On the Issues
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SMART GROWTH In 1999, Senator Carl Levin and Senator Jim Jeffords, I-VT, formed the Senate Smart Growth Task Force. The task force serves as a forum for senators interested in sustainable and sensible growth. Senate Smart Growth Task Force members have introduced many bills promoting locally driven, federally supported smart growth practices. Members also sponsor studies and host educational forums. At the request of task force members, the Government Accountability Office has completed several studies on the impact of federal policies and programs on land use patterns, environmental quality, and fiscal outcomes. These GAO studies include:
Members of the Smart Growth Task Force were the lead sponsors of the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act that unanimously passed the Senate and was signed into law in 2002. This bill helps clarify the definition of brownfields and eligibility of sites for federal assistance. It also authorizes $200 million per year for brownfields grants. In conjunction with his work on smart growth issues, Senator Levin has also been a strong supporter of the EPA’s Brownfields program, and has led an annual effort to increase funding for this important program, which provides states and communities with grants to conduct environmental assessment and cleanup of properties where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. In Michigan, this program has been used to clean up and redevelop a number of properties, creating jobs, building the local tax base, and revitalizing communities in an environmentally responsible manner. Senator Levin also has led the effort to increase funding for EPA’s Smart Growth office, which works to support non-regulatory approaches to addressing the environmental and fiscal impacts associated with poorly planned development. Senator Levin is a vocal supporter of funding for the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program. UPARR is a small but important program within the National Park Service. Its grant programs help support park and recreation facilities in under-served communities. Michigan communities such as Flint , Muskegon Heights and Detroit have benefited in recent years from the UPARR program. Senator Levin co-sponsored the Post Office Community Partnership Act, a bill introduced by Senator Max Baucus, D-MT. The bill provides local communities a greater say in USPS decisions to relocate or close post offices or construct new post offices. It would also require the USPS to coordinate their projects with local zoning, environmental and historic preservation laws. Over the past several years, Senator Levin was one of the original co-sponsors of the Commuters Benefit Equity Act, which would raise the tax benefits for using transit services and provide equity with the tax deductions for employer supported parking. Senator Levin also is working to improve roads and transit services. He co-sponsored the High Speed Rail Investment Act, and actively supports the development of efficient high speed rail services for Michigan. Senator Paul Sarbanes, D-MD, has introduced, and Senator Levin co-sponsored, the Transit in Parks Act. This bill will provide increased funding for transit projects that relieve congestion in our increasingly popular national parks. He also is a strong supporter of maintaining funding for Amtrak. As co-chair of the Task Force, Senator Levin has initiated many "Dear Colleague" letters informing his Senate colleagues about issues related to urban development and smart growth. The senator has hosted numerous briefings on smart growth topics. For more information on smart growth, please visit Smart Growth America .
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