In 1999, Senator Carl Levin and Senator Jim Jeffords, I-VT, formed the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, which serves as a forum for senators interested in sustainable and sensible growth. Senate Smart Growth Task Force members have introduced many bills promoting locally driven, federally supported smart growth practices. Members also sponsor studies and host educational forums.

At the request of task force members, the Government Accountability Office has completed several studies on the impact of federal policies and programs on land use patterns, environmental quality, and fiscal outcomes. These GAO studies include:

• Transportation Planning: State and Metropolitan Planning Agencies Report Using Varied Methods to Consider Ecosystem Conservation. May 2004. [PDF]
  
• Federal Real Property: Vacant and Underutilized Properties at GSA, VA, and USPS. August 2003. [PDF]
  
• Community Development: Local Growth Issues, Federal Opportunities and Challenges. September 2000.
  
• Environmental Protection: Federal Incentives Could Help Promote Land Use That Protects Air and Water Quality. October 2001. [PDF]
  
• Community Development: Extent of Federal Influences on "Urban Sprawl" is Unclear. April 1999. [PDF]
  

Members of the Smart Growth Task Force were the lead sponsors of the Brownfields Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act that unanimously passed the Senate and was signed into law in 2002. This bill helps clarify the definition of brownfields and eligibility of sites for federal assistance. It also authorizes $200 million per year for brownfields grants.

Senator Levin and other members of the Task Force have worked to increase funding for EPA’s Brownfields program, which provides states and communities with grants to conduct environmental assessment and cleanup of properties where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.  Task Force members have also worked to increase funding for EPA’s Smart Growth office, which works to support non-regulatory approaches to addressing the environmental and fiscal impacts associated with poorly planned development.

Senator Levin and other Smart Growth Tas Force members have also advocated for increased funding for the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program. UPARR is a small but important program within the National Park Service. Its grant programs help support park and recreation facilities in under-served communities. Since its inception, UPARR has awarded approximately 1,500 individual grants totaling more than $270 million to 380 local jurisdictions in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. 

Senator Levin was one of the original co-sponsors of the Commuters Benefit Equity Act, which would raise the tax benefits for using transit services and provide equity with the tax deductions for employer supported parking. Senator Levin also is working to improve roads and transit services. He co-sponsored the High Speed Rail Investment Act, and actively supports the development of efficient high speed rail services for Michigan. Senator Paul Sarbanes, D-MD, has introduced, and Senator Levin co-sponsored, the Transit in Parks Act. This bill will provide increased funding for transit projects that relieve congestion in our increasingly popular national parks. He also is a strong supporter of maintaining funding for Amtrak.

As co-chair of the Task Force, Senator Levin has initiated many "Dear Colleague" letters informing his Senate colleagues about issues related to urban development and smart growth. The senator has hosted numerous briefings on smart growth topics.

For more information on smart growth, please visit Smart Growth America.