The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has declared victory against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when it comes to the issue of stormwater permitting. On February 16, the federal agency issued new general permits for stormwater runoff from construction sites that did not include controversial "one-size-fits-all" requirements long opposed by ARTBA.
For the past five years, ARTBA has repeatedly submitted comments and testimony to EPA saying that builders and planners needed flexibility for stormwater permits to account for different weather conditions across the country under which projects are built. Transportation projects are initiated in every part of the country, and those in areas with heavy rainfall should not be held to the same standards as those in arid regions, the association said.
The full text of the association’s many comments can be found in the “regulatory affairs” section of www.artba.org.
Established in 1902, ARTBA is the transportation construction’s primary advocate on environmental and regulatory matters in the Nation’s Capital. In just the past five years alone, ARTBA has presented the industry’s views to federal agencies more than 100 times on a variety of issues.