States and communities are interested in accounting for the air quality benefits of their development choices. This guidance presents the conditions under which the benefits of land use activities could be included in air quality and transportation planning processes. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends that this guidance be an additional tool to encourage the development of land use policies and projects which improve livability in general, and air quality in particular. This effort is intended to complement the efforts of states and local areas, and to provide guidance, flexibility and technical assistance to areas that wish to implement these measures and use them towards meeting their air quality goals. This guidance document is a non-regulatory interpretation and clarification of EPAs policies and practices relating to treatment of land use activities and is consistent with Section 131 of the Clean Air Act, which states, Nothing in this Act constitutes an infringement on the existing authority of counties and cities to plan or control land use, and nothing in this Act provides or transfers authority over such land use. The goal of this guidance is to assist air quality and transportation planners in accounting for the air quality impacts of land use policies and projects which state and local governments voluntarily adopt. EPA is providing this guidance to give flexibility to state and local governments by expanding the number of strategies an area can use to meet its air quality planning requirements.

Title from cover; at head of title: EPA guidance. "January 2001." "TRAQ, EPA's Transportation Air Quality Center, http://www.epa.gov/otaq/traq." Includes bibliographical references. "EPA 420-R-01-001."