Yearly Archives: 2016

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) today presented its Legislator of the Year Award to Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) for his work on Energy Efficiency issues. In particular, the Association is appreciative of Senator Portman’s work, along with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on S. 720, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2015.

The Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing on Tuesday on how government regulations impact the cost of housing. Subcommittee members heard testimony from a panel of witnesses who addressed housing trends and how government policies can promote or hinder the development of affordable housing.

the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a budget oversight hearing to review irresponsible spending and harmful regulation under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Bureau of Reclamation and the Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs)

Putting the national spotlight on the importance of water sustainability, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation released a basin-by-basin report that characterizes the impacts of climate change and details adaptation strategies to better protect major river basins in the West that are fundamental to the health, economy, security and ecology of 17 Western states.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today funding for 24 American Indian and Alaska Native communities to deploy clean energy and energy efficiency projects. DOE plans to invest over $9 million in 16 facility- and community-scale energy projects in 24 tribal communities.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) on Tuesday filed comments in a Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) rule-making proceeding, supporting in concept the establishment of a disaster deductible for states and local governments in lieu of raising the threshold for disaster declarations

NeighborWorks America today announced that more than 2 million homeowners facing foreclosure have received much-needed counseling thanks to the Congressionally-funded National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Program.

One of HDC’s important services is to help affordable housing providers plan for the long-term capital needs of their properties. Last fall, we had the opportunity to work with Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare to address a challenging, yet common, capital needs planning problem: how to translate point-in-time data about individual properties into a dynamic projection of portfolio-wide capital needs costs. Assisted by database developer Doug Glancy, we helped Cascadia create an Excel tool that’s as powerful as anything we’ve seen for bridging that information gap.

With strong demand for residential design in every region across the country, homeowners investment in their kitchens and bathrooms remains a primary focus. Kitchens specifically have reinforced their position as the center of the home with design considerations that accommodate multiple activities. These are among the major findings from the AIA’s Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2015, which focused on kitchen and bath design trends.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse applauded the House’s passage today of the Foreclosure Relief and Extension for Servicemembers Act, which extends key foreclosure protection to those who serve. Whitehouse authored the legislation, which was unanimously approved by the Senate in December. The bill now awaits the President’s signature to become law.

As plans for the redevelopment of Lathrop move forward, it is important to remember that these plans were crafted with full input from the community, who were part of the decision making process and worked with CHA, the alderman, advocates, longtime affordable housing developers and other stakeholders to make decisions about the shared vision for the future of their community.

The American Institute of Architects Foundation, (AIAF) along with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), today announced three new members of the National Resilience Initiative, creating a nationwide network of six resilient design studios geared toward helping local communities become better prepared to bounce forward from the impacts of natural disasters and climate change

Volunteers Flip Flapjacks, Serve Refreshments and Help with Demonstrations. About 40 volunteers from Consumers Energy joined with the Fenner Nature Center Saturday to give visitors a taste of how real maple syrup is made and used.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced that it has signed on as charter members of “Parity for Main Street Employers” (PMSE), a coalition pushing for comprehensive tax reform that treats small business fairly

Mortgage rates are very low and home prices are stable or rising in most communities across the United States, and a recent poll by NeighborWorks America, national nonprofit corporation that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities, found that nearly nine-of-ten consumers say that homeownership is at least somewhat important.

Consumers Energy’s seven oldest coal plants are shutting down by April 15 after serving Michigan for more than 60 years. Collectively, the plants – affectionately nicknamed the “Classic Seven” – are capable of generating nearly 1,000 megawatts of electricity. Only one other utility in the U.S. is retiring a higher percentage of its coal generation than Consumers Ene

The city of Paris is commemorating World Water Day by becoming the largest city in the world so far to become a Blue Community. This morning, Council of Canadians National Chairperson Maude Barlow presented Celia Blauel, the deputy mayor of Paris, with a certificate recognizing Paris for this achievement.

Scores of individuals, businesses, organizations, think tanks, and government entities, including 29 states, are siding with Pacific Legal Foundation as “friends of the court” in PLF’s high-profile Supreme Court case for property owners’ rights, United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., Inc. As of today — a week after the deadline for filing as amicus curiae in PLF’s support — the count of briefs filed is 16. All of them urge the court to rule for PLF’s clients and establish the nationwide access-to-justice rule that PLF seeks

The Cost of Doing Business Study, 2016 Edition, a national study of single-family builders' financial performance, was recently released by BuilderBooks, the publishing arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The Cost of Doing Business Study gives builders the opportunity to see industry averages for profit margins, asset levels and equity positions

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released her letter to President Obama asking that he “make a historic contribution to home rule by delegating to the [District of Columbia] mayor authority to grant clemency for criminal offenses against D.C.” This January, Norton introduced a bill that would give D.C. exclusive authority, like that of states, to grant clemency for criminal convictions under its laws. However, to hasten home-rule clemency, she is using the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion that the President has authority to grant clemency in all D.C. criminal cases and exclusive authority for D.C. felonies