1.This Act may be cited as the Green
Communities Act
.
2.Findings;
Purposes; Definitions
(a)Congress finds the following:
(1)Landscaping adds
to the economic value and sales appeal of commercial real estate and increases
office occupancy rates.
(2)Greening can
change people’s perceptions of their neighborhoods, reduce violence and crime,
and increase neighborhood stability.
(3)Planting new
trees, improving streetscapes, and cleaning vacant lots increases property
values.
(4)People will stay
longer and shop more in shopping districts that are well landscaped.
(5)Improvements to
neighborhood parks increase the value of single-family homes in the surrounding
community.
(6)Homes adjacent to
vacant lots that are greened have a much higher property value than homes
adjacent to vacant lots that have not been greened.
(b)The
purposes of this Act are to—
(1)promote investment
in greening projects and programs as effective economic development
tools;
(2)connect urban
economic development initiatives with environmental initiatives;
(3)improve quality of
life for city residents; and
(4)encourage
public-private partnerships.
(c)In
this Act:
(1)Community
greening initiativesThe term
community greening initiatives means programs increasing economic
development through environmental improvements.
(2)Eligible
nonprofit organizationThe
term eligible nonprofit organization means a nonprofit
organization that receives a grant under section 4.
(3)The term
eligible program partner means a municipality that receives a
grant under section 3.
(4)The term green roof means a roof consisting of
vegetation and soil or a growing medium planted over a waterproofing
membrane.
(5)Green stormwater
infrastructureThe term green stormwater
infrastructure means systems and practices that use or mimic natural
processes to infiltrate, evapotranspirate, or reuse stormwater on the site
where it occurs rather than transporting the water to a stream or treatment
facility.
(6)The term
nonprofit organization means an organization that is described in
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax
under section 501(a) of such Code.
(7)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of Commerce.
(8)The term urban forestry means an integrated
citywide or neighborhood-wide approach to the planting, care, and management of
trees in the city or the neighborhood in order to ensure environmental and
social benefits for residents.
3.Initiatives for
Economic Development and Greening
(a)To the extent funds
are available, the Secretary, through the Economic Development Administration,
shall make grants to municipalities for promoting community greening
initiatives.
(b)Selection of
Eligible Program PartnersThe
Secretary, in consultation with the eligible nonprofit organizations, shall
select 80 municipalities to receive grants under this section. The Secretary
shall ensure that the municipalities meet—
(1)the criteria described by section 209(b) of
the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3149(b));
or
(2)the circumstances
described by section 209(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 3149(c)).
(c)Community
Greening InitiativesAn eligible program partner, with technical
assistance and training from an eligible nonprofit organization as provided
under section 4(b), shall develop and plan a community greening initiative.
Such initiatives may include—
(1)revitalizing
municipal parks and public spaces;
(2)landscaping
community gateways and key corridors;
(3)tree plantings and
urban forestry projects;
(4)comprehensive
planning for open space preservation;
(5)education,
training, and volunteer management concerning community green
initiatives;
(6)green roof
construction;
(7)green stormwater
infrastructure; or
(8)vacant lot
management.
(d)
(1)Completion of
developing and planningThe
Secretary may make a grant under this section only to an eligible program
partner that has successfully developed and planned a community greening
initiative under subsection (c), as determined by the Secretary.
(2)Grants under this section shall be used by an eligible
program partner to implement the community greening initiative developed under
subsection (c). An eligible program partner may not receive a grant under this
section for a community greening initiative that takes more than 2 years to
complete.
(3)The Secretary may not
award a grant under this section in an amount that is more than $2,000,000.
(4)An eligible program
partner receiving a grant under this section shall provide, either directly or
through private contributions, non-Federal matching funds equal to not less
than 50 percent of the amount of the grant. Such matching funds shall be used
for implementing a community greening initiative.
(5)Not later than 60 days after an eligible
program partner implements a community greening initiative, the eligible
nonprofit organization that assisted the eligible program partner under
subsection (c) shall submit to the Secretary a report assessing the
implementation of the initiative.
4.Technical
Assistance and Training by Eligible Nonprofit Organizations
(a)Selection of
Eligible Nonprofit OrganizationsTo the extent funds are available, the
Secretary shall make grants to, or enter into contracts with, 5 nonprofit
organizations to provide technical assistance and training to eligible program
partners. The Secretary shall select nonprofit organizations that have
experience with—
(1)planning and
implementing projects concerning urban open space, landscape management, and
community greening initiatives;
(2)land and water
conservation;
(3)working on the
community level;
(4)forming
partnerships or regional consortiums;
(5)urban ecology;
and
(6)other activities
the Secretary considers appropriate.
(b)Technical
Training and AssistanceIn
accordance with section 3(c), eligible nonprofit organizations shall provide
eligible program partners with technical assistance and training for the
following activities:
(1)Developing, planning, implementing, and
assessing community greening initiatives.
(2)Developing and
implementing training and workshops for municipal agencies and local
partners.
(3)Evaluating the community greening
initiative.
(c)A grant or agreement under this section
shall be for a period of 5 years.
(d)Not later than 90 days after the end of each fiscal year
for which amounts are made available for grants under this section, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the technical assistance and
training provided under this section. Each report shall describe the actions
taken by the Secretary to ensure that technical assistance and training is
responsive to the needs of eligible program partners.
5.Authorization of
Appropriations
(a)There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act—
(1)$30,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2010, 2013, and 2014; and
(2)$90,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2011 and 2012.
(b)
(1)Eligible
nonprofit organizations
(A)Not less than 85
percent of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for each of fiscal
years 2010, 2013, and 2014 shall be made available for technical assistance and
training by eligible nonprofit organizations under section 4.
(B)Not less than 28 percent of the amounts
made available to carry out this Act for each of fiscal years 2011 and 2012
shall be made available for technical assistance and training by eligible
nonprofit organizations under section 4.
(2)Eligible program
partnersNot less than 66
percent of the amounts made available to carry out this Act for each of fiscal
years 2011 and 2012 shall be made available for the planning, developing, and
implementing of community greening initiatives by eligible program partners
under section 3.
(c)Availability of
AppropriationsFunds made available under this Act shall remain
available until expended.