The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Small Business Administration (SBA) have named several members of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) as representative to the Small Business Advocacy Review Panel for Construction and Development Effluent Limitation Guidelines.

ARTBA members named to the group include: Wisconsin highway contractor Jim Peterson, president and CEO, James Peterson & Sons; and Dr. Robert D DeSanto, vice president and director of planning with Parsons Transportation Group, a planning and design firm in CT. Dr. Jonathan P. Deason, an ARTBA consultant and professor of environmental and energy management at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., will also represent the association.

At issue is a federal court ruling requiring the EPA to develop new effluent guideline regulations for the construction and development process. Effluent guidelines are national standards required under the Clean Water Act to control the quality of wastewater discharges to surface waters at construction sites. The panel is charged with advising the federal agencies on the development of the new regulations.

According to the EPA, the number of new storm water permits required to be obtained by the construction industry will grow to 20,000 by the year 2003, resulting in a substantial impact on the delivery and completion of transportation improvement projects.