Selected Federal Agency Announcements and Relatedfor the Week of October 30, 2017
The following is a selection of recent announcements gleaned from various federal sources and colleagues, and is provided to EDA’s Economic Development Integrators to increase our awareness of complementary resources for economic development.Special thanks to ETA and other federal partners for sharing content included below.
Contents
Funding & Resource Announcements
Announcements of Federal Funding Available:
Energy Department Announces $15M for Research on Vehicle Technologies to Enable Rapid Recharging
Non-Federal Awards Announced:
Citi Foundation Provides Youth Workforce Fund Grants to 15 Non-Profits
Public Meetings, Events and Training
Nov. 1 Deadline: Submit Your 2018 SelectUSA Summit Proposals
Nov 7 Webinar: Financing for Projects that Don't Pencil Out
National Apprenticeship Week is November 13-19, 2017
EDA Invites Communities to Schedule Regional Economic Diversification Summits (REDS)
Upcoming Economic Development Related Conferences & Events
Reports, Tools and Data
EDA Documents How the TAAF Program Helps U.S. Manufacturing Firms Compete Against Increasing Imports
DOC Issues Report on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth through Deregulation
GAO Issues Report on Workforce Needs for the “Gig Economy”
GAO Report on Low Wage Workers, Poverty and Use of Federal Safety Net Programs
New Database Allows for Deep Inspection of Cities, Towns and Neighborhoods
Disaster Recovery Resources
Where to Find Federal Disaster Declarations:
Funding & Resource Announcements
Announcements of FederalFunding Available:
Energy Department Announces $15M for Research on Vehicle Technologies to Enable Rapid Recharging
The Energy Department (October 23) announced up to $15 million for research projects on batteries and vehicle electrification technologies to enable extreme fast charging. The Department's Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) funds early-stage, high-risk research to generate knowledge upon which industry can develop and deploy innovative transportation energy technologies that improve efficiency, lower costs, and increase use of secure, domestic energy sources.VTO is seeking research projects to develop plug-in electric vehicle systems that can recharge rapidly at high power levels, decreasing charge time to 15 minutes or less.
For more information on this funding opportunity and application requirements, please visit theEERE Exchange websiteorGrants.gov.
In a new VTO-funded report also being released today, researchers at Idaho National Laboratory teamed with Argonne National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to identify technical gaps to implementing an extreme fast charging network in the United States. This report highlights technical gaps at the battery, vehicle, and infrastructure levels. The full report can be found on theVTO reports and publication page.
Non-Federal Awards Announced:
Citi Foundation Provides Youth Workforce Fund Grants to15 Non-Profits
The Citi Foundationannounced the launch of the Youth Workforce Fund as part of its Pathways to Progress initiative to provide youth both in the U.S. and around the world with training and access to jobs, including paid apprenticeships and internships. In partnership with America’s Promise Alliance, 15 nonprofit organizations across the United States will expand their programming to provide a range of employment opportunities in various areas including environmental sustainability to robotics and culinary arts to coding. Collectively, the Youth Workforce Fund is expected to reach more than 5,000 youth across the country.
Public Meetings, Events and Training
Nov. 1 Deadline: Submit Your 2018 SelectUSA Summit Proposals
Planning for the nextSelectUSA Investment Summit– to be held in Washington DC, June 20-22, 2018 –is well underway. The SelectUSA team is seeking topic proposals for the Summit, topics reflecting the most relevant and innovative concepts in foreign direct investment. We also encourage your organization to submit collateral and spin-off event proposals that will help maximize your ROI at the 2018 Summit.The deadline to submit your ideas is Wednesday, November 1.
For more information on SelectUSA'sCall for Proposalsandcollateral and spin-off events, please visit theSummit website.
Nov 7 Webinar: Financing for Projects that Don't Pencil Out
From Smart Growth America:
Smart Growth America and Locus Development invite you to join them for an exciting opportunity to learn about innovative ways to finance development projects from Bob Stevens, P.E., CNU, LEED AP, who directs professionals to organize and guide business leaders, institutions, and communities to redevelop and revitalize main streets & downtowns.As a principal for M&S Developers, Bob’s knowledge of New Markets Tax Credits, Federal Historic Tax Credits, grants, equity, and debt enable him to identify project needs and develop sound solutions. Hear from him on this webinar: November 7, 2017from 1:00-2:00 pm EDT.Register now >
National Apprenticeship Week is November 13-19, 2017
U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has announced that the third annual National Apprenticeship Week will be held November 13-19, 2017. National Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide opportunity for companies, trade and industry groups, nonprofit organizations, unions, labor-management organizations, and educational institutions to highlight how apprenticeships prepare American workers for the jobs of today and the future.
Earlier this month, Secretary Acosta announced members of the President's Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. The members of the Task Force – which represents companies, labor unions, trade and industry groups, and educational institutions – will identify strategies and proposals to promote apprenticeships. In a notice on the Federal Register’s website, the Department of Labor announced the initial meeting of the Task Force will be held at the Department’s Frances Perkins Building in Washington on Nov. 13, 2017.
To learn more, and to register your event for inclusion in a national listing of National Apprenticeship Week events, please visit:
EDA Invites Communities to Schedule Regional Economic Diversification Summits (REDS)
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) will be hosting Regional Economic Diversification Summits (REDS) throughout the country.
Instead of a “Washington-knows-best” approach, REDS are designed to respond directly to locally identified economic development strategies and priorities. While each separate event will address unique priorities and objectives, each REDS will be planned to accomplish the following four common objectives:
Strengthen Relationships Among Federal, State, Regional, Local Stakeholders;
Remove Obstacles and Expand Access to Resources for Economic Diversification;
Achieve Optimal Resource Alignment; and
Advance Action Plans and Outcome Metrics.
Federal agencies, host organizations, and regional participants will establish a shared commitment to advancing regional economic development priorities. This means working together across agencies and local stakeholders to streamline plans, resolve conflicting requirements, share performance data, and leverage resources to optimize outcomes that contribute to healthy, prosperous, and resilient regional economies.
To schedule a REDS in your community, contact your regional EDA office here.
Upcoming Economic Development Related Conferences & Events
National Apprenticeship Week (November 13 – 19, 2017)
CDFA National Development Finance Summit, Atlanta GA (November 15-17)
Assn of Public & Land-Grant Universities Annual Meeting, Washington DC (Nov 12–14)
EPA National Brownfields Training Conference, Pittsburgh PA (Dec 5-7, 2017)
Reports, Tools and Data
EDA Documents How the TAAF Program Helps U.S. Manufacturing Firms Compete Against Increasing Imports
The 11 Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAACs) work with individual firms to develop a deep understanding of their unique competitive strengths and weaknesses and, based on this understanding, build and implement competitiveness strategies customized for each particular firm.
Click herefor a synopsis for each of the 11 TAACs have assisted manufacturers in their respective regions.
DOC Issues Report on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth through Deregulation
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross submitted the Department of Commerce’s report in response to President Trump’s executive order “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth” to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. This report identifies and addresses regulatory burdens inside of the Department of Commerce that encumber energy production, strangle economic growth, and prevent job creation.
The Department of Commerce’s Regulatory Reform Task Force, its Energy Subcommitteeand the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with input from the domestic energy sector and industry stakeholders, engaged in a review of areas of agency action to identify burdens on energy independence and economic opportunity.
Through this work, more than 20 different regulatory rules or areas of guidance have been recommended to be suspended, revised, or rescinded.These include eight initial proposals that the Department will pursue to streamline licenses, permit processesand agency deadlines for environmental reviews and consultations.The Department will also introduce an improved method to track application review timelines for new projects and improve guidance in the application process for new energy projects – ensuring that businesses no longer have to encounter unnecessary delays due to bureaucratic red tape.
GAO Issues Report on Workforce Needs for the “Gig Economy”
The General Accountability Office released a new report on October 26, 2017: “WORKFORCE TRAINING: DOL Can Better Share Information on Services for On-Demand, or Gig, Workers.”
There is no universally accepted or official definition of gig workers; but, for its report, GAO has identified their characteristics as follows: self-employed individuals providing labor services and completing single projects or tasks on demand for pay. Gig work can be obtained or performed either offline or online. In this report, GAO was asked to review the skill and training supports needed by gig workers.
Topics GAO examines in the report include: (1) what is known about the characteristics of gig workers and the work they perform, including its benefits and downsides, (2) the non-occupational skills and training that stakeholders indicate are needed by gig workers and how they are provided, and(3) the challenges that selected federal agencies and workforce development boards cite in providing supports for gig workers. GAO recommends that the Department of Labor take steps to help workforce boards find and share information on promising practices related to serving gig workers. DOL agreed with GAO's recommendation.
GAO Report on Low Wage Workers, Poverty and Use of Federal Safety Net Programs
The General Accountability Office recently released “Low Wage Workers: Poverty and use of Selected Federal Social Safety Net Programs Persist among Working Families.” The report addresses several questions, including “To what extent do families with low-wage workers participate in selected social safety net programs and what factors affect their participation?”SNAP, TANF, and EITC were among the GAO-examined programs.Agencies that administer the selected social safety net programs indicated that eligible working families participate in these programs at a lower rate than the total eligible population for reasons that are not well known.
The final section of the report reflects the GAO-documented reasons why families with a low-wage worker may decline to participate in assistance programs for which they are eligible. The GAO-summarized the most frequent responses, including assumed ineligibility, lack of time, complex program requirements, stigma, minimal benefit amount, and confusing tax rules.
The podcast is available at
New Database Allows for Deep Inspection of Cities, Towns and Neighborhoods
From Builder Online.
A new interactive database created by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, based in Cambridge, Mass., and PolicyMap allows users to visualize a broad array of indicators – housing prices, incomes, open space, or zoning and land use regulations, and more – revealing new insights on the makeup of states, cities, towns, and neighborhoods throughout the United States.The Place Databasetaps data from a variety of sources, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Census Bureau, Internal Revenue Service, and National Conservation Easement Database, and assembles them for the first time all in one place. The Place Database allows for mapping at the national level, and users can zoom in for more detail, with data as granular as a parcel. It is free to use, and the visualizations can be easily shared with a unique link via email or on social media.
The data is grouped by category, allowing for deep dives within a topic. For example, users can map housing by value, type, age, ownership status, affordability, or location affordability. Environmental data includes open space, conservation easements, protected areas, brownfields, and indicators associated with climate change.
The tool is one among many databases the Lincoln Institute offers, including theAtlas of Urban Expansion, Fiscally Standardized Cities, the State-by-State Property Tax at a Glance Visualization Tool, and Land and Property Values in the U.S., among others.
Disaster Recovery Resources
Primary site for Disaster Recovery Assistance:
Where to Find Federal Disaster Declarations:
Is your home, business or community included in a federally declared emergency or disaster area? You can find the latest federal emergency and disaster declarations, including amendments adding new areas, on FEMA’s Disaster.gov webpage.
Read more about the Economic Recovery Support Function and the National Disaster Response Framework here:
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