In this issue:

• Federal Policy Update
• Notes from the May SGA Coalition call
• Empire State Future Coalition releases report: “Smarter Growth: The Implementation of the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Act”
• Send Smart Growth America your “Smart Growth Stories”
• Submit your session proposals for the 12th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference by June 30, 2012
• Webinar: Managing the Impacts of Wildfires – June 27, 2012 12:00pm MST
• Free Webinar Presentations of the 2012 Southern Growth Innovator Award Winners: June 6, 13, and 20

Federal Policy Update

Update on Appropriations:

• Last week, the House T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee marked up their spending bill for the 2013 fiscal year. The bill funds HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities to continue its operations, though funding for Regional Planning and Community Challenge grants was not included. Also lacking in the bill was funding for DOT’s TIGER grants.
• Funding for both the HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative’s grants (at $50 million) and the TIGER grants (at $500 million) were included in the bill approved by the Senate T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, and passed by the full Senate Appropriations Committee last month.
• While the lack of funding in the House bill is a small setback, we are optimistic that the programs have enough support in Congress to continue to help communities across the country.
• We are watching the Interior & Environment Subcommittee for movements on their appropriations bill that funds the EPA Smart Growth Program, the 3rd portion of the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Farm Bill:

• The Senate resumed consideration of the five-year farm bill, with over 200 amendments filed already. Test votes are expected on two amendments and it is likely that the bill will take 2-3 weeks to pass.
• One portion of the bill to note is the discrepancies between the two chambers’ approach to conservation programs. The Senate bill consolidates 23 existing conservation programs into 13 and reduces spending by $6 billion over 10 years, while the House bill cuts conservation by 20% and makes significant cuts to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Notes from the May SGA Coalition Call

Click here to read notes from last month’s coalition call.

Empire State Future Coalition releases report: “Smarter Growth: The Implementation of the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Act”

A brief overview: Empire State Future believes New York spending on infrastructure and economic development, including all projects considered through the Regional Councils and the NY Works programs, should utilize the Public Infrastructure Policy Act of 2010 as a benchmark for smart decision-making. ESF believes that if the law is applied and implemented in the spirit determined by lawmakers in 2010 — with the intent to use such funding as investments for the future – New York will have gained a powerful tool to select appropriate infrastructure projects that benefit local and regional economies. This will result in a more environmentally and fiscally sustainable New York.

Click here to read the report.

SGA’s latest blog series: “Smart Growth Stories”

Smart Growth America is collecting ideas for its latest blog series and e-mail campaign, “Smart Growth Stories.” Not only will the stories provide coverage for some of the country’s most exciting projects, they will also serve as a resource for SGA coalition partners. Looking for fresh news content? Feel free to pull from the blog and to re-post. If there are opportunities to further spread the word or to get a posting in front of a new audience, alert us. For more information, send an e-mail to SGA’s press manager, Tom Madrecki.

Submit your session proposals for the 12th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference by June 30, 2012

Mark your calendars for the 12th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference! This exciting event will be held February 7-9, 2013 in Kansas City, MO. The Call for Session Proposals (CFSP) process is open through June 30, 2012. Click here for more information.

Webinar: Managing the Impacts of Wildfires – June 27, 2012 12:00pm MST

This webinar, which is sponsored by Western Lands and Communities (a joint venture of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Sonoran Institute and the National Fire Protection Association) will address defensible space, how to incorporate fire-resistant building and landscaping materials into urban spaces, as well as preventative measures for managing growth in the wildland-urban interface. Learn more and register.

Free Webinar Presentations of the 2012 Southern Growth Innovator Award Winners: June 6, 13, and 20

The winners of the 2012 Southern Growth Innovator Awards in Workforce and Education will be presenting their programs in three consecutive webinars on Wednesdays, June 6 – June 20. All webinars will begin at 10:00 Eastern and last a maximum of one hour. To register, choose the webinar date that you prefer: June 6, June 13 or June 20.