Last week, members of the AGC Environmental Network Steering Committee participated in the annual, two-day Washington, DC “fly-in” event at the association’s headquarters to discuss significant environmental rulemakings and initiatives that impact commercial construction.
AGC contractors and AGC environmental staff sat down with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program offices focused on waste, water, green buildings and sustainable communities; the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). AGC also met with representatives from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and public works groups on new and evolving sustainability programs and rating systems recently launched by non-governmental organizations. The series of meetings concluded with a discussion on diesel equipment technology advancements, including presentations from experts at from Caterpillar, John Deere and the Diesel Technology Forum.
The AGC Environmental Network Steering Committee meets face-to-face with key policymakers every year in an effort to help the federal government understand the construction process, to facilitate an open dialogue with interested stakeholders, and to better align environmental programs (mandatory and voluntary) with industry needs. Much of the discussions involved pending EPA rulemakings; EPA staff listened attentively to AGC members’ concerns and asked questions, and shared information on specific EPA plans to address industry issues, as appropriate. Many action items for 2011 resulted from the two days of meetings.
Following are the highlights and preliminary action items that resulted from this year’s fly-in—
- The meetings kicked-off with a roundtable discussion on new EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics rules in the works that would expand the current lead-paint management practices and other certification requirements to construction work on both the exterior and inside of most, if not all, public and commercial buildings. In coordination with a coalition of 15 other real estate and development organizations, AGC has filed numerous comment letters with EPA stressing that public and commercial buildings may present very different patterns of exposure to lead-based paint than in residential settings, and maintaining that the Agency must gather more scientific data and stakeholder input before proceeding with any new regulations. EPA invited AGC to participate in a series of conference calls in early 2011 to further assess the potential impact these proceedings will have on the business of construction. AGC’s Senior Environmental Advisor has been nominated to provide advice and recommendations to federal government employees on ways for EPA to minimize the impact to small businesses and is waiting for final Agency selection.
- AGC members heard updates on the EPA Office of Water’s process and timeline to revise the nationwide turbidity limit for construction stormwater runoff, to oversee nationwide implementation of the Construction & Development Effluent Limitation Guidelines requirements (including the “corrected” turbidity limit), to revise and reissue the federal Construction General Permit for stormwater to include the new ELG provisions, and to develop a rulemaking to set first-time standards for post-construction stormwater runoff that would mimic pre-development site conditions. AGC and EPA agreed to identify future opportunities to educate contractors on the new stormwater-related requirements.
- During the “Sustainability Update,” the Steering Committee held a series of meetings on sustainability initiatives across the construction markets. The group met with the new EPA Office of Sustainable Communities and heard about their role at the Agency. They also heard updates on EPA’s green building activities from the co-chair of the EPA Green Building Workgroup. They discussed with DOE activities related to codes and standards for energy efficient buildings, potential opportunities and challenges for construction contractors and the possible development of educational tools specific to the construction industry. They met with the Federal Highway Administration to discuss reviewing and beta-testing a new FHWA self-assessment rating tool for highway and transportation projects and programs. They learned about new initiatives in green buildings, neighborhood development and public works sustainability rating tools from the USGBC, the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Civil Engineering Companies and the American Public Works Association.
- The Steering Committee then met with representatives from Caterpillar, John Deere and the Diesel Technology Forum for a briefing Tier 4 equipment technologies and emissions-related trends. The group discussed and evaluated several methods (incentives and mandates) states may use to reduce emissions from construction equipment fleets.