With much excitement, today we are launching the Livable Communities Task Force – an official initiative of the House Democratic Caucus that will work to improve community livability and Americans’ quality of life. This means reducing the nation’s dependence on oil, protecting the environment, improving public health and investing in housing and transportation projects that create jobs and give people more commuting choices.
As Chairman of the Livable Communities Task Force, this is an exciting moment for me. When I first came to Congress thirteen years ago, people sometimes looked at me funny when I used the term “livability.” They had no idea what I was talking about. Today, not only are blogs like yours dedicated to transportation, infrastructure, and livability, but other leaders in Washington are talking about how to make our communities more livable. The Obama Administration is leading on this issue, having recently established the Partnership for Sustainable Communities with six “livability principles” for coordinating policy across the Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
What a difference a year makes.
The Task Force is made up of twenty members from around the nation who are leaders on everything from transportation and building efficiency to renewable energy and community gardening. In the coming months, we will work with members of the administration to hold briefings and strategy sessions on everything from the livability provisions in the energy and climate legislation that passed the House to the pending transportation reauthorization.
After spending a lifetime in public service working to make our nation’s communities more livable, it feels like the pieces are coming together. America was ready for change when President Obama came into office. It is exciting that in ten months we are moving legislation that will rein in global warming pollution. With the leadership of Secretary LaHood and Chairman Oberstar, we are gearing up for a transportation bill that will make smart investments in low-carbon transportation, give people more commuting choices, and reduce America’s dependence on oil.
It is an honor to lead this unique Task Force and, and I am eager to work with Congressional leaders and members of the administration who are committed to protecting our environment and making our communities safer, healthier, and more economically secure.
Earl Blumenauer represents Oregon’s 3rd Congressional district.
Tags: GUEST COMMENTARY
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Hey Earl,
Love your work, any room for a recent geography masters graduate with a concentration in urban sustainability in your office?
Keep up the pro bicycle agenda!
We would appreciate if you keep OUT of our states. We are tired of the CONSTANT barrage of Sustainability which is a severe threat to our liberties as a nation. Furthermore, we are not interested in having ANY other nations give us advice. Guess, what? England has Green Police that they dispise. NOT THANKS! You all are infringing on our abilities as small businesses to make money PERIOD. We are actually a green company and you will kill us with the high taxes needed to sustain a useless train that goes from Tampa to Orlando that very few will even ride. Sorry, this has been done many times before and it is TOO EXPENSIVE to maintain let alone build. Why can’t CSX build it? Well, because it is a money pit, that’s why. What part of NO MONEY do you not understand. If you had a business you would understand that no money means-no growth. This is another way along with the healthcare bill and financial bills that will cause our economy to implode. Think unemployment is bad now. Oh yeah, you all really don’t care do you?
We understand lately that Chris Dodd just introduced a bill on this. Isn’t he pretty much responsible for making all of our homes (oh, except for you and your chums) plumett? Anything that Dodd or his cronies are involved in is a DUD. No thanks.
[...] is a guest post by Rep. Earl Blumenauer [...]