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EPA Provides $750,000 in Smart Growth Assistance to Communities

Release Date: 2/3/12
Contact Information: Nahal Mogharabi, mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov

Funds will go to 56 communities including Northern and Central Calif., Arizona, and Nevada

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today named 56 communities in 26 states that will receive technical assistance through the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program. Communities granted assistance include Contra Costa County and Modesto, California, Surprise, Arizona and Henderson Nevada. Each community will receive the assistance from EPA-funded private-sector experts. The technical experts will work with the communities on actions they can take to improve the economy, the environment, and quality of life. Some examples may include improving pedestrian access and safety, incorporating green infrastructure, or conducting an economic and fiscal health assessment.

Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities is a project of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities among EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The interagency collaboration coordinates federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently. The partnership is helping communities across the country create more housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses.

“EPA is proud to support the work that communities around the nation are doing to become more environmentally sustainable,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “The Building Blocks program will help them find development solutions that will save money, energy and resources while creating more jobs and opportunities.”

The following communities will receive assistance:

· Surprise, Ariz.
· Contra Costa County and Modesto, Calif.
· Simsbury, Conn.
· Lewes, Del.
· Pocatello, Idaho
· Campton Hills, Hazel Crest, Lakemoor, Lansing, Niles, Olympia Fields, and Round Lake Heights, Ill.
· Dallas Center, Van Meter, and Woodward, Iowa
· Daytona Beach and Wakulla County, Fla.
· Dunwoody, Ga.
· Hays, Salina, and Topeka, Kan.
· Baton Rouge, La.
· Fall River, Holyoke, Northampton, and Roxbury, Mass.
· East Lansing and Jackson, Mich.
· Hennepin County, Minn.
· Blue Springs, St. Joseph, and University City, Mo.
· Henderson, Nev.
· Jersey City, Passaic County, and Trenton, N.J.
· Binghamton, Onondaga County, and Stony Point, N.Y.
· Greensboro and Onslow County, N.C.
· Dickinson, New England, and Richardton, N.D.
· Greensburg, Marietta, Newtown Borough, and Northampton, Pa.
· Corpus Christi and Port Arthur, Texas
· Roanoke, Va.
· Kelso and Olympia, Wash.
· Burlington, Vt.
· Cheyenne, Wyo.

Today’s announcement marks the second round of Building Blocks assistance. Thirty-two other communities were named in the first round in April 2011. EPA selected the 56 communities from 350 applicants through a competitive process in consultation with EPA’s regional offices, HUD, DOT, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

More information on the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/buildingblocks.htm

More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov