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EPA AWARDS $250,000 SMART GROWTH GRANT TO SOUTHERN NEVADA ONE OF 15 MAJOR GRANTS IN THE U.S.

Release Date: 5/17/2000
Contact Information: Lisa Fasano, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1587

     SAN FRANCISCO-  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a $250,000 grant to the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition to apply state-of-the-art planning tools to protect the Las Vegas Valley's environment while accommodating the Valley's explosive population growth.  
     
          The Coalition will use the funds to analyze various development scenarios to determine which can provide adequate housing and jobs for Clark County residents, while improving air quality and recreational opportunities, and conserving natural resources.
     
          The EPA's grant to the Coalition was one of only 15 large "Sustainable Development Challenge Grants" selected from  nearly 1,000 proposals submitted nationwide.  Another 12 smaller grants were also awarded.
     
          In addition to the grant, the EPA has selected the Coalition as one of 20 sites nationwide to receive a new Geographic Information System software tool, the Smart Growth INDEX, which can be used to analyze the environmental impacts of various land use scenarios in developing the greater Las Vegas Valley.    
     
          "The Las Vegas Valley has been experiencing rapid growth throughout the 90's and is projected to more than double its population over the next 20 years," said Felicia Marcus, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.  "EPA's hope is that we can help support locally-led efforts to deal with the public's concern about traffic and sprawl, and also highlight new approaches that will lead to a livable healthy environment and a strong economy."
     
          "The Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition continues to face the challenge of keeping up with one of the fastest growing areas in the nation.  The funding from this grant will allow the Coalition to meet that challenge through innovative solutions that will focus on sustainable development," Senator Harry Reid said.  "The Coalition's pro-active approach to dealing with urban sprawl issues, such as the increased demand for land and environmental concerns, will continue to be a valuable asset in this rapidly growing region."
     
          "It's rewarding to have our regional planning efforts recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency," Coalition Chairman Steve Kirk said.  "This grant funding will certainly assist the Coalition in its efforts to provide regional planning for the Las Vegas Valley."
     
          "This grant is the greatest," said Las Vegas  Mayor Oscar Goodman.  " Now we will be able to use state-of-the-art planning tools to enhance our efforts to revitalize the more mature neighborhoods, improve transportation and air quality on a regional basis, and protect and preserve the quality of live which is so dear to us."
     
          The funding is part of a broader effort by the EPA's Pacific Southwest office to support more livable, sustainable communities in California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.  Over the past two years, the EPA has funded more than 30 projects to help communities plan smarter ways to grow in the future.  The projects cover many activities, from information sharing to regional planning support and watershed protection.
     
          "We are excited about the possibilities with this grant, our various agencies can coordinate to tame the suburban sprawl beast," said Samuel Pierce, Sierra Club growth subcommittee chair.  "We can create the infill development to repair our urban fabric. We can reconfigure our automobile-centered development patterns."
     
          Additional EPA assistance to the Las Vegas Valley in the last two years has included:
     
Co-sponsoring the March 2000 Las Vegas Smart Growth conference.
     
Awarding a $200,000 brownfields grant to the City of Las Vegas to help revitalize
the city's downtown core by transforming four historical industrial sites.
     
Awarding to the City of Las Vegas a $500,000 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Grant to assist the city in restoration of its downtown area.
     
Financing through the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, the $50,000 cleanup of the National Guard Armory site in Las Vegas, completed earlier this year.
     
Approving $840,000 for Nevada to prevent polluted runoff from fouling waterways.
     
     For more information about EPA's livable communities program in the Pacific Southwest, contact Sara Russell at 415/744-1029.