New York Wins Smart Growth Technical Grant for Land, Water
Gov. David A. Paterson on May 29 announced that New York was chosen as one of only two states for a Smart Growth technical assistance grant to promote sustainable land use and water quality protection.
The Smart Growth Leadership Institute chose New York and Missouri for this year’s initiative, titled “Aligning State Land Use and Water Quality Protection Programs.” The program is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Paterson said: “This is much more than an environmental initiative – it is also a way to promote economic development and fiscal sustainability by targeting our scarce state resources toward investments that will have long-term benefits.”
The project team includes the Trust for Public Land, the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, River Network and the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. Experts from each of these organizations will work with New York’s state project team to identify opportunities and propose new strategies to achieve source water protection goals more effectively and efficiently through sustainable land use policies.
The project is funded under a cooperative agreement with the EPA’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. The Smart Growth Cabinet has been incorporating Smart Growth and sustainability into state operations and programs at various agencies, including the Department of State (DOS), Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), Agriculture & Markets and Department of Transportation, among others. The Cabinet has also been promoting Smart Growth legislative reforms.
The state project team will be led by DOS Director of Smart Growth Planning Paul Beyer, and will include several members of the Governor’s Smart Growth Cabinet and representatives from select planning and advocacy organizations.