By definition, a land use control is a limitation on the use of property, and an engineering control often burdens a property in either an active or passive manner. Long-standing public policy has placed local governments in the role of land use stewards within their jurisdictions. Consequently, a successful program for the sustainability of LUCs and ECs must involve local governments and land planning departments. Key to the land planning and zoning process is accurate and reliable information combined with public participation and a full appreciation of the importance of LUCs and ECs in continuing to provide the required level of environmental protection.

The Guardian Trust satisfies this need through various safeguards designed to assure that LUCs and ECs are not compromised inadvertently by local land use decisions. The Trust’s comprehensive information management system is also a critical tool at the local level, capturing and disseminating vital information to local land use officials and private developers. Lastly, the Trust fosters reliable local government programs that are needed in light of the prominence of LUCs and ECs in the remedy selection process, the renewed emphasis on LUCs and ECs under federal law, and the liability protection contingent on the maintenance of such controls.