NADO.org » Advocacy

EDA Announces Funding for Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership

NADO Admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:26:30 +0000

The U.S. Economic Development Agency (EDA) announced funding for the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership grants. Successful projects will be regional in scope and focus on manufacturing sectors that demonstrate competitive advantages in the marketplace. Applications should emphasize public-private and higher education collaboration. Approximately 20-25 grants will be awarded (about 4 per EDA region) for up to $200,000 each with total funding for the program being around $4 million. The deadline for applications is June 13, 2013. Click here to view the grant summary and application. Click here to contact your EDA state representative for additional information. Click here to view the original press release.

Sen. Merkley Sends EDA Public Works Funding Support Letter to Appropriators

NADO Admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:22:15 +0000

NADO is pleased to announce that Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) along with three of his colleagues sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking their support for EDA’s Public Works program. Specifically, the letter requests the committee to fund the Public Works program at $129 million for FY2014. The Administration has proposed cutting the Public Works program to $40.5 million for next year, which would represent a 49% cut from last year’s funding level. Click here to view the full letter.

Farm Bill Slated to Move This Month in Congress

NADO Admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:20:00 +0000

The U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees announced they will begin work to move a 2013 Farm Bill through their respective committees this month. Starting on May 14, the Senate committee will begin marking up their version of the Farm Bill while the House committee has set a target date of May 15 for its mark up.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) expects the Senate bill to cut $23 billion from the debt over 10 years, the same total as last year’s proposed Senate bill. House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) announced that their version of the Farm Bill would likely cut federal spending by $38 billion over 10 years, which is $11 billion more in cuts than last year’s proposed House bill. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would be reduced by $20 billion under the House proposed bill.

On January 1, most provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill were extend until September 30 of this year as part of the overall fiscal cliff deal (H.R. 8). Click here to view NADO’s legislative fact sheet on the Farm Bill.

USDA Publishes Sustainable Rural Downtowns Case Study Series

NADO Admin — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:13:41 +0000

From a new senior housing development in California to a value-added production facility in Vermont, rural communities across the country are using USDA financing to implement innovative projects that revitalize their downtowns and create vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods. USDA Rural Development has published a series of case studies profiling nine rural communities that leveraged USDA funds to strengthen their unique assets, build affordable housing, enhance economic competitiveness, and preserve natural resources. Many programs in USDA Rural Development’s portfolio can be used to invest in redevelopment of historic buildings, infrastructure in downtowns, and new businesses in the heart of a rural community. The projects in these case studies show how USDA funding, local leadership, and other public and private support can create thriving, environmentally and economically sustainable development in rural America. Click here to read the case studies.

Penny Pritzker Nominated as DOC Secretary

NADO Admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:36:27 +0000

On May 2, President Obama nominated Penny Pritzker to join his second-term Cabinet as the new Commerce Secretary. Pritzker will replace acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank pending her Senate confirmation. Pritzker served the Obama Administration as a member of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board which formulated and evaluated economic policy. Pending the confirmation of current nominations all but one Cabinet-level post has been filled, a replacement for Karen Mills at the Small Business Administration, who is staying in place until a successor is chosen. Click here for additional information on Pritzker from the White House.

Sen. Schumer and Sen. Gillibrand Send Letter Supporting EDA Public Works Funding to Senate Appropriators

NADO Admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:34:16 +0000

On April 25, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) sent a letter to Senate Appropriators asking their support of increased EDA Public Works funding for FY2014. The Administration’s proposed budget includes $40.5 million for EDA public works funding for next year, a significant decrease from $112 million in FY2012. The letter also supports EDA’s new Manufacturing Communities Initiative. Click here to view the letter.

Cluster Mapping Webinar Now Available for Download

Brett Schwartz — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:04:03 +0000

The first in a series about various Data Tools developed with support from the Economic Development Administration, this webinar provided an overview of the U.S. Cluster Map and Registry which contains data on the regional clusters that are driving the national economy. Through this website practitioners can access key information on industries by location and type, in both data and chart format, which can be useful for developing a regional economic development strategy. The registry provides a forum for organizations to identify other entities by geographic area that are directly or indirectly working to advance regional cluster initiatives. It is a useful tool for identifying potential organizations to partner with to advance regional cluster initiatives. Economic development organizations, practitioners, policy makers, and other stakeholders are encouraged to watch to learn how this tool can be useful in your planning and decision-making processes.

The webinar was co-hosted by the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA). It is part of a series that will occur in 2013. Future webinars will address other EDA-funded data tools, including Stats America, Triple Bottom Line, Regional Innovation Accelerator Network (RIAN), and more. The NADO Research Foundation is coordinating the webinars as part of its Know Your Region program which is funded through an agreement with the U.S. Economic Development Administration (#99-06-07548).

Please contact NADO Deputy Executive Director Laurie Thompson at lthompson@nado.org if you have any questions about this webinar, or the series in general.

Click here to download the Powerpoint slides from the webinar

Transportation Professionals Gather at National Rural Transportation Conference; Training Presentations Posted Online

Carrie Kissel — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:57:40 +0000

On April 24 – 26, in Greenville, South Carolina, 150 regional transportation professionals from small metro and rural regions attended the National Rural Transportation Peer Learning Conference. The training sessions have been approved for AICP Certification Maintenance credits. Speaker presentations have been uploaded to the conference website, under Agenda and Presentations (select the session to access the “View Presentation” link for content on each presentation).

Conference attendees heard an engaging keynote address from South Carolina Deputy Secretary of Commerce George Patrick III, an update on activities from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, and information from Federal Highway Administration staff on MAP-21 implementation.

Additional best practice sessions focused on public participation techniques, freight and economic development, long-range planning, regional transit, transportation and health, rural safety, and more, many relevant learning opportunities will be available to participants. Longer workshops included an exclusive off-site visit to BMW Manufacturing Company to learn about freight and economic development, a Road Safety Audit workshop in the Town of Travelers Rest near Greenville, a walking and cycling tour of Greenville to discuss planning and implementation for its vibrant downtown, and an interactive session on equity and public involvement. The Excellence in Regional Transportation Award winners were also recognized during the conference (read more about the winning projects here, PDF).

View more photos from the conference in our Facebook photo album.

The conference was sponsored by AirSage, the Appalachian Regional Commission, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Development District Association of Appalachia, Federal Highway Administration, National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation and NADO’s RPO America, along with other partners. Exhibitors included Easter Seals Project ACTION, Federal Highway Administration/Federal Transit Administration Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program, LeFleur Transportation, Rural Assistance Center, Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2), Transit Cooperative Research Program, and URS Corporation. The contributions of Brazos Valley Council of Governments and J.R. Wilburn & Associates are much appreciated for their role as Conference Supporters.

Please visit www.nado.org/events/rpo2013 for the agenda and presentations. For more information, contact NADO Associate Director Carrie Kissel at 202.624.8829 or ckissel@nado.org.

Upcoming Webinar: Building Vibrant Local Economies by Connecting Regional Food Systems

Kathy Nothstine — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:01:46 +0000

County and regional leaders are integrating food systems into economic development plans. These efforts are reinvigorating rural economies to foster economic development connected to local, agricultural economies. Join the National Association of Counties (NACo) for a free webinar, Building Vibrant Local Economies: Connecting Regional Food Systems, on Thursday, May 9, at 2pm EST to learn more about this topic.

Featured speakers include:

Ferd Hoefner, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Bahia Nightengale, Heartland Local Food, with Supervisor Melvyn Houser, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
Elanor Starmer, USDA

This webinar is offered as a service to grantees of the federal government’s Sustainable Communities Initiative, NADO members, NACo members, and the broad community of individuals and organizations interested in regional food systems as a strategy for rural economic development.

For more information, contact Stephanie Osborn, sosborn@naco.org or 202.942.4235.

Southeast Region HUD Peer Exchange Materials (Greenville, SC)

Brett Schwartz — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:27:29 +0000

Wayne Leftwich, community planner with the City of Greenville, discusses the city’s neighborhoods during a tour of A.J. Whittenburg Elementary School.

On April 23-24, 2013 in Greenville, South Carolina, NADO hosted a Southeast Region Peer Exchange for HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning and Community Challenge Grantees working in rural or small metropolitan regions to develop plans and partnerships to bolster their communities’ economic competitiveness by engaging place-based strategies.

Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the NADO Research Foundation is one of eight teams providing capacity building and technical assistance to HUD and EPA sustainable communities award recipients. The capacity building teams are forming networks among the grantees to exchange ideas on successful strategies, lessons learned, and emerging tools for community and economic development.

Below are links to the peer exchange materials, including presentations, worksheets, and grantee background information. If you have any questions about this peer exchange, these materials, or NADO’s work as a capacity building team, please contact Brett Schwartz.

Workshop Materials / Grantee Information

Growing Economic Competitiveness with Place-Based Strategies
Mary Douglas Hirsch, Downtown Development Manager, City of Greenville, SC

5×5 Presentations: Sharing What’s Working
Participant presentations

Building Local Leaders and Experts for Long-term Community Change
Linda Giltz, Senior Planner, Land-of-Sky Regional Council

Prospering as an Entrepreneurial Community
Don Macke, Director, Center for Rural Entrepreneurship

Collaborating with New Partners to Implement Community and Economic Development Plans
Participant discussion