Date:  Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Contact: Carley Francis, 360-816-8869
CRC Public Information Officer

VANCOUVER – The Columbia River Crossing is the recipient of a National Association of Environmental Professionals 2009 Environmental Excellence Award in the category of NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Excellence.

CRC was selected for this award because the project “demonstrates a novel method to assess the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and through the environmental review process identify a less overall impacting alternative for a complex transportation project,” according to the letter received from the organization’s president, Jim Melton.

The award honors the project’s approach to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change evaluation in the May 2008 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The National Association of Environmental Professionals has about 1,750 members nationwide. The organization’s mission is to be the interdisciplinary organization dedicated to developing the highest standards of ethics and proficiency in the environmental professions. Members are public and private sector professionals who promote excellence in decision-making in light of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of those decisions.

“I applaud and commend the Washington and Oregon departments of transportation on this award of excellence. Working together, they have proven that protecting the environment can be a mainstream practice and an important component of environmental review standards on this critical project,” stated Washington Governor Chris Gregoire.

“This award recognizes the leadership that our two states are providing toward the development of environmentally responsible and sustainable transportation solutions for the generations to come,” said Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. “We need to reduce greenhouse gases while still improving an international trade corridor and removing freight bottlenecks. We must do both.”

“CRC exemplifies the department’s commitment to innovative transportation planning that considers a wide range of community and environmental effects, in addition to traffic flow. The CRC project is a national model that will benefit freight mobility, commuters and the environment,” said Paula Hammond, Washington State Transportation Secretary.

Director Matt Garrett of the Oregon Department of Transportation, added, “We are proud to be leading the way for the country by providing a new method of incorporating climate change in the transportation alternatives analysis.”

CRC is a bi-state project to reduce congestion, enhance mobility and improve safety on I-5 between SR 500 in Vancouver and Columbia Boulevard in Portland. The project will replace the I-5 bridge, extend light rail to Vancouver, improve seven interchanges, and enhance the bicycle and pedestrian path between the two cities. Cost estimates for the project range from $3.1 to $4.2 billion, a portion of which would be financed by bridge tolls.

More information, including the Draft EIS, technical reports and the award letter from NAEP, may found on the CRC project Web site: http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org.

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