EPA Joins Commute Connections Program to Promote Clean Air.Business Editors ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2000 In recognition of the 30th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and (EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. ) is initiating a partnership with the Atlanta Regional Commission The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the Atlanta, Georgia, region, as defined as a 10-county area including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, as (ARC) Commute Connections. Commute Connections, a federally funded program that began in 1994 encourages the use of alternative transportation (bus, rail, carpool, vanpool van·pool n. An arrangement by which commuters travel together in a van. tr. & intr.v. van·pooled, van·pool·ing, van·pools To transport or be transported in a vanpool. , walk, or bicycle) and offers the Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH GRH growth hormone. GRH growth hormone releasing hormone. ) component for employees. The GRH provides a taxi ride or car rental for any employee who has an emergency or unscheduled requirement to work overtime which prevents them from using their normal mode of alternative transportation to return home. These features seek to improve the air quality and traffic congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. by reducing the number of vehicles on the roads and number of trips in the Atlanta region. "EPA is pleased to offer this program that joins other program and organizations in the effort to alleviate and prevent air pollution in the Atlanta Region. We encourage others to support and join us in these efforts," said John H. Hankinson, Jr., Regional Administrator in Atlanta. EPA officials are taking the lead among federal agencies by joining the partnership now. Employees must complete a registration form to qualify for the program benefits. A state-of-the-art ridematching software system (RIDEPRO) will integrate interested commuters in the regional database with some 96,000 other participants in the region. Ride matches are then made and validated with speed and precision. Set guidelines for participants and supervisors are in place to authorize utilization of the program. Persons may obtain application forms through the Commute Connections toll-free hotline, 1-87 RIDEFIND (1-877/433-3463) or complete an application via internet access at www.commuteconnections.com or via fax at 404/463-3105. |
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