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U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today led a delegation including Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John P. Sarbanes (all D-Md.) announcing that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will rescind its plan to reduce rent subsidy levels for residents eligible for the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson region.

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today announced that he will hold a telephone town hall for Flint residents on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, at 7 p.m. ET to discuss his demand for an investigation into the Flint water crisis and provide an update on his work to bring federal attention to the crisis as well as the latest efforts to improve water quality. On the call, Congressman Kildee will be joined by water and public health experts Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Marc Edwards, whose critical research helped to uncover high lead levels in the city’s water supply.

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Cardin (D-Md.) today led a delegation including Senator Ben Mikulski, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John P. Sarbanes (all D-Md.) announcing that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will rescind its plan to reduce rent subsidy levels for residents eligible for the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson region.

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings joined U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Ben Cardin and Congressmen C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John P. Sarbanes (all D-Md.) to announce that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will rescind its plan to reduce rent subsidy levels for residents eligible for the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson region. The proposed change in policy from HUD, part of the agencies’ annual fair market rent update, received a detailed review following a meeting Senator Mikulski convened on Capitol Hill with U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julian Castro

Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin said today that 14 small businesses in rural Maine will be getting $1.7 million in USDA funding to invest in efficiency and clean energy projects. The grants, through the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), fund projects like solar panels, anaerobic digesters to create electricity from waste, and thermal conversion systems

Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (KY-01) today introduced two resolutions under the Congressional Review Act disapproving of two final rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new and existing fossil-fuel fired power plants. One resolution relates to EPA’s CO2 emissions rule for new plants under section 111(b) and the second resolution relates to EPA’s rule for existing plants under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act.

The Long Island Sound Study has released a new Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for restoring and protecting the Long Island Sound, setting 20 ambitious targets to be achieved by 2035. Among these goals are: a reduced number of beach closures due to sewage pollution; a reduced area of the Sound with unhealthy oxygen levels; improved water clarity; restored coastal wetlands; increased open space; and a reduction in the amount of plastic marine debris in the Sound

EPA today joined state and local dignitaries to announce $5 million in federal funding to continue efforts of the Southeast New England Program for Coastal Watershed Restoration. The program brings together innovation and partnerships to apply an ecosystem approach to protecting and restoring the coastal watersheds of southeast New England from Westerly, R.I. to Chatham, Mass., including Narragansett Bay and all other Rhode Island coastal waters, Buzzards Bay, and southern Cape Cod

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation will award three California projects with grants from this year’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program

Attorney General Mark Brnovich today announced that the Arizona Corporation Commission (“Commission”) joined with 23 other states in filing suit against the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") challenging the Obama Administration’s Section 111(d) Rule. The Attorney General’s Office and the Commission together are challenging the unlawful plan to radically restructure the way electricity is produced and consumed throughout the country.

In a major win for Arizona's Congressional District One, U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., has secured a competitive $15 million TIGER VII transportation grant for the city of Maricopa. Since taking office, the congresswoman has fought for the city's State Route 347 Grade Separation Project, most recently leading a delegation letter to press U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to approve the critical funding.

U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its power plant carbon rules in the Federal Register which begins a 60-day window for states and companies opposed to the rule to file lawsuits

Under a settlement with the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Municipality of San Juan has agreed to make substantial upgrades to its storm sewer systems.  The upgrades and related cleaning activities are aimed at eliminating or minimizing daily discharges of large volumes of raw sewage and will minimize discharges of other pollutants into nearby water bodies, including the San Juan Bay Estuary and the Martin Peña Canal.  The estimated cost of the upgrades and actions over the life of the agreement is $180 million.

EPA has allocated $9 million to jump start cleanup activities at the Durham Meadows Superfund site in Durham, Conn. The funding will support the installation of an alternative water supply to the Superfund site area, serving over 100 residential and commercial structures, including Regional School District 13. Many of the homes and businesses to be connected have treatment systems or are being provided bottled water as a result of widespread groundwater contamination.

Lead poisoning is the number one environmental health threat in the U.S. for children under the age of seven. The long-term effects of lead exposure to a child can be severe and may include learning disabilities, decreased growth, behavior problems, impaired hearing, and even brain damage. Pregnant women should avoid exposure to lead because lead can pass through a woman’s body into the unborn baby

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is awarding loans and grants that will help more than 1,100 rural small businesses and agricultural producers reduce energy usage and costs in their operations. The funding is for energy efficiency improvements and/or renewable energy systems. USDA is financing projects in every state, as well as in the Virgin Islands, the Western Pacific and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews and Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended a ceremony today to recognize new business deals and commitments worth more than $20 billion between U.S. and Indonesian companies. A number of these projects will help more people benefit from clean electricity, while others will support transportation infrastructure and introduce new financial products

Sales of new single-family houses in September 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 468,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau. This is 11.5 percent (±11.3%)* below the revised August rate of 529,000 and is 2.0 percent (±17.9%) above the September 2014 estimate of 459,000.

Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (KY-01) today announced his plans to introduce resolutions under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to disapprove of two final rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for new and existing power plants. Under the CRA, a rule disapproved by Congress shall have no force and effect and an agency may not issue the same or a substantially similar rule unless authorized by subsequent legislation.

The City of Sacramento used 26.5 percent less water in September compared to the same period in 2013, just over one percent shy from meeting the water conservation savings goal of 28%.  The City is pleased with the continued water conservation efforts of our customers, however, with the temperatures dropping and the days getting shorter, the City is encouraging a drought call to action – for customers to voluntarily water no more than one day per week starting now.