Monthly SGA Coalition Call

8/27/09

4:00PM EST

Lindsey Gael, Elisa Ortiz, Geoff Anderson – SGA

Gerik Kransky, Mary Kyle McCurdy – 1,000 Friends of OR

Kevin Doyle – Atlanta, GA

Charlie Bartsch – ICF International

Sara Nikolic – Futurewise, WA

Carey Knecht – Greenbelt Alliance, CA

Jim Gray – NCB Capital Impact

Evans Paull – NorthEast Midwest Institute

Judy Schwank, Marilyn Wood – 10,000 Friends of PA

Linda Gobberdiel, Jessica Bracket – 1,000 Friends of Iowa

Scott Wolfe – Grow Smart Rhode Island

Gene Krebs – Greater Ohio

Adrian Fine – National Trust for Historic Preservation

Julie Seward – LISC

October 14th SGA lobby day in Washington DC

  • Lobbying around climate and transportation stuff – more details will be forthcoming

Updates on Federal Policy, Geoff Anderson:

  • Climate Bill:
  • Meeting with environmental orgs (NRDC, Environmental Defense Fund, AFTA, etc) and have been trying to come together with a coalition. Have been successful at getting much of the policy requests incorporated into the Senate version of the bill.
  • Trying to have the EPA establish a national goal within the transportation sector, have state and MPOs create a target and reporting requirements etc. Expect the MPO and state goals will not add up to national goals but will nonetheless get us in the right direction.
  • A big question is how much money will come through on the Senate side (established as regulatory and so need money).
  • On the House side, a max of 1% toward reducing transportation/GHG. There are indications that the Senate wants to do more than that, but unsure how much more. Looking for help on the swing votes.
  • More SG principles means pulling from money from other parts of the bill. (in VA, transportation is the biggest issue in the gubernatorial race, this is good chance) Looking to bring the bill up in September but unlikely to be out on floor until Oct. at the earliest.
  • Looking at land development effects on climate:
  • The TRB report is coming out on Sept 1st. Right now the best report is Growing Cooler, but this upcoming TRB report will be big news, and unfortunately it may be less supportive of the effects of development on climate change than Growing Cooler
  • SGA plans to send out talking points and press reports on this so people have this ammo if they need it
  • Julie S. – In VA will the success in transportation relate to wider environmental receptivity? It is debatable how successful it will be.
  • Scott – Where is Webb on this?
  • Geoff – We know about Warner, but are not sure where we are with Webb.
  • Scott – Is the 1% allocation in the House coming out of transportation?
  • Geoff - The House says that 1% of the total (10% of 10%) funds can go to smart growth principles, but this is still completely optional. Have more people favoring it in the House than the Senate.
  • Scott – What are the other key sectors in the allocation mix for the Bill?
  • Geoff – Consumer relief is a big part (consumers hit hard by rising energy prices etc.). Important to get calls to support CLEAN-TEA which is the marker bill in the Climate Bill. And any success with this is a big step in linking climate and transportation.
  • Evans P – The Energy Bill will be later merged with cap and trade for one huge bill. There are two energy related incentives coming out of this.
  • A sign-on letter is circulating, trying to give greater preference for brownfield projects within these incentives (asking that green developments like biofuel fields, solar panel sites, etc. not be built on greenfields). If you have questions, please contact Evan: ; 202-329-4282 (cell)
  • Two main provisions:
  • Renewable electricity standard (there is a multiplier for different sites: for example locating on Indian lands or brownfields gets added points)
  • Also a loan guarantee program would establish criteria that favor putting these facilities on brownfields over greenfields.
  • Evans can circulate this on the listserv, so coalition members can work on these brownfield provisions before it gets merged into the cap and trade bill

Updates from the State Stimulus Campaign, Elisa Ortiz:

  • SGA and state stimulus campaign partners did events around August 24th for Track 1, 3 and 4 HSR application submissions
  • Celebrating the applications but also highlighting that its just the beginning
  • Will do another event in late Sept. once the grant awards are announced
  • Another type of HSR application deadline is October 2nd and plan to create some events around this
  • Judy S. – Getting push back on HSR. Did Geoff get any push back on radio interview?
  • Geoff – Criticisms from the interview were mild:
  • Mentioned that many of the applications are for track and station upgrades (moving a station from outside of town, into town in Buffalo).
  • They also brought up the Samuelson argument. Geoff responded by saying that property value has always benefited from transportation options
  • Brought up “peanut butter argument” that 11 lines spreads the money too thin. Geoff responded by saying that compared to past/current development, the 11 lines of rail are quite strategic.
  • SGA will work on compiling documents relating to these HSR criticisms
  • St. Louis Urban Workshop, took Samuelson’s argument and reconfigured; here is the link:

Update on the Upcoming State Policy Campaign, Geoff Anderson:

  • SGA has been talking with state partners about creating a model for getting state policies passed
  • SGA has had some experience with state policy with the Takings Initiative and State Stimulus Campaign
  • Now trying to run a proactive campaign, to create a campaign to fund more and better public transportation.
  • Working in 8-10 states:
  • CA, GA, MN, NJ, OH, OR, PA, WA
  • 80-90% of the funding is complete for a 1-year campaign
  • Go after systematic wins to get allocated funding and build coalition at the state level
  • Work on campaign planning in the fall and then launch the campaign
  • Julie – Need to make sure that this campaign doesn’t get completely sucked into T4. Some of these pieces are very state specific and need to be sure that it will be focused on the state specific aspects.
  • Geoff – Yes, and we want to invite comments, advice, etc. because this is still in the planning phase.
  • Carey – Still see TOD as part of the “transportation” of this policy campaign?
  • Geoff – Yes.
  • The 2009 Update to NRDC’s regular report: Fighting Oil Addiction has been released.

Other Updates:

  • Evan – working on brownfields related issues in Congress and working to reauthorize EPA Brownfields program. Have potential sponsors: Pallone, Sestak, Markey.
  • The issues of interest:
  • Asking for more protective laws for localities with contaminated properties
  • Engaging the national environmental advocacy groups like NRDC
  • Increasing clean-up grants
  • Offering multi-purpose grants
  • On Senate side the work is not as far along as would like
  • There is a sign on letter for this effort as well, if you have questions, please contact Evan: ; 202-329-4282 (cell)

Updates from States on the Call:

  • OR, Gerik K.
  • In OR focused on passing blueprint planning in the metro areas in the state (only passed in Portland area so far). Working with environmental partners from MPOs and State legislators for proposals to pass blueprint planning in the rest of the state
  • OH, Gene K.
  • Holding events this fall to bring Veterans to talk about mobility issues and transit.
  • Suggest that the SGA October 14th Lobby Day, may need more than 1 day.
  • O DOT is warming up on doing a cross benefit study of rail versus roads.
  • Property tax sharing: calling a local government insurance fund, would require a regional entity to provide the trading to achieve this, and like the Portland example, would need an even share of bodies. Ohio is moving to a business privilege tax
  • RI, Scott
  • Continuing to develop a smart growth site inventory for marketing rehabs more effectively for economic redevelopment purposes. May be part of an overall inventory for economic development purposes. Trying to create a pilot inventory of their own.
  • Geoff – Baltimore may have something very similar
  • Scott – CT also seems to have a good one
  • PA, Judy S.
  • Did some release on the HSR deadline, got an op-ed published.
  • Talking about the upcoming shortfall in the transportation funding. Helping to create a new way to look at project allocation
  • Scott – Anything new on the HUD/EPA/DOT partnership?
  • Geoff – quite a bit is being done internally (HUD is heading an office, the EPA Smart Growth office may be getting more money, asked Lisa Jackson to give $10 million more to office)

Any comments or recommendations for future coalition calls?

  • Would like an update on vacant properties on the next agenda
  • People in general think this is time well spent.
  • The federal policy update is especially helpful.