Regional Organizations Balance Environment and Economy

Brownouts and power shortages in California. Potential oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Florida’s dwindling drinking water reserve. Increased arsenic levels in drinking water. Rising gas prices. Fish kills resulting from manure lagoon spills. Sprawling cities and the loss of farmland in rural areas. The effect of dams on salmon spawning. The challenge to responsibly manage local natural resources is a practical problem for local communities. Regional development organizations are using creative mechanisms to walk the tightrope with respect to balancing the environment and the economy.

Communities are struggling with solid waste management, not just what to do with it but how to produce less. In 1996, US residents, businesses and institutions produced more than 209 million tons of municipal solid waste, approximately 4.3 pounds of waste per person per day, up from 2.7 pounds per person per day in 1960. Twenty-seven percent is recovered and recycled or composted, 17 percent is burned at combustion facilities and the remaining 55 percent is disposed of in landfills.

Recycling, including composting, diverted 57 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 1996, up from 34 million tons in 1990 — a 67 percent increase in just six years. Typical materials that are recycled include batteries, recycled at 93.3 percent, paper and paperboard at 41.7 percent and yard trimmings at 41.4 percent. These materials and others may be recycled through curbside programs, drop-off centers, buy-back programs and deposit systems. While the number of landfills is steadily decreasing-from 8,000 in 1988 to 2,400 in 1996, the capacity has remained relatively constant. New landfills are much larger than in the past.

Air pollution is an issue for everyone. The average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air every day. Children breathe even more air per pound of body weight and are more susceptible to air pollution. In addition, for those communities in nonattainment areas due to transport issues, clean air is something seemingly unattainable.

Natural Resources Stats According to the Local Government Environmental Assistance Network, only one percent of the earth’s water is drinkable and local governments are often stewards of public drinking water supplies. A recent study by Johns Hopkins University predicts that, under current water management, 35 percent of the world’s population will run short of water in the next 25 years. Every dollar of public money spent for a brownfields redevelopment effort leveraged an average $2.48 in private sector funds. (Daily Report for Executives, BNA, No. 201, Oct. 19.1999) According to the US Department of Energy, for every $1.00 spent in local economies, energy efficiency generates $.57 to $.84 more economic activity than the payment of energy bills.

With energy crises at the forefront, energy conservation and energy efficiency are being judged against the building of new power plants. Alternative forms of energy are being considered, including solar, wind, biomass, hydropower and others. Per capita annual electricity consumption in the US in 1997 was 12,133 kilowatt-hours, while that of the rest of the world was 1,381 kilowatt-hours. From 1990 to 1999, there was a 21.5 percent increase in US electricity consumption. In 1998, 7.5 percent of total US energy consumption was from renewable sources. And 94 percent of total US renewable energy consumption was from hydropower and biomass.

Regional development organizations are addressing natural resources issues, just as they would transportation, workforce development, housing, tourism development and other factors influencing economic development. By assisting local governments in their jurisdictions, regional organizations are helping their citizens with issues as diverse as solid waste management, air quality, water quality, animal feeding operations, farmland protection, forestry and more.

Responding to drought conditions and rapid growth in the 1980s, Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center, an Economic Development Administration (EDA) funded district, initiated efforts to provide additional water supply by constructing the Bear Creek Reservoir and forming a regional authority.

With the Morgan County “Take it or Leave it” Project, Gateway Area Development District, an EDA funded district in Kentucky, created a place where citizens can drop off used household items they no longer need, allowing other citizens to pick them up at no cost.

With the help of Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission, an EDA funded district in Virginia, the Southwest Virginia Waste Tire Management Program turns waste tires into landfill cover, fuel, construction material and other products, eliminating large stockpiles of waste tires throughout a seven-county area of southwestern Virginia.

By Melissa Levy, Digest Managing Editor
For more information, contact Jim Dove of Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center at (706) 369-5650 or on the web at www.negrdc.org; Gail Wright of Gateway Area Development District at (606) 674-6355; and Andrew Chafin of Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission at (540) 889-1778.

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