SEQL in the Greater Charlotte Bt-State Region:
Tackling Environmental Challenges
In a Growing Metropolitan Area
SUSTAINABLE
ENVIRONMENT
for QUALITY of LIFE
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Catawba
Regional
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EPA-456/R-06-001
November 2006
SEQL in the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region:
Tackling Environmental Challenges
In a Growing Metropolitan Area
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711
Centralina Council of Governments
1300 Baxter Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28204
Catawba Regional Council of Governments
215 Hampton Street
Rock Hill, South Carolina 29731
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life, or SEQL, is a federal-state-local partnership
designed to enhance the quality of life for residents in the fifteen-county Greater
Charlotte-Rock Hill-Gastonia-Concord Bi-State Region in North Carolina and South
Carolina (Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region). Through SEQL, local officials have worked
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the states of North Carolina
and South Carolina to help support ongoing efforts to make the Greater Charlotte Bi-State
Region environmentally cleaner, more livable for its residents, and a more attractive area
for businesses to locate.
A key aspect of the SEQL effort is helping incorporate environmental concerns in local
decision making throughout the region. Through the leadership of Centralina and
Catawba Regional Councils of Governments, elected officials, citizens, and businesses are
working together to address a range of issues associated with rapid growth and urban and
suburban sprawl. SEQL also has helped bring federal and state resources to bear in
helping local officials address environmental challenges. It has proven to be a model that
other areas can adopt as they confront quality of life and environmental challenges
associated with rapid growth. This report provides a step-by-step guide for establishing a
SEQL program in any area.
in A of
Rapid growth in metropolitan areas has presented local governments across the nation
with an array of new challenges. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. population is
growing by more than 2.5 million people annually. This is roughly the equivalent of
adding a city the size of metropolitan Denver to the U.S. every year. This trend is
expected to continue until 2050. From 1982 to 2002, total land developed increased by
almost fifty percent, while total cropland acreage declined by about twelve percent,
according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey. And the American Farmland Trust
reports that sprawl claims an estimated 1.2 million acres of farmland each year.
By 2030, the nation will need about 427 billion square feet of "built space" to
accommodate projected population growth. Half of that space has yet to be built,
according to a Brookings Institution report. Land use issues are local decisions. If local
governments meet this demand with the type of development seen in recent years, sprawl
is likely to continue. This sprawl can contribute to a cascade of problems, including
increases in the number of cars on the road, distances traveled, demand for paved roads
and parking lots, and air quality and water-quality problems.
Sprawl also has economic consequences. Traffic delays resulted in $72 billion in wasted
fuel and lost wages in 1997 alone, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Unless governments take action now to prevent sprawl, these traffic delays will become
a daily fact of life for millions more Americans in the future. This rapid growth has
often left local governments struggling to find effective solutions to these regional
problems that are often beyond their control. Without a consensus-based approach to
address these concerns on a regional basis, local governments in many areas of the
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country have been left to act independently. The resulting fragmentation often leaves
scores of local communities in a given region trying to manage growth from the lowest
possible level of government.
Federal and state governments can help. Federal and state agencies offer a wide array of
programs to support local efforts in improving quality of life and the environment.
However, locating these programs and navigating through the process and paperwork
necessary to qualify for and receive these funds can be daunting for local communities.
Moreover, while national and state pollution control rules have helped improve air and
water quality to the point that the nation's air and water is cleaner than it has been at any
time over the past thirty-five years, these rules cannot completely solve local
environmental and quality of life problems. For example, automobile emission standards
in place today result in new cars that are 99 percent cleaner for smog-producing pollutants
than those built in 1970. However, the growth in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and
associated emissions threaten to erode those gains. It is not difficult to imagine a day in
the future when commuters are driving zero-emission vehicles (and air quality has,
therefore, improved), but those vehicles are stuck in frequent traffic jams. Ultimately,
issues like VMT growth that are connected to land use are better addressed locally
because, of course, land use decisions are primarily local.
A
Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and a major economic center for both North
Carolina and South Carolina. The city is the country's second largest financial center,
with nine Fortune 500 firms headquartered in the region. Charlotte is a hub for U.S.
Airways, home to professional football and basketball franchises, and supports the largest
public arts campaign in the country.
At 7,300 square miles, the bi-state area is larger than the State of Connecticut. It spans
two states, with eleven counties in North Carolina and four in South Carolina.
The Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region has experienced explosive growth. Its population
has nearly doubled since 1980, and the area is ranked twenty-sixth among the top one
hundred fastest growing metropolitan areas, based on 1990-2000 U.S. Census data. The
current population of 2.3 million is projected to nearly double again by 2030.
This growth has come at a price. Charlotte area drivers spend an average of forty-three
hours a year in traffic, up from ten hours in 1982, according to the 2005 Urban Mobility
Study by the Texas Transportation Institute. Based on this increase, Charlotte ranks
nineteenth in traffic delays among urban areas nationwide.
To successfully address the economic, environmental, and lifestyle-related issues
associated with the growth anticipated in the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region, local
elected officials must work closely together. This presents its own set of challenges. No
one governmental body controls the entire area, which contains over 125 political
jurisdictions with staggered elections for governing boards. A regional initiative requires
long-term commitment, the involvement of local organizations, the business community
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and citizens across the region, as well as a continual process of educating elected officials
and bringing them together.
it it
Recognizing the potential impact of rapid growth on regional livability, in 2001
Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman Parks
Helms brought together elected officials from across the region. The group identified a
set of steps local governments could take to improve air and water quality and/or
encourage sustainable growth. With the support of EPA and the states of North and
South Carolina, and with facilitation provided by the Centralina Council of
Governments, the chief elected officials from twenty-six jurisdictions agreed to a set of
twenty-five action items for local consideration and implementation. These measures
included incentives to encourage vanpooling, carpooling and mass transit; local
government energy plans; planning for greenways and open space; sedimentation and
erosion control; and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes.
Building on this effort, Mayor McCrory and other local officials decided to encourage
local communities to adopt the action items across a broader region. This effort was
managed by Centralina Council of Governments (COG) in North Carolina, which
contracted with Catawba Regional COG in South Carolina, to include the fifteen counties
that now form the SEQL region. These two COGs work with jurisdictions in thirteen of
SEQL's fifteen counties.
Under SEQL, the Centralina and Catawba COGs developed a set of "how-to" documents
that explain how to implement each of the action items identified. Each document
describes the action, explains its impact, costs and benefits, and provides a step-by-step
guide for implementing the measure. The COGs made this information available to local
jurisdictions via notebooks, CDs and the SEQL website.
EPA, North Carolina and South Carolina provided technical and monetary support for
special projects through grants. The COGs provided additional resources to support SEQL
outreach. The COGs also worked with EPA and the states to identify a range of additional
measures to improve the environment. These include diesel retrofit, truck stop
electrification, lawn mower rebates, gas can trade outs, auto body shop pollution
prevention training, and energy efficient coatings for heating and air conditioning units,
among others. As of April 2006, eighty-six jurisdictions had reported adopting and
implementing more than 750 action items.
SEQL also provided a forum for elected officials, city and county managers, business
leaders, and citizen groups to meet regularly to discuss regional quality-of-life issues. The
meetings were designed to help build a strong regional ethic across the fifteen counties,
discuss ways to improve public health and the environment, and keep the Greater
Charlotte Bi-State Region a place where people want to live and businesses want to locate.
At the meetings, officials discussed how to implement specific actions in their own
communities, with an emphasis on those that would produce multiple environmental
benefits.
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Local leaders established a Project Management Advisory Council to manage the SEQL
effort. Composed of officials from the COGs, local governments, the two states and EPA,
the Council met periodically to discuss progress and plan new efforts.
Under the SEQL umbrella, the Charlotte region initiated a "visioning process" for the
region. Rather than starting from scratch, as is typically done in visioning projects, the
COGs used an innovative approach that culled shared values from adopted jurisdictional
visions and plans. This process revealed a remarkable degree of consensus on these shared
values in a very cost-effective manner. Future phases of the visioning process will make
use of an EPA tool designed to develop and analyze growth scenarios. The EPA's
Regional Vulnerability Assessment tool allows local governments to examine the long-
term potential environmental and lifestyle impacts of various development decisions. (For
more information, visit www.epa.gQY/rgva.)
A for the
SEQL is one of a number of similar efforts under way around the nation. One of the most
comprehensive is Envision Utah, a private/public partnership that guides the development
of a broad, publicly supported, Quality Growth Strategy for Utah's Greater Wasatch Area.
Envision Utah has used regional visioning and citizen involvement to develop alternative
future scenarios for addressing rapid development and population growth. (For more
information, visit www.envisionutah.org.)
Other metropolitan areas can replicate both Envision Utah and SEQL to address growth
and quality of life-related problems. Communities around the Southeast have already
looked to the SEQL process and adopted similar measures. SEQL's website outlines the
twenty-five action items and describes the costs, impacts and benefits, and the time it
takes for implementation. Each item includes a step-by-step action plan and provides
contacts for additional information. (For more information, visit www.seql.org or
w w w.cent railna., org )
of for
Based on the SEQL experience, local communities interested in developing regional
environmental programs should consider:
1. Identify a Local Champion: Political leadership at the local level is critical to the
success of a SEQL-like initiative. Such initiatives can be difficult to maintain without
a prominent political leader, or leaders, who can bring together the elected officials
necessary to develop solutions to regional problems. Bipartisan leadership is ideal.
While leaders from the business community assume key roles in many metropolitan
organizations, support and participation from local elected officials is critical.
2. Engage a Respected Regional Organization to Manage the Effort: The regional
organization must be respected and acceptable to all key players, because it will
handle funding, organize meetings, provide a source of staffing, etc. In the SEQL
initiative, local elected officials determined that the two COGs were the appropriate
organizations to serve in this role. Other initiatives have established private-public
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partnerships or steering committees comprised of local and state government officials,
business leaders, developers or community leaders.
3. Develop a Multi-Year, Reliable Source of Funding: Funding is critical. Key
sources include foundations, federal or state grants, direct support from local
governments, and contributions from local corporations or the business community.
SEQL has succeeded partly due to steady, dedicated funding for ongoing activities, as
opposed to project funding. Without a multi-year, reliable source of funding from year
to year, regional efforts will not succeed. Multiple sources help ensure that the project
is continually funded as sources become exhausted over time. EPA provided a
majority of the SEQL funding over the first four years of the pilot project to the
Centralina COG, which allocated a portion to the Catawba COG. This helped cement
the EPA/COG partnership and enabled the allocation of local funds by the COGs to
implement SEQL. EPA also provided North Carolina and South Carolina with some
separate resources to support SEQL.
4. Be Prepared for a Long-Term Commitment: The growth challenges facing
metropolitan regions across the nation cannot be solved with a two- or three-year
effort. Given the short terms of most local officials and frequent changes in local
leadership, maintaining longer-term efforts, however, can often be difficult. The
COGs have used various approaches to sustain SEQL, including sponsoring events to
generate support and maintain momentum, providing an interactive map on the SEQL
website, and tallying the number of actions communities have taken to improve air,
water, and land.
5. Develop a Regional Vision: Growth is inevitable. The question is: "how do we want
to grow?" Bringing the public into the process to identify a long-term regional vision
is critical to answering this question. This is particularly important in large, fast-
growing regions, where residents in rural counties may have a very different vision of
the future than those living in suburban or urban areas. This input can be used to
develop or evaluate future scenarios and can serve as the foundation for the entire
initiative. SEQL includes a visioning and scenario-evaluation component that helps
the program influence planning practices across the region.
6. Celebrate Early Successes: Identifying early successes is critical. It takes time to
establish a process, obtain a steady stream of funding, initiate regional meetings, and
develop visions and future scenarios. Ideally, these are on-the-ground projects that
can give the public, elected officials, and funding sources a tangible sense of success.
Celebrating those successes and working with the media to publicize them also helps
maintain momentum.
7. Develop a Marketing Strategy and Maintain Community Involvement: If the area
is large like the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region, considerable outreach may be
necessary to engage elected officials, citizens, community groups, and businesses. In
addition to working with local media, a marketing strategy should include visits to
local governments, chambers of commerce, and local organizations. The COGs
initiated and attended gatherings of a number of groups, including Parent Teacher
Associations, local media meteorologists and environmental organizations. EPA and
the COGs also have helped SEQL get national exposure through presentations at
national meetings, a satellite broadcast and other means.
8. Develop Partnerships: Partnerships are critical. They help spread the message,
leverage resources and increase the level and diversity of program activity. In the case
of SEQL, the emphasis is on government partnerships. Three levels of government -
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local, state, and federal - worked together toward the common goal of empowering
local governments to take action to improve air and water quality. Partnerships with
businesses and citizen groups are also important for advancing the projects goals and
for achieving environmental results. SEQL worked very effectively with several
groups, including the Carolinas Clean Air Coalition.
9. Enhance Participation by Providing Options for Involvement: Finding the most
effective way to engage stakeholders will vary from area to area. Providing choice
was particularly effective for the Charlotte region. By providing numerous options for
participation, SEQL was able to engage local governments and different groups
effectively in various projects, such as implementation of the environmental action
items from the toolbox. Leaders in the Charlotte region reacted very favorably to this
approach, much more positively than they would probably have responded to a "one
size fits all" approach. Once the COGs were able to interest a local government or
group in a SEQL project, then the discussion focused on project expectations and what
SEQL participation entailed.
10. Identify and Develop Staff Who are Committed to Action: Elected and high-level
officials come and go fairly regularly so it is very important to develop staff within
both the sponsoring organization and participating jurisdictions and agencies who are
essential for successful implementation of a regional project. Professional staff
generally turn over less frequently and are, therefore, more likely to remain long
enough to ensure the project is implemented over the long term. Key professional
staff must not only have (or develop) subject area knowledge, but must also be
committed to inclusive processes and integrated planning. SEQL relied upon such
professional staff within participating local governments (and COGs) to look for
environmental improvement opportunities in every part of their jobs. This ongoing
education helped create a cadre of "doers" who can spread SEQL-type thinking into
longer-term activities, plans, and programs. Ultimately, this has proven to be one of
SEQL greatest challenges and successes.
is
This report is organized into four sections. Section 1 provides background and history on
SEQL, and the region's environmental challenges. Section 2 provides an overview of
SEQL's phases and major activities, and Section 3 describes what SEQL has
accomplished in the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region. Section 4 highlights eight areas
of key lessons learned. The document also includes SEQL's management structure, a
detailed timeline of SEQL activities, profiles of leadership, the SEQL resolution, and a
CD containing SEQL details.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2
Rapid Growth in Metropolitan Areas: A Quality of Life Challenge 2
Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region: A Growing Area 3
SEQL: How it Works and What it Has Accomplished 4
SEQL: A Model for the Nation 5
The Key Components of Success for Regional Initiatives 5
How This Report is Organized 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS 8
FIGURES 10
TABLES 11
SECTION 1. SEQL BACKGROUND AND HISTORY 12
1.1 SEQL and the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region 12
1.2 Air and Water in the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region 13
1.3 SEQL Starts as an EPA Sustainability Project 14
1.4 SEQL's Beginnings 15
1.5 EPA Pursues Expanded Pilot Project in Charlotte Region 15
1.6 EPA's Examination of Air Quality Management in the United States 16
1.7 Urban Sprawl and Population Growth Across the United States 16
1.8 Need for Tailored Air Quality Solutions 17
1.9 Governmental Institutions and Problem Misalignment 18
1.10 Recommendations of Air Quality Management Examination 18
1.11 Implementation of Recommendations by Expanding EPA Sustainability Project in Charlotte,
NC 18
1.12 EPA Approaches Charlotte to Expand Sustainability Project 19
SECTION 2. WHAT SEQL IS ABOUT 20
2.1 SEQL's Goals 20
2.2 The Transition to SEQL 20
2.3 Addressing the Challenges Facing the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region 21
2.4 Phase 2: Early Successes 23
2.5 Phase 3: Long Term Integrated Planning 28
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2.6 The Key Components of Success for Regional Initiatives 33
SECTION 3. SEQL ACCOMPLISHMENTS 37
3.1 Overall SEQL Results 37
3.2 Air Quality Action Items 37
3.3 Sustainable Growth Action Items 38
3.4 Water Quality Action Items 38
3.5 Additional Emission Reduction Measures 39
3.6 Successful Outreach and Collaboration 41
3.7 Common Information Resources or Database 42
3.8 Regional Scenarios and Vision 42
3.9 Integrated Planning 42
SECTION 4. KEY LESSONS LEARNED 44
4.1 Need Local Champions 44
4.2 Identify Successes by Early Adopters 44
4.3 Focus on Action through Choice 45
4.4 Connect People 45
4.5 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate 46
4.6 Funding 47
4.7 Be Aware of Many Factors Affecting Community Participation 47
4.8 Technical Issues to Consider 48
ATTACHMENT 1: MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 49
ATTACHMENT 2: DETAILED TIMELINE OF SEQL ACTIVITIES 50
ATTACHMENTS: PROFILES OF LEADERSHIP 51
ATTACHMENT 4: SEQL RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT 54
ENDNOTES 55
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Figures
Figure 1: Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region 12
Figure 2: Catawba-Wateree River System 13
Figure 3: Yadkin River Basin 13
Figure 4: Location of the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region 18
Figure 5: As Is, Only Better Scenario 32
Figure 6: Compact Centers Scenario 32
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Tables
Table 1: Change in the U.S. Population and U.S. Land Developed 17
Table 2: SEQL Timeline of Events 21
TableS: SEQL Overview 36
Table 4: City of Concord (Cabarrus County) Air Quality Measures 37
Table 5: Examples of Air Measures from Select SEQL Areas 37
Table 6: Examples of Sustainable Growth Measures from Select SEQL Areas 38
Table 7: Examples of Water Measures from Select SEQL Areas 38
Table 8: Examples in Select SEQL Areas of Development Policies that Consider
Environment 40
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SECTION 1. SEQL BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
1.1 and the
In many respects, the Charlotte region has - "'^illllP^
provided an ideal location for a pilot for '
exploring how to protect the environment
while growing a sound economy and
providing a high quality of life. Among
the top one hundred fastest growing
metropolitan areas in the U.S., the region
is ranked twenty-sixth based on 1990-
2000 U.S. Census data.1 It has a thriving
economy and leadership that recognizes
the need to address the environmental and
quality of life challenges posed by
growth. Located in the heart of the
Southeast, the region straddles the North
Carolina/South Carolina border, containing over
125 political jurisdictions, including
fifteen counties (eleven in NC and four in SC) (Figure 1). Mecklenburg is the region's
most populous county and contains the City of Charlotte. At 7,300 square miles, the bi-
state area is larger than the State of Connecticut.2 Over two million people call the region
home, a number which is expected to nearly double by 2030.3
This growth has come at a price. For
example, Charlotte area drivers spend an
average of forty-three hours a year stuck
in traffic, up from ten hours in 1982. This
increase has led to Charlotte's ranking as
the second-worst, nationally, among thirty
"medium" size urban areas, and
nineteenth, nationally, among all urban
areas for traffic delays.4
The Charlotte region, once a center for
furniture and textile manufacturing, has
now shifted to high-tech, banking, and
service industries. Charlotte is the second
largest financial center in the U.S and is home
to the headquarters of nine Fortune 500 firms.5
Figure 1: Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region
Thirteen of the fifteen SEQL counties are contained within two convening councils of
governments: the Centralina Council of Governments (COG) in North Carolina and the
Catawba Regional COG in South Carolina. The two COGs lead SEQL in partnership.
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The region does not have a formal regional authority or body, although it cooperates on
many issues and programs, including SEQL.
1.2 Air in the
As in many U.S. metropolitan areas, the Charlotte region's rapid growth has contributed
to air and water concerns. In 1991, EPA designated the Charlotte area as
"nonattainment" because its ozone air quality violated EPA's one-hour ozone standard,
which it then met four years later.6'7 In 1997, EPA issued a more protective ozone
standard that covered an eight-hour period. In 2004 EPA designated the Charlotte area
as nonattainment for that standard.8 In North Carolina, the nonattainment area
encompasses all of Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, and Union
Counties. The area also includes part of Iredell County and part of York County in
South Carolina. Under the Clean Air Act, both states are required to develop plans to
bring the area into attainment for ozone by 2010.
The Charlotte region contains two major river basins: the Catawba-Wateree and the
Yadkin-Pee Dee. These basins face both water quality and water quantity issues.
The Catawba River basin, along with the Broad
River basin, forms the headwaters of the Santee-
Cooper River system, which flows through South
Carolina to the Atlantic Ocean (Figure 29). The
river basin is the eighth-largest in North Carolina
and encompasses all or part of twelve counties in
the state. The headwaters of the Catawba River
are in the mountains, where many of the streams
have excellent water quality. As the basin enters
the Piedmont, land use shifts from forest to
Figure 2: Catawba-Wateree River System agricultural and urban US6S. Nonpoint runoff
from agriculture, urban runoff, and other sources
have caused nutrient enrichment and
sedimentation problems in the streams, rivers, and
lakes. In this lower region, urban growth in the
Charlotte metropolitan area has affected the water
quality of the lakes and rivers.10
The Yadkin River basin is the second-largest basin in . .-'., ".
North Carolina, flowing through twenty-one counties. ....-"' \x ';:
The Yadkin River originates in the North Carolina CL_ , - --,- :".:,.
Mountains, flows northeasterly for one hundred miles , ".'
and then flows southeasterly until it joins the Pee Dee
River (Figure 311). Water quality concerns in the \ ;:
basin include increasing nutrient enrichment, ,,/***
increasing urbanization and suburbanization, " us*-"''
sedimentation from nonpoint sources, and the Figure 3. Yadkin River Basin
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impacts of permitted municipal and industrial dischargers. Most of the monitored
reservoirs, including municipal drinking water supplies, have excessive algal growth and
associated concerns with dissolved oxygen and pH. These problems were caused by low
flow, sedimentation, nutrients, and toxicants.12
The majority of streams in the SEQL area are on the Clean Water Act section 303(d) list
of water bodies not meeting quality standards or which have impaired uses, either for
specific pollutant such as fecal coliform, or for biological impairment. Total Maximum
Daily Loads or TMDLs are required on some, but not all, of these waters; the extent to
which they are in place varies greatly.
13
Until the recent past, the region had no water quantity issues. However, a severe five-year
drought several years ago nearly depleted the water supplies of a number of cities. High-
growth counties that do not border a river large enough to serve as a drinking water source
are faced with buying water from their neighbors, which is becoming increasingly difficult
as the population increases throughout the region. Furthermore, aging infrastructure in a
number of communities has resulted in a loss of treated water, according to a recent study
by the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center. The same study assessed a
$1.2 billion need for water and sewer infrastructure improvements through 2030 for all of
the Charlotte metropolitan region. This need is driven not only by infrastructure
maintenance costs, but also because population growth is driving up the demand for
water.14
1.3 as an
Many areas across the country are experiencing
environmental issues similar to those in Charlotte.
Urban growth patterns negatively impact air quality,
water quality and quantity, habitat, and biodiversity.
Growth has a significant impact on EPA's ability to
achieve its mission to protect public health and the
environment. Historically, EPA has fulfilled that
mission through the implementation of environmental
laws in partnership with state environmental agencies.
In the late 1990s, however, EPA realized that some of
the largest threats to the environment and public health
were resulting from urban growth. Yet responsibility
for growth management lies primarily with local
officials and is largely outside of EPA's regulatory
domain. EPA, therefore, decided to support the
Sustainability Project in Charlotte, SEQL's precursor,
as a way to demonstrate an integrated approach for a
region managing its own growth.
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Mayor Patrick McCrory
Chairman Parks Helms
1.4
The EPA Sustainability Project was started in
the fall of 2000 under the leadership of
Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory and
Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman
Parks Helms. Under an EPA cooperative
agreement and with support from Centralina
COG staff, the city brought together the
region's chief elected and appointed officials
from twenty-six of the largest jurisdictions to
learn about air quality, water resources and land-use issues. Additionally, Centralina
Council of Governments staff and subject matter experts from Mecklenburg County and
the State of North Carolina developed a set of three action item toolboxes for air, water
and land use. These toolboxes were presented to elected officials at seven regional
networking lunches. The officials and managers involved identified twenty-five air, water
and land use action items from the
toolboxes, by consensus, for
consideration at the local level. These
were measures they believed would
work best for their communities. The
Sustainability Project was a success, and
helped foster a collective sense that
more work needed to be done as a
region by successfully engaging key
officials and bringing them "up to
speed" on critical environmental issues.
Christine Todd Whitman, Former EPA Administrator,
Chairman Parks Helms and Mayor Patrick McCrory
The decision to invite chief officials
from the largest jurisdictions was based
on the belief that they would be most
able to act on the consensus achieved. If
the largest jurisdictions adopted the
twenty-five measures, it would be more likely that smaller jurisdictions would follow.
Inviting elected officials versus a broad group of stakeholders was also a conscious
decision: if governments could demonstrate that they could work together across the
region to implement environmental action items, again, others would follow.
1.5 in
In 2001, EPA's headquarters office in Research Triangle Park, NC undertook a long-range
examination of the national air quality program, including how the program was managed.
The EPA included an assessment of the direction in which air quality management is
likely to head in the next ten years, development of a vision for where air quality
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'*#
«»««*
management should head over that same
period, and recommendations on how to bring
air quality management on board with this
vision.
1.6 of Air
in the
In the thirty years since Congress passed the Clean Air Act, the nation has made
tremendous progress in cleaning up air pollution. Despite this progress, significant air
quality management challenges remain. For example, many areas face nonattainment
status for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate
matter (PM). Efforts to address these air quality concerns will be significantly influenced
by at least three factors:
Land use patterns associated with continuing population growth.
Need for tailored solutions to address air quality problems.
The alignment between the geographic scope of the responsibility of governmental
institutions and the geographic scope of the air quality problems at issue.
1.7 and the
Urban sprawl associated with population growth is a significant contributor to air quality
""- problems. To an increasing extent,
population-related activities such as
transportation, land use, commercial
activities, and individual behaviors
?: influence air quality. Mitigating the
g effects of this growth will greatly
* influence the ability to attain air
» quality standards.
Overall, sprawl in most U.S.
metropolitan areas is occurring faster
than in the past.15 A major result of
the expansion of these lower-density cities has been the urban development of areas that
had been farmland, forests, and fields. From 1982 to 2002, the nation's cropland acreage
declined about 12 percent; the net decline between 1992 and 2002 was about 3 percent.
According to the American Farmland Trust, sprawl claims 1.2 million acres of farmland
annually. From 1982 to 2002, the population grew nearly 25 percent, while total land
developed increased by almost 50 percent, supporting the contention that metropolitan
areas across the country are developing land much faster than they are adding
people.16'17'18
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U.S. Population
(millions)
U.S. Land Developed
(millions of acres)
U.S. Cropland
(millions of acres)
232.2
72.8
419.6
256.9
86.5
381.2
287.7
107.3
368.4
11%
19%
-9%
12%
24%
-3%
24%
47%
-12% .
The U.S. population is growing by more than 2.5 million people annually,21 roughly the
equivalent of adding a city the size of metropolitan Denver to the U.S. every year.22 By
2030, the nation will need about 427 billion square feet of "built space" to accommodate
growth projections, about 50 percent of which will
*---... have to be constructed between now and then.23 If
this demand is met through the kind of development
that we have seen over recent years, the result is
likely to be more sprawl. This, in turn, generally
means a continued increase in the number of cars on
the road and in the number of vehicle miles traveled
(VMT).24 In 1997, for example, traffic delays
resulted in $72 billion in wasted fuel and lost
wages.
25
More driving also means more smog and
haze. Additional sprawl means more highways, roads, parking lots, and pavement; this, in
turn, brings an array of water quality-related problems, including polluted runoff into
streams and waterways.
Sprawling growth corresponds to a shift in the
pattern of ozone violations in the U.S. Cities in the
south, southwest and west have begun to displace
northeastern and midwestern cities on the list of
areas with the greatest number of days above the
eight-hour ozone standard. Nine of the top ten
ozone nonattainment areas for the number of days
above the eight-hour ozone standard for 2003-
2005 are located in the south, southwest or west.26
1.8 for Air
Some areas of the country continue to have air quality problems, the sources of which can
vary greatly from city to city. For these areas, the federal role is less clear and the
pollution implications are potentially significant. While certain national actions will help
address these problems, some areas will require more local, customized solutions.
17
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1.9
The governmental institutions that work to ensure clean air - primarily EPA and the states
- often do not match the geographic scope of the air quality problem. For example, state
and federal solutions are often difficult to implement in growing cities that may cross state
boundaries and face environmental challenges largely outside of EPA and state regulatory
control, such as VMT growth.
1.10 of Air
In response to the findings described above, EPA's air office made several
recommendations:
1. Focus on an integrated, problem-based
approach for both criteria and toxic air
pollutants. This should be accompanied
by conscious efforts to respond on different
geographic scales to multiple pollutant
problems in specific locations or regions.
2. Become a "catalyst for clean air
solutions" on local, regional, and
international levels. The future of air
quality management is likely to rely less on
federal regulation of sources and more on
EPA's serving as a catalyst to empower
state, local, and tribal governments, and
others, to tackle difficult problems through
regulatory and nonregulatory means. EPA
should focus on preventative programs to
help areas take action to avoid air
pollution.
3. Make partnerships a priority in a broad
array of geographic areas and stakeholder groups, fostering accountability
through local stewardship, outreach, and education. EPA should target
stakeholder development efforts to those problems that offer the greatest potential
for environmental benefit, and find new partnerships in areas where it has not
traditionally had partners.
1.11
by
in
NC
EPA decided to implement the above
recommendations, in part, by creating a
pilot project in a selected area to
demonstrate:
An approach to increase
integration across the criteria
Figure 4: Location of The
Greater Charlotte Bi-State
Region
18
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pollutant and air toxics programs;
Empowerment of local officials to take ownership of air quality and action to
improve it; and
Partnerships with local governments to improve air quality.
EPA selected the Charlotte, NC, bi-State region (see Figure 4) as a pilot for several reasons:
EPA was already supporting the Sustainability Project, so effective working
relationships with key individuals and offices in the region were already
established.
The region was highly motivated to address growth issues and already had several
groups and initiatives focused on these concerns.
The region possesses many desirable
characteristics which made it an ideal
setting for a pilot. It is experiencing rapid
growth, has water quality and quantity
concerns, and has less severe air quality
problems, which can be addressed through
local action with state and federal support.
EPA's offices in Research Triangle Park,
NC are close to Charlotte, which facilitates
an even stronger partnership between EPA
and Charlotte.
1.12 to
In 2001, EPA approached Charlotte and other local governments and the States of North
and South Carolina about expanding the established partnership, the Sustainability Project,
into an integrated approach to address air
quality, transportation, land-use planning,
energy and economic development, and other
environmental issues. On October 30, 2002,
EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman
visited Charlotte to celebrate the closure of the
Sustainability Demonstration Project and to
announce the continued EPA partnership with
the governments of the Charlotte metro area,
established through a three-year cooperative
agreement with Centralina COG. Centralina,
sub-contracting with its South Carolina
counterpart, Catawba Regional Council of Governments, officially launched SEQL in
March 2003.
19
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SECTION 2. WHAT SEQL IS ABOUT
2.1
SEQL is a bi-state, fifteen-county partnership
across three levels of government with the
goals of helping the Charlotte region achieve
a clean environment, high quality of life, and
a thriving economy. SEQL's leaders are
achieving these goals in three ways:
1. Implementing regionally endorsed
environmental initiatives. The
Council of Governments are
encouraging local governments, schools, and others to adopt the twenty-five action
items identified from the Sustainability Project, along with other measures. To
help with this effort, they are providing technical assistance and sharing best
practices. The COGs are encouraging local demonstrations of measures to serve as
examples of innovation, and are recognizing those local actions with cumulative
impacts and collaboration on specific projects.
2. Engaging local government officials in integrated environmental planning. By
promoting integrated environmental planning, SEQL seeks to help local
governments both to realize the multiple benefits of environmentally-based actions,
and to reduce the number of unintended negative consequences of local decisions.
3. Finding ways to "institutionalize" environmental considerations into decision
making processes. SEQL seeks to incorporate environmental considerations into
local and regional decision making across the region.
EPA's goals include helping local governments to better address a wide range of
environmental issues. Improving air quality requires action at three levels of government:
federal (EPA), state, and local. For example, national rules make cars, trucks, and off-road
equipment cleaner, while national and state strategies reduce air quality impacts from power
plants and other sources. EPA also supports SEQL as a national model for integrated
regional planning. Air pollution problems are traditionally addressed through separate
pollutant plans. SEQL engaged local governments to address air quality, land use, energy,
transportation, and economic development in an integrated manner.
2.2 The to
When the COGs assumed leadership of the
Sustainability Project, they faced several
challenges:
1. While the initial phase of the project
successfully oriented one or two key
leaders in each of twenty-six
communities, these persons did not
represent the local legislative majorities
20
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needed to implement changes in ordinances or policies at the local government
level. More elected officials would need to be brought on board.
2. Simply declaring in Phase 1 that "we should do this" was not alone sufficient to
produce action item implementation in an environment of tight staff resources,
tight money, and competing priorities.
3. The project's strong local government focus did not adequately recognize local
groups with strong environmental interests.
4. Several local and regional "opinion leaders," with influence critical to the adoption
of growth management policies and ordinances, needed to be brought into the
process to support elected leadership.
5. A number of smaller communities and outlying counties impacted by the region's
growth and environmental change were not yet involved.
6. Finally, the Centralina COG identified a need to develop a methodology of
evaluating alternative development scenarios and analyzing their impact on air
quality and other planning elements in order to provide a strong technical
foundation for local planning and decision making.
2.3 the the
To address the challenges of continuing the initiative started by Mayor McCrory and
Chairman Helms, the COGs decided to structure SEQL in three phases:
1. Phase 1: EPA Sustainability Project Introduction to Environmental
Measures: The initial phase focused on education and identification of
environmental action items. It laid out the framework for a broader regional effort
at integrating
environmental and growth
planning, while creating a
sense of collaboration and
unity to permit follow up
on toolbox
implementation.
2. Phase 2: Early
Successes: Phase 2
demonstrated early SEQL
successes of Phase 1
action item
implementation. All of
the participants were
involved to ensure
implementation of the
Phase I toolbox
commitments. SEQL also
expanded from twenty-six
initial jurisdictions to over 125, conducted additional outreach to many additional
stakeholders on SEQL issues and worked to promote enhanced decision making at
the local level and encourage participation in voluntary environmental projects.
ACTIVITY
2001
2003
and
2003
and
May
V
Sustainability Project
- of 1
Event closing Sustainability Project featuring
1)
Start of SEQL Phase 2
Subregiona! meetings (1st set)
Start of SEQL Phase 3
(2"d set)
Charlotte region
nonattainment for ozone
Event at which EPA Administrator Leavitt
truckstop electrification )
21
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3. Phase 3: Long Term Integrated Planning and Institutionalization: In the final
phase, SEQL is developing mechanisms for integrating environmental and air
quality issues into collaborative decision making on land use and transportation
planning on a regional basis. It also focuses on integrating across sectors
(transportation, land use, air quality) in an "institutionalized" manner so that
integrated planning becomes not an additional process, but a part of local
government planning at the local level.
Phase 1 had a discrete beginning and end - March 2001 to October 2002. Phases 2 and 3
started in February 2003 and 2004, respectively, and will continue beyond 2006 under
non-EPA funding sources.
K
The COGs created a management structure to lead SEQL
(see Attachment 1). SEQL is administered by the
Centralina COG in cooperation with the Catawba COG.
The project was overseen by the SEQL Project
Management Advisory Committee, which met quarterly for
the duration of the project. Membership on the committee
consisted of:
Executive Directors from both COGs
Representatives of local governments from around
the region, including the City of Charlotte; City of
Belmont, Union County, NC and York County, SC
Mecklenburg County, NC environmental officials
Representatives from NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
EPA
The project's management structure also included an informal technical committee, which
focused on the development and evaluation of future regional growth scenarios.
Political leadership is the key to the success of an
effort like SEQL. The program has allowed
elected officials to champion specific
environmental issues and then to relate those
improvements to broader environmental and
growth issues. Charlotte Mayor Patrick
McCrory and Mecklenburg County Chairman
Parks Helms played vital roles in launching
SEQL's first phase, and in supporting the
program over time. The Chairman of the COG
Boards also gave considerable support to SEQL,
including promoting specific SEQL action items.
"Coach" Joe White served as Centralina COG Board Chairman in 2003, while also
occupying a seat on the Charlotte's City Council. As a strong advocate for SEQL, he
Harold Shapiro, Executive Director, Catawba COG,
and H.C. Starnes, Mayor, Great Falls, SC
22
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promoted the use of alternative fuels for local government and private fleets. Leda Belt,
Chairman White's successor, also served as a Rowan County Commissioner. She
advocated for the implementation of many SEQL action items, and led the effort to bring
truck stop electrification and school bus diesel retrofits to her county. Dumont Clarke,
current Centralina Chairman, is a strong advocate for open space preservation and
greenways. Eldridge Emory, a South Carolina State Representative, also served as Chair
for the Catawba COG. He has been a consistent supporter of SEQL and greatly concerned
about water quality issues (see Attachment 2 for profiles of SEQL's political leadership).
In addition to local leadership, state and EPA leadership
has also played an important role. State participants
include Bill Ross, Secretary of North Carolina's
Department of Environment and Natural Resources; and
Lewis Shaw, former Deputy Commissioner for
Environmental Quality Control in the South Carolina
Department of Health and Environmental Control
(SCDHEC); and his successor, Bob King. Three EPA
AI sharp, Executive Director, Centralina Administrators also have visited the Charlotte region to
an°dGPifnninMgkescSHeECDirect°r °'Research participate in SEQL events and to voice their support.
The Centralina and Catawba Regional COGs also provided essential leadership.
Centralina Executive Director A.R. Sharp, Jr., Catawba Regional Executive Director
Harold Shapiro, Rebecca Yarbrough, SEQL Project Manager, and Wendy Bell, Senior
Planner at Catawba COG, all provided knowledge based leadership to the SEQL team.
None of this team was new to the region covered by SEQL. Collectively they had over 80
years of experience working with local governments in the area, giving them a
fundamental understanding of the region. SEQL engaged the active contribution of other
staff members working in the areas of information technology, transportation, planning,
public information and outreach and design.
2.4 2:
Goals of Phase 2:
Expand the number of SEQL communities to include smaller jurisdictions whose
participation is important for a seamless planning framework;
Introduce environmental, business, and community stakeholders to integrated
planning processes;
Engage nongovernmental stakeholders in an integrated planning process, both to
foster their interest and commitment to environmental improvements and to tap
their energy in supporting local governmental actions;
Ensure implementation of Phase 1 toolbox items by providing technical support,
while deepening the understanding of local elected bodies about the need to
integrate local planning; and
Design of a regional database and data management system for improved analysis
of project impacts and enhanced decision making.
23
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To implement these goals, the COGs engaged in several activities in Phase 2:
Kick-off Meeting: SEQL officially opened Phase 2 in March 2003 with a luncheon
meeting. Over 80 local and state officials attended from the fifteen-county region and the
States of North and South Carolina. The COGs unveiled the logo and theme for SEQL to
the meeting participants with the following message:
We're in this together... As a region, we are at a critical moment regarding long-
term quality of life and economic viability. Rapid growth and expanding land use
is threatening our air quality and water resources. We must take action now to
impact the future and preserve quality of life for the citizens of tomorrow. Today,
we must begin to build our legacy. ... it starts today.
The COGs invited the meeting participants to become involved in SEQL, offering
additional information and on-site visits to brief staff and elected officials. They provided
specific suggestions on follow-up actions meeting
participants could take, ranging from visiting the
SEQL website to implementing some of the
twenty-five action items for air quality, water
quality, and land use.
Jurisdictional Visits: Following the kickoff, the
COGs visited over sixty jurisdictions. They met
with key staff and elected officials, provided
background on SEQL, discussed the twenty-five
action items, and explored what technical
assistance was needed. These visits took place at regular governing body meetings or
work sessions, in order to maximize the number of elected officials and key staff exposed
to SEQL, and to demonstrate the COGs' commitment to providing implementation
assistance.
Because of the nature of their work, the COG staff
is routinely in contact with a number of
jurisdictions throughout the region, and naturally
tend to view issues through a regional lens. The
staff was, therefore, effectively able to promote
SEQL concepts through these existing contacts
with elected and appointed leadership. Moreover,
the broadly representative Boards of the COGs
provided ready access to all communities in the
region, which facilitated getting information out
to elected officials in over 125 jurisdictions.
Subregional Meetings: To seek firmer commitments from jurisdictions on action item
implementation and a better understanding of the issues involved, the COGs held a series
of five subregional meetings in August and September of 2003. Meeting participants
24
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included elected officials, planners, and city and county managers. The COGs structured
the meetings to acquaint everyone with SEQL's purpose. Professional facilitators assisted
participants in choosing priority action items for their communities, and obtained the
commitment to undertaking those actions. Additionally, participants provided input on
other air quality action items in addition to the initial twenty-five items identified in Phase
1. Over 320 people from almost sixty jurisdictions participated in the five meetings.
Resolutions: During all of the SEQL
interactions with local governments, the
COGs promoted adoption of the SEQL
support resolution, a non-binding commitment
to participate in SEQL and to work on
implementing those actions that were feasible
in a given area (see Attachment 3). As of July
2006, seventy jurisdictions have adopted the
SEQL resolution.
Action Item Notebooks: To facilitate
implementation of the action items, the COGs developed straightforward "how-to" guides,
which were made available on the SEQL website and on CD. The initial guides covered
nineteen action items - thirteen air quality and six land use (water quality documents were
developed later under a separate EPA cooperative agreement). The COGs are developing
additional action items for the water-related action items and for the additional action
items discussed immediately below. The manuals were designed to get the attention of
busy elected officials by making the case for why they should implement the action item
in their jurisdiction. The notebooks included:
Action item description
Information on the shared impact and
benefits of the action items, including an
introduction to the concept of integrated
planning
Length of time to implement and cost
The benefits of implementing the action
Who needs to be involved in
implementation
Action steps
Available resources
Who else has implemented the action item
Frequently asked questions
Co-benefits and mutually reinforcing aspects of the action items
Finally, to track progress on action item implementation, the COGs asked the jurisdictions
to notify them when they had implemented an action.
25
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Additional Action Items: In addition to the twenty-five action items, the COGs decided
to pursue the eleven additional action items, many of which were identified in partnership
with EPA and some of which were supported with EPA resources:
Diesel retrofit programs
Truck stop electrification
Lawn mower rebates and gas can trade
outs
Idle reduction policy
Air quality education for educators
Design for the Environment's program
for auto body shop pollution prevention
High-performance building techniques
Brownfields redevelopment
Promotion of infill development
Pervious pavements
Energy-efficient coatings for HVAC units
More details about each measure can be found in the CD attached to this document. The
COGs also developed "how-to" documents for these measures and are working with a
number of jurisdictions to implement them.
Regional Data System: When SEQL started, the Charlotte region lacked a data system
that supported integrated local and regional decision making, making it difficult to assess
impacts and make informed decisions. The combined development of a data system and
the collection of existing baseline data from quality-assured sources was an important
element of Phase 2.
This process began with identification of the local and regional data needed to support the
use of the Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) tool and for other regional planning
S~ -^ purposes. The next step was an inventory of
current data - its sources, formats,
availability - and an evaluation of its quality
.,.:-; i and validity. From this, a list of new data
needs and indicators for regional
V,:::::::::::::::::::=^^^^ sustainability was developed, in collaboration
with the Urban Institute at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Voices and
Choices, a local non-governmental organization engaged in the production of a "State of the
Region" report.
Concurrently, Centralina COG was awarded a U.S. Geological Survey National Spatial Data
Infrastructure grant to explore the concept of centralized versus distributed databases. As a
result of this project, the COGs worked with the Urban Institute to design a system for data
collection, use, maintenance and sharing, including quality assurance standards for data.
Staff collected existing baseline data. With the exception of land use, no new data were
26
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developed through this process, both for cost savings and because there were already huge
amounts of data already being collected by other parties that had not been available in one
place. The data are now housed at the Centralina COG, at the Urban Institute, and at EPA
and serve as the foundation for using ReVA. However, the comprehensive maintenance and
update of this information will require funding that needs to be secured.
This objective was critical to beginning the "regional capacity building" in Phase 3 and for
future decision making in post-EPA project years. The region's decision makers had to
have access both to data and analyses in order to be informed of economic and
environmental impacts and trade-offs.
Development of Marketing and Communications Materials: In Phase 2, the COGs
developed marketing materials, including a logo to help brand SEQL. They received
training from a consultant on how to work with the media and developed a press kit for
events. Staff also visited the editorial staff of each major print outlet to describe SEQL's
concept and mission and to alert them to upcoming SEQL events.
Early in the process Centralina COG established the SEQL website (www.seql.org) and it
was later enhanced under a Foundation for the Carolinas grant. SEQL staff also
implemented quarterly newsletters highlighting
regional accomplishments and a monthly e-
newsletter that captured more current news.
Together, these communications continue to reach
over 2,400 elected officials; local, state, and federal
staff members; interested environmental and
community groups; businesses and Chambers; and
interested individuals.
In Phase 2, SEQL identified target groups for
outreach in Phase 3, including school-aged
children, parents, and school transportation officials. The message to these groups
focused on children's health as impacted by poor air quality. In 2005, Centralina COG
received funding from the Duke Power Foundation to implement the "Clear the Air for
Kids!" program in cooperation with the Carolinas Clean Air Coalition.
Additional Outreach: During Phase 2, the COGs linked SEQL to multiple initiatives in
the region by engaging with many additional stakeholders on SEQL issues, including
several nongovernmental organizations. The Centralina COG invited the Carolina Clean
Air Coalition to the SEQL kick-off and engaged them in an in-depth review of the action
item "how-to" documents. The COG also invited the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the
Catawba Land Conservancy (CLC) to participate in discussions of open space
preservation. Greenways planners from throughout the region participated in a greenways
focus group and listserve, and their work was later provided to TPL and the CLC as they
initiated planning for a fifteen county trail network. A non-profit group, Voices and
Choices, was engaged to help develop baseline indicators for SEQL as part of their own
27
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Polly Jackson, Former Chairman, Lancaster County
Council, SC
"State of the Region" report on the environment. American Forests, a national tree
advocacy group, collaborated with the COGs to produce a regional tree canopy inventory.
The Charlotte region's Transportation Conformity Working Group helped identify
potential futures scenarios for evaluation and to discuss how SEQL's voluntary actions
could be translated into measurable reductions.
The COGs also reached out to the business community through meetings and workshops
with the Chambers of Commerce in Gaston
County, the southern part of Iredell County,
and Charlotte. These meetings were primarily
introductory, although the South Iredell
workshop did produce a commitment to
develop a SEQL business action plan. In the
meetings, the Centralina COG introduced the
themes of integration and interdependency and
discussed how business activities and SEQL's
environmental actions intersect. The COG also
identified how these intersecting interests could
be used to create "win-win" situations for
economic growth and environmental
sustainability. The Gaston County meeting
was particularly helpful at defining the concerns of the local business community.
Participants discussed concerns about the cost of environmental protection, the degree to
which they already feel heavily regulated, and the need for government to set an example
for businesses and others by taking action on the environment first. The frank exchange
helped SEQL to engage with a broader business community across the region.
Finally, the COGs introduced SEQL to other groups in many forums, including the
Environment Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association, at the annual meeting of
planners in the Charlotte region, and to the Senior Tarheel Legislative Delegation to the
NC legislature. The COGs met with select groups to determine what those groups felt
they could offer and how they could be most effectively engaged in SEQL. During this
process, the COGs actively promoted SEQL as a means of engaging new stakeholders in
accomplishing mutually beneficial goals.
2.5 3:
Goals for Phase 3:
1. Build longer-term capacity at the local and regional level for coordinated,
integrated planning and decision making through best practices site visits and
technical workshops;
2. Develop and implement additional toolbox items and regional programs, policies
and legislative/regulatory agendas;
3. Strengthen local and regional decision making through visioning and scenario
analysis to show the impact of various decisions;
28
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4. Implement comprehensive public education efforts aimed at engaging the general
public and specific groups in behavioral changes that support improved
environmental and air quality;
5. Focus on coordinated, integrated planning as a means of improving air quality
through concurrent review of issues related to ozone, particulate matter, and air
toxics, and through related scenario evaluation;
6. Develop and adopt a regional vision which provides a foundation for future action
to support integrated planning;
7. Implement regional actions to promote environmental sustainability; and
8. Institutionalize environmental sustainability as a priority to be considered in
ongoing local and regional decision making through development of a supportive
framework of non-governmental partners and the public.
To implement these goals, the COGs engaged in several activities in Phase 3:
Institutionalizing Integrated Planning and Environmental Concerns: The COGs
sought to institutionalize integrated planning and environmental concerns into local and
regional decision making through several activities.
Initially,
together
the COGs approach was to raise awareness of the need for planners to work
across programs and departments to ensure coordinated and integrated planning.
.___ The COGs did this by holding a series of sub-
regional meetings in which they introduced the
concept of a feedback loop, to show the
interconnectedness of different local policies.
For example, a tree ordinance in a community
can impact issues like walkability by making
streets more attractive. Trees can also help air
quality by reducing surface temperatures. By
highlighting these connections, the COGs hoped
to stimulate different interests to work together.
John Marshall, Former Mayor, statesviiie, NO The COGs used the example of planners working
together across departments in Gaston County.
This initiative, called G-Camp, later developed into a work group that crafted Gaston
County's multi-jurisdictional unified development ordinance (UDO), which became another
SEQL action item. COG staff promoted the G-Camp idea to bring together planners in
other counties in the region. The idea has caught on, and similar groups have formed in
other counties. In addition to the G-Camp idea, Cleveland County has written the need for
integrated planning into their land use plan, which was adopted in 2005.
The first round of subregional meetings was followed by a number of workshops. For
example, in collaboration with the Carolinas Clean Air Coalition and the Charlotte Medical
Clinic Foundation, Centralina COG invited Dr. Richard Jackson to speak (at a luncheon for
over 100 planners and local government officials) about the link between the built
29
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environment and public health. The session explored ways for audience members to apply
what they had learned in the local context, particularly in the area of urban planning.
The COG staff has also taken the SEQL message to older adults. In cooperation with the
Charlotte Area Agency on Aging,
Centralina launched "SEQL Silver,"
which focuses on the impact of land
use decisions on seniors' ability to
live independently and remain
mobile and connected to the
community, as well as air quality and
health issues. The senior community
is now exploring collaboration with
Partners for Livable Communities, as
well as seeking funding to initiate a
program that looks at land use,
transportation integration and
walkability.
SEQL has also encouraged local government staff and others to work collaboratively
toward addressing environmental concerns in connection with projects and initiatives
whose goals may not be directly or overtly environmental. This aspect of SEQL is more
difficult to measure, but is having an impact. Encouragement to do this occurs first with
COG staff working on a broad range of technical assistance projects in the region and then
extends to the local planning, transportation, and
environmental communities.
There are several examples of how this
encouragement is paying off. Communities doing
pedestrian plans are looking at how their land use
policies promote walkability, which can reduce
automobile dependence. Communities planning
major road improvement projects are looking at not
only requirements for buffers to protect endangered
species, but also at community amenities that can be
gained from such projects, including conservation
easements that can produce wider buffering and
greenway potential. Finally, even simple land use
plans to address zoning classifications are increasingly shifting to a focus on the
development of "comprehensive plans." Under a new North Carolina law, this shift means
that, when local governments make incremental land use decisions, they must make a
finding as to whether the proposed decision conforms to the more comprehensive plan.
Visioning and Scenario Development: The COGs felt that the Charlotte region was
"visioned out" as a result of a number of past visioning efforts that had not produced
widespread adoption or action. The region has never had a vision broadly adopted at the
30
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local level So, rather than develop a new vision through an elaborate stakeholder process,
the COGs decided to develop a consolidated vision based on the over seventy-five visions
that had been conducted around the region by various entities, ranging from chambers of
commerce to local governments. This innovative approach was intended to fast-track the
process and to avoid duplication of valuable local government work on visioning.
To accomplish this, the COGs engaged ACP Visioning & Planning to analyze the existing
visions for common values and goals, which are intended to form the basis for a
consolidated regional vision and a long-term framework for sustainability. The COGs
formed a thirty seven member citizen task force to vet the consultant's findings and to
recommend how a broader group of stakeholders and local governments should be
engaged in crafting a final vision. The consultant's work revealed a truly remarkable
degree of consensus on not only values found
in the plans, but also in the policies through
which those values were to be realized. Over
thirty shared values were identified. The task
force selected six of those as core values
around which the vision should be built. The
emerging regional vision will, therefore, link
directly to those of individual jurisdictions,
which should help create buy-in from local
governing bodies. The vision consolidation
and development process has received strong --<-* -
interest and support at the local level.
One of the frequent questions asked in visioning and other planning processes is, "What
differences do development patterns make to the environment? What is the likely impact
on a jurisdiction's bottom line?" This question is important in providing local elected
officials and planning staffs with the data to help guide and support decisions that produce
sustainable environmental outcomes. For this reason, scenario development is becoming
increasingly used as a tool to evaluate visions. To assist with scenario development, in
2003 EPA offered the ReVA program to the COGs as a resource to help develop an
integrated assessment for the SEQL region. The ReVA program will be used by the COG
in the next phase of the visioning process to visually demonstrate future development
impacts on area-wide environmental and social issues. By providing this type of
information, the COG hopes to help individual decision makers better understand the
necessity of working together to meet the needs of the region.
To help address the complex issues facing the SEQL region, ReVA developed a web-
based environmental decision tool (EDT). The web-based EDT allows visualization and
integration of user-selected data sets, as well as an option to weight variables or decision
criteria in order to evaluate different possibilities. The EDT is set up to provide
information for the needs of three different users:
Policymakers or elected officials
Planners
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Data managers
Combining the ReVA process with an EDT will allow decision makers to put their
increasingly complex environmental problems in a spatial context, and to compare
alternative management options.
ReVA is working with the COGs, the States of NC and SC, planners, and transportation
experts to:
Develop protocols for realistic future scenarios
Refine models of NFS water pollution
Develop models to estimate vehicle miles traveled
Generate emissions using MOBILE 6.2
Explore indicators of fiscal impacts and quality of life
One of the region's biggest challenges has been to
redistribute population into alternative development
patterns, and to translate those patterns into projections
of land cover for environmental analyses. ReVA and
the COGs have translated alternative development
densities and patterns into a visual spatial form using
Geographic Information Systems. Data from the
alternative scenarios is being evaluated in terms of air
and water quality, amenities associated with
development patterns, and probable related economic
changes. Results of these changes will be incorporated
into the EDT and made available to decision makers to
consider, weigh, and negotiate trade-offs.
FigureS: As Is,
Only Better Scenario
There are three development
conditions:
Current Condition (2001)
2030 projected As Is, Only Better Scenario
2030 projected Compact Centers Scenario
The As Is, Only Better Scenario (Figure 5) is growth
that continues according to current patterns of
development, but at a greater density. This is
beginning to be seen in urbanized areas today as
land prices increase. This scenario takes current
population and housing growth projected by the
Regional Traffic Demand Models and distributes the
data into a 30m gridded format within each Traffic
Area Zone. The 2030 residential, industrial and non-
industrial development density (highest to lowest)
.A * U '""
As Is Scenario
TAZ072106C
Figure 6: Compact Centers
Scenario
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was allocated based on five densities of development zones.
The Compact Centers Scenario (Figure 6) is a growth projection study for the fifteen-
county, bi-state SEQL region for the target year 2030. The purpose of this scenario is to
explore the feasibility of growth primarily directed toward higher density "centers" (and
corridors in urban areas) rather than growth that
^ ^~ continues according to current patterns of sprawl.
H The centers include existing municipalities, with a
few additional "crossroads" and other areas where
significant growth is deemed likely within the
projected period.
A third scenario, a less dense version of the As Is,
Only Better Scenario, will be developed to reflect
the possibility of a slowdown in urban
redevelopment and will represent more of a
continuation of past land development patterns.
William G. Ross, Secretary, NCDENR
Implementation of Additional Action Items: The focus of this phase was on measures
that achieve direct emissions reductions, and thus air quality improvements. The COGs
pursued six measures:
1. Diesel emissions reduction programs
2. Truck stop electrification
3. Lawnmower rebates and gas can trade-outs
4. Idle reduction policy
5. Adsil coatings to improve energy efficiency of A/C units
6. Design for the Environment for auto body shops
The results from the implementation of the measures are described in Section 3 below.
2.6 of for
Based on the SEQL experience, local communities interested in developing regional
environmental programs should consider:
1. Identify a Local Champion: Political
leadership at the local level is critical to the
success of a SEQL-like initiative. Such
initiatives can be difficult to maintain without a
prominent political leader, or leaders, who can
bring together the elected officials necessary to
develop solutions to regional problems.
Bipartisan leadership is ideal. While leaders
from the business community assume key roles
in many metropolitan organizations, support
and participation from local elected officials is critical.
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Engage a Respected Regional Organization to Manage the Effort: The regional
organization must be respected and acceptable to all key players, because it will
handle funding, organize meetings, provide a source of staffing, etc. In the SEQL
initiative, local elected officials determined that the two
COGs were the appropriate organizations to serve in this
role. Other initiatives have established private-public
partnerships or steering committees comprised of local
and state government officials, business leaders,
developers or community leaders.
Develop a Multi-Year, Reliable Source of Funding:
Funding is critical. Key sources include foundations,
federal or state grants, direct support from local
governments, and contributions from local corporations
or the business community. SEQL has succeeded
partly due to steady, dedicated funding for ongoing
activities, as opposed to project funding. Without a
multi-year, reliable source of funding from year to year, regional efforts will not
succeed. Multiple sources help ensure that the project is continually funded as
sources become exhausted over time. EPA provided a majority of the SEQL funding
over the first four years of the pilot project to
the Centralina COG, which allocated a portion
to the Catawba COG. This helped cement the
EPA/COG partnership and enabled the
allocation of local funds by the COGs to
implement SEQL. EPA also provided North
Carolina and South Carolina with some
separate resources to support SEQL.
Stephen L Johnson,
EPA Administrator
Michael O. Leavitt, Former EPA
Administrator
4. Be Prepared for a Long-Term Commitment:
The growth challenges facing metropolitan
regions across the nation cannot be solved with
a two- or three-year effort. Given the short terms of most local officials and frequent
changes in local leadership, maintaining
longer-term efforts, however, can often be
difficult. The COGs have used various
approaches to sustain SEQL, including
sponsoring events to generate support and
maintain momentum, providing an interactive
map on the SEQL website, and tallying the
number of actions communities have taken to
improve air, water, and land.
Develop a Regional Vision: Growth is
inevitable. The question is: "how do we
want to grow?" Bringing the public into the
process to identify a long-term regional
vision is critical to answering this question. This is particularly important in large,
fast-growing regions, where residents in rural counties may have a very different
vision of the future than those living in suburban or urban areas. This input can be
Christine Todd Whitman, Former EPA Administrator,
and Alan Powell, EPA Region 4
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used to develop or evaluate future scenarios and can serve as the foundation for the
entire initiative. SEQL includes a visioning and scenario-evaluation component that
helps the program influence planning practices across the region.
Celebrate Early Successes: Identifying early successes is critical. It takes time to
establish a process, obtain a steady stream of funding, initiate regional meetings, and
develop visions and future scenarios. Ideally, these are on-the-ground projects that
can give the public, elected officials, and funding sources a tangible sense of success.
Celebrating those successes and working with the media to publicize them also helps
maintain momentum.
Develop a Marketing Strategy and Maintain Community Involvement: If the area
is large like the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region, considerable outreach may be
necessary to engage elected officials, citizens, community groups, and businesses. In
addition to working with local media, a marketing strategy should include visits to
local governments, chambers of commerce, and local organizations. The COGs
initiated and attended gatherings of a number of groups, including Parent Teacher
Associations, local media meteorologists and environmental organizations. EPA and
the COGs also have helped SEQL get national exposure through presentations at
national meetings, a satellite broadcast and other means.
Develop Partnerships: Partnerships are critical. They help spread the message,
leverage resources and increase the level and diversity of program activity. In the case
of SEQL, the emphasis is on government
partnerships. Three levels of government
- local, state, and federal - worked
together toward the common goal of
empowering local governments to take
action to improve air and water quality.
Partnerships with businesses and citizen
groups are also important for advancing
the projects goals and for achieving
environmental results. SEQL worked
very effectively with several groups,
including the Carolinas Clean Air Coalition.
9. Enhance Participation by Providing Options for Involvement: Finding the most
effective way to engage stakeholders will vary from area to area. Providing choice
was particularly effective for the Charlotte region. By providing numerous options for
participation, SEQL was able to engage local governments and different groups
effectively in various projects, such as implementation of the environmental action
items from the toolbox. Leaders in the Charlotte region reacted very favorably to this
approach, much more positively than they would probably have responded to a "one
size fits all" approach. Once the COGs were able to interest a local government or
group in a SEQL project, then the discussion focused on project expectations and what
SEQL participation entailed.
10. Identify and Develop Staff Who are Committed to Action: Elected and high-level
officials come and go fairly regularly so it is very important to develop staff within
both the sponsoring organization and participating jurisdictions and agencies who are
essential for successful implementation of a regional project. Professional staff
generally turn over less frequently and are, therefore, more likely to remain long
enough to ensure the project is implemented over the long term. Key professional
staff must not only have (or develop) subject area knowledge, but must also be
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committed to inclusive processes and integrated planning. SEQL relied upon such
professional staff within participating local governments (and COGs) to look for
environmental improvement opportunities in every part of their jobs. This ongoing
education helped create a cadre of "doers" who can spread SEQL-type thinking into
longer-term activities, plans, and programs. Ultimately, this has proven to be one of
SEQL greatest challenges and successes.
In summary, here are SEQL's overall phases and timeframes:
Goals
Results
Resources
V
*" Educate local elected
and other officials on
environmental issues
* Officials select 25 action
items for the environment
> Comprehensive list of
available air, water and
land use measures
* Significant raising of
awareness across the
region
* Commitment to take
action to protect the
environment
* EPA cooperative
agreement with City of
Charlotte
> To broaden and deepen
the education of local
elected and other officials
on environmental issues
> Encourage jurisdictions to
adopt 25 action items for
the environment
> "How-To" action item
manuals
t* As of April, 2006, 67
jurisdictions had become
formal SEQL partners
and 86 jurisdictions have
self-reported adoption
and implementation of
over 750 action items
across the region.
t> EPA cooperative
agreement with
Centralina Council of
Governments
>* EPA cooperative
agreement with State of
SC Department of
Health and
Environmental Control
> Staff resources to NC
Department of
Environment and
Natural Resources
* To promote long term
integrated planning
P» Education of elected and
appointed officials about
integrated planning, how
to pursue it, and its
benefits
* Identification of
integrated planning tools
in North and South
Carolina
> Modeling integrated
planning in a number of
projects including land
use plans and other
processes
^ Implementation of ReVA
scenarios and completion
of a baseline regional
data to support future
planning
^ Inauguration of a regional
vision to provide a
long-term basis for
regional collaboration
toward sustainability
« EPA cooperative
agreement with
Centralina Council of
Governments
^ Cooperative agreement
with UNC-Charlotte
> Staff resources for State
of NC Department of
Environment and
Natural Resources
,
J
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SECTIONS. SEQLACCOMPLISHMENTS
3.1
SEQL has achieved significant results. As of
April 2006, sixty-seven jurisdictions have
become formal SEQL partners, and eighty-six
jurisdictions across the fifteen county regions
had self-reported implementation of 758 actions
in four areas:
Air quality
Water quality
Sustainable growth
Other environmental measures
The Centralina and Catawba Councils of
Government jointly developed "how-to"
guidance documents to implement these action
items. The notebooks were well- received
across the Charlotte region and used elsewhere
in the Southeast.
3.2 Air
In air quality, 314 actions have been taken by municipalities on the following twelve
measures:
Open burning limits
Designated local experts on air quality
Flexible work schedule
Smoking vehicles
Tax-free commuter benefits enforcement
Tree planting standards
Carpooling/vanpooling
Clean cities program
Enhanced ozone awareness
Local government energy plan
Air awareness programs
MPO/RPO coordination
» own for
on of
appropriate age
« Alternative enhancements and
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3.3
In sustainable growth 184 actions have
been taken on the following six measures:
Annexation agreements
Connectivity for multi-modal transit
Efficient parking
Greenways and open space
Multi-jurisdictional land use
regulations
Pedestrian friendly streetscapes
Additional actions are being completed on
urban infill and mixed or multi-use
development in many places around the
region.
3.4
In water quality 191 actions have been taken on
the following six measures:
Natural buffer zones
Sedimentation and erosion control
Wastewater treatment plans
Wastewater treatment programs
Watershed impact
Water supply plans
^Ij&gSS.fe'"
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".My of a for
at the
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and
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3.5
?= «p -^ ~-?-.'i.' ».fR*i~
The COGs have also supported the implementation of other emission-reduction
measures, many of which EPA helped support through funding and other resources.
Sixty-nine actions have been implemented across the region for the following eleven
measures:
Diesel retrofit programs
Truck stop electrification
Lawn mower rebates and
gas can trade outs
Idle reduction policy
Air quality education for
educators
Design for the
Environment's program for
auto body shop pollution
prevention
High-performance building
techniques
Brownfields redevelopment
Promotion of infill development
Pervious pavements
Energy-efficient coatings for HVAC units
Under a diesel school bus retrofit program, thus far, 408 buses have been outfitted with
diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) in Iredell, Mecklenburg, and Rowan Counties,
achieving emission reductions for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter
(PM) and carbon monoxide (CO). Rowan County has also installed diesel emission
control devices on twenty-three buses. Mecklenburg County operates forty buses using
ultra low diesel fuel with diesel particulate filters and eight buses on natural gas.
Cabarrus, Lincoln and Gaston Counties are
planning to retrofit 187 buses in the summer
of 2006 using DOCs through a North
Carolina Mobile Source Emissions Reduction
(MSER) Grant. Mecklenburg also received
MSER funds and will outfit buses with
Global Positioning System devices to monitor
idling and other route activity. Gaston
County has also produced over 13,000
gallons of biodiesel from used cooking oil
and uses a diesel/biodiesel mixture in its
buses. They have equipment and plans in
place to more than double the production of biodiesel in 2007.
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South Carolina received an EPA Clean School Bus grant to help school districts in the
South Carolina portion of the SEQL region retrofit approximately 197 buses with DOCs
and crankcase filters, replace up to twelve
older diesel school buses, and conduct pilot
programs to produce biodiesel fuel and
supplementary funding for other counties in
the ozone non-attainment area.
In addition, the Centralina COG received an
EPA grant to serve as a down payment to
electrify a truck stop in Rowan County.
Instead of idling their trucks, truckers can
hook up to an electric system that provides
all of the energy they need when resting or
spending the night, without the local emissions. Initially fifty spaces will be electrified,
with more spots possible in the future. The remainder of the funding for the fifty spots
will come from Congestion Mitigation for Air Quality funds. This initiative will achieve
reductions of nitrogen oxides, VOCs, CO and PM. Soon, truckers will be able to drive
almost the entire stretch of 1-85, from central Georgia through North Carolina, without
having to idle, as six sites will eventually be available along that route. Centralina is now
negotiating with FHWA to determine the
eligibility of an additional truck stop in
Rowan County for funds under the
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
Improvement Program.
EPA provided funding to support a
regional project to coat air conditioner
(A/C) units with an innovative coating
called Adsil. When applied to A/C
units, studies have shown that Adsil can
bring the unit's efficiency virtually back
to that of a new unit, as well as prevent
age-related efficiency loss due to the
deterioration of heat transfer surfaces,
saving both electrical power and early
replacement costs. The ability to model
expected energy savings with
widespread use of Adsil is transferable
to other communities nationwide.
Energy savings reduce costs, limit the
need for new generating capacity, and
could, under certain circumstances,
benefit air quality. Quantifiable air
quality benefits depend on the amount
J
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of energy savings and the extent to which, and where, fossil fuel-fired power plants
reduce emissions as a result of those energy savings. The Adsil coating was applied to
150 HVAC units in 28 buildings in 13 jurisdictions. Adsil improved the energy
efficiency of those units by 12.3%, resulting in projected annual savings of 461,400
kilowatt hours and over $37,000.27 (For more information, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/catc/products.htmltfaptecrpts.)
EPA also provided funding for an auto body shop pollution prevention initiative to
encourage auto refinishing shops to implement best practices that reduce emissions from
diisocyanates, organic solvents, and other toxics. A contractor did before-and-after visits
to eight shops, recommending work practice changes to shops to reduce emissions. These
were quantified and implemented by the shops. (For more information, visit:
The Charlotte region has also been active in lawnmower and gas can exchanges. York
County, SC has held two gas can exchanges, in which 275 gas cans were exchanged. The
SEQL region is gearing up for a lawnmower trade-out in the spring of 2007.
In addition to these measures, communities across the Charlotte region have begun to
integrate environmental considerations into local policy and regional documents in
several areas:
Anti-idling policies
Land use plans
"General development policies"
Visioning
They have also begun to adopt specific tools into ordinances for land use regulation, such
as connectivity in subdivisions, sidewalks, and trees.
3.6
SEQL serves as a model of collaboration
across the local governments in the
Charlotte/Rock Hill region and across three
levels of government - federal, state and
local. SEQL has been successful at breaking
down stovepipe mentalities and creating
communication and collaboration channels
across programs, governments and
organizations.
Through extensive outreach, the COGs
successfully forged partnerships with environmental, civic, and business stakeholders by
first orienting them to SEQL and then bringing them in as partners on SEQL projects.
41
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3.7 or
One of SEQL' s goals has been establishing a common database for the region to support
development and evaluation of future regional scenarios. Meeting this goal was especially
challenging, given that each government is responsible for maintaining their own data in a
format and design of their own choosing. Despite these hurdles, the COGs, working with
the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and EPA's ReVA program, successfully
created a regional data system framework designed to support baseline and ongoing data
collection. Baseline data are in place and work is continuing to develop funding for
maintenance that will permit impact analyses for implementation of both toolbox items
and other environmental initiatives, and allow modeling and analysis of the impacts of
various programs and decisions on transportation and air quality on an ongoing basis.
3.8
Drawing on visions developed by numerous entities for different parts of the
Charlotte/Rock Hill region, the COGs are developing a unified vision for the region that is
expected to have buy-in from the majority of local governments. It will involve
stakeholders across the region and will reflect a shared vision for how they want their
communities to grow. The baseline document for the visioning process also will identify
areas where no consensus exists, or partly exists, and where the vision is not supported by
local policies or practices. This will provide the region with a basis for continuing
discussions about growth and sustainability beyond SEQL. This approach to visioning has
strong local government, business sector, environmental, and civic organization support
because it clearly values the work that has happened in individual jurisdictions before this
time, and because it is viewed as highly cost-effective.
The ReVA scenarios that are being completed will help to relate environmental and
fiscal impacts to various development forms. While the regional vision will not depend
on the ReVA outputs, it will inform the process and should indicate actions in the
appropriate directions.
3.9
SEQL has raised awareness among
governmental and nongovernmental
partners on the utility of coordinated,
integrated planning, and identification of
intersecting interests that will support
elected officials in implementing SEQL
initiatives. The COGs have made great
strides in promoting regional integrated
planning so that it becomes an ongoing
and customary activity. Specifically, the
COGs significantly increased local and
regional capacity for integrated
environmental planning through "best practices site visits," technical workshops, and by
continually working with people and organizations committed to SEQL. Integrated
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planning is beginning to find its way into how regional plans are produced and how
decisions are made. For example, Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Environmental General
Development Policies require that development planning consider long term impacts on
air quality through VMT reduction. Cleveland County's inclusion of an integrated
planning staff-level committee in its Land Use Plan is another example.
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SECTION 4. KEY LESSONS LEARNED
As SEQL developed, its leaders learned from experience and made adjustments
accordingly. The SEQL initiative provides valuable lessons that others can benefit from
as they develop similar programs.
4.1
For efforts like SEQL to succeed, local
champions are essential; individuals and
organizations make the initiative happen. More
specifically, SEQL-type projects need:
Strong, supportive political leadership.
Strong, steady institutional support and
leadership from an organization that is
regionally respected, such as the
Centralina and Catawba Regional COGs,
and that is willing to persevere with
communities that might initially be unresponsive to playing a role in SEQL.
Local champions who are willing to partner and share success.
Additional champions beyond the main organization driving the effort. This
includes the development of local air quality commissions or sub-committees as
both policy and program implementers, and as a way of creating a permanent
authority to integrate environmental factors into local decision making.
A "staff champion" is essential to ensure that technical staff continue working
collaboratively on SEQL-type regional work.
4.2 by
SEQL's ability to get underway was made possible by people who were willing to play an
active role early on in the process. They helped create momentum through several early,
public successes, which built a foundation for more comprehensive and time-consuming
efforts later on. To make this happen, leaders of SEQL-type projects need to:
Seek to identify a few leading jurisdictions who see the benefits of an integrated
approach and who are willing to act publicly with specific actions.
Stay focused initially, and then diversify. Begin simply, with a limited number of
jurisdictions, while avoiding the impression of excluding other jurisdictions or
elected officials.
Facilitate public recognition of success and the local people who made it happen.
This makes it easier for others to join the process, and to gain political and
financial support. Each new member of the team needs to be nurtured and
carefully listened to in order to understand their motivations for continuing
involvement.
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4.3 on
Central to SEQL's success was the emphasis on action through choice. SEQL provided
local governments with a menu of air, water and land use measures from which to select
specific actions that appealed to local officials and which would work in particular
communities. Many officials commented that it is far easier to take action when there is
choice, versus being told, "You must do this." This approach also enabled local officials
to branch out later to action items that initially were not so appealing, but that appeared
more relevant after they saw the fruits of the early actions.
4.4
Under SEQL, a considerable amount of the COGs' time was spent connecting people and
encouraging collaboration across
departments, agencies and organizations to
produce action. This approach had several
features:
Nontraditional stakeholders must be
included. In addition to
approaching "the usual suspects,"
the COG tried to include new
people with different perspectives.
The COGs spent considerable time
seeking commitment from local
elected officials and finding ways to
keep them engaged. They
encouraged small and large
jurisdictions to participate, and actively
sought to involve local groups from
different sectors. They found that local elected officials generally perceived
environmental actions as favorable if they had good information, public and peer
support, and a clear sense of the multiple benefits.
SEQL enjoyed good working relationships with federal, state and local officials,
which helped the COGs to overcome the silos and to identify and seek additional
SEQL resources and support.
Keeping commitment is an ongoing process. As participants come and go, it is
necessary to constantly check in to ensure support.
Stakeholders must be met on their home ground, both physically and
philosophically. The COGs' offices are located in central cities, but staff
frequently travels to localities across the region to listen to concerns. This process
was labor intensive, but crucial to the success of a broad-based project.
A continuing relationship with stakeholders and partners, as well as a broad view
of project interests is essential to success. COGs' staff are often ideally suited to
promote this approach, because COG membership embraces the entire region, and
COG staff routinely engage local officials on a variety of projects - most of which
touch on SEQL goals.
With so many interests involved, SEQL identified participatory roles for each,
Joe White, Former Member, Charlotte, NC City
Council, and Julie Burch, Assistant City Manager,
Charlotte, NC
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while respecting existing structures and relationships. For example, Charlotte
immediately saw the benefits of participating in SEQL and was an early adopter,
while some of the other governments were less inclined to participate early.
Nevertheless, it was crucial that those governments be acknowledged and
supported at even the most preliminary level.
From the beginning, it was critical to seek the involvement of state-level officials.
Local jurisdictions were reluctant to make commitments before the states had
taken a position.
If the SEQL message was not well received in a particular area, the COGs sought
to better understand the attitudes, values and behaviors of that jurisdiction. They
then revised the message in light of this new understanding and tried again to bring
that previously hesitant area to the table.
4.5
The importance of communication cannot be overemphasized. It has many facets:
The program must develop communication tools for different target audiences,
including local and state-level elected
officials, local and state-level
employees, general and targeted
businesses, school teachers, general
public, financial institutions and
specific non-profit organizations. To be
successful, each audience needs to be
understood in terms of where they are,
what their interests and values are, and
how they see themselves as part of the
broader region.
The challenge is to develop meaningful
and accurate explanations of the relevant scientific underpinnings for the various
proposed actions and requirements. At the same time, these tailored
communication tools must contain a consistent message. When scientific and
technical confirmation cannot be readily translated for the general public,
acceptance of the information will weaken and may not stimulate action.
The need to communicate broadly and deeply and to diversify target audiences
beyond chief elected officials is important. Turnover of elected officials is high, so
information must reach the career staff in the organization. Even at the senior
management level, there may be frequent personnel changes. For this reason, it is
important to reach as many people as possible within each organization. A broad
and deep communication strategy will target a jurisdiction's professional staff,
elected officials, appointed boards and commissions, and other key decision makers.
Don't over-promise or under-deliver. Be sure everyone understands and agrees on
the expectations that have been set, and then work jointly to meet them.
Follow the "no surprises" rule. The goal of the communications system should be
that no one in the system gets belated information and no one is surprised when
others know something that they do not know. When everyone is informed,
individuals can then decide what they want to do with the information.
Communicate frequently. For a significant paradigm shift and the behavior
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changes SEQL sought, frequent communication and repetition of the same basic
message was key. The website, printed newsletter and especially the e-newsletter
were key to continued outreach to the varied stakeholders.
4.6
SEQL succeeded because the COGs were able to secure base funding from EPA and their
own budgets, and secure project funding from EPA and several other sources.
Several lessons learned on funding include:
For an effort like SEQL that addresses air and water quality, future funding must
be available for integrated, cross-media activities. One of the limits of the base
project funding was that it had to be used for air quality work. The importance of
water, brownfields and other media were recognized, but the funding for pilot
projects and involvement of other offices must be present to support broader
activities. It is important to understand the critical link between connecting people
and funding. If the right people are introduced to, and committed to, the goals,
funding can follow.
Funding processes take longer than may be originally envisioned. Leaders of
SEQL-type projects need to either have a back-up plan or accept the consequences
of these delays. Everyone needs to be open and honest about what is happening
throughout the process. Turn-around time can take years and, therefore, thorough
planning is a fundamental requirement.
COGs are a unit of local government rather than a section 501(c)(3) entity. This
proved to be an obstacle to obtaining private foundation funding. Centralina COG
later established a 501(c)(3) entity which could apply for this funding. The COG's
501 (c)(3) arm successfully applied for, and received, grants from the Duke Energy
Foundation and the Foundation for the Carolinas, and has since applied for
additional foundation grants.
From the outset, COG staff decided that in order to have ongoing local support
after EPA funding terminates, local governments needed to be financially
committed to the process. The COGs, therefore, did not fund the implementation
of action items by local governments using SEQL funds. COG staff assisted local
governments with grant applications for funding from outside sources, but local
governments were responsible for matching any grants received.
4.7 Be of
Leaders of SEQL projects need to understand that jurisdictions will more readily take risks
when they are experiencing growth and general economic prosperity. Other pressures
facing each locality may influence reluctance, or seeming resistance, to participate. In
SEQL localities trying to recover from drought and significant employment layoffs,
environmental protection measures, even modest ones, were difficult to promote. In areas
with few air quality problems, leaders focused on water quality. In areas not experiencing
growth, open space preservation was generally not a priority. The message was to focus
on the environmental issue of greatest concern to the community as a means of gaining
that community's support and commitment to the program.
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4.8 to
In the technical aspects of SEQL, two lessons were learned:
Local and state agencies may be reluctant to share the data necessary to perform
the desired analyses because of several concerns. These include the intended use
of the data, the possibility that it might be taken out of context, or that it may be
inappropriately used by
other parties. The agencies
are also concerned about
using different sources of
data. For example, if the
state uses one data set for
regulatory purposes, they
want to ensure that any
effort that uses a different
data set does not result in
the release of seemingly
conflicting information or
results. Furthermore, the use of different models is challenging because modelers
whose results are used for regulatory purposes may be concerned that modeling
done for planning purposes will yield different results. Communication about any
type of data use, and joint planning for how modeling results will be framed and
shared, is critical.
X-' --vt.-.jjviP*"--- --y-L - .--.:ifcl!^EiB.
~^&ii3g---^~~
fit!
Communicating technical information to non-technical audiences is a challenge,
especially for modeling that address air and water issues, and when elected
officials receive technical input from several experts who traditionally do not
communicate with each other. Part of the process may involve simplifying certain
aspects of the technical program or avoiding detailed explanations about certain
technical tools. It is critical to make sure the audience is aware of any
simplifications and of the uncertainties associated with scientific research and
models. Technical experts dealing in various fields need to work together to craft
a mutual solution so that data will be useful.
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Attachment 1: Management Structure
Centralina COG Board
Catawba Regional COG Board
Centralina
COG Staff
Project Management
Advisory Committee
Catawba
Regional
COG Staff
Outreach Through
Sub-Regional
Meetings
Scenario
Development
Team
Regional
Planners
Group
49
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Attachment 2: Detailed Timeline of SEQL Activities
2005
May
2006
I
to to
in NC
for the to
to
off
of
a
to NC
to COG
for the
and of
of to
off the Air for
a for
on
a
to NC
to
the the or
and Air
off
to
the
of the j
/
50
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Attachment 3: Profiles of Leadership
These are some of the key leaders who have led and supported SEQL. An effort like
SEQL would not succeed without this leadership. They are listed in alphabetical order.
Leda Belk. Leda Belk, former Rowan County Commissioner, served as Chairman of
the Centralina Council of Governments Board of Directors during the initial stages of
the SEQL program. A native of Rowan County, Leda has taught in the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools and Rowan County Schools. She continues to teach drivers
education classes and serves as a substitute teacher in Rowan County. Leda is a strong
believer that in order to grow a community you must grow the quality of life.
"Businesses aren't going to come unless we do right by the environment," she says. She
serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Smart Start Rowan, Rowan County
Parks and Recreation Department and is an active member of the Altrusa Club. She
received her undergraduate degree and masters degree in educational counseling from
UNC-Charlotte.
Wendy Bell. Bell serves as Senior Planner for the Catawba Regional Council of
Governments and as Coordinator for the Palmetto State Clean Fuels Coalition. Bell has
spent over twenty years working with local government issues. Prior experience includes
serving as Planning Director for Lancaster County, S.C. Her educational background
includes a Masters of City and Regional Planning from Clemson University.
Dumont Clarke. Centralina Council of Governments Chairman, Clarke is serving
his third term on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. He is an attorney
who concentrates his practice in corporate finance with the law firm of Moore and Van
Allen PLLC. He is a former member - as a liaison from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
School Board - of the Mecklenburg County Citizens Capital Budget Advisory Committee,
which helps the Board prioritize its capital spending. Clarke serves on a legislative study
commission established by the North Carolina General Assembly on conflict resolution
between boards of education and county commissions. From 1990-1993, he was an
Assistant Professor of business law at the Belk School of Business at UNC-Charlotte.
Clarke is active in the community. He is a native of Buncombe County in western North
Carolina, where he grew up on a dairy farm. He graduated from Vassar College in 1974
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and he earned his law degree four years later at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Eldridge R. Emory. Catawba Regional Council of Governments Chairman and native
of Lancaster South Carolina, Emory received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wingate
College in 1958. Emory currently is a member of the South Carolina General Assembly
representing House District 45. Representative Emory is assigned to the committees on
Labor and Commerce and Industry. Representative Emory serves on the Catawba
Regional Development Corporation Board of Directors. Prior to his service in the
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General Assembly, Representative Emory served on the Lancaster County Council for
twenty years, four of which as Council Chairman. He is retired from Founders Federal
Credit Union.
Parks Helms. Helms is serving his seventh consecutive term on the Mecklenburg Board
of County Commissioners. Helms was a member of the North Carolina House of
Representatives from 1974-1984 and was ranked one of the ten "Most Effective House
Members" by the NC Center for Public Policy Research for three consecutive sessions.
He is an attorney and president of the law firm of Helms, Henderson & Associates, P.A.
He has served as vice president of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), as well as
a member of several NCBA committees. Helms serves on the board of directors of the
Arts & Science Council and Charlotte Center City Partners. He serves on the board of
advisors of the Dowd YMCA. He is also on the board of directors of Sykes Enterprises,
Incorporated. A Charlotte native, he is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
Polly C. Jackson. Member of Catawba Regional Council of Governments Board of
Directors and a native of Lancaster, South Carolina, Polly Jackson graduated from
Winston Salem State University, B.S. degree; the University of Hartford, M.Ed, degree;
and Winthrop University, M.Ed., specialist degree. She is a retired educator. Jackson
served on the Lancaster County Council for twelve years, two of which as Council
Chairman. She also served as President of the South Carolina Association of Counties in
1999-2000. She presently serves as Vice Chairman of Springs Memorial Hospital Board
of Trustees, a member of the Friends of the Medford Library Board, the Lancaster County
FEMA Board, J. Marion Sims Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors, and The Foundation
for The Carolinas Board of Directors.
Patrick McCrory. In December 2005, Mayor Pat McCrory became the first six-term
Mayor in the history of the City of Charlotte. Mayor McCrory has distinguished himself
as a leader in the areas of public safety, economic development, housing, and
transportation. He has been recognized nationally for his leadership in developing
Charlotte's twenty-five year transportation and land-use plan. Mayor McCrory is
involved in many national organizations. He serves as President of the Republican
Mayors and Local Officials organization, is the Chairman of the U.S. Conference of
Mayors Environment Committee, and has been a member of the Homeland Security
Advisory Committee since October 2003. Recognizing the need for coordinated lobbying
among North Carolina's twenty-five largest cities, he was the founder and inaugural
Chairman of the North Carolina Metropolitan Coalition.
The Mayor has testified before Congress on environmental issues, transportation policy,
and privatization initiatives and has been a guest on several national media broadcasts.
Mayor McCrory graduated from Catawba College in 1978 with a B.A. degree in Political
Science/Education. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Catawba College and
received an Honorary Doctorate degree from the school in 2001. Since graduation, he has
held several management positions with Duke Energy Corporation.
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Harold Shapiro. Shapiro has served as Executive Director of the Catawba Regional
Council of Governments for the past fifteen years. Prior to that, at the Catawba COG, he
also served as planner and planning director. His educational background includes a
Masters of Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia, as well as training
in public finance.
Al Sharp. Sharp has served as Executive Director of the Centralina Council of
Governments since 2002. He has nine years of experience in international public
management consulting on local government issues and fifteen years of county
management experience. Sharp has taught, managed and consulted extensively in
organization change and development. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and holds an Master of Arts in
Management Change and Development from the University of Kentucky. He is an
International City Management Association Certified Manager.
Joe White. Coach Joe White was elected as an at-large member and Chairman of the
Board of Education in 2003. He has over thirty-five years of experience working with
and for students and parents in the public school system. White began his career in
Wilson, North Carolina, before going on to teach and coach at North Mecklenburg High
School. He also served as the first football coach and athletic director at Olympic High
School. In addition, White worked as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg School (CMS)
administrator for sixteen years and served two terms as a member of the Charlotte City
Council. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Wake Forest University, a
Master of Arts degree from East Carolina University, an Education Specialists degree
from Appalachian State University and is a graduate of the United States War College.
White is retired from the CMS system and served as Centralina Council of
Governments Chairman.
Rebecca Yarbrough. Yarbrough has served as Centralina COG Regional Initiatives
Program Administrator since 1979, developing regional programs to address multi-
jurisdictional needs ranging from Emergency Medical Services and 911 call centers to
environmental issues through SEQL. She also facilitates visioning, land use planning and
strategic planning and her passion is bringing people together to solve problems. She
holds a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Queens University and has
completed the County Administration Program of the School of Government at UNC-
Chapel Hill.
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Attachment 4: SEQL Resolution of Support
SUSTAINABLE
for QUALITY of LIf£
A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT
BYDTHE
WHEREAS, the is keenly aware of the importance of
natural resource protection and enhancement within our community; and
WHEREAS, the degradation of natural resources, including air and water pollution and the
rampant consumption of open space does not recognize political boundaries; and
WHEREAS, intergovernmental cooperation, on a regional basis, is essential to any effort to
protect and preserve the natural environment; and
WHEREAS, the protection and preservation of natural resources within
. and the greater region are essential to the general health, safety, and welfare of
community and regional residents; and
WHEREAS, improper management of natural resources is contrary to the ideals of a healthy,
economically vital and aesthetically pleasing community and region;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the
adopts this resolution in support of SEQL: Sustainable Environment
for Quality of Life; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the through its
comprehensive and all other planning efforts, will seek to implement sound environmental
planning principles in a manner that furthers the efforts of SEQL to the benefit of
and regional citizens.
Adopted this day of , 2003.
Chief Elected Official
54
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Endnotes
1 Ranking Tables for Metropolitan Areas: Population in 2000 and Population Change from 1990 to 2000
(PHC-T-3), U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, MtBJ//.mw,census^
t3.html. April 2, 2001.
2 About Connecticut: General Description & Facts, State of Connecticut, Hartford, CT,
3 "Draft for Review: Land Use and Socio-Economic Data and Projections for the Greater Charlotte Region,"
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, March 2005.
4 Tim Lomax and David Schrank, "The 2005 Urban Mobility Report," Texas Transportation Institute, Texas
A&M University System, College Station, TX, http://mobilitv.tamu.edu/ums/report/, May 2005.
5 Charlotte Regional Information, Charlotte Regional Partnership, Charlotte, NC, www.charlotteusa.com.
6 "Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes; Final Rule," Federal Register, 56 FR 56694,
Washington, DC, www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/greenbk/fr 11 6 1991 40cfr81 designations.pdf, November 6,
1991.
7 "Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans and Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning
Purposes; State of North Carolina; Final Rule," Federal Register, 60 FR 34859, Washington, DC,
www.epa.qov/oar/oaqps/qreenbk/6034859.html, July 5, 1995.
8 "Air Quality Designations and Classifications for the 8-Hour Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards;
Early Action Compact Areas With Deferred Effective Dates; Final Rule," Federal Register, 69 FR 23858,
Washington, DC, ilttei/MwiLeeagov/parytoaMs^grie^ April 30, 2004.
9 "Basinwide Assessment Report: Catawba River Basin," North Carolina Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Raleigh, NC, http://h2o.enr.state.nc.ys/esb/Basinwide/Catawba%202003%20Report.pdf,
June 2003, p. 11.
10 Ibid.
11 "Basinwide Assessment Report: Yadkin River Basin," North Carolina Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Raleigh, NC, hlt{3://ww^.j3sj^^ June 2002, p. 15.
12 Ibid.
13 "North Carolina Water Quality Assessment and Impaired Waters List (2006 Integrated 305(b) and 303(d)
Report; Public Review Draft)," North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Raleigh,
NC, http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/tmdl/General 303dhtm#Downloads, February 2006.
14 "Water 2030: Water, Sewer and Stormwater Capital Needs," North Carolina Rural Economic Development
Center, Raleigh, NC, http://www.ncryralcenter.org/water2030/index.htrnl, 2006.
15 William Fulton, et al, "Who Sprawls Most? How Growth Patterns Differ Across the U.S.," Center on Urban
& Metropolitan Policy, The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC,
t]tl|x//w«wJ3rooJ^^ July 2001 .
16 Issues and Programs, American Farmland Trust, Washington, DC,
http://www.farmland.org/programs/default.asp.
17 International Database, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC,
MtBJ//www,.cejijj^^
18 2002 Annual National Resources Inventory, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States
Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, Mt|gc//wi^Jirc£^^^
55
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19 International Database, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC,
20 2002 Annual National Resources Inventory, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States
Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, h|t|Q]//MMJlISSJUj^^
tabase, U.S. Census Bure
21 International Database, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC,
22 Data Center: Demographics, Metro Denver Population, Metro Denver Economic Development
Corporation, Denver, CO, Mtli://wwwjTielrodCT^^
23 Arthur C. Nelson, "Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity To Rebuild America," The Brookings
Institution, Washington, DC, http://vvvyw.brookinqs.edu/metro/pubs/20041 21 3 rebuildarnerica.htm, December
2004.
24 "Smart Growth in Texas: TTI Researchers Examine Strategies and Potential Benefits," Texas
Transportation Researcher, Volume 39, No. 2., College Station, TX, JTH^i/MlMlMiMM/resglMlglZ , 2003,
pp. 12-13.
25 Traffic Congestion and Sprawl - Press Club Event, Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations,
U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion/congpress.htm.
November 19, 2002.
26 Aerometric Information Retrieval System, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park,
NC, jrtt
27 "Evaluation of Savings from the Application of Adsil in the NC/SC Charlotte Area," EPA-453/R-05-003,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC,
http://vtfww.epa.gov/ttn/catc/products.htmlffaptecrpts, November 2004, pp. v-vi.
56
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United States Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Publication No. EPA-456/R-06-001
Environmental Protection Research Triangle Park, NC November 2006
Agency
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