www.epa.gov/ord
                       science   in   ACTION
                       BUILDING A  SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR  SOUND  ENVIRONMENTAL  DECISIONS
                                                                   ECOLOGICAL
                                                                   RESEARCH  PROGRAM
     DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS GUIDE REGIONAL GROWTH
     Issue:
     With its population expected to
     nearly double between now and
     2030, the two-state region in and
     around Charlotte, N.C. is facing a
     severe test of its natural and man-
     made resources. The area is
     required by state authorities to
     produce a growth-management
     plan to comply with air quality
     standards. The challenge for area
     planners is to guide growth with a
     regional perspective that sustains
     the environment and provides
     quality of life for residents.

     Science Objective:
     The Sustainable Environment for
     Quality of Life (SEQL) is a
     federal, state, and local
     partnership, including the U.S.
     Environmental Protection Agency,
     15 counties and over 100 political
     jurisdictions in both North and
     South Carolina. This collaboration
     is addressing current issues that
     affect the region's air, land, and
     water quality, and is providing
     plans for protecting the
environment and quality of life in
the future.

EPA's Office of Research and
Development is working with
SEQL partners through its
Regional Vulnerability
Assessment (ReVA) program to
develop a Web-based toolkit for
use by local decision-makers,
land-use planners and other
interested parties. Different
possible development plans  are
being studied using ReVA. By
using the toolkit tailored to the
region's specific needs, officials
will be able to make more
informed decisions about guiding
the region's future growth.

Application and Impact:
SEQL is assisting area officials to
plan for growth that takes into
account impacts on human well-
being and the environment. Local
leaders have formed an alliance to
allow strategic planning to take
place across regional boundaries.
In addition, SEQL is allowing
individual jurisdictions to consider
land use and other issues on a
more regional basis, not just by
each locality. Now, questions of
land use and other issues that
impact the environment are being
looked at on a broader scale.

References:
Smith, E.R.; O'Neill, R.V.; Wickham, J.D.; and
Jones, K.B. EPA's Regional Vulnerability
Assessment Program: Using Monitoring Data
and Model Results to Target Actions, In:
Wiersma, Bruce (ed.) Environmental
Monitoring: a Reference Text. CRC Lewis
Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2004, pp. 480-498.

Smith, E.R.; McKinnis, P.; Tran, L.T. and
O'Neill, R.V. The effects of uncertainty on
estimating the relative environmental quality of
watersheds across a region. Landscape
Ecology, 2006, 21:225-231.

SEQL in the Greater Charlotte Bi-State Region:
Tackling Environmental Challenges In a
Growing Metropolitan Area. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,
D.C., EPA/456/R-06/001, 2006. Available at:
www.epa.gov/air/toxicair/community/seql_repor
t.pdf

Contact:
Betsy Smith, Ph.D., EPA's Office of Research
and Development, 919-541-0620,
smith.betsv@epa.aov

June 2007
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
     Office of Research and Development

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