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

Release Date: 02/07/2013
Contact Information: Terri White 215-814-5523 white.terri-a@epa.gov

(PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 7, 2013) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the City of Petersburg, Va., and 42 other rural, urban, and suburban communities will receive technical assistance to pursue sustainable growth that encourages local economic development while safeguarding people’s health and the environment.

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

“I credit Petersburg for utilizing EPA’s Building Blocks program to help plan for a better future,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “This targeted assistance will go a long way in helping the city’s leaders identify ways to grow the community while minimizing environmental impacts.”

The assistance is being provided through EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program to communities in 27 states. Petersburg applied for technical assistance focusing on land use strategies to protect water quality. The workshop will help the city explore the use of green infrastructure to meet requirements for managing storm water while also strengthening Peterburg’s economy.

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

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

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