WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman David Wu today earned support for legislation he crafted to ease widespread implementation of environmentally friendly transportation construction. The legislation marks the first step toward a national policy and federal funding base of support for innovative technologies that help local municipalities better manage stormwater runoff that pollutes rivers and streams.  

"We know that incorporating green technologies into transportation construction can help keep polluted stormwater out of rivers and streams and can save taxpayers money," Congressman Wu stated. “But further research is needed to demonstrate this to the Environmental Protection Agency so that local municipalities across the country will be able to adopt these technologies."

Local municipalities across the country are looking at ways to mitigate runoff pollution from roads and parking lots by incorporating green technologies in transportation construction and stormwater management plans. However, a hearing Congressman Wu held last year revealed numerous barriers to full adoption of green transportation infrastructure due to a lack of data and a lack of understanding of these technologies.

Congressman Wu's legislation will change this by asking university transportation centers, such as Portland State University's Transportation Center, to research green transportation infrastructure. The ultimate objective will be to encourage adoption of green technologies and to show how they can be integrated into existing transportation infrastructure and stormwater management plans.

Portland Commissioner Sam Adams testified at the hearing last year, noting that in 2000 and 2001 the city wanted to incorporate bioswales into its "Clean River Plan" for the Willamette River. Bioswales are one technology that can make streets more environmentally friendly by allowing soil and plants to filter pollutants before reaching ground and surface water sources.

However, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator who was not familiar with research that has indicated bioswales effectively filter pollutants ruled that the city would also have to incorporate expensive and extensive permitting and monitoring systems. This created a financial disincentive for the use of bioswales, and the city was forced to rely on larger sewer pipes.

This example also revealed that because the EPA relies on data from specific projects, rather than overall technology performance in a variety of settings, to determine whether technologies effectively contribute to preventing water pollution, the lack of data makes it especially difficult to gain approval to use new technology from some regional administrators.

As chairman of the Science Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Congressman Wu has jurisdiction over surface transportation research and development. The legislation was approved today by the subcommittee and now moves to the full committee for consideration.

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