GLIN==> Northeast-Midwest Economic Review -- 9 February 2004

LIHEAP FUNDS RELEASED
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Responding to letters and pressure from the Northeast-Midwest Coalitions, the Department of Health and Human Services recently released $191.5 million in Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) funds. The action brings the total for available LIHEAP funds this winter to almost $1.65 billion.

Click here for a breakdown of payments to individual states.

BROWNFIELD GRANTS
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The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to briefly re-open the brownfield assessment and cleanup grant competition for fiscal 2004 funding in order to accommodate the appropriations language that waives for fiscal 2004 the Section 107 restriction that prohibits cities and other eligible recipients from using EPA funding at sites that they acquired prior to the January 11, 2002, effective date of the Brownfield Revitalization Act. The re-opening will close on March 9.

Many communities had fiscal 2003 applications kicked out because of the Section 107 criteria in fiscal 2003 (including 21 in New England, 32 in the mid-Atlantic, and 51 in the Midwest). If these projects and players are still viable, they may be able to reapply with minimal updating of information.

REINING IN THE COMPETITION FOR CAPITAL
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The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute on February 27-28 is sponsoring a conference on the increasingly stiff competition among regions and localities for the capital to build new plants and offices and provide jobs. This "market" for jobs is highly imbalanced, as the corporate participants are far more knowledgeable and have greater options than the economic development practitioners, mayors, and governors that they deal with.

The February 27-28 conference will be held at Cowles Auditorium at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It will bring together researchers, development experts, and representatives of the financial community to examine recent research and case studies. Click here for information and registration packets.