-growth counties to set aside at least 20 percent of their undeveloped land for open space. Those that fail to include that goal in their land use plans won’t be eligible for state money for infrastructure improvements, Barnes said.
All those proposals are likely to get an airing this week as other governors grapple for solutions to burgeoning populations and dirty air. Southern governors asked Barnes at the conference in St. Louis to give more detail about GRTA at their Memphis meeting.
He is expected to discuss smart growth today during a breakfast meeting, a theme sure to carry over into the air quality briefing later in the day and probably even into Tuesday’s strategy session on Southern growth policies.
Copyright 1999, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 133 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/23/1999
Subject: AP Story on Congestion

SEPTEMBER 23, 03:25 EDT

Commuters May Never Overcome Delays

By GLEN JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Construction aimed at easing traffic congestion can
create such delays that it takes years afterward ― if at all ― for commuters to
recoup the time they lost, according to a study by an environmental group.

For instance, Virginia is spending $350 million over eight years to rebuild the
interchange of Interstate 95, I-495 and I-395, southwest of Washington.
During that time, commuters are expected to spend at least an extra 30
minutes each way heading through the work zone. When the work is finished,
those same commuters will save 30 seconds going through the interchange.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project, which favors less road construction
and increased use of alternatives such as flexible work schedules, calculated
that a commuter who endures the delays never will recover the lost time
through faster drives afterward.

The group also said commuters enduring work on I-15 in Salt Lake City, Route
29 in Trenton, N.J., and Interstate 24 in Nashville, Tenn., will take from nearly
three years to 10 years to recoup the time spent traveling through the
construction zones.

“Our transportation officials should first try fighting congestion in ways that
are less expensive, just as effective and help drivers right now,” said Roy
Kienitz, executive director of the transportation project.

Officials involved in the projects and roadbuilders said the analysis was faulty
and shortsighted.

It does not take into account, among other things, safety improvements,
reduced air pollution and better mobility from road construction, said Matthew
Jeanneret, spokesman for the American Road and Transportation Builders
Association, a trade group representing builders.

Robert Fox, spokesman for the I-15 project in Utah, said: “If the
construction had not been done at all, by 2010 can you imagine the delays
there would be? It could be two hours delay at the time because it’s so totally
congested because the whole system is broken down.”

The Surface Transportation Policy Project based its analysis on public
documents and information from the Transportation Department and state
transportation authorities.

The interchange project outside Washington is in Springfield, Va., at a site called
the “mixing bowl” because of its tangle of on- and off-ramps.

The work on Route 29 in Trenton covers 1.7 miles and entails replacing a
two-lane road with a four-lane highway. The group said commuters will endure
10-minute delays for three years to save three minutes afterward, a disparity
that won’t be offset for eight years.

The I-24 project in Nashville involves widening a section south of downtown
from four to eight lanes. Commutes are expected to take an extra 15 minutes
for 14 months to save seven minutes afterward, an amount that will not be
offset for nearly three years.

The I-15 project, meanwhile, costs $1.6 billion and entails widening the
interstate from six to 10 lanes for 16.5 miles. Traffic is expected to be delayed
15 minutes for four years to achieve a savings of seven minutes. The extra
time will not be recovered until 2010, eight years after the projected is
completed.

The group concluded that transportation officials should do a better job of
explaining how delays will affect commuters and find ways to reduce
congestion without highway construction, such as through mass transit.

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 134 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/24/1999
Subject: New Smog Requirement Story
Oklahoma City official urges continued fight against smog Friday, September 24, 1999 By Bob Vandewater, The Daily Oklahoman Whether Oklahoma City and nearby areas might be found to be in or out of compliance with federal air quality standards has become an issue partly clouded by litigation and interpretation, a local official indicated Tuesday. Zach Taylor, executive director of the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments, told a meeting of the Central Oklahoma Clean Cities Coalition that efforts to minimize ozone, a component of smog, must continue in the region. “Since 1978, the (Oklahoma City) metropolitan region has been an ‘attainment’ region for ozone,” meaning federal officials have found ozone concentrations in the air generally within acceptable levels, he said. Two years ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted more stringent ozone standards and a schedule for determining whether areas across the country will meet the standards based on data for 1997-99, Taylor said. Under the previous standard at an air quality monitoring point, “You couldn’t exceed the standard of 0.12 parts per million more than once a year in a three-year period,” he said. Under the new standard, the fourth highest ozone concentration reading over an eight-hour period during a year generally should not exceed an average of 0.08 parts per million, he said. Based on certain air quality data, “It appears that these conditions have pushed central Oklahoma out of compliance with the standard,” creating a potential for the EPA to redesignate the region as a “nonattainment” area, he said. However, a federal appeals court in May issued an opinion targeting the rules used by the EPA to tighten the air quality standards. “A subpanel of that court has ruled that these rules are an unconstitutional, improper delegation of legislative authority to the Environmental Protection Agency,” Taylor said. Saying the EPA failed to provide a clear rationale for setting the standards at the level chosen, the court also remanded them to the agency, which has asked the full appeals court to consider the case, he said. “They didn’t necessarily vacate the standards. They remanded the number and the standard-setting process back to the EPA,” he said. “One of the things that gives us some concern is that a reading of the (court) opinion could allow for these numbers to result in a designation of our area as being nonattainment, at the same time leaving us in a quagmire of not knowing what standard is applicable,” Taylor said. There also are reports the EPA might be considering reverting to its previous standard, he said. An area with “nonattainment” status faces a stigma and serious consequences that could make it more difficult to recruit new industry and for existing industry to expand, Taylor said. It also could stall highway construction projects, he said. “We’re suggesting that since all of this is tied up in court that EPA not be allowed to designate areas as nonattainment until it is clear what the rule is. Obviously these (new) standards are not in effect and, therefore, no one should be designated as noncompliant with something that isn’t in effect. Secondly, reverting back to the … (previous) standard might be a much better position for our region and other regions in this situation to be in,” Taylor said.
Copyright 1999, The Daily Oklahoman Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 135 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/27/1999
Subject: Fwd: STATEMENT BY ADM. BROWNER ON THE SENATE VOTE ON EPA’S BUDGET

Attachments :

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 136 From: Greg Smith Date: 9/28/1999
Subject: Fwd: Secretary Slater Reports Progress in Motor Carrier Safety

Attachments :

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 137 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/3/1999
Subject: Fwd: Earthmoving Equipment Maintenance Seminar

Attachments :

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 138 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/3/1999
Subject: Clean Air Stories

Group: Cars have reduced pollution
Wednesday, September 29, 1999
By Associated Press
Federal regulators should push harder to reduce air pollution from power plants and factories and not put so much of the burden on the automobile, a leading motorists’ advocacy group says.
AAA, formerly the American Automobile Association, says in a study being released today that pollution from automobiles, even when taking into account sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, has declined much more rapidly than chemicals from other sources.
It is time for the government to make sure that manufacturers, the utility industry and others are doing their share to clean up the environment, says AAA, the most widely known nationwide advocacy group for motorists.
Federal, state and local governments “need to go beyond targeting passenger vehicles if they hope to make any real progress in further cutting the smog in our cities,” AAA spokeswoman Susan Pikrallidas said.
The Environmental Protection Agency did not challenge the AAA’s numbers, based on data from local air planning agencies.
EPA spokesman Dave Cohen said, however, that the agency wants “cleaner air across the board from all sources. The idea of suggesting this is some kind of contest is not particularly helpful or constructive.”
The AAA study, which covered 25 cities, said hydrocarbons emissions from all sources decreased by 56 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 4 percent over the last 30 years. But autos have cut hydrocarbon emissions by 80 percent and nitrogen oxide by 38 percent in the same period, despite a doubling of vehicle miles traveled.
“Cars and light trucks represent the bulk of emissions reductions that we have observed over the last 30 years from all sources,” said Dan Meszler of Energy and Environmental Analysis Inc., the study’s author. “If we took all cars and light trucks off the road, 74 percent to 78 percent of the emissions would still be out there.”
Paul Billings of the American Lung Association said cities struggling to meet the EPA’s clean air requirements need continued reductions from wherever they are available.
“As long as the number of miles traveled continues to increase, each incremental decrease from cars makes a difference because there are so many cars on the road,” Billings said. “The air is still dirty. We need to clean it for our health and to have our cities meet air quality standards.”
The EPA is expected to produce regulations by the end of the year that will impose tougher emissions controls on cars and trucks as well as require the sale of gasoline that contains much less sulfur. The agency also is pursuing an aggressive campaign to reduce smog-causing pollution from older, dirtier coal-burning power plants and has put into place new air quality standards that will require states and communities to curtail all sources of air pollution.
The study examined pollution from cars and light trucks; stationary sources such as power plants, factories and commercial businesses; products such as paints or cleaning solvents; other vehicles on the road such as motorcycles and large trucks; and other mobile sources such as trains, boats, lawn mowers, airplanes and construction equipment.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights ReservedCities urge Congress to act on global warming
Thursday, September 30, 1999
By Robinson Shaw

Honolulu, Hawaii, is one of nearly 600 cities and municipalities participating in a campaign to reduce global warming (PHOTO).

Elected officials from 567 cities and towns across America sent a letter to Congress and President Clinton Tuesday expressing concern about global warming and asking that something be done about it.
“We urge the federal government to develop and implement domestic policies and programs that work with local communities to reduce global warming pollution. Doing so will demonstrate that domestic actions to fight global warming can reap economic and other rewards for our communities and will help our country meet its goals under the Kyoto Protocol, the international effort to reduce the threat of global warming,” the letter says.
Citing the increase in heat waves, storms, floods and other extreme weather events in the United States, which have caused an estimated $140 billion in property damage, the officials say regions face potentially crippling costs as the long-term warming trend continues.
“Federal disaster funds cannot begin to cover the economic and human losses that have been caused by these weather disasters,” say the officials in their statement. “Local communities bear the brunt of the human and economic damage, and are witnessing a decline in the quality of life we have worked so hard to achieve.”
The statement says that current technology combined with smart management will allow communities to drastically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that cause global warming. Measures that address global warming pollution, they say, can also “save money, create jobs and strengthen the local economy.”
The group wants the federal government and Congress to support policies that encourage energy efficiency, waste reduction and alternative transportation solutions.

Traffic adds to the problem of air pollution in Denver. (PHOTO)

All 10 of the warmest years on record have occurred since 1980, with 1998 the hottest ever. Scientists predict global average temperatures will rise by as much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.
“I commend the hundreds of mayors and other local officials across the country who today are committing themselves to the fight against global climate change,” said Clinton. “The communities they represent understand that the threat of global warming is real. Today’s pledge will help encourage other communities across America to do their part to meet this global challenge.”
The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives and Ozone Action, an activist organization, circulated the letter to elected officials. More than 300 municipalities, including Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver, Oakland, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Tucson are participating in an ICLE program called the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, dedicated to addressing environmental problems through local action.
Copyright 1999, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 139 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/3/1999
Subject: Sierra CLub Excerpt — CA Roads

An Excerpt from this week’s Sierra Club Action Alert:

CALIFORNIA ROAD COMES TO A SCREECHING HALT
“We have been facing roadblocks put up by the environmental community.”

Media reports in Orange County indicate that the local Sierra Club has got
“the right stuff.” It seems that contractors carrying out a $16.5 million
design study of the controversial Foothill South toll road are literally
shutting down their office this month because of “unexpected delays” in
getting environmental permits.

A newspaper article about a public forum held Sept. 25 bore the headline
“Residents seem to side with Sierra Club against proposed Foothill South
extension.” Elizabeth Lambe represented the Sierra Club at the hearing.
According to the Orange County Register, Lambe told the assembled that “the
road is not needed, is too expensive, threatens wildlife, and would be the
key to development of new communities on open space that should be
preserved.”

Lambe also did a great job of connecting her local issue to the Club’s
national sprawl campaign. “What’s happening to San Clemente and south
Orange County is emblematic of what’s happening through the nation, and
that’s open space being threatened by roads and development,” she said.

The media reports that discussions about a compromise route will continue,
but that there is “a long road ahead.” The planning has been “stymied by
growing opposition from environmental groups,” according the Register. A
contractor for the road project says, “It could be prolonged for 10 to 12
years, who knows?” But the Club’s Lambe says that “the discussion shouldn’t
be about alignments…we have yet to see any evidence that this is a
necessary road at all.”
_____________________

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 140 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/4/1999
Subject: FY 2000 Transportation Approps Bill

The U.S. Senate just passed the FY 2000 Transportation Approps. Conference Report (H.R. 2084) by a vote of 88-3. This is the same report that passed the House late last week.

Greg Smith
ARTBA

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 141 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/6/1999
Subject: Fwd: SC-ACTION Vol II #140, Oct. 4, 1999

Attachments :

The latest Sierra Club Action Alert

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 142 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/6/1999
Subject: Fwd: REDUCE AIR POLLUTION FROM HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS

Attachments :

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 143 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/7/1999
Subject: Story on Ad Blitz
New ads highlight global warming
Thursday, October 7, 1999
By Associated Press
Three environmental groups began an $8 million, six-week TV and newspaper advertising campaign Wednesday to try to “jump start” public discussions about global warming.
The ads represent the largest commitment of money on a single issue in such a short time period by any environmental coalition, said Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust.
The trust, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Physicians for Social Responsibility said they planned to spend another $3 million for a longer-range “grassroots” campaign on climate change.
The 30-second ads, to run in about 200 cities in prime time, say signs of a warming Earth are already evident and there is a need for action to address the situation.
“It’s time to start fixing global warming now,” conclude two of the spots.
In the nearly two years since the Clinton administration helped negotiate the climate accord in Kyoto, Japan, “there’s been little forward progress” in reducing the heat-trapping gases many scientists believe will cause the Earth’s climate to change, Clapp said.
Global warming already “is a clear and present danger to Americans,” he said in an interview, complaining that the Clinton administration has not given it a high enough profile and the public hasn’t focused on it.
But Glenn Kelly, executive director of the Global Climate Coalition, an advocacy group that opposed the Kyoto climate accord, said the ads will “only further confuse the public on what is a very serious issue.”
Many scientists believe the atmospheric buildup of heat-trapping gases, especially carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels, will cause a warming of the Earth and significant climate change over the next 50 to 100 years.
The Kyoto accord would require industrial nations to reduce their release of these so-called “greenhouse” emissions by 2012 to below what they were in 1990. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have increased by about 11 percent since 1990.
While President Clinton signed the Kyoto agreement, he has not sought its ratification because of widespread opposition in the Senate. Critics say it will cost too much to implement while developing countries will be allowed to let greenhouse emissions grow.
The environmental groups contend the problem must be addressed and the public should be made aware of the potential consequences of inaction.
“The impact of global warming is likely to be quite severe,” said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He and other environmentalists argue the technology exists to curtail energy use and cut carbon emissions without economic disruption.
Copyright 1999, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 144 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/7/1999
Subject: Fwd: SC-ACTION Vol II #141, Oct. 7, 1999

Attachments :

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 145 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/19/1999
Subject: Polluted Parks Story
North Carolina park the worst for air pollution, group says
Tuesday, October 19, 1999
By Bruce Henderson, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most polluted in the nation, a Boone-based environmental group said Monday after analyzing government air-quality data. Readings for ozone, poor visibility and acid precipitation, grouped into a single air-pollution index, have risen sharply in the Smokies since 1993, that data show. A second park in the Southern Appalachians, Virginia’s Shenandoah, ranked second-highest among the 10 parks scored. “The parks are in trouble,” said Appalachian Voices chairman Harvard Ayers, an Appalachian State University professor who did the analysis. “Unless we do something quickly, we’re going to lose their natural resources and their visitors.” A congressional caucus of N.C. and Tennessee members will hold a hearing this morning on pollution in the Smokies park. The Clean Air Act grants national parks the highest level of protection from air pollution. Despite that, the Smokies rack up some of the most frequent unhealthy-air days in the Southeast. The N.C. legislature this year passed a measure to cut emissions of nitrogen oxides, a key ingredient in ozone and other types of air pollution, by 25percent. The measure largely targets motor vehicles. But efforts to curb pollution from another major pollution source, coal-fired power plants, are moving slower. North Carolina fought an Environmental Protection Agency order to cut nitrogen emissions from N.C. power plants by 63percent. Duke Power has estimated its costs of compliance at between $123 million and $517 million, although it’s not clear how much of that would have been passed on to consumers. Gov. Jim Hunt’s alternative proposal for new pollution controls on the state’s five largest power plants, including two near Charlotte, won’t go before the state Environmental Management Commission until December. Negotiations with utilities might alter Hunt’s proposal by the time it reaches the commission, said state air-quality chief Alan Klimek. A regional air-pollution coalition, meanwhile, has estimated that deeper cuts of nitrogen emissions ― at least 70percent ― will be needed to stabilize pollution’s effects on the southern mountains. “There’s no reason to wait,” said Jim Renfro, air-quality specialist at the Smokies park. “We know the reductions needed are large, to really protect the resources.” West of the park, the Tennessee Valley Authority is moving to voluntarily cut nitrogen oxides by 75percent and is exploring wind power and other renewable energy. “To really go after those (coal-fired) plants is really low-hanging fruit, and to do otherwise is really a disservice,” said Stephen Smith, director of the Tennessee Valley Energy Reform Coalition, which has pressed for pollution cuts. Ozone and visibility problems peak in the Smokies, the nation’s most visited park, in the heaviest months of the tourist season. The park set a record this summer with 51days in which ozone levels made it hazardous to hike or visit the highest summits. That topped last year’s record of 44 unhealthy days, second highest in the Southeast behind only Atlanta. On the worst days, summer visibility averages 13miles. The region’s naturally occurring haze would allow 70-mile views. Less obvious to tourists is the acidic rain and clouds that bathe the Smokies’ soils and streams. About 34pounds of nitrate and sulfate fall on each acre of the park every year, the report said. Soils saturated by nitrates leach out plant nutrients while releasing toxic levels of aluminum. Some scientists believe plants weakened by acid soils, such as high-altitude Fraser firs and red spruces, become targets of the diseases and pests that ultimately kill them. For its analysis, Appalachian Voices used data covering 1991-98 that it obtained from the National Park Service. The study focused on the 10 national parks that monitored the same pollutants: Acadia in Maine; Big Bend in Texas; Glacier in Montana; Grand Canyon in Arizona; Great Smokies; Mammoth Cave in Kentucky; Rocky Mountain in Colorado; Sequoia/Kings Canyon and Yosemite, both in California. Great Smokies ranked third in poor visibility, second for ozone and first for acid precipitation. POLLUTED PARKS: National parks suffering most from air pollution: Great Smoky Mountains (North Carolina and Tennessee) Shenandoah (Virginia) Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) Sequoia / Kings Canyon (California) Acadia (Maine) SOURCE: Appalachian Voices
Copyright 1999, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 146 From: Robert Latham Date: 10/20/1999
Subject: Re: Polluted Parks Story

Greg

Your polluted parks story contained the following:

“The N.C. legislature this year passed a measure to cut emissions of
nitrogen oxides, a key ingredient in ozone and other types of air pollution,
by 25 percent. The measure largely targets motor vehicles.”

Can you find out the contents of the bill and what measures will
be taken in NC to ensure this reduction?

Bob Latham

———-

>

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 147 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/20/1999
Subject: Bradley on Kyoto and Bush Attacked

Bradley says U.S. wants leadership on environment
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
By Reuters
Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Bradley said Tuesday Americans wanted a leader who would address environmental issues such as global warming.
Speaking to a League of Conservation Voters dinner in New York, Bradley said he counted on U.S. voters backing “straight talk” on pollution and other environmental problems.
“I’m betting that the public wants their president to tackle the big challenges that face them,” he said.
The former three-term senator from New Jersey is challenging Vice President Al Gore for his party’s 2000 nomination. He has been gaining on Gore in recent polls.
Bradley said the problems of global warming needed a more prominent place in Washington.
He advocated U.S. Senate approval of the 1997 Kyoto international protocol to limit emission of gases thought by some scientists to cause harmful climatic change.
“It’s time to be prudent and stop talking about taking tons (of pollutants) out of the atmosphere and start actually taking tons out of the atmosphere,” Bradley said.
Both Gore and Bradley get high marks from the League of Conservation Voters, a nonpartisan group that monitors lawmakers’ voting records on environmental issues.
Copyright 1999, Reuters, All Rights ReservedTexas activists blame Bush for air quality crisis Wednesday, October 20, 1999
By Reuters
Environmental activists took aim at Texas Gov. and Republican presidential frontrunner George W. Bush Tuesday, blaming him for presiding over an “air quality crisis” in the nation’s second most populous state. “Texas has the worst air in the country,” Meg Haenn, a spokeswoman for the Texas Air Crisis Campaign, a coalition of 44 local and state environmental groups, told a news conference at the state Capitol in Austin. “We believe the air crisis is due to the intentional acts and conscious indifference of Governor Bush, his appointees…and the legislature,” she said. Bush’s presidential campaign dismissed the allegations as inaccurate and politically motivated. “Campaign year tactics like this only poison the spirit of cooperation that is resulting in significant progress toward cleaner air and water in Texas,” Bush spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said in a statement. Most Texans agreed with Bush’s “reasonable and balanced” approach toward environmental protection, she said. Under Bush, funding for the state environmental agency, the Texas National Resource Conservation Committee, would rise 14 percent to $674 million in 2000/01 from $589.5 million in 1995/96, Tucker added. The attack on Bush’s environmental record comes less than two weeks after Houston, the biggest city in Texas, edged ahead of Los Angeles as the nation’s smog leader. Houston and the nearby Galveston Bay area have one of the biggest concentrations of oil refineries and petrochemical plants in the world and the city is also surrounded and intersected by an extensive network of heavily traveled freeways. On Oct. 7 Houston recorded the 44th day this year on which ozone ― smog’s main ingredient ― exceeded the federal limit, overtaking Los Angeles with 43 days above the limit. That news triggered criticism of Bush from Vice-President and Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore. Gore told a fundraiser in New York that Bush had “strong support from polluters who did not want to see an enforcement of the environmental laws, from cornercutters who wanted regulators friendly to them instead of being friendly to the environment.”
Copyright 1999, Reuters, All Rights Reserved

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 148 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/20/1999
Subject: Re: Polluted Parks Story

The law referred to is North Carolina Session Law 1999-328 (Senate Bill 953)

Among other things, the law mandates emissions testing, seeks to limit the sulfur content of fuel sold in NC, and sets a goal to reduce VMT by 25% of the growth that otherwise would be expected over the next 10 years. (Good luck!)

The full text of the law can be viewed at

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/html1999/bills/ratified/senate/sbil0953.full.html

Greg Smith
ARTBA

>>> “Robert Latham” <rlatham@mdhighways.org> 10/20/99 06:52AM >>>

Greg

Your polluted parks story contained the following:

“The N.C. legislature this year passed a measure to cut emissions of
nitrogen oxides, a key ingredient in ozone and other types of air pollution,
by 25 percent. The measure largely targets motor vehicles.”

Can you find out the contents of the bill and what measures will
be taken in NC to ensure this reduction?

Bob Latham

———-

>

 

————————————————————————

eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/artbacse
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Group: ARTBACSE Message: 149 From: Greg Smith Date: 10/21/1999
Subject: Excerpts from the Sierra Club

SC-ACTION VOL. II, # 146
DEFENDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
Oct. 20, 1999″This is a dramatic, bold, visionary proposal from President
Clinton. He would be establishing a legacy of protecting our
forest heritage to rival Teddy Roosevelt”

-Sierra Club’s Jim Young in the Seattle P.I. (watch this Friday’s
SC-ACTION for a collection of editorials lauding Clinton’s
historic initiative to protect our nation’s remaining roadless
areas)

___________________________________________________

New York: Environmental Justice Campaign on Hudson East River
Gets Media

Manhattan may be an island, but if you want to get down to the
water safely, fish or recreate on the shoreline, your best bet is
go to New Jersey. That’s why Sierra Club New York City activists
have been collaborating with local environmental justice groups
to create new waterfront parks in the city. Now, after two years
of organizing, it looks like their message of more waterfront
access is finally getting out.

The New York NBC affiliate aired not one, but *two*, special
reports on our environmental justice campaign for waterfront
access and cleaning up the Hudson and East Rivers.

One featured “toxic fish,” the dangers to families who
subsistence fish. Another highlighted inner city communities’
access to water and swimming. Both reports featured our EJ
partners, Samara Swanston (Watchperson) and Carlos Padilla (South
Bronx Clean Air), NE Regional staffer Susan Holmes and lots of
people in the affected communities of Harlem and Brooklyn
sounding the call for more access. “People in these communities
can’t afford a health club” said Samara Swanston, Watchperson
Project. “They need these places for recreation.”

Washington: Sierra Club Calls Senator Gorton OUT on the
Environment

On a bright, beautiful autumn day by Puget Sound, Seattle’s new
baseball park — Safeco Field — hosted a big-dollar fund-raiser
(instead of a playoff game) for Sen. Slade Gorton with special
guest Texas Governor George W. Bush.
Sierra Club activists used the gathering as an opportunity for
some good old-fashioned accountability work: an encore release of
the limited-edition Slade Gorton baseball trading cards that were
officially unveiled back on Safeco’s Opening Night in July. The
cards detail Gorton’s poor environmental record throughout his
Senate career with a year-by-year breakdown of his meager
environmental batting average.

The Senator was likely none too happy that 150 or so of his
contributors walked into his event carrying the cards they had
just received outside the street-level entrance. Meanwhile, up
in the brilliant blue sky, a plane circled for 90 minutes towing
a banner that read: “GORTON STRIKES OUT ON THE ENVIRONMENT.”
Sierra Club activists were also joined by two friends from the
Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition: one dressed in an oversized
Gorton puppet head and the other, a full-length salmon costume.

All the major TV stations attended and at lease three filmed
Sierra Club’s card distribution and the aerial banner. The
Associated Press, the local NPR affiliate, and the top-rated AM
news/talk radio station covered the action.

But the day’s biggest score was a home run that bounced all the
way back to Gov Bush’s home state. A conversation with a
campaign trail reporter from the Houston Chronicle produced a
Sunday story on Sierra Club criticism of Gorton’s and Bush’s
environmental records. Headlined “Gov. Bush criticized for
supporting strip mine champion — Candidate raises funds for
senator who backed Houston company,” the story focused on
Gorton’s efforts on behalf on a Texas-based mining company that
plans to dig an open-pit, cyanide-leach gold mine in a Washington
State National Forest. Gorton cleared the way with a rider in
the Kosovo/disaster relief emergency spending bill last spring
(special thanks to Texan Sierrans Ken Kramer and Jennifer Fowler
for research and background materials on the Governor).

Florida: Public Education Forum on Suncoast Tollroad A Success

On October 14th, under a hurricane warning, three Sierra Groups:
the Suncoast Group (Joe Murphy, Joella Foster, Sue Adams, Laurie
Macdonald, Mark Washburn and Bob Bulsey), the Tampa Bay group
(Jim Johnson) and the Suwanee-St. Johns group (Dick Williams and
December McSherry) as well as the Citizens Opposed to The
Suncoast Tollroad turned out over 400 people to the Crystal River
National Guard Armory for a forum to inform the public why the
Suncoast Tollroad must be stopped.

There were eleven tables overflowing with information sheets–
DOT toll projections, maps, aerial photographs, letters to the
editors, water table info, as well as manatee, black bear, and
sandhill crane information. They also aired a continually-running
video tape of the destruction the road is causing to the south.
The program ran like clockwork and people even waited in lines to
sign the Sierra Club postcards, the C.O.S.T. petition, and pick
up bumper stickers and buttons.

One County Commissioner showed up for the meeting. While he
declined to sit up in the front row in a specially labeled chair
for him, EPEC Organizer Beth Connor introduced him and asked if
their were any other elected officials present. When she got no
response, she proceeded to take the other 4 chairs with
commissioners names hung from them and placed them on the stage.
Connor also hired a court reporter to transcribe the proceedings
so that they could be delivered to those county commissioners who
did not attend.

The event was covered by Tampa Bay Channel 28 ABC news and
received got front page coverage in both the Citrus Chronicle and
the Citrus Edition of the St. Pete Times. But the action didn’t
stop there–activists turned out the following day at the Citrus
County delegation meeting with burma shave signs that read
“LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE STOP THE TOLLROAD” and “SUNCOAST TOLLROAD
TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.”

—————————————————————–

Sierra Club Legislative Hotline – 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters – 415-977-5500
Sierra Club World Wide Web – http://www.sierraclub.org
Sierra Club Vote Watch Website –
http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/

White House Comment Line – 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line – 202-456-2461
Clinton’s e-mail – president@whitehouse.gov
Gore’s e-mail – vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address – 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500

US Capitol Switchboard – 202-224-3121
To contact your senators –
http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
To contact your representative – http://www.house.gov/writerep/
——————————————————-

 

Group: ARTBACSE Message: 150 From: Robert Latham Date: 10/21/1999
Subject: Re: Polluted Parks Story

Greg

Thanks for your quick work. Any other states passed similar laws?
Also, has NC DOT issued their VMT reduction regs?

Bob

———-

>From: “Greg Smith” <gsmith@artba.org>
>To: artbacse@egroups.com
>Subject: [artbacse] Re: Polluted Parks Story
>Date: Wed, Oct 20, 1999, 7:45 PM
>

> The law referred to is North Carolina Session Law 1999-328 (Senate Bill 953)
>
> Among other things, the law mandates emissions testing, seeks to limit the
> sulfur content of fuel sold in NC, and sets a goal to reduce VMT by 25% of
> the growth that otherwise would be expected over the next 10 years. (Good

luck!)

>
> The full text of the law can be viewed at
>
> http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/html1999/bills/ratified/senate/sbil0953.full.html
>
> Greg Smith
> ARTBA
>
>>>> “Robert Latham” <rlatham@mdhighways.org> 10/20/99 06:52AM >>>
> Greg
>
> Your polluted parks story contained the following:
>
> “The N.C. legislature this year passed a measure to cut emissions of
> nitrogen oxides, a key ingredient in ozone and other types of air pollution,
> by 25 percent. The measure largely targets motor vehicles.”
>
> Can you find out the contents of the bill and what measures will
> be taken in NC to ensure this reduction?
>
> Bob Latham

X