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New York
Green LITES Program Will Score New York State Road and Bridge Projects
In the first proactive move of this kind nationwide, New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn launched a Green Leadership in Transportation and Environmental Sustainability (Green LITES) scoring program, under which all state road and bridge project designs completed after September 25 will be ranked as ''certified,'' ''silver,'' ''gold'' or ''evergreen,'' depending on their eco-friendly elements, with Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez stressing the initiative's importance for smart growth.
''The Green LITES program fully embraces the principles of smart growth, which integrate land use and transportation planning to reduce automobile travel and fuel consumption, minimizes greenhouse gas emissions, and enhances our quality of life,'' Secretary Cortes-Vazquez said. ''As the agency that houses Governor Paterson's Smart Growth Cabinet, the Department of State applauds this initiative. It is fast becoming clear that smart growth is smart energy policy.''
Similar to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system, Green LITES will rate transportation projects in four categories, including site selection, water-quality and air-quality protection, waste minimization, and overall innovation.
''By encouraging sustainable transportation project designs,'' pointed out Secretary Glynn, ''we are taking significant steps to conserve our natural resources, enhancing the quality of our lives and reaffirming our commitment to future generations.''
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis echoed the statement.
''At times in the past, construction projects and environmental protection have been at odds. But they don't have to be,'' he observed. ''The new Green LITES program will encourage new approaches and ensure that transportation projects are done in the most environmental way possible.''
The initiative drew praise not only from conservationists, including Audubon New York Executive Director Albert E. Caccese, Nature Conservancy Acting State Director Kathy Moser and Preservation League of New York State President Jay DiLorenzo, but also from Federal Highway Administrator Thomas J. Madison.
''This effort,'' said the latter, ''is only the latest example of New York setting the standards for environmental sensitivity in transportation planning.'' -- New York State Department of Transportation 9/16/2008
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