Jim Moran's News Commentary

Maps of this dynamic and growing region can show a progression of roads and developments where once stood large tracts of forests, wetlands, farms and open space.

To help develop smarter zoning and growth policies and protect our valuable "green infrastructure," we need to map out what green space we have left. The green infrastructure initiative I have pursued with the National Park Service and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is doing just that. This initiative, funded with $300,000 that I secured in the fiscal 2002 Interior Appropriations Act, is helping to chart a course toward land use policies that could preserve our remaining trees, wetlands, and fields, as well as protect our neighborhood parks and streams.

The concept is actually very simple: Map out the green infrastructure of our region. Just as we map out our vast system of roads, so will this initiative map out tracts of open space, parks, streams, wetlands, woods and other parcels of land that could be protected.

Putting these "green" markers on a map will help show the tradeoffs and full consequences of current and future development plans. This initiative will make clear for all to see the places our region could protect for generations to come, ensuring our children and grandchildren will have naturally beautiful places to enjoy.

But the map is just the beginning of the initiative. We have to act on what we know.

The green infrastructure project also aims to educate the public and the business community about the benefits green infrastructure can provide our communities so as to mobilize civic activists.

Forums are being held with the public and a network of environmentally-oriented personnel within the region who are working collaboratively to advise elected officials and others about green infrastructure's benefits, including reduced flooding, improved water quality, new recreational opportunities and reduced utility costs.

So far, $160,000 of the money appropriated has been used for the creation of the map, which I hope will give the public a better understanding of just how scarce and valuable our land and natural resources are. When people see how little green space we have left in the Washington region, they will be reminded how important it is that we preserve what we have for future generations.

As this region grows, so will the demand for more housing, shops, and roads. Right now the region is home to 4.2 million people and 2.7 million jobs. But by 2025 that number will swell to 6 million people and 4.8 million jobs. There are a number of success stories that should be continued. The shift toward higher density housing and office space built around Metro stations is one thing that has been - and should continue to be - done to preserve green space. It connects communities to transit, promotes alternatives to cars and more roads and encourages better and more efficient use of existing infrastructure and utilities. People need places where they can live, work, shop and play without constant dependence on their individual vehicle.

At the federal level, Congressmen Tom Davis, Frank Wolf, and I worked to preserve green space through legislation that protected much of the 3,000 acres at Lorton from development, and where development did occur, allowed an innovative trading of development rights that helped permanently protect 800 acres of environmentally sensitive land on Mason Neck. Using the Bureau of Land Management, we were able to turn a pending development into a range for adopted horses and burros.

With a green infrastructure plan in place we can do more. This has great potential to turn happenstance planning into well thought-out land use where communities are proactive in protecting their natural resources. With this map, and the agenda it may help launch, we can find ways to protect green infrastructure and, hopefully, preserve the best of our environment for our children's stewardship.