Evan Bender

#RFP Alert: The City of Waco is soliciting proposals for lobbying services at both the federal and state levels. The project involves representing the city's interests before the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, and Texas state agencies. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gAxXJgKh Jason Boulette, Rocky M. Cabagnot - Would you or someone you know be interested in this RFP? #lobbying #advocacy #nonprofitconsultant #nonprofitconsultants #nonprofitconsulting  

The Miami-Dade TPO’s 2023 Annual Report is now available. This report details the accomplishments achieved by the TPO Governing Board and staff. 2023 saw many milestones, the most significant accomplishment was the TPO Governing Board’s adoption of the largest Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) in agency history, funded at over $12 Billion in transportation investments over the next five years. Over $6 Billion is programmed in highway/expressway/state roads and arterials, while over $5 Billion is programmed for intermodal, transit, seaport, and aviation. The remaining TIP categories include bicycle, pedestrian, trails, and local roads. These are just a few achievements provided in this annual report. Read the report as a flipbook at https://lnkd.in/eq3yrayP and/or in PDF format at https://lnkd.in/eSVH-NKW. #MiamiDadeTPO

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The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) is the hub where federal, state, and local agencies come together to coordinate wildfire management efforts. From planning and logistics to sharing resources and expertise, NIFC plays a crucial role in keeping communities safe during wildfire season. Learn more about this vital organization and its impact on wildfire response. #NIFC #WildfireManagement #Coordination #FireSafety #CommunityProtection #ResourceSharing #EmergencyResponse #Collaboration #Firefighters #WildfirePreparedness #PublicSafety #InteragencyEfforts #WildfireSeason #EmergencyManagement #DisasterResponse

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The PRC continues to exploit relationships with U.S. state and local leaders to build influence. What may seem good for your city, county, state, or business in the short-term could undermine strategic U.S. interests in the long-term. See NCSC’s bulletin: https://lnkd.in/gFZpgpS4

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Listening to IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh give a state of the union address at IATA’s AGM. Key messages: governments have a key role to develop SAF markets to meet decarbonization efforts; aviation’s strong safety culture must remain a northstar; and onerous regulatory burdens will inhibit aviation’s ability to deliver economic and social benefits. Certainly relevant messages from a Canadian perspective.

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Yesterday, the D'Arling Direct began running 3 roundtrips per day from Arlington to Darrington. This marks the latest milestone in a 4+ year effort to improve rural transit in North Snohomish County. Rural areas are exceedingly difficult for public transit agencies to justify providing significant service when their same dollar could result in serving more people and higher ridership within urban areas. Luckily, there is federal funding and local partners that can supplement service in rural areas ... if you can figure out the politics, funding streams, logistics, and operations. Funded by 49 CFR 5310 & 5311 and local match dollars, plus a special allocation in the 2022 Move Ahead WA transportation package to the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe that has been directed to this project, the Homage Senior Services now runs the D'Arling Direct as a "flex-route" transit service from Smokey Point Transit Center to the Darrington Community Center, everyday of the week, 3x M-F, and 2x Sat-Sun. The D'Arling complements Community Transit's Route 230, which runs between Smokey Point and Darrington on weekdays, once in the morning and once in the evening. Operated as a "flex-route," the D'Arling operates on a fixed schedule to specific stops along the way, but there's enough flex time within the schedule that the driver can do a curb-to-curb pick-up/drop-off with 24-hour prior scheduling. This is a critical feature of the D'Arling as Community Transit does not provide Dial-A-Ride Transit (DART) paratransit service in the North Stillaguamish Valley. Implemented at the same time as the new D'Arling Direct service is an updated route and schedule for the DC Direct. The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe has operated the DC Direct as a free public transit service between Darrington and Concrete for decades. The bus schedule had never changed, and my analysis showed that there were unbearable transfer times from the DC Direct to Skagit Transit's 70X in Concrete. In addition, there was an opportunity to sync the DC Direct with the 230 and D'Arling. Working with tribal leadership and WSDOT staff, we were able to get agreement to update the DC Direct's schedule and route, making connections seamless and better serving residents between Darrington and Concrete who want to get down valley. This work follows the successful planning, grant-seeking, and implementation of Snow Goose Transit that now connects Camano Island, Stanwood, and Arlington with a flex-route service, operated by the Lincoln Hill Retirement Community. These services will continue to have growing pains as the relatively small nonprofits operate their mini transit operations. Blended funding models that combine public transit agencies money with nonprofits (subsidized by federal/state funding) operating the service is likely the more sustainable future for rural transit. View Snohomish County Transportation Coalition's new online Transit Guide for North Snohomish County: https://lnkd.in/gYAj3yTX

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H.R. 8996 builds upon other legislation before Congress to restore reliability, safety, and consistent service to our nation’s freight rail system. It’s critical that Congress finds consensus on these commonsense reforms to address ongoing operational challenges, enhance safety measures, and resolve the unacceptable disruptions and practices of Class I railroads. Read more below. #Rail #RailSafety #Congress #Legislation

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🌟 Major Update for Federal Contractors & Agencies 🌟 🔗 https://buff.ly/4eVXB4j The implementation of the FAR CUI rule has made progress, indicating a groundbreaking shift in the management and protection of sensitive but unclassified information across the entire federal government and its contracting partners. 🚀🔐 🔍 Main Takeaways: Unified Approach: The rule extends its reach to all federal agencies, setting the stage for a cohesive strategy in CUI protection, meticulously aligned with the revered NIST SP 800-171 standards. Preparation is Key: It’s time for organizations and contractors within the federal domain to gear up. Expect to ramp up your cybersecurity defenses and align your practices with the strict compliance requirements of the FAR CUI rule. This is a call to action for those in the federal contracting ecosystem! 📢 Embrace this opportunity to fortify your operations and set a new standard in data protection. 💼🛡️ Dive into our latest blog for an in-depth analysis and strategic insights to navigate this significant shift. Equip yourself for the future, today! #ComplianceReady #CybersecurityUpgrade #DataProtection #FARCUIRule #FederalContracting #MADSecurity #NISTSP800171

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District is proposing to accept and expend funds from Florida Power & Light Company to expedite processing of their Department of the Army permit applications. The funds would be used to augment the budget of the Corps in accordance with the provisions of Section 214. The Corps Regulatory Program is funded as a Congressionally appropriated line item in the annual Federal budget. The Corps is soliciting comments from the public, Federal, State and local agencies and officials, and other interested parties. Comments will be made part of the administrative record, and they will be considered in determining whether it would be in the public interest to proceed with this action. SAJ-2017-00858 - Public Notice: Accept and Expend Funds from Florida Power & Light Company (5/2/24) The Secretary of the Army (Secretary) has delegated the decision to accept and expend funds to the Chief of Engineers and his authorized representatives, including the Commander of the Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The authority to accept and expend funds from public utility companies and natural gas companies expires on June 10, 2024, unless otherwise extended or revoked by law. Definition of Public Utility Company: The term ‘public utility company’ means an electric utility company or a gas utility company. FP&L, its affiliates and subsidiaries, meets this definition. How the Corps Would Expend Funds: The Corps Regulatory Program is funded as a Congressionally appropriated line item in the annual Federal budget. Additional funds received from FP&L would be used to augment the budget of the Corps in accordance with the provisions of Section 214. The Corps would establish a separate account to track the receipt and expenditure of the funds. Activities for Which Funds Would be Expended: Funds would be expended primarily on the labor of Regulatory Division staff processing permit applications pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403). Consideration of Comments: The Corps is soliciting comments from the public, Federal, State and local agencies and officials, and other interested parties. Comments will be made part of the administrative record, and they will be considered in determining whether it would be in the public interest to proceed with this action. Comments should be sent to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Regulatory Division ATTN: Muriel M. Blaisdell at Muriel.M.Blaisdell@usace.army. mil https://lnkd.in/gEFrFdW9 Check out the full public notice here: https://lnkd.in/gEFrFdW9

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Building community resilience is an important part of railroads’ holistic safety approach. Railroads work with local first responders to create emergency response plans. They also have dedicated police forces positioned along routes to monitor them 24/7. AAR.org/Safety

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Many thanks to the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) for inviting PCA’s Sean O'Neill, Sr. Vice President of Government Affairs, to participate on a panel at BPC’s inaugural Climate and Trade Summit today at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Other participants on the panel, which was titled: Industry Perspective: The U.S. Carbon Advantage, included Brandon Farris with the Steel Manufacturers Association, Michael Parr with Ultra Low-Carbon Solar Alliance, and Aram Zamgochian with ESS Inc. O’Neill spoke to the U.S. cement industry’s leadership role in reducing CO2 through the use of alternative fuels, the manufacture of lower-carbon cements, and its ongoing research to develop Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage. He additionally expressed confidence in the industry’s partnership with the federal government, specifically pointing to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recent announcement of more than $1.2 billion to cement manufacturers to assist in their decarbonization efforts. The companies receiving the monies have pledged to match the government funding. #PCAroadmap #CementIndustry #netzero #ClimateAndTrade24 #BPCLive

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Rural transit can make a difference in people's lives. A great example below. What if we invested in comprehensive state transit networks the way we invest in wider highways?

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Join the final public listening session at 2:30 p.m. today for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity. On the agenda: the draft plans for strategic transportation equity. Details ➡️ https://bit.ly/3w8gAXO #equity #transportation

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