The White House Blog: Urban Policy
Broadband Plan Shaking Up Communications at FCC
Posted by on September 2, 2009 at 11:47 AM EDTEd. Note: Cross-posted from the new Broadband.gov blog.I had always intended for the FCC’s work on the National Broadband Plan to be transparent and open to a wide variety of stakeholders including providers, public interest groups and citizens alike. This effort is too important to leave anyone out.
I am pleased to see that the Commission’s work on the plan is already transforming the way we at the agency communicate with the public. Fittingly, we are using the power of the Internet to boost public participation in the plan through our blog, "Blogband," which is dedicated to the National Broadband Plan. The posts have given us an informal way to keep people up-to-date and engaged in the process. Importantly, the comments back have also been a catalyst for new thinking and creative solutions.
We’re also using the Internet to give more people greater access to our workshops here at the Commission. In addition to the over 1,100 people who’ve so far attended the workshops in person, over 5,000 people have registered to view and participate in the workshops online. The workshops represent an unparalleled level of openness and participation in the Commission’s work.
Inside the agency, we are hard at work processing the public input we are getting from our many workshops. The hours of discussion by workshop participants, along with comments that have already been filed at the FCC, have prompted us to draft new Public Notices about the plan. Over the coming weeks, you will see several of them issued. The new comments we receive will be filed in the official record for the plan. And of course, the transcripts that are being made of each workshop will also be part of the record.
So, thank you for your comments to date and please keep them coming in the weeks ahead!
Julius Genachowski is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
Green Impact Zone
Posted by on August 31, 2009 at 6:13 PM EDTWe have just arrived in Kansas City where, tomorrow, we will continue our discussion of smart growth and smart planning for America’s metropolitan areas. Special Assistant to the President on Urban Policy Derek Douglas, Special Advisor for Green Jobs Van Jones, and I will be joined by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari. Together, we will meet with local elected officials, stakeholders, and community members to discuss the development of the Green Impact Zone, an initiative which is using federal and local resources to invest in components of sustainable living and to create jobs in one of the city’s most challenged communities. This program, supported partially by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, has already become a model for green investment.With the leadership of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver in partnership with the Mid-America Regional Council and community members, the Green Impact Zone is a comprehensive place-based plan to invest public and private funding to transform a neighborhood plagued by high rates of poverty and violence, unemployment and abandoned property. The Green Impact Zone will improve housing conditions through the rehabilitation and weatherization of the entire 150 block area neighborhood, develop a green workforce through the training of residents from the urban core in green technology, and invest in sustainable transportation through a green bus rapid transit system. Moreover, investors of the Green Impact Zone believe that the effort will break down cost barriers that make "going green" a luxury. The Green Impact Zone provides lessons for investments in sustainability, workforce development, neighborhood stabilization, transportation, energy efficiency, and inclusion.We are excited about tomorrow’s discussion and learning first-hand from the American people’s ingenuity that continues to bubble-up around the country, whether it’s providing access to fresh food to underserved communities or transforming challenged neighborhoods into beacons for green living and green jobs.For questions or ideas for the Urban Tour, please feel free to send a message to urbanaffairs@who.eop.gov.Adolfo Carrión, Jr. is the Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs and Deputy Assistant to the PresidentLearn more about Urban PolicyA "Fresh" Conversation on the Future of America's Cities and Metro Areas
Posted by on August 4, 2009 at 1:15 PM EDTPresident Obama has made smart investment and smart growth a top priority for his administration. Not for its own sake, but because the President believes that we ought to be investing in what’s good for America’s future. Last year the President said to the nation’s mayors at their annual conference, "we need to promote strong cities as the backbone of regional growth….we also need to stop seeing our cities as the problem and start seeing them as the solution…strong cities are the building blocks of strong regions, and strong regions are essential for a strong America…" This in a nutshell is why the Office of Urban Affairs was created. Our job is to advance a new federal vision that recognizes cities and metropolitan areas as dynamic engines for our economy, and develop federal policy built on these strengths.This task is far more urgent than ever before because for the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in cities. By the middle of this century this figure will likely grow by 37 percent. In the United States, 83 percent of people and 85 percent of jobs are located in the nation’s 363 metro areas. Beyond the numbers, the overwhelming majority of the nation’s assets — airports, hospitals, universities, financial institutions, infrastructure, manufacturing plants — are concentrated in metropolitan regions and generate almost 90 percent of the nation’s economic production.
(Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative Innovators and Cabinet Secretaries participate in Town Hall event moderated by White House Office of Urban Affairs Director, Adolfo Carrion. Pictured from right to left: Carrion, Philadelphia Mayor Nutter, Secretary Locke of Commerce, Dep. Secretary Sims of HUD, Secretary Vilsack of Agriculture, Rep. Dwight Evans, Jeremy Nowak from the Reinvestment Fund, Lucinda Hudson from the Parkside Community Association, Jeff Brown from ShopRite, and Yael Lehman from the Food Trust. Photo Credit: Shasti Conrad.)The President has asked us to lead a conversation about what makes sense for the future of cities and metros, given the new realities we face. I’m thrilled that President Obama has asked us to take this conversation to the experts. The experts, of course, are the people in communities who have figured out how to rebuild neighborhoods, build businesses, educate their kids, make their communities safe, clean up the environment, or come up with the latest technological or scientific innovation, in spite of government. The President says that "Washington can’t solve all our problems…change in this country comes not from the top-down, but from the bottom up." President Obama believes that government should serve to support American ingenuity and creativity.In that spirit, we kicked off the National Conversation on the Future of America’s Cities and Metropolitan Areas on July 23rd in Philadelphia, PA. The tour takes the discussion of a new vision for urban America outside of the Beltway and into cities and metro areas that are working on innovative ideas and integrated solutions to address the challenges we face today. For example, in Philadelphia, we highlighted Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI), an effort that brings fresh food to underserved communities, both rural and urban – also known as "food deserts". The FFFI is a public-private partnership between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Reinvestment Fund, The Food Trust, and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, that provides a statewide grant and loan program for grocery store development. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Deputy HUD Secretary Ron Sims traveled with us to learn more about the FFFI and the impact on communities across Pennsylvania.We toured Jeff Brown’s Parkside ShopRite supermarket in the Park West Town Center, where we witnessed the success of the FFFI in providing jobs, healthy food, economic benefit and uplifting the morale of this community. The first display we encountered was a beautiful spread of bright green peppers, squash and tomatoes grown by students from the local Martin Luther King High School. ShopRite partnered with the high school to sell produce grown by the students. The supermarket not only offers fresh produce, delectable store-baked sweet potato pie, and virtually every product that a family shopper could want, but it also boasts a well-trained professional workforce that lives in the surrounding neighborhood.
(ShopRite employee serves Town Hall audience members fresh food. Picture Credit: Shasti Conrad.)On our walk, Secretary Locke noted the importance and personal significance of this effort. As a kid who grew up in public housing and whose parents owned a grocery store, he knows that something as simple as a clean and welcoming place to purchase nutritious food for a reasonable price can change lives and transform a community. The ShopRite has not only provided that physical space, but has engendered business investment and affordable housing development in the surrounding Parkside community. Parkside Community Association President Lucinda Hudson asserted that before efforts like the FFFI, her neighborhood had been overlooked for far too long.Following the tour, more than 300 people from the community joined us for a conversation with Jeremy Nowak from The Reinvestment Fund, State Representative Dwight Evans, who provided the visionary leadership for FFFI, Jeff Brown, Lucinda Hudson, Yael Lehmann from the Food Trust, and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. We had a lively exchange among the panelists that spanned the inspiring local story of the ShopRite and the FFFI to the federal agencies’ current initiatives to lift communities in similar circumstances. We discussed the Department of Agriculture’s "Know your Farmer, Know your Food" program and Ron Sims explained Secretary Donovan’s commitment to put the "UD back in HUD," along with lots of questions from the audience and suggestions for ways the federal agencies could help to support urban innovations like this.The Philadelphia Conversation was a great start to the "National Conversation on the Future of America’s Cities and Metropolitan Areas." At each stop on the tour we will bring local innovators together with Obama Administration staff to discuss ways in which Washington can be a partner and catalyst for community-based solutions, instead of a bureaucratic obstacle. We look forward to the next stop and the opportunity to hear from people who are working every day to ensure that their cities and neighborhoods are places of opportunity.For questions or ideas for the Urban Tour, please feel free to send a message to urbanaffairs@who.eop.gov.Adolfo Carrión, Jr. is the Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs and Deputy Assistant to the PresidentLearn more about Urban PolicyNAACP: 100 Years, One Historic Night
Posted by on July 17, 2009 at 6:08 PM EDTThere are some moments in our lives where we have an "I was there" moment. A moment that despite your best attempts to explain how you felt, what you perceived that others were feeling, the words that were shared and the fanfare of the activity, you still can't convey how remarkable an experience it was that you just shared.I had that moment on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 as did so many others when President Barack Obama went to the 100th anniversary convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
(President Barack Obama speaks at the NAACP 100th anniversary convention in New York City July 16, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.)Everyone had a feeling of excitement beyond description. Many dignitaries were present. NAACP leaders from across the country embarked to New York - a city filled with historical civil rights moments, which oftentimes are forgotten about because they weren't occurring in the historic South. But, the first moment that captured my attention was watching the line of people form slowly throughout the afternoon as they waited patiently despite their palpable excitement. The look of pride and accomplishment amongst a people who many times didn't feel such positive feelings was evident. Later, as the president met several leaders of NAACP, it was the genuine appreciation that humbled me and made me even more proud to work for him as he shook the hands of the staff despite the large number of them being present. There were a lot of people there whose names many times go unmentioned and unnoticed for work they do to fight for greater equality, never caring that their name is in lights. To have their work recognized by the President of the United States added a special dimension to the night that the media didn't capture, but it was equally important. I was fortunate to see it. I was there.And then, there was the speech.
(President Barack Obama makes remarks at the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP in New York, Thursday, July 16, 2009. Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, who received the Spingarn medal during the banquet - NAACP's highest recognition - simply but eloquently introduced President Obama by saying, "When he came to our convention in 2007, he was one of eight Democratic presidential primary candidates. When he came last year, he was the one - his party's nominee. Now I am honored to give the best introduction of all - please welcome the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama."The president gave an inspirational speech where his physical presence and empowering words provided a visual reality to so many African-Americans that despite the tests of time AND the adversities of life OUR hopes and dreams can be and ARE being fulfilled.The feeling in the room was electric. There were African-Americans who lived through the civil rights era and fought to have an equal voice at the table - including the right to vote - there to see an African-American President of the United States during the 100th anniversary of this pillar of the Civil Rights community who were led to many joyful tears, amens, shouts of celebration and reflective statements of how far we have come.There were older women who were saying "amen" and "tell it" as the president shared that there are no excuses to us achieving more. There was an African-American sailor near me who took photos of every moment of every person he could see. People who couldn't get into the room of 4,200 attendees watched and videotaped from TV screens throughout the Hilton Hotel who didn't complain about not getting in but rather rejoiced in just being in the building for such a historic moment.His remarks embodied an understanding that we've made progress but we have more mountains to climb. They also reminded us that we have to dream higher and obtain more, which he so beautifully stated by saying, "our kids can't all aspire to be LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers -- doctors and teachers -- not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court Justice. I want them aspiring to be the President of the United States of America."So for more than 4,000 people at the New York Hilton hotel who were there supporting this hallmark organization, which for 100 years has had many "I was there" moments including the marching, protesting, sitting in and standing tall; from W.E.B. Dubois to Julian Bond, we all shared in this once in a lifetime moment - the first African-American president closing out the 100th anniversary convention of the oldest African-American civil rights group in the country. So for generations to come, I will tell my children, and they will tell their children I was there.Michael Blake is the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement & Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Intergovernmental AffairsA New Vision for Urban and Metropolitan Policy
Posted by on July 13, 2009 at 6:01 PM EDTViewing this video requires Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher. Download the free player.download .mp4 (159.8 MB) | read the transcript
The White House Office of Urban Affairs and the Domestic Policy Council hosted a day-long discussion about the future of America’s urban and metropolitan areas. Participants included policy experts from across the country, several cabinet members, and elected officials. Discussions covered the evolution of metropolitan areas, best practices in urban communities, and how the federal government can be a more effective partner in these communities.After the roundtable discussions, the President spoke on some of the challenges facing urban communities today. The President is personally familiar with these challenges after spending much of his life in urban areas, saying he received his greatest education working in Chicago’s South Side. These challenges are only exacerbated by the recession, which is why the administration has been committed to making sure our cities not only rebound, but also prosper in the future:But what's also clear is we're going to need to do more than just help our cities weather the current economic storm. We've got to figure out ways to rebuild them on a newer, firmer, stronger foundation for our future. And that requires new strategies for our cities and metropolitan areas that focus on advancing opportunity through competitive, sustainable, and inclusive growth. And that's why all of you are here today. And I know that there were a lot of ideas that were shared throughout the morning and afternoon.Now, the first thing we need to recognize is that this is not just a time of challenge for America's cities; it's also a time of great change. Even as we've seen many of our central cities continuing to grow in recent years, we've seen their suburbs and exurbs grow roughly twice as fast -- that spreads homes and jobs and businesses to a broader geographic area. And this transformation is creating new pressures and problems, of course, but it's also opening up new opportunities, because it's not just our cities that are hotbeds of innovation anymore, it's our growing metropolitan areas.The President outlined some of his administration’s proposals:And we're also going to take a hard look at how Washington helps or hinders our cities and metro areas -- from infrastructure to transportation; from housing to energy; from sustainable development to education. And we're going to make sure federal policies aren't hostile to good ideas or best practices on the local levels. We're going to put an end to throwing money at what doesn't work -- and we're going to start investing in what does work and make sure that we're encouraging that.Now, we began to do just that with my budget proposal, which included two investments in innovative and proven strategies. I just want to mention these briefly. The first, Promise Neighborhoods, is modeled on Geoffrey Canada's successful Harlem Children's Zone. It's an all-encompassing, all-hands-on-deck effort that's turning around the lives of New York City's children, block by block. And what we want to do is to make grants available for communities in other cities to jumpstart their own neighborhood-level interventions that change the odds for our kids.The second proposal we call Choice Neighborhoods -- focuses on new ideas for housing in our cities by recognizing that different communities need different solutions. So instead of isolated and monolithic public housing projects that too often trap residents in a cycle of poverty and isolate them further, we want to invest in proven strategies that actually transform communities and enhance opportunity for residents and businesses alike.The President highlighted the policies of Denver, Philadelphia and Kansas City for their innovative solutions to urban challenges. With these fresh ideas and successful solutions, and the help of the federal government, we can reinvent our urban and metropolitan areas for the 21st century.Learn more about Urban PolicyRecovery in Action: Green Jobs Edition
Posted by on March 23, 2009 at 12:16 PM EDTToday the President is hosting an event focused on "Investing in Our Clean Energy Future," with experts from inside and outside government (watch his remarks live-streamed at 12:30). So it’s appropriate that this edition of Recovery in Action focus on green jobs, and given that Susan Hockfield, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of featured speakers, it’s also appropriate that we start off with an inspiring story out of Massachusetts.Erin Ailworth of the Boston Globe had an in-depth piece on the "Renewable job market":If you're readying a resume, it might help to use recycled paper. The clean-tech and green industries in Massachusetts are hiring.Companies looking to add employees include Aeronautica Windpower in Plymouth, lithium-ion battery maker Boston-Power Inc. in Westborough, and Conservation Services Group, also in Westborough. Eco-friendly experience is a plus, but not required.The workforce expansions are being partly spurred by the federal economic stimulus package, which includes billions for home energy-efficiency upgrades and an extension of a tax credit for renewable energy technologies such as wind power. Within the next two years, stimulus spending is expected to create or save 79,000 jobs in Massachusetts, and an estimated 3.5 million nationwide, according to the federal government.Soon after Congress passed the nearly $800 billion bill last month, Stephen Cowell, chief executive of Conservation Services Group, said he told his staff, "Get the resumes together." In the last six months, the energy-efficiency company has hired about 50 employees in its main office. Because of the stimulus bill as well as several new contracts, Cowell plans to add 200 more jobs this year. The company currently employs about 400 and does business in 22 states. At least 30 to 40 of the new jobs will be in Massachusetts, he said."We're sort of the tip of the iceberg," Cowell said. "A couple of hundred people will be hired here, but that means that 2,000 people will be hired at the local level to do the work that we spec out and help facilitate."It goes through company after company and industry after industry from there. And we’re off!Governor Mitch Daniels announced plans to distribute $132 million in federal stimulus funds for energy conservation. The money will go to weatherization projects for low income homeowners who are already a part of the state's energy assistance program. The program's budget will be expanded by a multiple of 11. Groups looking to do the work can apply beginning next week. "We will be looking for those organizations, non-profit in every case, who can make a good showing that they can achieve the most conservation, help the most Hoosier households per dollar spent in the shortest amount of time," said Gov. Daniels. Daniels said 2300 jobs will be created by the stimulus money.The federal economic stimulus will send Nevada about $37 million to weatherize buildings and homes and another $28 million to train workers for green jobs, Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford said Friday. The Senate Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee unanimously voted to move forward with Horsford’s bill, SB152, which would set guidelines for how to spend federal economic stimulus money meant to create "green jobs." Horsford said Nevada could get training for at least 3,200 unemployed or underemployed workers, and provide money to weatherize low-income housing, schools and public buildings.At the 25th annual Home Show, green is in… Among the traditional remodelers, homebuilders and lenders are signs proclaiming the rebates, tax incentives and money-saving offers on the next generation of green building products. Businesses are hoping the incentives, many of them introduced with the recent economic stimulus package, will draw consumers looking to build or renovate into what has been a slow market.In his latest effort to combat global warming, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to enlist the state's hard-luck youth. The governor on Monday announced the new California Green Corps, a statewide effort to train young adults between 16 and 24 years old to work in the state's fledgling green-tech industry. "It's the kind of program President Obama envisioned when he put together the economic stimulus package. It's all about jobs, jobs, jobs," Schwarzenegger said after touring a solar-installation certificate program at a Sacramento community college. The program will be administered by Schwarzenegger's volunteerism czar Karen Baker and will receive about $20 million in initial funding. Half the money will come from the U.S. Department of Labor as part of the federal stimulus package, while the other half is expected to be raised from the private sector. The idea is to create a 20-month pilot program in at least 10 locations to train at least 1,000 people for jobs such as solar-panel installation and sheet-metal manufacturing for wind turbines, Schwarzenegger said.Recovery In Action: AR, CA, FL, HI, KY, LA, MI, NC, OR, WA, PA, VA
Posted by on March 17, 2009 at 8:11 PM EDTWe’ll start with another inspirational moment, call it the "spirit of the Recovery Act" – Mrs. Obama at YouthBuild AmeriCorps Green Homebuilding Service Day, speaking to young people working hard to help alleviate poverty and build a green future. From the transcript of her remarks on the National Mall in DC, where the enthusiasm on all sides jumps off the page:
The work you've done here is quite impressive, and the evolution of your work to include green building, something that we're talking more and more about as a nation, energy-saving practices, and environmental awareness, it demonstrates how YouthBuild has endured as a leading non-profit organization, keeping up with the times, making sure that the training and education that you get is current.
However, for me, it's your core principle that I am so impressed with, of providing opportunities for amazing young people -- amazing young people -- (applause) -- giving folks a second, and third, and fourth chance, particularly low-income youth. Sometimes we overlook them, we think that they can't be, they can't do. And it's places like YouthBuild that help you to find yourselves and to be reborn in so many ways, and to help rebuild communities all across this country, but to also complete high school and to graduate, and to do some really special things. (Applause.)
And now for a trip around the country.
Arkansan [Arkansas News, 3/16/09]:
Stimulus funds to aid state adoptions, foster care… The federal agency said increasing the federal matching rate for federal foster care and adoption assistance programs is intended to provide fiscal relief to states and help allow them to maintain core operations and undertake projects that will put Americans to work during the worst economic crisis in decades.
California [KSBW-TV, 3/16/09]:
The state of California will use federal economic stimulus money to put at-risk young adults into green jobs, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Monday. After meeting with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger announced the launch of California Green Corps. "Green jobs are exactly what our economy and environment need right now -- and the California Green Corps targets that need while helping at-risk young adults realize a brighter future," Schwarzenegger said.
Florida [Tampa Bay Business Journal, 3/16/09]:
Stimulus boosts Bay area electronic health records plan… Funding included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for electronic health records is expected to lead to 132 new jobs in the Tampa Bay area. The new jobs will be for people who would work alongside physicians as trainers and support staff. They will help doctors convert from writing paper prescriptions to using electronic prescribing, according to a release from PaperFree Tampa Bay, a new public/private partnership. The effort is a first step toward implementing connected electronic health records to improve patient safety and cut costs, the release said.
Hawaii [Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3/17/09]:
State officials are hoping that a big new portion of the federal stimulus package will generate more than 3,000 jobs in local construction for transportation projects. Gov. Linda Lingle announced yesterday that the state was applying for $248.2 million in federal stimulus money… Brennon Morioka, state transportation director, said "we tried to be diverse" when asked how they selected projects for the stimulus money. "We tried to look at jobs for all the trades," Morioka said.
Kentucky [Louisville Courier-Journal, 3/17/09]:
Louisville's second federal stimulus boost in two weeks will give the city nearly $15 million to create hiking and biking trails, resurface 70 miles of streets, and build and repair sidewalks throughout the county. Mayor Jerry Abramson said yesterday that the projects will create 1,300 jobs… Smaller cities -- Jeffersontown, Middletown, Pewee Valley and St. Matthews -- will receive a total of more than $3 million from the stimulus program. Last week, the Transit Authority of River City announced that it will get $17.7 million in stimulus money to buy 10 hybrid buses and build an environmentally friendly maintenance annex… "Will it help a lot? Oh, heavens yes," [Public Works Director Ted] Pullen said. "This is three years' worth of normal funding, so it's a good shot."
Louisiana [Times Picayune, 3/16/09]:
Louisiana is expected to get $122.3 million in federal economic recovery money to improve the energy efficiency of the homes, government buildings and public transportation over the next three years and to jump start renewable energy projects for electricity generation. The funds should create scores of new jobs for tradesmen willing to learn green building practices. It will also help moderate-income households around the state improve the energy-efficiency of their homes and lower their utility bills… "What's the word? Unprecedented," said Charlette Minor, program administrator for the energy, home and neighborhood stabilization program at the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, which will administer $50.6 million of the money. "For us as an agency to be able to reach so many families who need that assistance to get their energy costs reduced is incredible."
Michigan [Detroit Free Press, 3/17/09]:
Stimulus to Create Up To 23,000 Construction Jobs in Mich… Under the spending plan, Michigan is expected to receive about $850 million for projects designed to fix or improve its roads, highways and bridges. The timing couldn't be better. Thanks to the severe downturn in the state's construction industry, there are more than enough workers to fill the 20,000 to 23,000 jobs expected to be created.
North Carolina [Salisbury Post, 3/17/09]:
The Salisbury Housing Authority will use most of $1.2 million in federal stimulus money to bring central air-conditioning and new heating to three of its public housing developments. "It really is a godsend," Layton Woodcock, executive director of the housing authority, said of money coming from the recently passed American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. "We didn't know how long it would take for all of our apartments to get central air." The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is distributing stimulus money to local housing authorities based on a complicated formula tied to capital funding, Woodcock said.
Oregon & Washington [OPB, 3/16/09]:
Millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds are now available in Oregon and Washington for public lands projects. The money is expected to create hundreds of jobs. The U.S. Forest Service will start awarding $10 million in contracts this week for hazardous fuel reduction projects in Oregon. That work will go to private companies already under contract with the Forest Service and is expected to employ about a hundred workers. "It’s the kind of work we’ve been doing for many years. Reducing fuel in the fire prone areas, thinning trees out," says Tom Knappenberger, a spokesman for the Forest Service. "In some cases, it’s mechanical. In other cases, it’s prescribed burns. All the normal tools we use to reduce the fuels in places that are likely to burn and would cause threats to resources."
Pennsylvania [WTAE-TV, 3/16/09]:
Highway and bridge projects financed by $1 billion in federal stimulus money are expected to create thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania, according to Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler. A list of about 240 projects was released at a news conference in Harrisburg on Monday afternoon and posted on www.recovery.pa.gov, the state's Web site for stimulus projects… Biehler estimated that the road projects will directly and indirectly create 30,000 jobs.
Virginia [Lynchberg News & Advance, 3/17/09]:
Gladys Elementary to stay open, in large part to stimulus money… Campbell County Schools officials said they will not close Gladys Elementary School and likely will not lay off personnel, due in large part to the federal stimulus plan. "The budget you have tonight does not have any closings in it," said Robert Johnson, assistant superintendent for administration. At a school board meeting last month officials discussed a handful of possible cuts to make up for a budget shortfall, one of which was the closure of the 208-student Gladys school.
Recovery in Action: CA, VT, GA, TN, MD, MI, MN
Posted by on March 11, 2009 at 11:36 AM EDTThe news on the economic front is still grim, but already the recovery package is saving and creating those jobs in towns across the country, stemming losses and spurring growth in ways that affect real families and communities. Here are just a few stories plucked from the local news over the past few days.
California [U.S. News and World Report, 3/9/09]:
Obama's Stimulus Keeps the Solar Power Dream Alive for Start-ups… When the $787 billion stimulus bill was signed in February, there were more than a few sighs of relief at BrightSource. The bill showered renewable energy with new funds, including $60 billion in loan guarantees for companies building wind and solar plants. BrightSource was among a small group of start-ups that had already been selected for Department of Energy loans, but the stimulus vastly increased the funds available. It also loosened rules governing tax credits, greatly expanding the pool of potential investors. After months of wondering where to turn for funding, BrightSource had been given a reprieve. "Now, all of a sudden," says Jenkins-Stark, "I have a very different worry proposition for half the capital of our project."
Governor Jim Douglas hauled out the barricade to officially close the Bridge Street bridge to traffic. Such construction doesn't usually draw this much attention, but it's the first project in the state to put federal stimulus dollars to work… Eleven projects have finished or nearly finished the bidding process. Among them are plans for improving or replacing bridges in Barre, Brownington, and East Montpelier, and paving roads in Colchester, Rockingham and Royalton. Together, the 11 projects use $33.6 million in federal stimulus funding. Another 20 projects are already scheduled to go out to bid.
Virginia Lequeux, lives in Peabody Apartments: "My whole apartment, I mean I’ve been blessed…blessed." Just recently she was upgraded to a newly renovated floor. New security cameras, laundry facility and even a dishwasher in her apartment. Up until about a year ago, that was the plan for the whole building…but then the money ran out. Richard Arfman, Augusta Housing Authority, Director of Planning and Development: "It was first built back in 1967 and there are 250 units in there and it’s designated for seniors. So it was built in ‘67, some of the insides needed some work done, especially the plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems." But things are looking up again for this public housing high rise. $6.1 million was given to Augusta’s Housing Authority…just enough to finish renovations to the remaining 6 floors.
Tennessee [WTVF News Channel 5, 3/9/09]:
Tennessee will put nearly 12,000 young adults to work while providing free labor to businesses as part of the economic stimulus package. Unemployment numbers across the nation. According to the numbers, teens and young adults are among the hardest hit… Help is coming soon. The Tennessee Department of Labor has received $25 million to provide summer jobs for thousands of youth across the state. "Basically, employers fill out the time sheets, the department pays the paycheck and kids get the employment. Everybody wins in this situation," says Jeff Hentchel with the Department of Labor. "Whether its sweeping, emptying trash cans, painting tables."
Maryland [Baltimore Sun, 3/10/09]:
Maryland is receiving more than $1 billion in federal stimulus money earmarked for education, and Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday he would use some of it to increase funding for community colleges and maintain the freeze on undergraduate tuition at state universities. The governor's initial budget for next year did not include an increase for community colleges, which are seeing thousands more students enroll to gain new skills to help them find jobs in the recession. But with the stimulus money, O'Malley is increasing state aid by 5 percent over the next two years.
Michigan [Michigan Messenger, 3/9/09]:
Jackson Police Chief Matt Heins said Monday in a phone interview that federal stimulus grants announced last week will help him save four positions in his department. The money, released by the White House, was part of the Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program administered by the Justice Department. Heins said he had planned on eliminating four posts — one that was currently empty and three that were currently filled. But with the money from JAG, the police chief said he will be able to protect those positions from elimination.
Minnesota [Finance and Commerce, 3/9/09]:
A series of federal stimulus projects in Minnesota are about to graduate from concept to signed contract. On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to award contracts for a series of highway projects to be paid for by the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which includes $502 million for Minnesota highways and bridges and $92 million for transit.
Public Transit Gets a Boost
Posted by on March 5, 2009 at 8:11 PM EDTToday, Vice President Biden, U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood, and Miami Mayor Diaz announced the availability of $8.4 billion in public transportation investments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to states and local transportation authorities to repair and build America's public transportation infrastructure."All over the country, resources are being put to work not only creating jobs now – but also investing in the future. A future that strengthens our transit system, makes us more energy efficient and increases safety," said Vice President Joe Biden. Biden commuted by train from Delaware to Washington, DC daily while he was a US Senator.
Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands after speaking at the Intermodal project in Miami, Florida,
Thursday, March 5, 2009. White House Photo/David LienemannOur current automobile habits account for a substantial part of our nation’s carbon dioxide emissions. Public transportation projects like the ones that will be funded with this major investment, help the United States meet some of the daunting environmental challenges facing our nation and the world.Access to mass-transit also helps by providing a wider range of work options to those who don’t own their own vehicles. "Investments in public transportation put people to work, but they also get people to work in a way that moves us towards our long term goals of energy security and a better quality of life," said Secretary LaHood. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has found that every billion invested in federally aided public transportation capital projects supports 30,000 jobs.Learn how much funding has been made available to repair and build the public transportation infrastructure in your state by visiting Recovery.gov.Learn more about Economy, Urban PolicySaying "Hi" at DOT
Posted by on February 20, 2009 at 7:50 PM EDT
First Lady Michelle Obama continued her tour of her new neighborhood today with a visit to the Department of Transportation."The economic recovery plan is making the largest investment in our nation's infrastructure since the interstate highways were created in the 1950s. It's time," she said. "It will repair and rebuild highways, expand access to public transportation, which we all need; invest in high speed rail, which we all need; and improve our nation's airports."So that's why your management, the work that you're doing here in Transportation to manage the investments in the economic recovery plan, is so very important," she added later. "There is a lot of work to do."
White House photos 2/20/09 by Joyce N. BoghosianLearn more about Economy, Urban Policy
