June 2011 - Parsons Brinckerhoff

Roundtable
“It’s going to take a
little while before the
public sector in the
infrastructure space
starts to realize that
they could achieve the
same benefits [as the
private sector].”
Peter Halsall
what they’re doing about climate change. That wasn’t a government initiative at all
that has motivated public companies to start doing something about it.
There are also private sector success stories that have been pretty remarkable. DuPont
talks about the hundreds of millions of dollars they’ve saved because of sustainability
measures. GE talks about the business success of their Ecomagination business.
Interface Carpets has grown remarkably and changed the entire industry. So the
private sector is starting to prove the triple bottom line benefits. It’s going to take a
little while before the public sector in the infrastructure space starts to realize that
they could achieve the same benefits.
Gary McVoy
It’s that alignment of the market with our long-term interests that we need. If we can
help the markets send the right signals it would be huge. I think some companies are
leading the way because they have a longer perspective than our election cycles.
Peter Halsall
That’s a good point. Shifting a longer-term perspective to the election process is a
critical point.
Gary McVoy
If you start the conversation with dollars and cents, it leads to further discussion
where the pieces can come together. And by dollars, I mean the net present values, it’s
not just what gets spent today.
Peter Halsall
The net present value idea is a complex concept for most people. There’s a discount
value on anything said about the future, and it’s a really high discount rate. That’s
because nobody wants to believe the true cost.
Moderator
In today’s environment, what’s hindering the growth of sustainability? Is current federal
legislation, including the NEPA process, adequate to support growth of sustainable
transportation? Is there legislation on the horizon that’ll better promote sustainability?
Peter Halsall
Let’s look at British government carbon regulations for example. They have a really
clear message to the market. A firm’s cost for carbon in the UK is therefore significant.
And that regulatory regime is starting to appear around the world and, even if a
company is operating in a market where it doesn’t exist, they will be operating in
markets where it does, and it will change their operational practices.
Michael Meyer
I agree that the most effective way of fostering sustainability is through market
mechanisms, such as carbon pricing. My suspicion, however, is that it is going to
take some time in the U.S. before we ever see any significant form of carbon pricing. I
have no doubt that pricing—in whatever form but certainly on carbon—would have
a long-term effect in terms of decisions and product selection. However, I do not
foresee in the near future any national legislation that causes this to happen. We have
the USDOT’s Livable Communities initiative, which this administration has been
pushing for some time, but this is not sustainability per se although it represents a
strong element of sustainability.
EFR Discourse on the Global Sustainability Initiative | 5