HUD Awards $75M to Help End Youth Homelessness
HUD is awarding $75 million to end youth homelessness in 23 local communities across the country, including 8 rural areas. HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) will help these communities to build local systems and will support a wide range of housing programs including rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and host homes.
SBA Awards Grants to 24 Organizations to Support Small Business Innovation
The U.S. SBA granted 24 awards up to $125,000 per recipient in FY 2019 under its Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. FAST's objective is to improve outcomes for underrepresented entrepreneurs in SBA's SBIR and STTR Programs and increase participation for women-owned, rural-based, and socially and economically disadvantaged firms.
Gateway Project Sponsors Trim Costs in Bid for Federal Support
Proponents of a new Hudson River tunnel are hoping an updated plan lowering costs by $1.4 billion will be enough to obtain federal funding for the Gateway project that was blocked after the Trump administration took office in 2017. A revised application submitted to the Federal Transit Administration cuts the price tag for a new rail tunnel to $11.3 billion from $12.7 billion.
USDA Invests in Energy Efficiency Improvements to Help Farmers and Rural Businesses
USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service announced that it is awarding grants for projects in all states and Puerto Rico to reduce energy costs for farmers, ag producers, and rural-based businesses and institutions. USDA is investing $9.3 million through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across the nation.
BIA Finalizes Rules for Rights-of-Way on Indian Land, Bond Exemption
This final rule exempts Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments from the requirement to obtain a bond, insurance, or alternative form of security for a right-of-way across Indian land and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) land where such governments are prohibited by law from obtaining security.
CBO Publishes Update to 10-Year U.S. Budget and Economic Outlook
In CBO's projections, federal budget deficits remain large by historical standards, and federal debt grows to equal 95 percent of GDP by 2029. Economic growth is expected to slow from 2.3 percent in 2019 to a rate that is below its long-run historical average.
Department of Transportation's FRA Makes Available $244M for Capital Rail Projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. The NOFO includes more than $244 million in grant funding.
EPA Announces $3.2M in Water Quality Cooperative Agreements in MS and FL
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it anticipates awarding three Gulf of Mexico Division cooperative agreements totaling more than $3.2 million to fund projects that improve water quality, habitat, and environmental education in Mississippi and Florida.
U.S. EDA Makes $587M in Disaster Aid Available to Communities
The U.S. EDA has published a Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) making $587 million available to eligible grantees in communities impacted by Presidentially declared natural disasters in 2018, and floods and tornadoes in 2019.
White House OZ Council Releases List of Federal Programs Favoring OZs
The White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council members have identified over 160 Federal programs where targeting, preference, or additional support could be granted to Opportunity Zones. The Council has already taken action on over 130 grants or programs.
DOE Releases Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities (CELICA) Toolkit
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Better Buildings Initiative recently released the Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities (CELICA) Toolkit, which provides materials to help program administrators reduce energy burden for low-income communities by enhancing and expanding upon work funded through utility, state, or federal programs.
White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council Visits Acadiana, LA
Officials from the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council toured Lafayette as part of a visit organized with the Acadiana Planning Commission. The group toured parts of the seven census tracks, home to some 29,000 people in Lafayette, that have been designated as Opportunity Zones.
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