Yearly Archives: 2017

Ralph Boyd, Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross’s Massachusetts region, has been named CEO for the Americas region of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global, multidisciplinary, member-driven real estate organization dedicated to responsible land use and building thriving, sustainable communities.

New Hanover County, in partnership with Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) and the City of Wilmington, has taken several actions in response to the recent news of GenX in CFPUA’s drinking water

Building on recent initiatives to prevent privately operated Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones) from interfering with Federal, state, and local wildland firefighting activity, the Department of the Interior announced today that it is expanding and enhancing its wildfire location data-sharing program for 2017.

The Alliance to Save Energy honored King Mohammed VI of Morocco and U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, with EE Visionary Awards recognizing pioneering leadership in energy efficiency

The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) and other state, local, and national leaders call on advocates, elected officials, and concerned citizens to participate in the Our Homes, Our Voices day of action on July 29 to bring more attention to America’s affordable housing crisis

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) commends Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and his colleagues for introducing the “Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2017.” Joining Senator Kaine as original cosponsors of the legislation are U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Patrick Leahy (I-VT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ed Markey (D-MA),

Despite steadily improving local job markets and historically low mortgage rates, the U.S. homeownership rate is stuck near a 50-year low because of a perverse mix of affordability challenges, student loan debt, tight credit conditions and housing supply shortages

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the availability of approximately $28 million for cost-shared research and development. Three new funding opportunities will advance technologies related to advanced combustion systems, advanced turbines, and gasification as part of the Office of Fossil Energy’s (FE) Advanced Energy Systems program. Advanced energy conversion systems are designed to enable efficient, low-cost, and near-zero emission energy from existing and new fossil fuel power plants.

On June 12, 2017, City of Mountain View Mayor Ken Rosenberg, Santa Clara County Board Supervisor Joseph Simitian, State Housing and Community Development Director Ben Metcalf, California Department of Veterans Affairs and other local leaders will celebrate the groundbreaking of Eagle Park Apartments, an affordable residential rental community being developed by Palo Alto Housing (PAH) in the center of Silicon Valley

In what was easily the most anticipated hearing on Capitol Hill this morning, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, held an oversight hearing to consider cost trends in emerging energy technologies. Committee members heard from a variety of witnesses who detailed cost reductions in everything from oil and natural gas to renewables, energy storage, and alternative fuel vehicles

A multi-institutional team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discovered a way to create new alloys that could form the basis of next-generation semiconductors.

A new report released today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing, reveals that on average a full-time worker in the U.S. must earn $21.21 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment and $17.14 to afford a one-bedroom apartment.  The report indicates that housing costs are “out of reach” for both for the average renter and for millions of low-wage workers, seniors and people with disabilities living on fixed incomes, and other low-income households

Potential presenters, there is only week left to submit an abstract to present at Building Innovation 2018: The National Institute of Building Sciences Sixth Annual Conference and Expo. Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in the industry’s only all-inclusive Conference where members of the entire building community come together to connect, collaborate and create solutions that benefit the built environment.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today responded to the announcement that Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has been recommended by the Republican Steering Committee as the next chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (OGR), which has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia, and that he is expected to be confirmed in that role by a vote of the full Republican Caucus next week. Norton said that if Representative Gowdy (R-SC) operates as OGR chairman as he has in the past, she believes he will respect D.C.’s right to govern itself without congressional interference in the city’s local affairs.

The Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a legislative hearing on two bills to lessen the costs of federal water and power infrastructure to American ratepayers.

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, in collaboration with other real estate industry groups and with support from a grant from software developer Yardi, has released a groundbreaking study on the costs and benefits of modernizing and extending the Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction, commonly referred to as 179D after its U.S. Internal Revenue Code section number.

Contractors Struggle to Fill Jobs as Weekly Hours Reach Highest May Level Since Series Began in 2006; Association Officials Urge Greater Public-Sector Support for Career and Technical Education Programs

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced that USDA is awarding four loans to help provide broadband service in rural portions of California, Illinois, Iowa and Texas.

Mortgage credit availability decreased in May according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool.

June is National Homeownership Month and the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency is celebrating with three announcements from its Single Family Programs division as a part of the District wide June Housing Bloom. “Homeownership is the cornerstone of wealth accumulation. This month DCHFA is expanding the Agency’s homeownership resources and providing greater incentives for people to purchase a home in the District of Columbia,” stated Todd A. Lee, Executive Director, DCHFA.