Archives

House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) today issued the following statement on efforts to modernize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act of 1965. “Both Republicans and Democrats support the original intent of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, but the program has drifted far from the original intent.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro traveled to Atlanta, Georgia and Kansas City, Missouri today to announce that five communities will receive a combined $150 million to redevelop severely distressed public housing and revitalize the surrounding neighborhood. HUD is awarding Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Implementation Grants to city and housing authority partnerships in Atlanta, Georgia; Kansas City, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Sacramento, California; in order to begin the process of transforming, rehabilitating and preserving public housing.

Sales of new single-family houses in August 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 552,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau. This is 5.7 percent (±16.2%)* above the revised July rate of 522,000 and is 21.6 percent (±18.7%) above the August 2014 estimate of 454,000.

Under an agreement announced today by the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA) will come into compliance with the federal Clean Air Act at its Krum Bay facility on St. Thomas and Cruz Bay facility on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. The settlement resolves numerous violations of the Clean Air Act, including VIWAPA’s failure to properly operate pollution control equipment to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that can cause serious respiratory illness.

Marie Debor has been named Vice President of Development for BRIDGE Housing, a nationally recognized nonprofit developer, owner and manager of affordable housing. Ms. Debor previously spent 13 years at The Related Companies, most recently as Vice President of Development, where she was responsible for all aspects of the development process including financial analysis, acquisition, planning and design, entitlement processing and financing.

Carpinteria, Sept. 15, 2015 – Peoples’ Self-Help Housing will cut the ribbon on its 45th affordable project, Casas de las Flores, on Oct. 15 during a ceremony celebrating completion of the long-awaited, 43-unit complex at 4096 Via Real.

New York City’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) joined Barrier Free Living (BFL), Alembic Community Development and Foxy Management to celebrate the grand opening of Barrier Free Living Residences for Families and Individuals in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx.  The project reflects the City’s ongoing efforts to expand supportive housing for its most vulnerable residents, and is BFL’s first permanent supportive housing development.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule to modernize Clean Water Act reporting for municipalities, industries, and other facilities. The final rule will require regulated entities and state and federal regulators to use existing, available information technology to electronically report data required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program instead of filing written paper reports

Supporting the president's goal to eliminate homelessness among U.S. military veterans, the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service today announced the award of $1.5 million in grants to help once-incarcerated veterans considered "at risk" of becoming homeless. In all, seven grants will serve more than 650 formerly incarcerated veterans in six states.

Christy Goldsmith Romero, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced Wednesday that Ped Abghari, also known as “Ted Allen”, and Justin Romano pleaded guilty for their roles in orchestrating a massive mortgage modification scheme that collectively defrauded over 8,000 homeowners out of over $18.5 million. Abghari and Romano each pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and Abghari also pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony.

Kentucky businesses and residents affected by the apartment fire at the Grand Hotel in Hazard, Kentucky on Sept. 1, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet announced today.

82 Section 8 homes to go solar — Pacific Wind and Solar of Saipan will get $1,359,489 to install solar power systems on Northern Marianas Housing Corporation low-income housing. 82 homes will be equipped with enough commercial-grade solar panels to generate 3 kilowatts of electricity, about 70 percent of the need for each household.

Thank you, Roy [Austin], for that kind introduction – and for the extraordinary work  that you and so many of your colleagues at the White House do to lift up our communities, to inspire our young people and to mobilize change agents like those we’re here to honor today.  It’s a pleasure – and an immense privilege – to join so many passionate advocates, dedicated public servants and devoted law enforcement officers as we recognize 14 truly remarkable civic leaders: our Champions of Change.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews today announced that he will lead a Smart Cities Infrastructure Business Development Mission to India from February 8-12, 2016, with stops in Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi. The trade mission will help U.S. companies launch or increase their business in India, focusing on technologies, systems and services in the safety and security, intelligent transportation, water, wastewater, and power sectors.

The Building Technologies Office (BTO) has issued a notice of intent to release a funding opportunity focusing on reducing the energy use of commercial and residential buildings. Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) will fund projects in an Innovations section and a Frontiers section.

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) today announced the availability of data on mortgage lending transactions at 7,062 U.S. financial institutions covered by the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Covered institutions include banks, savings associations, credit unions, and mortgage companies. The HMDA data made available today cover 2014 lending activity, and include applications, originations, purchases and sales of loans, denials, and other actions related to applications

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today it has awarded $12.4 million to 18 tribal communities in 13 states to remove and prevent dangerous mold in more than 1,000 homes. This is the largest amount to date awarded by HUD for this purpose. The grants are being made available through HUD’s Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) program, whichaddresses a wide variety of community development and affordable housing activities.

Delta Air Lines employees from across the country will build or renovate affordable, single family homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International. This year’s fall builds will take place in six cities, including Delta’s hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City and Seattle as well as in Los Angeles, a key international gateway for the airline. More than 2,400 Delta employees will participate in the projects, which began Sept. 8 and continue through Nov. 7.

As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to prevent and effectively end homelessness, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it will offer $1.9 billion for fiscal year 2015 to support existing and new homelessness programs. Funded through HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), this notice will further incentivize local applicants to pursue permanent housing using a Housing First approach to target their resources to proven strategies.

“The Alliance is proud to co-host today’s historic Accelerate Energy Productivity 2030 Summit, where Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz is unveiling Accelerate Energy Productivity 2030: A Strategic Roadmap for American Energy Innovation, Economic Growth, and Competitiveness (Roadmap). This is an important national resource that points the way to a doubling of U.S. energy productivity by 2030.