In his May jobs numbers response, NLC President Ted Ellis stressed that while city leaders continue to tap into local resources and human capital to create jobs and invest in our communities, Congressional gridlock has dampened hope of significant growth anytime soon.
In December 2011, Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Joe Reardon testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment on the need for a modern policy framework and resources to invest in the nation’s water infrastructure systems.
Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new Integrated Planning policy to help state and local governments identify opportunities to achieve clean water by controlling and managing releases of wastewater and stormwater runoff more efficiently and cost effectively.
At the end of October 2011, nearly 150 city leaders from across the country attended a White House briefing on job creation and economic recovery with members of the Cabinet and senior Administration officials, followed by a meeting and reception with President Obama.
New Research on Local Roles in Small Business Growth
Cities Cut Jobs and Infrastructure as Finances Continue to Weaken
Buildings account for roughly 70 percent of U.S. electricity usage and nearly 40 percent of total carbon emissions, reducing the amount of energy used by buildings is crucial to the hope of making cities more sustainable, and as the nation strives to cut energy use in cities, skilled green jobs will be added to local economies.
Boundary crossing for regional governance is on its way to becoming normal. We should put aside the false choice twixt doing nothing or engineering jurisdictional consolidation and instead shift to a focus on regional governance as capacity and process.
As part of their 2011 summer meeting, members of the NLC Board of Directors Finance Committee met with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the White House, and their respective Senators to advocate for NLC's top legislative priorities: transportation, CDBG, and comprehensive immigration reform.
As communities throughout the country grapple with rising gas prices, electric vehicles and hybrids are getting more attention than ever. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities initiative offers local governments valuable tools and resources for successful deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure.
