Administration officials highlighted Thursday during an event at the National Press Club in Washington that more than $400 million in local grants have been announced in the past two weeks as part of the Obama administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which began last year to coordinate interagency review of grants. 

"We've done a number of things," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said during Thursday's press conference. "The most significant has been creating an opportunity for cities and states to do the things they've wanted to do for a long time."

The partnership -- consisting of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -- was directed by the White House to collaborate on the planning and implementation of projects to enhance sustainability by coordinating transportation, environmental, and housing policies.

At the press conference, the heads of USDOT, HUD, and EPA were joined by Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, to discuss what the partnership has accomplished in its first year. They explained how their cooperation has helped to promote better outcomes for communities and more effective federal investments through better-targeted federal resources, remove existing federal regulatory and policy barriers to smart and sustainable development, and align agency priorities.

"With the investments HUD and DOT are making today, we are strengthening neighborhoods by connecting housing with affordable and sustainable transportation choices," LaHood said in a statement issued Thursday. "This is a win-win for people who live in these communities because they will have travel options to better serve them."

Grant awards that have been issued in the last two weeks include:

• USDOT announced Wednesday $600 million in a new round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants, $28 million of which was set aside to be distributed in partnership with HUD and the EPA as planning grants for projects that integrate transportation, housing, and economic development. (see related story)



• USDOT and HUD awarded an additional $40 million in new Sustainable Community Challenge Grants to help support planning designed to integrate affordable housing, good jobs, and public transportation.



• HUD also announced nearly $100 million in grants to promote smarter and sustainable planning for jobs and economic growth through its Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program.

"These grants will help boost economic development with the goal that all Americans can afford to live in communities with access to employment, schools, and transportation options," HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a statement. "With this partnership we can lay the foundation for sustainable economic prosperity for generations to come by helping communities that share problems start sharing solutions."

A two-page White House fact sheet about the partnership is available at bit.ly/102210PFSC.