Opinion: Group Assails GAO Report on Transportation and
Air Quality

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new analysis released by Environmental Defense raises serious questions about the findings of a newly issued report by the U.S. General Accounting Office on air quality and transportation issues. The analysis, which examines GAO's report entitled "Federal Planning Requirements for Transportation and Air Quality Protection Could Potentially Be More Efficient and Better Linked," may be found at www.environmentaldefense.org/go/transportation.

GAO's report is a biased, incomplete analysis and it contains recommendations to federal agencies that could undermine protections under the Clean Air Act.

Following the recommendations of the GAO is likely to result in more dirty air and more kids being affected by asthma.

As Congress debates the September, 2003, reauthorization of the federal transportation law, TEA-21, members of the road-building lobby are exploring ways to weaken transportation industry accountability under current clean air laws.

GAO's report is written from the perspective of the road lobby and all but ignores the view of environmental officials, the purpose of the Clean Air Act and the value of healthy air.

The Environmental Defense critique shows that the GAO's own data supports a very different conclusion than that claimed by the road lobby. The Clean Air Act has been a great success. More training and planning resources, rather than a change in the law, could address most of the problems identified by transportation officials.

The GAO report documents the experience of local and state agencies with the Clean Air Act's transportation conformity requirement, which is designed to prevent transportation plans and traffic growth from undermining state air quality plans that protect public health.

The report did not evaluate the considerable effectiveness of transportation conformity in accomplishing its intended purpose.

Regional officials must ensure at least once every three years that their transportation plans will stay within the pollution limits set in state air pollution control plans. Most plans are reviewed voluntarily on an annual basis as new projects are added.

GAO and the road lobby are proposing that these emission accounting reviews be done as infrequently as once every five years, instead of every three years as is required under current law. However, GAO found that by a more than two to one margin, air agency officials believe that reducing the frequency of conformity determinations for transportation plans would have a negative effect on their state's ability to attain the national ambient air quality standards.

This would be like balancing your checkbook once every five years. Conformity analysis may not be fun, but it protects public health. GAO's report focuses on the gripes of those who do the accounting, but fails to highlight the success of conformity in producing cleaner, healthier air.

Environmental Defense, represents more than 300,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems.