In this issue:
Date Change for this month’s Coalition Call!
Federal Policy Update
HUD Announces 2011 Sustainable Communities Awards
Reminder: LEED for Neighborhood Development Assessments Available – applications due November 23
Upcoming AARP Solutions Forum – Practical Solutions for Aging in Place: State Policies and Practices That Work
Submit your nominations: 2012 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards
Date Change for this month’s Coalition Call!
Please note that this month’s coalition call will be pushed back to Thursday, December 1st because of Thanksgiving. The call will be at 4 pm on this conference line: 712-432-0111, 668783#.
Federal Policy Update
Congress passed FY2012 minibus that does not include funding for HUD’s Sustainable Communities Initiative in FY 2012
Last week Congress passed the conference report for the FY 2012 minibus, which includes funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). The minibus included funding to keep the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities open but does not include funding for another round of Sustainable Communities Initiative grants. The program has served as HUD’s contribution to the interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaborative effort between HUD, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. Click here for our press release.
The minibus also included $500 million in funding for DOT’s TIGER grant program, which funds multi-modal transprotation funding as a part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. This is a slight decrease from the FY11 level of $527 million. The minibus passed with a final vote of 298 to 121 in the House and 70 to 30 in the Senate. The minibus also includes a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government through Friday, December 16th.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approves transportation bill
Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee unanimously approved their two-year transportation reauthorization proposal (S. 1813). Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) would provide $109 billion, which maintains current funding levels with an adjustment for inflation. It also seeks to reform transportation programs through consolidation, streamlining and policy changes. Click here for our blog post summarizing the MAP-21 proposal.
House Speaker and Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Announce Intention to Move a Reauthorization Bill Before the End of the Year
The Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a press conference last week to discuss moving a five-year bill to include a surface transportation authorization as well as several energy-production measures by the end of the year. The “American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act,” or HR 7, looks to oil and gas drilling to fund the surface transportation reauthorization with funds raised by the expansion of oil and gas drilling.
Super Committee
Against a looming November 23 deadline for the bipartisan congressional Supercommittee to vote on a $1.5 billion debt reduction plan, members of Congress and the Obama Administration appeared to grow increasingly pessimistic in mid-November that a deal could be reached.
While Republicans and Democrats on the panel have traded broad proposals in recent weeks, none have gained traction as they met conservative resistance to tax increases and liberal concerns over entitlement cuts. No public proposal has recommended specific cuts to EPA activities, infrastructure financing, and housing program, but those areas would likely be impacted under any plan to broadly cut discretionary spending.
The “Budget Control Act” enacted over the summer set a November 23 deadline for the Supercommittee to approve a plan to reduce the federal budget deficit by at least $1.5 trillion over the next ten years. The House and Senate must hold an up-or-down vote on the entire package by December 23. President Obama would then have until January 15 to sign the package into law. If a deal cannot be reached or the deadlines cannot be met, automatic across-the-board cuts totaling $1.2 trillion over ten years would take effect in January 2013, with a heavy emphasis on discretionary spending.
HUD Announces 2011 Sustainable Communities Awards
Today, Secretary Donovan announced the recipients of 2011 Sustainable Communities Grants, a part of the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The grants, which total nearly $96 million and will go to 56 communities and organizations, also generated $115 million in matching and in-kind contributions. Click here to read our blog post on the grants.
Reminder: LEED for Neighborhood Development Assessments Available
Global Green, a national non-profit organization, and a team of experts from across the country are offering no-cost sustainable neighborhood design technical assistance to a select number of US communities. This free assistance is being provided under a grant to Global Green from the US EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. Applications are due November 23rd. Click here for more information.
Upcoming AARP Solutions Forum – Practical Solutions for Aging in Place: State Policies and Practices That Work
The discussion will focus on state land use, transportation and housing policies that help older adults remain in their homes and communities as they age. Speakers will describe how states across the country are breaking down the barriers to building livable communities. The forum will be on December 8, 2011 at 2:30pm and a reception will follow. For more information, visit the calendar on the coalition-only section of our webpage.
Submit your nominations: 2012 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards
The Siemens Sustainable Community Awards program provides a national platform for recognizing small, medium, and large size communities which have improved the quality of life for their residents, become responsible stewards of the environment, and increased the ability to sustain a successful community for generations to come. Nominations are being accepted until January 13, 2012. For more information, visit the Siemens website.