Public

Ed Brady, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Bloomington, Ill., today issued the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of former Texas Governor Rick Perry as the nation’s next secretary of energy

Mortgage applications decreased 4.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 9, 2016.

Over 450 organizations, local officials, academics, civic leaders and businesses called on Congress to support a shift to powering the nation entirely with renewable energy. In a letter delivered today, the signers urged support for H.Res. 540 introduced by Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and S.Res. 632 introduced by Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) which recommend a rapid, steady shift to 100 percent renewable energy

USGBC announced the Top 10 Countries for LEED, a list that highlights countries outside the United States that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and market transformation. These countries represent the ever-growing international demand for LEED-certified green buildings.

The Alliance to Save Energy released the following statement from President Kateri Callahan regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to nominate former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lead the Department of Energy

Mortgage applications decreased 4.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 9, 2016.

Mark your calendars for an exciting webinar scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 15, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ETto learn how you can implement an Operation Reveille event – a multi-sector collaboration to immediately house and provide supportive services to homeless veterans

In a final report issued today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that fracking operations can impact drinking water “at each stage in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle”. The report walks back from a misleading summary statement that fracking poses “no widespread, systemic risks” to drinking water.

A new U.S. Geological Survey publication and model can be applied by multiple entities to better understand flow, quantity, sources and sinks of groundwater in the Northern High Plains Aquifer, which covers approximately 100,000 square miles across Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming.

Center for American Progress Vice President for Energy Policy Greg Dotson issued the following statement on the nomination of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) to be the next secretary of energy

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Applications Survey (BAS) data for November 2016 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased 12 percent relative to November 2015. Compared to October 2016, applications decreased by 3 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.

The Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO®) has released a new proposed data standard for the exchange of rent roll information on commercial property. The proposed standard is open for public comment. The public comment period will remain open from Monday, December 12, 2016 through Friday, January 13, 2017. The proposed rent roll standard is expected to be elevated to Candidate Recommendation status shortly thereafter

The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (the Law Center) announced a major victory that will create housing for people experiencing homelessness by using surplus federal property. The Law Center worked with a bipartisan coalition in Congress on the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 (FAST Act), which reforms how the federal government disposes of its property, including property for homeless services under Title V. The FAST Act (H.R. 4465) passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May of 2016, and then passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent on December 10, 2016. The bill is expected to be signed into law.

The United States solar market just shattered all previous quarterly solar photovoltaic (PV) installation records. According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) Q4 2016 U.S. Solar Market Insight report, 4,143 megawatts (MW) of solar PV were installed in the U.S. in the third quarter of the year, a rate of one MW every 32 minutes. That pace is even faster today, as the fourth quarter will surpass this past quarter’s historic total.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) just released Opportunities to End Homelessness and Housing Poverty in a Trump Administration—a transition memo to the incoming administration on steps it should take to end homelessness and housing poverty in America.

The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) selected Ron Miller and Katharine Weymouth to serve as Public Directors. In their new roles, Miller and Weymouth will provide knowledge and advice to the AIA Board

If you plan to stay over in Washington, D.C., next month to attend Building Innovation 2017: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fifth Annual Conference and Expo, Collaborating for a High-Performing Future, January 9-12, 2017, at the Mandarin Oriental, today is your last day to reserve your room and guarantee the low rate and availability.

On December 3, a devastating fire damaged and destroyed many homes in Cambridge.  Just-A-Start, our partner in affordable housing and community development, owns St. Patrick's Place, an affordable housing development that was damaged by the fire. Unfortunately, 32 families living in this development were affected, many of whom lost everything in the fire.