Energy bill supports low impact development

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law in December by President Bush, requires that "the sponsor of any development or redevelopment project involving a Federal facility with a footprint that exceeds 5,000 square feet shall use site planning, design, construction, and maintenance strategies for the property to maintain or restore, to the maximum extent technically feasible, the predevelopment hydrology of the property with regard to the temperature, rate, volume, and duration of flow."

The text is included in the bill as Section 438: Storm Water Runoff Requirements For Federal Development Projects. The Environmental Protection Agency says its Office of Water (www.epa.gov/ow) staff will work with an interagency committee led by the Federal Environmental Executive to help develop appropriate implementation procedures.

The EPA also released a new report—Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices—that contains 17 case studies from across North America that show the economic viability of LID practices. The report highlights examples that, in most cases EPA says, reduce project costs while improving environmental performance. Total capital savings ranged from 15 percent to 80 percent, with a few exceptions in which LID project costs were higher than conventional stormwater management costs. A copy of the report is available online at www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07.