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Under two settlements with the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), three Puerto Rico government agencies have agreed to upgrade portions of storm water systems they own within the Municipality of San Juan.  These upgrades, which will be performed by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the Department of Transportation and Public Works from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority, are aimed at eliminating or minimizing future discharges of sewage and other pollutants into water bodies in and around San Juan, including the Condado Lagoon, the Martin Peña Channel and the Atlantic Ocean.

The first U.S. production in nearly 30 years of a specialized fuel to power future deep space missions has been completed by researchers at the Department of Energy‘s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee

American wind power just passed the 70 gigawatt (GW) mark, meaning enough wind turbine capacity is now installed to supply over 19 million typical American homes with low-cost electricity.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that communities may now apply to be designated a Promise Zone under the third and final round competition. Read the new notice seeking Promise Zone applications.

Researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have made advances toward affordable photoelectrochemical (PEC) production of hydrogen.

The U.S. Senate approved a year-end budget package by a vote of 65-33. The package included a 3-year reauthorization of and a 1-year 47-percent increase in funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Throughout this Congress, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has urged the Senate to permanently reauthorize and fully fund the LWCF.

The agencies have observed substantial growth in many CRE asset and lending markets, increased competitive pressures, rising CRE concentrations in banks, and an easing of CRE underwriting standards. Financial institutions should maintain underwriting discipline and exercise prudent risk-management practices to identify, measure, monitor, and manage the risks arising from CRE lending

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it plans to propose expanded disability compensation eligibility for Veterans exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved revisions to the Pueblo of Pojoaque’s water quality standards. The Clean Water Act revisions included revised aquatic life criteria and updates to technical references. The Pueblo, located in New Mexico, protects public health and aquatic life for the area that includes the Rio Pojoaque, Rio Tesuque, and Rio Nambe water bodies.

In an effort to help low-income residents find higher-paying jobs and become self-sufficient, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a combined nearly $100 million investment through HUD's Jobs Plus Pilot Program and Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. Together, these programs support local public housing authorities and their partners to help residents increase earned income and financial literacy, reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance, and make progress toward economic independence and self-sufficiency.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that manufacturers have surpassed the more stringent 2014 standards for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while model year 2014 fuel economy remains steady at the highest level ever recorded

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced an agreement with the Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company that will reduce air pollution from the company’s F.B. Culley and A.B. Brown coal-fired electric generating plants in southern Indiana, near Evansville

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller today announced the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has awarded $750,000 to the city of Ennis for water, sewer, natural gas and street infrastructure improvements through the Texas Capital Fund (TCF). The award will support the creation of a plastic materials manufacturing facility operated by Sterilite Corp. and 40 new full-time jobs.

Attend Building Innovation 2016: The National Institute of Building Sciences Conference & Expo and check professional education requirements off the top of your 2016 “to-do” list. The Institute’s Annual Conference, to be held January 11-15, in Metro Washington, D.C., is a great way to earn continuing education units (CEUs) while hearing from speakers who are experts in their fields. With the theme Achieving a Resilient Future, Building Innovation 2016 offers a number of educational sessions that give attendees the opportunity to select from a total of 41.25 Learning Units (LUs) from the American Institute of Architects.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Forest Service, awarded a contract for the federal government’s first-ever joint solar power procurement in California and Nevada. Solar developer SolarCity Corporation of San Mateo, Calif. was awarded a power purchase agreement (PPA) as part of the Federal Aggregated Solar Procurement Pilot (FASPP) -- a strategic sourcing project that combines several small to mid-size photovoltaic (PV) installation opportunities within northern California and northern Nevada into a single procurement.

The Justice Department announced today that Southwind Village LLC, the owner and operator of Southwind Village Mobile Home Park in North Fort Myers, Florida, has agreed to pay $60,000 to resolve allegations that it discriminated against African Americans in violation of the Fair Housing Act.  The settlement was approved today by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 10 completed over 50 environmental compliance and enforcement actions in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington from July 1, 2015 through September 30, 2015

Four mortgage modification scammers, Brian Pacios, Chad Caldaronello, Justin Moreira and Derek Nelson will be banned from selling debt relief products and services under settlements resolving Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceived homeowners facing foreclosure

Last week, representatives of more than 190 nations agreed to an unprecedented global climate agreement that establishes a long-term, durable framework to address one of the gravest threats facing humanity.  As the President said, the agreement in Paris creates a mechanism for us to continually tackle climate change in an effective way and begin the next phase of building a low-carbon, climate-resilient future while generating new jobs and industries.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced $21.8 million in grants for 295 humanities projects, including new grants to digitize historical materials held by individuals, give a second life to important out-of-print humanities books, and support public programs on pressing contemporary challenges.