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Scientists from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with their counterparts from solar energy research institutes in Germany and Japan, gathered recently to discuss the future of photovoltaics (PV) and assess its contributions to increasing global prosperity, energy security and mitigation of climate change.

Washington is one of nine U.S. cities that have been selected to attend the 2016 Community Progress Leadership Institute, a program that equips practitioners with the leadership and technical skills to address significant blight and vacancy challenges. The Leadership Institute, a program of the national Center for Community Progress, will be held on the campus of Harvard Law School on March 15-18, 2016

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the American Planning Association (APA) announced today that the Homeless Solutions Community 10-Year Plan for the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, is the 2016 recipient of the HUD Secretary’s Opportunity & Empowerment Award. Read more about the Homeless Solutions 10-Year Plan.

As part of the Bowser Administration’s all eight ward approach to transform the District’s response to homelessness and improve the quality and effectiveness of services, Mayor Bowser and partners today announced that District-based N Street Village will manage and operate the Patricia Handy Place for Women. The Patricia Handy Place for Women is a new facility that will serve as many as 213 women each night. N Street Village is known nationally as an innovator in homeless services with a track-record of empowering homeless and low-income women. Last month, Mayor Bowser along with DHS Director Laura Zeilinger and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans cut the ribbon on the new facility, which is set to open next month.

A major milestone has been reached in the recovery from the May 2015 storms on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, as the 100th new manufactured home was recently provided to a tribal household. The 100 homes have been installed in just over three months’ time, with the first being turned over on December 9.

The Cherokee Nation is building 30 new, 1,200-square-foot homes for Cherokee families in the town of Vian and celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday. The three-bedroom homes are being built through the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation’s New Home Construction Program on six acres of property owned by Cherokee Nation Businesses

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to expand the list of acceptable substitutes and prohibit the use of certain chemicals in the U.S. that significantly contribute to climate change where safer, more climate-friendly alternatives exist. This is another step forward in a series under President Obama's Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of potent greenhouse gases that can be up to 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide and are used in air-conditioning, refrigeration, and other equipment.

On March 29, the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Public Buildings Service (PBS) Commissioner Norman Dong announced the disposal of the Cotton Annex, a property in a prime location in the District of Columbia. GSA is an economic catalyst for cities and communities across the country. Moving underutilized properties out of the federal inventory allows for local use that may better promote economic growth

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 149 businesses and organizations in 35 states for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. Recipients of the 2016 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award include Beazer Homes, The Home Depot and Verizon.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is honoring Kenton County School District in Ft. Wright, Kentucky for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. The school system is one of 149 businesses and organizations in 35 states to receive the honor. Recipients of the 2016 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award include Beazer Homes, The Home Depot and Verizon

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today the award of $784,421 in Specially Adapted Housing Assistive Technology (SAHAT) Grants to eligible individuals, researchers, and organizations to develop new technologies that would enhance Veterans and Servicemembers’ ability to live in specially adapted homes. The SAHAT Grant Program was authorized by Congress to design assistive technologies to expand home modification options for Veterans who apply for VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) benefit. Grants of up to $200,000 have been issued to four selected grantees.

Background: OSHA's continuing partnership with the association, which represents more than 800 union and non-union construction companies throughout Missouri, eastern Kansas and parts of Nebraska, will emphasize reducing injury and illness in the top four construction industry hazards - falls, struck-by, caught-in/between and electrocutions*. The initiative also places emphasis on training workers to recognize amputation and machine hazards at contractor-associated fabrication shops. These are among the most frequently cited OSHA violations.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $329,650 to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to research human and ecological health impacts associated with water reuse and conservation practices. Nationally, $3.3 million was awarded to five institutions nationwide for water reuse and conservation research.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $749,631 to the University of California, Riverside to study the human and ecological health impacts of water reuse and conservation practices. University researchers will use the funds to measure levels of contaminants in vegetables irrigated with treated wastewater. Nationally, $3.3 million was awarded to five institutions nationwide for water reuse and conservation research.

Comcast today announced a pilot program with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) ConnectHome initiative to dramatically reduce the digital divide for public housing residents. Eligibility for Internet Essentials, Comcast’s high-speed Internet adoption program, will be immediately extended to public housing residents in Miami-Dade County and the cities of Nashville, Philadelphia, and Seattle. This is the eighth time in five years Comcast has expanded eligibility for Internet Essentials.

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Deputy Administrator Joe Nimmich, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mark Butt, and DHS Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer Alan Bersin met with Republic of Korea Minister of Public Safety and Security Park Inyong to discuss a range of shared homeland security-related issues, including critical infrastructure protection, counterterrorism cooperation, and lessons learned on disaster management and preparedness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced funding to five institutions to research human and ecological health impacts associated with water reuse and conservation practices.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) have agreed to a settlement for violations of the Clean Water Act. ABCUWA will pay a civil penalty of $33,500 and build a pipeline to provide water to a wildlife refuge.

Today, on World Water Day, Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) released a white paper to advance the development of a 21st century national framework for addressing drought and water security in the United States.

Water challenges are facing communities and regions across the United States, impacting millions of lives and costing billions of dollars in damages. These challenges are particularly problematic in predominantly poor, minority, or rural communities, where water inequality can go hand-in-hand with socioeconomic inequality. Recent events, including record-breaking drought in the West, severe flooding in the Southeast, and the water-quality crisis in Flint, MI, have elevated a national dialogue on the state of our Nation’s water resources and infrastructure.