Insights

2023 marks 30 years since the establishment of the Clean Cities Program through the Department of Energy (DOE). Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition (CCFC) is one of over 75 coalitions nationwide that work at the local level to advance clean, affordable transportation fuel technologies and systems along with energy-efficient mobility systems. This past month, our CCFC team was out and about in our region and beyond, championing issues surrounding clean energy and enhanced mobility.

As innovations in transportation and energy advance, it is important to ensure all communities can benefit from these new developments. Historically, discriminatory zoning and lending practices have forced residents of color and low-income residents to live closer to sources of toxic pollution, such as highways and industrial sites. The impacts of systematically excluding communities of color and low-income communities from planning and decision-making around transportation and energy are still seen and felt.

The American Recovery Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are recent Congressional Acts that distributed a number of grants and program funding to local and state governments throughout the United States. Centralina Regional Council has assisted several of our member governments in securing these funds and helping with follow-up reporting. Our collaborative work has allowed us to observe and analyze patterns in our region and opportunities to address gaps and discrepancies going forward.

Three major pieces of recently-passed legislation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, together provided more than $2 trillion in new federal spending. With so many funding streams available, and some only for a limited time, it is critical to develop a grants strategy. A thoughtful strategy will maximize your ability to apply for relevant grants, while preventing squandering resources on less pertinent programs.

Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) is an economic development partnership agency whose mission is “to build sustainable communities and strengthen economic growth across the Southeast Region.” Member governments across the Centralina region are some of the hundreds of counties and municipalities who can benefit from grant opportunities offered through the commission.  

CONNECT Beyond is a bold regional mobility plan that sets the vision for how to better connect the rural, suburban, and urban communities in our 12-county region. This plan will guide and coordinate future mobility investments for the next two decades and serve as a blueprint for implementing a robust, integrated public transit network that will combine high-capacity transit lines, enhanced bus services, local mobility options and innovative transportation technologies.

The region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is a five-year strategy that guides priorities for economic development and outlines a coordinated growth approach that builds on the region’s strengths, addresses barriers to future growth, prioritizes key regional industry clusters and emphasizes collaboration.

Each year, the National Association of Regional Councils honors organizations and regional leaders for exceptional programs, service delivery and impact on their respective region. We are pleased to announce that Centralina was honored with the 2023 Major Metro Achievement Award for our work on the ARPA Fund Implementation Support Program. This is an outstanding recognition of the collaborative work of staff who offered their technical expertise to support our member governments with the complex ARPA funding requirements. Learn more about the award-winning program.

As our world evolves and innovates, seniors struggle to keep up and effectively utilize the newest tools and gadgets on the market. In addition, older adults are more prone to physical limitations of getting around and staying involved in community activities, as well as an increased likelihood to develop feelings of depression and social isolation. In 2019, entrepreneurs Neil Dsouza and Lawrence Kosick put their heads together to determine how they could elevate these tools to help elevate what older adults have to offer and empower them to keep learning and thriving. Using their backgrounds in ed-tech, software and product development, they banded together to create GetSetUp, an online community that offers live classes, social hours and special events tailored to benefit and entertain older adults.