Changes to the federal Brownfields program could help you revitalize your community

Conference call this Tuesday, July 10th

Do you have brownfield sites in your community that you’re eager to restore to productive use? The passage of the BUILD Act earlier this year authorized up to $200 million for brownfields funding and $50 million in state response program funding to be appropriated in each of the next five fiscal years. This is a key part of the First & Main blueprint — and EPA is right now starting to develop the policy guidance for spending this new money.

Learn more about changes to the program and share your ideas about how EPA should go about implementing the updated federal brownfields program by joining a conference call tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern with the National Brownfield Coalition (NBC) and the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR). Click here to register and receive dial-in information. 

2018’s BUILD Act is the first major legislative change to brownfields law since passage of the original statute in 2002. Tomorrow, listen in but also feel free to provide your invaluable feedback on how EPA can implement this updated program in a way that helps you boost the prosperity of your small or mid-sized town or city.  A key part of the First & Main agenda is helping to improve how existing programs function in order to better serve communities like yours!

You can send any comments or questions prior to the call to Kira Hibbert, khibbert@locusdevelopers.org or Ken Brown, ken.brown@cclr.org. 

It's not too latE

Send a short op-ed or press release to your local paper

We recently released the First & Main letter to President Trump and Congress that outlines our coalition’s agenda and what your small and mid-sized communities need from the federal government in order to prosper. Have you sent the letter to your local media yet?

The more press we can get for reaching the 100-member mark and sending the letter, the more that Members of Congress will hear about our priorities as they prepare to vote on FY 2019 appropriations. 

Help amplify this news and build on the momentum by reaching out to your local media outlets (or even your rep’s district office) over the next few days with a short email or news release. It’s not too late.

We’ve put together a few things to help you promote this news:

• Customizable local press release. Here’s a local press release template that you can easily customize with your name & place and send out to your local media outlets.
• Revised template op-ed. We have a new template op-ed about the letter that you can customize and send to your local paper. Please get in touch—we’re happy to help you customize this and get it placed!
• Tweet and post to Facebook. Please share the news about the letter and your membership in First & Main through your social media channels over the next week. Grab those here and simply cut and paste.

Reach out to us at info@firstandmain.org for assistance or with questions.

GET TO KNOW THE NEW OPPORTUNITY ZONES PROGRAM

Watch our webinar recording

Did you know that your governor designated up to 25 percent of the low-income census tracts in your state as Opportunity Zones? Created by last December's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, this brand new tax program encourages long-term private capital investment in America's low-income urban and rural communities. 

In partnership with Smart Growth America’s LOCUS coalition of responsible real estate developers and investors, First & Main held a webinar on June 26 to learn more about the new federal Opportunity Zones program. Listen to a recording of this webinar.

Recruit, recruit, recruit

Help us reach new First & Main members

Please let local elected officials in your area and beyond know about our coalition and why it’s so important to your community. Tell them why their support right now is critical and that it doesn’t cost a dime to be part of this effort!

Here is a link to some generic language you can start with. If you can, please customize it so it’s relevant to the specific federal programs and funding that their community relies on to prosper.

Join us in Atlanta

Come to Capital Ideas 2018 in December

Mark your calendars for December 5-6: Our sister organization, Transportation for America, is gearing up for their national conference for those interested in forward-looking state transportation policy and funding solutions.

In light of the Trump administration’s rhetorical and policy shift away from direct federal funding for transportation investments, the spotlight again turns to states and localities when it comes to policy and funding for transportation. Over 30 states have stepped up and passed new transportation funding legislation since 2012. An unfortunately much smaller number of states have passed smart policies to reform how those dollars are spent.

Capital Ideas 2018 will offer a highly interactive curriculum of model state legislation, campaign tactics, innovative policies, and peer-to-peer collaboration to help participants advance successful proposals to raise new funding for transportation and ensure those dollars are wisely spent to accomplish tangible goals and help states stay competitive in the 21st century.

Early bird registration for Capital Ideas is open now! Register now to save—prices go up to $350 on September 7. Reach out to Alicia Orosco with any questions at aorosco@smartgrowthamerica.org or (202) 971-3907.

First & Main is a project of Smart Growth America
https://smartgrowthamerica.org