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The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency will help the City of Lawrence with of financial and technical guidance about making future investments in its drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. EPA’s new Water Community Assistance for Resiliency and Excellence (WaterCARE) program will assist in developing robust and resilient finance strategies for water infrastructure that meets long-term needs.

Sales of new single-family houses in December 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 544,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is 10.8 percent (±17.1%)* above the revised November rate of 491,000 and is 9.9 percent (±25.0%)* above the December 2014 estimate of 495,000.

In an effort to help preserve and increase the amount of affordable, quality rental housing across the country, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced a multifamily insurance rate reduction designed to encourage capital financing of affordable and energy-efficient apartments. The rate reductions announced today will take effect on April 1, 2016, and will directly impact FHA’s Multifamily Housing Programs and properties housing low- and moderate-income families and/or developments installing energy-efficient systems or building within federal energy guidelines.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu was joined by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and City, State and Federal officials to celebrate the City of New Orleans award of $141.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC). HUD’s competition is designed to help state and local communities recover from past disasters while improving their ability to withstand future extreme events through strategic community investments.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today thanked the District of Columbia National Guard for providing critical assistance to D.C. authorities during this weekend’s snowstorm, but said that “it is absurd that the District does not have home-rule authority over its own National Guard in cases of emergency, as states do.” Norton earlier succeeded in getting authority for the Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard, rather than only the President, to deploy the Guard in order to avoid the federal bureaucracy necessary to call up the D.C. National Guard.

Today, on behalf of the White House Rural Council, six federal agencies joined together to announce 27 communities selected to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative helping people create walkable, healthy, economically vibrant neighborhoods through local food enterprise. Under Local Foods, Local Places, a team of experts will help community members set goals and plan projects like farmers markets, local food cooperatives, community gardens, and other food-related business that can boost local economies and drive neighborhood revitalization.

The newly enacted Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA—which replaces No Child Left Behind—includes a number of key provisions that are aimed at addressing the problems with today’s testing systems in schools. The new law provides an opportunity for states and districts to move toward more coherent, aligned assessment systems that support student learning. There is a risk, however, that states and districts might not take advantage of this opportunity and might instead continue on their current paths

We are pleased that the court has rejected petitioners' attempts to block the Clean Power Plan from moving forward while litigation proceeds. We are confident that the plan will reduce carbon pollution and deliver better air quality, improved public health, and jobs across the country.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro and the Rockefeller Foundation announced the winners of the $1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC).  Secretary Castro traveled to Norfolk, Virginia where he joined Governor Terry McAuliffe in announcing the winners of the competition.

On the heels of the announcement that 2015 was the hottest year on record, today the public comment period closes for the federal backstop for the Clean Power Plan, President Obama’s central strategy to tackle global warming.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority moved one step closer to completing its propane conversion project thanks to the approval of the long awaited permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) acted today to improve the cyber security of the bulk electric system by approving revisions to seven critical infrastructure protection (CIP) Reliability Standards, including requirements for personnel and training, physical security of the bulk electric system’s cyber systems and information protection.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the 16 collegiate teams selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 competition. The teams, from colleges and universities across the United States and around the world, will now begin the nearly two-year process of building solar-powered houses that are affordable, innovative and highly energy-efficient

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today it is providing a total of $50,000 in financial and technical guidance to help Selma, AL invest in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. EPA’s new Water Community Assistance for Resiliency and Excellence (WaterCARE) program will assist the community in developing robust and resilient finance strategies for water infrastructure that meets long-term needs

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that at the end of February, Ophelia Basgal is retiring from federal service after nearly 40 years of work to promote affordable housing and community development across the nation and throughout the Department’s Pacific/Hawaii region.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for December 2015

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced it is making approximately $15 million available to test a promising housing and services model for low-income seniors to age in their own homes and delay or avoid the need for nursing home care. Read HUD’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews today announced he will lead a delegation of 18 American companies on a Smart Cities Infrastructure Business Development Mission to India from February 8-12, 2016, with stops in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Lee Zak and Vice President of Global Business Development at the Export-Import Bank Ray Ellis will also participate in the mission

As part of the Energy Department’s Grid Modernization Initiative announced by Secretary Ernest Moniz last week to improve the resiliency, reliability and security of the nation’s electrical power grid, DOE today announced $18 million in funding forsix new projects across the United States. These projects will enable the development and demonstration of integrated, scalable, and cost-effective solar technologies that incorporate energy storage to power American homes after the sun sets or when clouds are overhead.

Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement on the Obama Administration’s coal lease moratorium on Federal lands. “Yep, there they go again. Americans now know the ‘all-of-the-above’ energy agenda the President repeatedly claimed to support was an election year lie.