[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2011

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                               speech of

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense and the other 
     departments and agencies of the Government for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2011, and for other purposes:

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Chair, I rise to speak against language 
in the underlying bill that would prevent HUD from spending money on a 
Sustainable Communities Initiative. The language in the bill would end 
a very successful HUD program that has helped communities plan for 
growth and halt a successful partnership between HUD, DOT, and EPA that 
promotes redevelopment and new transportation infrastructure. 
Secretaries Donovan, LaHood, and Administrator Jackson and their 
agencies have spent the last year cutting red tape and coordinating 
investments to meet multiple economic, environmental, and community 
objectives. Northern Virginia is already benefitting from these 
investments, by winning a TIGER grant to expand bus service 
dramatically, including in the congested I-95 and Route 7 corridors. 
The Sustainable Communities Initiative actually represents a 
conservative principle, because it emulates longstanding efforts by 
developers and local governments around the country. In Northern 
Virginia, Fairfax and Arlington counties have led the way with Transit 
Oriented Development years before the Federal Government figured it 
out. In Northern Virginia, developers led the way with visionary 
replanning proposals for Tysons Corner Center Mall, Merrifield Town 
Center, and numerous other Transit-Oriented Development proposals. 
These grants go to communities all around the country, large and small, 
urban and rural. The interest in these has been extraordinary. In 2010, 
when HUD announced their challenge grants, to be awarded jointly with 
DOT, a total of 630 communities requested $1.2 billion in funding. HUD 
was able to award 61 grants worth $69 million. HUD's sustainable 
communities regional planning grants were as popular: 225 regions 
applied for $450 million, and HUD was able to award 45 regions a total 
of $98 million. It is high time the Federal Government emulated our 
local efforts in Northern Virginia, and I therefore strongly oppose 
Republican efforts to repeal this program and prevent federal support 
of our local programs.

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