EM500-1 Environmental Foundations and Principals April 14, 2011.

EM500-1 Environmental Foundations and Principals

April 14, 2011

Course BookkeepingDiscussion Boards

Assignments

New Seminar Times – Not May 5th but May 4th

Seminar make-up if you can’t make the new time

Going forward

Do we do it to ourselves?Some of the problems that face CalcuttaUrban sprawl of Los Angeles, Houston,

and Dallas• How much does the automobile contribute to Los

Angeles’ problems? Did the “American Dream” of a little house with a white picket fence contribute?

Political corruption and graft? Wal-Mart Case and “Urban Renewal”

Sustainable Cities: how do we get there?Right now its drive until you qualifyPedestrian Scale neighborhoods

Art CreditsPark Credits

Can we go back to life pre-automobile? Do we want to?

Americans hate two things:Suburban SprawlHigh Density living

Concepts of Urban PlanningHow do we save cities like Los Angeles,

Houston, Atlanta?

Can environmental laws be used to fix zoning issues?

Can they fix the Urban Environment?

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)Protects National Landmarks, properties listed

on the National Register of Historic Places and those properties that are “eligible” for listing on the National Register

National Register is kept by the DOI National Park Service

Like NEPA, it applies to Federal projects or private projects that need Federal Approval or use Federal funds

Sets up the Section 106 consultation

Section 4(f) of The Department of Transportation Act of 1966Stipulated that the Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA) and other DOT agencies cannot approve the use of land from publicly owned parks, recreational areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, or public and private historical sites unless the following conditions apply:

There is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use of land.

The action includes all possible planning to minimize harm to the property resulting from use.

Powerful hook for stopping Federal Projects, but only ones that passes through parks.

Clean Water Act – Section 404 wetlands program Prevents the dredging and filling of wetlands

without a permitAvoid, minimize and mitigateMany feel this is a zoning statute because it

tell you where you can built and where you can’t

Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the main federal law that ensures the quality of Americans' drinking water.

Under SDWA, EPA sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those standards.

Not really a command and control statuteMostly a grant statute; a carrot without a stick

Drinking Water Facts And FiguresWater is the only substance found on earth in

three forms solid, liquid, and gas. A person can live more than a month without

food, but only about a week, depending on conditions, without water.

66% of the human body is water; 75% of the human brain is water.

Is Clean Water endangered?A person must consume 2.5 quarts of water per

day from all sources (drinking, eating) to maintain health.

Water regulates the earth’s temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes.

It is possible for people today to drink water that was part of the dinosaur era.

From: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/sdwa/upload/2009_08_28_sdwa_fs_30ann_waterfacts_web.pdf

Water, water everywhere . . .3% of water on planet is fresh; 1% available for

useWater quantity

Overdrawing of surface waterOver pumpingRedistribution of water

Water qualityPollution (point source and non-point source)Causes of pollutionOverdevelopment, deforestation, agricultural use