The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered a victory to the transportation construction industry today, issuing new stormwater runoff regulations that do not include controversial “one size fits all” requirements long opposed by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).
Originally, EPA had wanted to include a single, uniform standard for runoff on all construction sites, meaning that a project in an extremely wet area would be treated the same as one in an extremely dry area.
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.
ARTBA also participated in EPA small business work groups, telling the agency that on certain projects the proposed EPA standards could add up to as much as $1 million in additional costs.
The full text of the association’s many comments can be found in the “regulatory” section of www.artba.org.
