The U.S. Census Bureau has released new American Community Survey (ACS) estimates for detailed race, Hispanic Origin, ancestry, and tribal populations. These statistics provide the greatest level of statistical information for detailed populations. Two resources included in this release are the Selected Population Tables, which provide estimates for 416 race, Hispanic Origin, ancestry, and tribal population…
Iowa Data Bike is a proof-of-concept initiative by the Des Moines Area MPO in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Using an app that senses the roughness of pavement, Data Bike will generate data scoring the condition of trails, as well as collect 360-degree imagery of the trails…
Last week the House Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee, which determines funding for a range of programs important to regional councils, adopted a fiscal year 2018 appropriations bill that would make significant cuts in funding to programs established under the Older Americans Act (OAA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) as…
The Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization commissioned a study to examine existing and future technologies that will impact their 2045 long-range transportation plan and provide recommendations for incorporating technology. The report went through each time period until 2045 and predicted developments on a variety of topics. The report suggested that the TPO should update its travel…
In this blog post, Lyle Wray, executive director of the Capitol Region Council of Governments in Hartford, CT, explores community impacts of ride-sharing and solutions for working with disruptive technologies such as shared rides, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and connected vehicles. Wray suggests developing a framework for measuring impacts, forecasting, and tracking results of pilots…
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) released the Miami Valley Equity Regional Profile in partnership with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. The profile provides historical context on the issue of equity and presents an analysis of equity at the regional and sub-regional level. The study revealed that the MVRPC…
When NARC, NACo, NLC, and USCM put up a united front on reauthorizing and improving the EPA Brownfields Program, the House listened. We are happy to report that the Brownfields Enhancement, Economic Redevelopment, and Reauthorization Act of 2017 (H.R. 3017) passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee with amendments favorable to our requests. It authorizes appropriations…
On June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of the Army, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) published a press release stating that they are initiating the first of a two-step process to withdraw and rewrite the 2015 “Waters of the US” (WOTUS) regulation put in place by the Obama administration. President…
Eyes are on Congress to settle disagreements surrounding the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) before the September 30 renewal deadline. To frame the conversation on the different issues surrounding NFIP reauthorization, representatives of the American Academy of Actuaries’ Flood Insurance Work Group came to Capitol Hill last Monday to give a briefing on findings from their…
Date: Tuesday, July 18, 2017 Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET Sign up: Please use this sign up link. Call-in information will follow. NARC will host a webinar/call and dialogue with Laura Podolsky (Policy Director, National Center for Sustainable Transportation – NCST*) to introduce NARC members to a potential resource for information, research, and educational…
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will announce changes in tomorrow’s Federal Register to the FASTLANE freight grant program that was created in the FAST Act reauthorization. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will contain the changes, including the program’s new name. The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program, with a new set of criteria…
The Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization (DMAMPO) is using an innovative method for collecting data and measuring the health of recreational trails. This summer, a DMAMPO intern will be cycling central Iowa’s 600 miles of paved trails on a “data bike,” equipped with an electric hub to ensure constant speed for accurate data collection. As…
Both the House and Senate released versions of FAA reauthorization proposals this week. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster unveiled the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act (21st Century AIRR Act) yesterday, which moves air traffic control operations from FAA to a private non-profit called the American Air Navigation Services Corporation.…
Earlier this month, 1,867 national, state, and local organizations signed onto a letter to members of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Committee urging a minimum FY 2018 appropriation of $3.3 billion in formula funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). The letter highlights CDBG achievements and how they have…
The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) recently celebrated its 51st Annual Conference and Exhibition in Monterey, California and elected leaders for 2017-2018. For over 50 years, NARC has served as a national voice for a regional approach to meeting local challenges. NARC members work collaboratively in their communities – large and small, urban and rural —…
Earlier this month, more than 250 House members sent a letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means leaders requesting a long-term fix to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) as part of a tax reform package. The letter emphasized the importance of resolving the issue before the FAST Act expires in 2020. It also…
The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) presented its 2017 General Achievement and Leadership Awards at its 51st Annual Conference and Exhibition Gala Dinner in Monterey, California last night. “We are honored to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding leaders and achievements across regional councils this year,” said NARC President Ron Shaffer, Commissioner of Johnson County, Kansas.…
SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, has awarded over $9.2 million in Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding for fiscal year 2018. TAP offers funding opportunities for a number of transportation improvements including pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and safety programs, historic preservation and rehabilitation of transportation facilities, and safe routes to school programs. The 22 awarded projects span all…
As we approach Infrastructure Week (May 15 through 19) – a week of education and advocacy designed to draw attention to the importance of infrastructure to our nation’s economy, jobs, and communities – we should stop for a moment and ask why? Why must we have an Infrastructure Week? Shouldn’t the wealthiest nation on the…
The president has signed S.496. With that, the MPO Coordination Rule is no longer in force. This victory, which was striking in its bipartisan nature, is a victory for common sense and a testament to the hard work of a great many of you. The speed and thoroughness of this success was resounding. Now, we…
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