On Thursday February 25, The Center for Creative Land Recycling partnered with the Bay Area law firm Holland & Knight for a fantastic discussion of H&K's newly published report, "In the Name of the Environment"—a comprehensive study of recent lawsuits filed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and recommended reforms.  More than thirty people from across the Bay Area came to hear from H&K's Jennifer Hernandez on the key findings of the study, and the author's suggestions on how to curtail further litigation abuse.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced $500 million will be made available for transportation projects across the country under an eighth round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) competitive grant program.

Deadline: April 29, 2016

Legislation introduced on February 3rd would give $1 billion towards cleaning up and redeveloping former mine lands, thus helping the coal communities around the country that have been devastated by the decline of the coal-mining industry. The Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act would help coal communities cleanup and redevelop former mining sites that possibly pose health and environmental hazards and revitalize their economies.

Economic development professionals, business owners, consultants, local governments and nonprofits interested in connecting with Nevada’s economic development are invited to attend this annual conference in Reno, September 21 - 22. Session topics will be shaped around agribusiness, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, mining, tourism, transportation, and workforce development with a focus on economic development.

The 15th Annual New Partners For Smart Growth Conference took place in Portland, OR from February 11th to February 13th and included panels, tours, workshops, networking opportunities and various learning activities for participants. CCLR’s Director of Programs, Ignacio Dayrit (below), moderated two panels for those looking for information and strategies to help initiate brownfield redevelopment in their own communities.

 Hear from EPA Region 9 (Pacific Southwest) staff, as well as EPA-funded grantees, on how they have utilized EPA’s Brownfield grants and learn about EPA’s upcoming grant solicitation for the Brownfields Area Wide Planning grant, which will be posted in Spring 2016. 

The HOPE VI Main Street Program provides grants to small communities to assist in the renovation of an historic or traditional central business district or “Main Street” area by replacing vacant, unused space in buildings with affordable housing units. Main Street grant funds can be used to build new affordable housing or reconfigure obsolete or surplus commercial space (or extremely substandard, vacant housing) into affordable housing units. 

Deadline: April 12, 2016

States, tribes, irrigation districts, water districts and other organizations with water or power delivery authority are invited to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on Drought Resiliency Projects that will increase the reliability of water supply; improve water management; implement systems to facilitate the voluntary sale, transfer, or exchange of water; and provide benefits for fish, wildlife, and the environment to mitigate impacts caused by drought. CLICK HERE for more on WaterSMART. 

Deadline: April 11, 2016

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Native Americans (ANA) has published several Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) for fiscal year 2016. These grants include opportunities for developing local tribal economies, resources for job creation and financial support to stregthen tribal goverment capacity to bolster environmental regulatory efforts.

Deadline: April 6, 2016

Federally recognized Indian tribes, Alaskan Native groups, and Native Hawaiian organizations are invited to submit grant applications to support historic preservation projects and promote the continuation of living cultural traditions. The application guidelines lists five major categories of eligible activities for Historic Preservation Fund grants: locating and identifying cultural resources, preserving a historic property listed on the National Register, preservation planning, oral history and documenting cultural traditions, and education and training projects in historic and cultural preservation. 

Deadline: March 31, 2016