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A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for his role in a large-scale mortgage fraud scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $63 million in loans and grants for 264 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide that USDA is supporting through its Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Bobi Garrett, deputy laboratory director for strategic programs and partnerships at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was recognized by the Denver Business Journal as one of the region's top female executives in the energy industry.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary C. Peters, and Congressman John Conyers, Jr., announced the allocation of $8.9 million from the Community Development Block Grant Declared Disaster Recovery Fund (DDR) to the City of Detroit. The funds will help Detroit become better prepared for future floods and other natural disasters, and assist with planning and implementation costs associated with resilient projects in the Brightmoor, Mt. Elliot and McDougall-Hunt neighborhoods, stemming from August 2014 flooding damage

Edward Dacy, 77, most recently of West Melbourne, Fla., was sentenced today to six years in prison on charges stemming from a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme involving 45 properties and $16 million in mortgage loans used for the purchase of residential real estate in the District of Columbia and Maryland

The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest today arguing that making it a crime for people who are homeless to sleep in public places, when there is insufficient shelter space in a city, unconstitutionally punishes them for being homeless. The statement of interest was filed in federal district court in Idaho in Bell v. City of Boise et al., a case brought by homeless plaintiffs who were convicted under Boise ordinances that criminalize sleeping or camping in public

Indian housing market segment has undergone several transformations during the past. Today, the improved housing options, growing investment opportunities, and entry of various real-estate developers have entirely revolutionized the segment after years of spontaneous development. Apartments, villas, and township projects have sprung up all across the nation, and fresh new master plans of the cities have been prepared to include several sub-urban and peripheral locations within the city.

What U.S. cities are doing to reduce their energy use is outlined in a new report from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that sets the stage for broader discussion and analysis. Given increasing urbanization and their large energy footprint, cities are a prime focal point for establishing a clean energy future.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is issuing a proposed rule that would amend its existing regulations regarding the equal participation of faith-based (religious) organizations in HUD programs.

In keeping with President Obama’s commitment to empowering tribal nations, rebuilding their homelands and strengthening their economies, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that he has approved the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians’ probate code, which the Department of the Interior’s Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) will start applying when probating trust or restricted lands within the Fond du Lac Reservation in Minnesota

House Republicans forced adjournment a day early last week in flight from a Senate Republican transportation bill. To find the source of the stand-off, look no further than the Republican budget. The surface transportation bill was a “two-for” – a readymade basic need during construction season – and a must-pass bill that must be authorized this year. Yet, the Republican budget, for the first time in our history, cut almost all new highway and transit funding.

The U.S. Green Building Council applauds President Obama and EPA Administrator McCarthy for their leadership this week in adopting the Clean Power Plan - a measure critical to the nation’s efforts to address climate change and all the human risks and impacts it entails. Importantly, EPA’s final rule aims to take advantage of market forces to realize significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions along with co-benefits to public health, such as fewer heart attacks and asthma attacks

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today delivered the following statement during a committee hearing exploring alternatives to help families and children reduce reliance on foster care group homes

USDA Rural Utilities Service Administrator Brandon McBride today announced $42 million for 16 projects to build and improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural communities across Texas.

President Obama announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final Clean Power Plan today, which will cut U.S. carbon pollution from the power sector by 870 million tons, or 32 percent below 2005 levels, in 2030. Power plants are the largest drivers of climate change in the United States, accounting for roughly one-third of all carbon pollution emissions, but there were no national limits on carbon pollution until today.

The House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Small Business Committee held a joint field hearing in Homestead, Florida, on the National Park Service’s (NPS) General Management Plan (GMP) for Biscayne National Park released in June 2015. The GMP, which includes a Marine Reserve Zone (MRZ) that would be closed to all commercial and recreational fishing, conflicts with the position of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the recommendations of the park's own stakeholder working group.

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) announcement that it has approved the Clean Power Plan, which could increase electricity bills for Americans across the country

As part of VA’s ongoing commitment to provide care to Veterans and their families, the Department of Veterans Affairs today announced that it will start the  process of amending its regulations to establish presumptions of service connection for certain conditions resulting from exposure to contaminated drinking water at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued her support of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. “After years of talk and no action, this rule requires real action. It will put us on a realistic pathway to reducing carbon pollution,” Sen. Cantwell said

Today at the White House, President Obama and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy will release the final Clean Power Plan, a historic step in the Obama Administration’s fight against climate change