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House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan “The drinking water crisis affecting Flint, Michigan, is a direct result of Republican policies to prioritize budget savings over the common good. Moreover, it is a tragic example of the broader failure to invest in public health and consumer safety, particularly as our country’s water systems age and require replacement.

Taiwan-based computer hardware maker ASUSTeK Computer, Inc. has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that critical security flaws in its routers put the home networks of hundreds of thousands of consumers at risk. The administrative complaint also charges that the routers’ insecure “cloud” services led to the compromise of thousands of consumers’ connected storage devices, exposing their sensitive personal information on the internet.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released her letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy and District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) General Manager George Hawkins asking for an update on the status of lead levels in D.C.’s water supply given the ongoing lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, where Norton will travel next month as part of a congressional delegation.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today it has selected four student teams from universities across the country as the finalists in the Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition, a competition that seeks to encourage research and innovation in the areas of affordable housing design and planning. In April, one team from among these graduate student finalists will be chosen as the overall winner for having the best solution to redevelop the Monteria Village public housing development in Santa Barbara, California.

18F, the team of digital technology consultants housed within the General Services Administration, today announced plans to expand its consulting and acquisition services to assist federal agencies that provide grants to state and local programs. Since its launch in March 2014, 18F has grown from 15 to 165 people and helps federal agencies build, buy, and share efficient and easy-to-use digital services. 18F will partner with federal agencies providing grants to state and local programs to offer them the same best practices of human-centered, agile, and modular design.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that it is immediately taking possession of the Alexander County (IL) Housing Authority (ACHA). HUD is taking this action following a years-long pattern of financial and operational mismanagement, poor housing conditions, and alleged civil rights violations against the households the local housing authority was responsible for assisting

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna today announced that Canada and the U.S. have adopted targets to reduce phosphorus entering affected areas of Lake Erie by 40 percent. The targets announced today will minimize the extent of low oxygen “dead zones” in the central basin of Lake Erie; maintain algae growth at a level consistent with healthy aquatic ecosystems; and maintain algae biomass at levels that do not produce toxins that pose a threat to human or ecosystem health.

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today released new analysis exploring the potential impact of recently extended federal tax credits on the deployment of renewable generation technologies and related U.S. electric sector carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Keeping the Northern Mariana Islands free of invasive species of plants and animals and helping us get rid of those that have already infested our islands is an important responsibility of the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced it is making $40 million in grants available to support hundreds of housing counseling organizations across the country that assist families, including those buying their first home, struggling to locate affordable rental housing or seeking to avoid foreclosure. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released DWMAPS – the Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters. This robust, online mapping tool provides the public, water system operators, state programs, and federal agencies with critical information to help them safeguard the sources of America’s drinking water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released DWMAPS – the Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters. This robust, online mapping tool provides the public, water system operators, state programs, and federal agencies with critical information to help them safeguard the sources of America’s drinking water.

More and more building owners, including federal agencies, are using “smart” systems to improve the functionality of their facilities. These new systems can improve functionality and make it easier to maintain and operate the building. Yet, at the same time they can also expose the building to potential threats from hackers and others with malicious intent

U.S. Forest Service Removes Vast Majority of Parcels From April 20 Lease Sale DALLAS - The U.S. Forest Service today withdrew 31,169 acres of national forest lands in Texas from a Bureau of Land Management fossil fuel auction slated for April 20 in Santa Fe, N.M. The move responds to concerns raised by environmental groups and local governments about fracking impacts, and comes one day before the Friday public protest deadline on the lease-sale plan

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to provide grants to two health centers in Flint, Michigan for additional lead testing and other services

USGBC released its LEED in Motion: Hospitality report, which showcases tremendous industry growth in green building and defines the scale-up opportunities for the hospitality sector. More than 109 million square feet of hotel space is currently LEED-certified, and the report highlights some of the most impressive LEED-certified hotels throughout the world.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), in conjunction with Destination DC, the District of Columbia’s official tourism and marketing office, will host a Capitol Hill event on Friday, February 19, 2016, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., in 345 Cannon House Office Building (Cannon Caucus Room) to showcase D.C.’s local restaurants, nightlife, museums, shops, theaters, neighborhoods, and other tourist attractions to congressional and other regional staffers.

Ed Brady, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Bloomington, Ill., issued the following statement regarding former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recently announced economic revitalization agenda

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 38 People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grants to university student teams for proposed projects to develop new, sustainable products and strategies. Each team will receive up to $15,000 for their proposals.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for January 2016