A very impressive two weeks for the federal sustainability partnership

[ProSense]

A very impressive two weeks for the federal sustainability partnership

by Kaid Benfield

Cross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In a breathtaking series of press conferences and releases along with the publication of a new report, the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities -- which is led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of Transportation (DOT) -- has announced an impressive amount of federal assistance to a wide array of sustainability projects across the country. If you've been wondering what the three now-collaborating agencies have been up to with respect to tangible products -- and I confess that even I have been impatient at times -- these last two weeks should have alleviated any doubts. They are making a difference.

Department of Transportation

Most impressive in terms of monetary support was Wednesday's announcement of grant winners under the Department of Transportation's TIGER II (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) program. Forty-two capital construction projects and 33 planning projects in 40 states -- most of them related to sustainable transportation and land use -- will share nearly $600 million "for major infrastructure projects ranging from highways and bridges to transit, rail, and ports," DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said in a press release. "These are innovative, 21st century projects that will change the U.S. transportation landscape by strengthening the economy and creating jobs, reducing gridlock, and providing safe, affordable, and environmentally sustainable transportation choices."

The capital grant winners were chosen from nearly 1,000 construction grant applications for more than $19 billion in assistance. For the planning grants, especially impressive is that 14 of the winners are receiving not only TIGER II grants but also coordinated Sustainable Community Challenge Grants from HUD; these can be used for localized planning efforts, such as development around a transit stop and zone or building code updates and improvements. DOT and HUD, with assistance from the EPA and the Department of Agriculture, participated jointly in the evaluation of the planning grant applications.

The city of Atlanta, receiving $47.6 million to construct a new streetcar line, is among the capital grant winners, as is South Salt Lake City, which is building the Sugar House streetcar line. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a capital grant will enable the completion of a nearly 200-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail system serving the 2.5 million residents of Contra Costa and Alameda counties in California. See all capital grant winners here.

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[great white snark]

1. Our infrastructure is a great investment irregardless of what the GOP says.

More great news that would of gone unnoticed. Thanks for more GOTV ammo ProSense.

[ProSense]

2. Thanks. This is fantastic news. n/t