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As the House transportation bill languishes, there's still time to 'fix it first'

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Crossposted from the Huffington Post.

Let’s look on the bright side of life.

By all accounts, you would be hard-pressed today to find anyone who views congressional inaction positively. But with the House of Representatives’ transportation package languishing amid opposition from both Democrats and Republicans, members of Congress at least have added time to address the bill’s severe shortcomings.

Our country’s roads and bridges are in desperate need of repair, so crafting economically beneficial legislation with bipartisan support should be lawmakers’ top priority. Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica has already shown us what’s possible when business development and other interests meet, including language in the House bill that would spur development around transit stations and jumpstart real estate investment. With that kind of cooperative leadership as a model, the House would be wise to make the following revisions, showing voters that it’s the congressional branch with the capacity to get things done in an election year.

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Fighting blight in Pennsylvania: State House of Representatives passes land bank bill

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In Pennsylvania today, more than 300,000 properties stand vacant. These properties cost municipalities millions of dollars each year in maintenance costs and even more in lost revenue. In Philadelphia alone – which has some 40,000 vacant properties – the City pays $20 million each year just to maintain those properties.

Last week, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took a major step toward turning the state’s vacant properties back into homes and businesses. On Wednesday the House passed HB 1682, a bill that would allow counties and municipalities in Pennsylvania to create land banks. Land banks are entities that can hold and manage vacant, abandoned and foreclosed properties, making it faster, easier and cheaper for prospective new owners to purchase these properties and get them back into productive re-use.

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Partnership for Sustainable Communities 2012 Briefing materials now available

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Thank you to everyone who attended SGA’s Sustainable Communities Network Partnership for Sustainable Communities Briefing on February 16th, 2012.

Smart Growth America hosted the senior leadership from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency on this briefing.

Click below to listen to Beth Osborne (DOT), Mariia Zimmerman (HUD), and Tim Torma (EPA) give updates on this year’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities grants and programs, talk about where the Partnership stands in the President’s fiscal year 2013 budget, and outline the work that each Partnership agency plans to do in the upcoming year.

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Partnership in the News: Flint Gets First New Master Plan in Over 50 Years

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The last master plan for Flint, Michigan was crafted when General Motors was prominent, the city was thriving, and the demands of a growing workforce and population needed to be met. Now, reports The Flint Journal – –

Fast-forward 50 years and Flint is facing the opposite struggle — jobs are gone, homes are empty, people are leaving — and community leaders are poised to craft a new master plan that will attempt to point the city in a new direction.

It will be the first time the city will have a comprehensive look at its former industrial and now-vacant properties, officials said.

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Partnership in the News: DOT Secretary Joins Cincinnati Mayor for Streetcar Kick Off

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Fox19 reports that Cincinnati Mayor Mallory joined by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Transit Administration Peter Rogoff to kick off construction of a new streetcar line partially funded by a DOT TIGER grant.

The new 3.6-mile streetcar line will connect Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

The D.O.T. says it will spur Cincinnati’s efforts to revitalize its downtown core by improving access to major employers, the developing riverfront and many area attractions.

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Partnership in the News: Technical Assistance for Simsbury, Connecticut

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Simsbury, Connecticut is one of six New England towns soon to benefit from a technical assistance grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, reports the Simsbury Patch.

“The EPA is going to send in a private firm to assess things like walkability, such as sidewalks, street crossings and parking,” said Hiram Peck, Simsbury’s Town Planner.

The technical experts will work with the communities on actions they can take to improve the economy, the environment, and quality of life.

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Funding Opportunity: U.S. Transportation Secretary Announces $826.5 Million Investment in Transit Vehicles and Facilities

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Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announces the availability of $826.5 million to modernize and repair transit around the country, underscoring President Obama’s dedication to infrastructure investments.

“An American economy that’s built to last must be built on a solid foundation, and when we have buses, transit facilities, and other equipment that’s in disrepair, we simply cannot afford to ignore them,” Secretary LaHood said. “The
President knows that transportation projects like those we’ll fund from today’s announcement will help provide businesses and families with the safest, fastest, most efficient way to connect with opportunity.”

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Obama Administration’s support for Partnership for Sustainable Communities, revitalization programs in FY 2013 budget helps create great communities nationwide

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Washington DC — In providing full funding in its fiscal 2013 budget for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the Obama Administration has strengthened one of its most innovative inter-agency programs and has reaffirmed the numerous benefits that come from efforts to address housing, transportation and environmental needs in a coordinated manner.

Smart Growth America applauds Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget request to restore funding for the Sustainable Communities Initiative at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Partnership’s programs at the two other participating agencies, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, would remain funded at current levels, preserving their ability to aid communities across the country.

“The Partnership represents an unprecedented level of interaction between government agencies, aligning them in a way that supports economic growth and uses taxpayer dollars more effectively,” said Geoffrey Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America. “It’s great to see that in these tough economic times, the Administration is investing in programs that help to cut through government red-tape and generate fiscal savings for our local communities. Improving access to affordable housing, creating more transportation options, and protecting the environment equates to a win-win-win for our economy.”

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Speak out for Main Streets in the Senate transportation bill

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Last week, the House of Representatives introduced their surface transportation reauthorization bill. Their proposal, H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, threatens to derail federal funding for public transportation, and we’re still fighting to change their proposed bill. If you were one of the many supporters who spoke out against H.R. 7, thank you.

This week, the Senate has begun working on its version of the bill and we need your help to make it as strong as possible.

A bipartisan amendment to the Senate bill sponsored by Senator Cardin of Maryland and Senator Cochran of Mississippi would give local governments a larger say over a share of state transportation dollars. This change to the current bill would give local leaders a greater voice and more direct access to money for projects like main street revitalization.

Will you speak out for Main Streets in the Senate transportation bill? Click here to send a letter to your Senators.

As it’s currently written, the Senate bill would take the limited funds once dedicated to improving safety and conditions for people on foot and bike, and transfer them to state departments of transportation for expensive highway construction instead.

The Senate vote could happen as soon as this week, and this amendment is one of the most important that we’ll see. By setting money aside, the Cardin-Cochran amendment would ensure local communities can get the money they need for the projects they want.

Take one minute to send a message to your Senators: Ask them to support the Cardin-Cochran amendment today.

If you think our transportation bill should give communities the resources they need to build Main Streets that are attractive to businesses, pedestrian friendly and safer for everyone using them, tell your Senator to sponsor this amendment.

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Partnership for Sustainable Communities Web Briefing

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Join us Thursday, February 16th at 3:00 PM ET to hear from the senior leadership of the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency for a briefing on the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Beth Osborne (DOT), Shelley Potichia (HUD), and Tim Torma (EPA) will talk about the President’s 2013 Budget, outline the work that each Partnership agency plans to do in the upcoming year, and give an update on grants and programs.

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