August 5, 2009  
 
 
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Trees is dedicated to improving the environment where 80% of Americans live: our cities, towns, and villages. Together, ACT's national network of members have planted and cared for 14.9 million trees with help from 4.3 million volunteers.		  
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OVERVIEW
2009 Summer District Work Period

Your Congressional representatives will be home from August 3 (August 8 for the Senate) through September 7 for an in-district work period. This is a great opportunity to schedule a meeting to talk about our three policy priorities. As a constituent, your issues and concerns speak far louder than ACT can on your behalf. So call your representative's district office, and schedule a meeting or invite him/her to an event. ACT has provided some talking points as follows.

  
   
 


ENERGY CONSERVATION THROUGH TREES ACT
Status: Passed House as Section 205 of H.R. 2454
Section 205 (Tree Planting Programs) of the American Clean Energy and Security Act is an amendment offered by Congresswoman Matsui. You might be familiar with it as the Energy Conservation through Trees Act. When speaking with your Rep./Sen., make the case for why energy conservation is the first step towards energy security and how this provision is a win-win for everyone involved. Please take these actions:

HOUSE- Thank your Rep. if he/she voted for this amendment.  If your member serves on the Conference Committee, ask that this amendment be preserved when the House bill is reconciled with the Senate bill.

SENATE- Ask your Sen. to introduce a similar provision in any energy and climate legislation moving forward.

  
   
 


GREEN ACT FOR AFFORDABLE MORTGAGES, H.R. 2336
Energy Efficiency in Housing Act, S. 1379

Status: Passed House as Section 295 of H.R. 2454
Status: In Senate Banking Committee
Section 15 (Making it Green) of the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods Act requires affordable housing developments to meet a minimum canopy in consultation with national organizations including ACT, and provides incentives for developers to enter into agreements with tree planting and landscaping organizations. When speaking with your Rep./Sen., make the case for why it is critical for developers to partner with tree planting organizations for community health and livability. Please take these actions:

HOUSE- Thank your Rep. if he/she voted for this amendment.  If your member serves on the Conference Committee, ask that this amendment be preserved when the House bill is reconciled with the Senate bill.

SENATE- Ask your Sen. to amend S. 1379 with a provision similar to Section 295 from H.R. 2454.

  
   
 


GREEN COMMUNITIES ACT, H.R. 2222
Status: In Transportation & Financial Services Committees
The whole of this bill is about providing funds for communities to undertake greening initiatives. Required activities include: revitalizing municipal parks and public spaces, landscaping community gateways and key corridors, and tree plantings and urban forestry projects. There is a fair amount of spending fatigue after the Stimulus Bill. When speaking with your Rep./Sen., make the case for why this is not something we can put off for another day. Please take these actions:

HOUSE- Ask your Rep. to co-sponsor this bill.

SENATE- Sen. Casey will soon introduce a similar bill in the Senate. Ask your Sen. to support this bill.

  
   
 
   
 
 

Please use and share ACT's materials freely with anyone interested in urban forestry, but with this copyright notice intact. Send a copy of the cited publication to:
Alliance for Community Trees • 4603 Calvert Road • College Park, MD 20740 • info@actrees.org
Copyright (c) 2009 Alliance for Community Trees

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