Keeping you up to date on the community planning, economic development,
and environmental planning programs at H-GAC.
Your Monthly News & Updates
Announcements
H-GAC Releases Livable Centers Call for Planning Study Partners

H-GAC's  call for planning study partners for the Livable Centers program is now open.  Partners are local governments or other eligible project sponsors.
 
This is not a request for proposals from consulting firms. 
 
All eligible partners must complete a Notice of Intent to Apply by Friday, December 6. Final applications are due Tuesday, January 21, 2020.

The proposed study must be located within H-GAC's eight-county Transportation Management Area (TMA), which includes Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties. (Study areas adjacent to the TMA may be considered under special conditions.)

Interested partners are encouraged to attend the pre-submittal meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 12, at the H-GAC Training Room, Second Floor, for in-person explanation of the application process. Information about deadlines, specific application content, and important dates are available online.

For more information, or questions about upcoming deadlines, email LivableCenters@h-gac.com.

Mobility Report 2018 written over scene of highway traffic
H-GAC Releases Interactive Regional Mobility Report

H-GAC recently released the Regional Mobility Report, an interactive application displaying mobility stats of the H-GAC 8-County Transportation Management Area. 

The report summarizes key transportation and economic performance indicators reflecting the region's progress toward achieving a safe, reliable, multimodal transportation system. 

The application is available at

trash bash logo
Trash Bash Earns Prestigious Award


The awards are presented each year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Gulf of Mexico Division to recognize and honor the businesses, community groups, individuals, and agencies taking positive steps to keep the Gulf healthy, beautiful, and productive. 

More than 109,000 volunteers have participated over 25 years in Trash Bash, the largest single-day waterway cleanup in Texas. Trash Bash benefits the Galveston Bay watershed with an average of 4,400 volunteers collecting up to 85 tons of trash per year and cleaning over 1,600 miles of shoreline. Every Trash Bash also includes interactive exhibits, posters, and other education materials to teach participants what they can do throughout the year to improve water quality and reduce the impacts of trash on the Galveston Bay watershed.

Upcoming Events
Parks and Natural Areas Logo with stylized tree H-GAC logo swing bird water and soccer ball
Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable Field Trip -  November 14

H-GAC's   Parks and Natural Areas (PNA) Roundtable field trip will be  Thursday, November 14, with a presentation and short walk at Spring Creek Nature Trail. We will meet at Rob Fleming Park, 6464 Creekside Forest Drive, The Woodlands at 10 a.m.

Transportation to and from H-GAC can be provided for up to 20 registrants. We will leave H-GAC at 8:30 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m.
 
The Roundtable meets the second Monday of March, July, and September with field trips scheduled in May and November. The group is open to anyone who is interested in participating.

Registration is requested. For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo at 832-681-2507.

Clean Waters Initiative Logo
Clean Waters Initiative Workshop - November 20

H-GAC's next Clean Waters Initiative workshop will be   from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, November 20, at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor. The workshop will focus on MS4 Stormwater Management and Low Impact Development.

The CWI program offers workshops that help local governments, landowners, and residents develop effective strategies to reduce pollution in area waterways.

Registration  is requested. For more information, contact  Brian Sims  at 713-993-2438.

Batteries, recycling symbol, computers, tires
Solid Waste Workshop Series: Challenging Waste Streams - November 21

H-GAC's  Solid Waste Workshop Series  continues from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, November 21, at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor. The workshop will focus on challenging waste streams.

Speakers will discuss pharmaceuticals, tires, construction waste, household hazardous waste, used electronics, and textiles/clothing.

H-GAC's  Solid Waste Workshop Series  provides information on a variety of solid waste topics. 
 
RSVP is requested. For more information, contact   Erin Livingston  at 832-681-2525.

Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership Logo
Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership to Meet - November 21

The Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 21, at Bush Library, 6817 Cypresswood in Spring. 

The meeting is open to the public. Participants will discuss sources of pollution and other issues impacting communities along Cypress Creek in Harris and Waller counties. Light refreshments will be served. 

For more information on the meeting or the project, visit www.cypresspartnership.com.

trash bash logo
Trash Bash - March 28, 2020

Every year, thousands of volunteers gather to clean up trash and debris along area waterways by participating in the largest, single-day waterway cleanup in Texas, the River, Lakes, Bays 'N Bayous Trash Bash. Join them on Saturday, March 28, 2020, for the 27th annual cleanup.

With locations across the Galveston Bay watershed, there's a cleanup location near home, work, or school. Educational areas at each site offer opportunities to learn more about protecting water quality. Participating in Trash Bash is free, with supplies, t-shirts, lunch, and door prizes provided. Scouts and students are encouraged to participate. 

Learn more about becoming a volunteer or sponsor for Trash Bash 2020.

Partner Announcements

America Recycles Day logo with Recycle symbol
America Recycles Day Registration
For almost two decades, communities have come together on November 15 to celebrate America Recycles Day. Do you have plans for hosting a special event on that day? Register your event here.

Take Care of Texas Video Contest
Take Care of Texas Proud Partner Logo
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) invites students in 6th through 12th grades to enter the annual  Take Care of Texas Video Contest. Student videos should be 30 seconds long and portray positive ways Texans can help keep air and water clean, conserve water and energy, or reduce waste. The contest deadline is  Friday, December 6, and the public will have the opportunity to pick their favorite videos  January 15 to 29, 2020. The middle and high school students who win first place will be invited to travel to Austin, along with their teacher, parent, or guardian, to be recognized by the TCEQ and Waste Management of Texas, Inc., at the 2020 Environmental Trade Fair and Conference.

Get Involved With Trash Free Texas
Trash Free Texas strives to keep trash out of area waterways by working with communities and organizations across the state to connect people to places that need routine litter cleanup activities. Local governments and organizations can get involved by using the Adopt-a-Spot online interactive mapping application
More Upcoming Events
2019 Texas Energy Summit
2019 Texas Energy Summit written over an outline of the state of Texas
The 2019 Texas Energy Summit, formerly the Clean Air Through Energy Efficiency(CATEE) Conference, will be November 12-14 at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. This 16th annual educational conference and business expo gives attendees the opportunity to engage with industry experts, state and local policy makers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, facility and energy managers, and utility and energy service experts in a conversation about cleaner air, a better built environment and a new energy economy. Registration is required.

Galveston Bay Estuary Program State of the Bay Symposium
Galveston Bay estuary program logo
Save the date for the 11th Galveston Bay Estuary Program State of the Bay Symposium January 22 and 23, 2020, at Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center, 7 Hope Blvd., Galveston. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from regional leaders and local experts, and connect with other leading scientists and natural resource management experts. Registration opens Tuesday, October 15.
Funding Sources
Funding Opportunities

EPA Announces 2020 Brownfields Grant Funding Opportunities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2020 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant program. The deadline to submit an application is Tuesday, December 3. These grants may be used to address properties contaminated by hazardous substances and/or petroleum. The proposals must be submitted through www.grants.gov, using the applicant tab.  

EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs
The U.S. Economic Development Administration is accepting grant applications to provide investments that support construction, nonconstruction, technical assistance, and revolving loan fund projects under the Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs. Grants and cooperative agreements made under these programs are designed to leverage existing regional assets and support the implementation of economic development strategies that advance new ideas and creative approaches to forward economic prosperity in distressed communities. There are no submission deadlines under this opportunity. Proposals and applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the publication of a new funding opportunity notice.

Tree with $ Money
Additional Funding Opportunities
H-GAC has compiled a list of  local, regional, state, federal, and private funding sources for local governments and other organizations. H-GAC also maintains a list of ongoing funding opportunities for parks improvements .

If you know of a funding opportunity, forward it to  Andrea Tantillo .

All content, including links to websites, is for informational purposes only. Users of this content are responsible for checking its accuracy, currency, and suitability.
Community and Environmental Planning Programs
GIS Globes
Mapping Applications
Looking for interactive applications or GIS data related to the H-GAC Community and Environmental Planning Department? Visit H-GAC's interactive applications web page.
 
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H-GAC has a Facebook page where information about current and upcoming events is posted. Please visit and like H-GAC's page. While there, visit other H-GAC pages on Facebook, including  Recycling, Trash Bash, Regional Data LabBacteria Implementation Group (BIG), West Fork Watersheds Partnership, and  Cedar Bayou Watershed Partnership.

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Twitter
Find the latest information about activities around the region at H-GAC's Twitter feed  @HouGalvAreaCog. H-GAC's water resources program also offers Twitter updates on water quality issues in the region  @HGACwater.
All meetings scheduled at H-GAC conference rooms are at 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, Texas .

Banner Photo:  Sunset at Paul Rushing Park on the Katy Prairie. Photo by Justin Bower. 

Would you like us to consider featuring your municipality, program, or regional photo on the C&E Planning Update banner? Just forward Andrea Tantillo your picture, along with some information about the subject and the photographer, and you might see it in a future month's newsletter.   
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