1. Mid-Atlantic Green Highways Initiative Building Bridges through Collaborative Partnerships

2. What is the Green Highways Initiative? Voluntary – Not Regulatory Collaborative Partnership –a “network” of industry, trade, & environmental organizations, private sector (consultants & contractors), and government (local, state, & federal). Goal is to promote innovation, environmental stewardship, streamlining, and regulatory certainty and flexibility.

3. Goals & Missions of Environmental Protection and Transportation are Merging! “In the beginning” NEPA Environmental Stewardship Green Highways Environmental Protection Transportation

4. Pillars of GHI Partnerships Rewards & Recognition Opportunities THEME TEAMS Innovative Watershed-Driven Stormwater Management Recycling and Reuse Conservation and Ecosystem Management

5. What’s happened so far? Stakeholder meetings - FHWA, EPA, AASHTO, ACPA, ACAA, Forum Planning Team Mid-Atlantic Green Highways Initiative Planning Charrette –“Designing a Blueprint for Success” Green Highways Ad-Hoc Committee Formed –Definition, Mission Statement, & Objectives created. Green Highways Forum –Executive Session – Agency and Industry leaders discussed the goals and objectives of GHI and provided input into the future direction of the effort. Green Highways Partnership Retreat –Development of the Roadmap

6. Green Highways Roadmap Stormwater Theme Team Plan Promote the integration of public and private interests in achieving the mutual goal of supporting sustainable use of natural resources. Address regulatory flexibility & policy to support watershed based stormwater management –NPDES, 404, 401, state regulations, TMDLs, etc Develop white paper to identify needs, barriers, and actions needed to overcome barriers Develop business case for DOTs to justify watershed based stormwater management Research and Development – best approaches and practices

7. Green Highways Roadmap Recycle/Reuse Theme Team Plan Identify state DOT projects to optimize the beneficial use of industrial by-products. –Target 3 states: PA,MD,VA –Work with DOTs & DNR’s/DEQs jointly Identify Existing Regulations & Specifications –Target states for follow up after information is gathered –Provide technical information to help them overcome hurdles –Exchange best practices Disseminate Information –Develop a toolkit for implementers –House the information/toolkit on GHP website Contacts & Sources of material

8. Green Highways Roadmap Conservation/Eco Mgmt Theme Team Plan Develop and implement a scaleable, ecosystem-based decision-making framework (Green Infrastructure) to support planning, design, construction, mitigation (esp. advanced) & monitoring. Products: –A set of core data sets/interactive mapping tools –A tailored, science-based decision-making process supported by geo-spatial data and analyses Outcomes: –Works at project and planning levels –Streamlined and flexible regulatory process (develop GPs, implement new wetland mitigation rules) –Greater certainty and predictability on all sides –Increase information sharing between federal, state & local level, and integrate into land use planning –Net gain in environmental condition

9. “The substructure or underlying foundation, especially the basic installations and facilities, on which the continuance and growth of a community or state depends”. (Source: Webster’s New World Dictionary) Infrastructure

10. Infrastructure is: A necessity, not an amenity A primary public investment Must be constantly maintained Must be developed as a system, not as isolated parts Implications of Definition Infrastructure

12. CORRIDOR Core Hub Hubs are groupings of core areas bounded by major roads or unsuitable land cover Corridors link hubs and allow animal, water, seed and pollen movement between hubs Green Infrastructure Green Infrastructure: Conceptual Model

13. Reactive Site or Project Specific Narrowly Focused or Not Multi-Objective Not Well Integrated with Other Efforts Conservation and Restoration activities that are: Haphazard Conservation and Restoration

14. √ Proactive not Reactive √ Systematic not Haphazard √ Holistic not Piecemeal √ Multi-functional not Single Purpose √ Multiple Scales not Single Scale, and √ Science-based Conservation and restoration that promotes planning, protection, restoration and long term management that is: Green Infrastructure: Strategic Conservation and Restoration

15. Benefits of Green Infrastructure Approach Not a new concept in the Mid-Atlantic – has buy-in and credibility at all scales. Consistent with Eco-Logical approach. Provides information to support a decision making framework that allows for: regulatory streamlining and flexibility (e.g. alternative/advance mitigation) greater certainty for agencies and the public increased effectiveness of management actions regional to local linkages; scientifically defensible

17. Benefits of Green Infrastructure Approach Not a new concept in the Mid-Atlantic – has buy-in and credibility at all scales. Consistent with Eco-Logical approach. Provides information to support a decision making framework that allows for: regulatory streamlining and flexibility (e.g. alternative/advance mitigation) greater certainty for agencies and the public increased effectiveness of management actions regional to local linkages; scientifically defensible

18. Contact Information: Green Highways: Denise Rigney rigney.denise@epa.gov Dominique Lueckenhoff lueckenhoff.dominique@epa.gov

19. To Learn More Take the Course - NCTC, June 12-16, 2006! NCTC, Sept. 25-29, 2006! NCTC, Jan. 8-12, 2007! Read the New Book - Island Press, Spring 2006! Visit the Website - www.greeninfrastructure.net Bill Jenkins (215) 814-2911; jenkins.bill@epa.gov