<br />House Environmental Matters Committee Chairman Craig Knoll is also preparing
<br />a land use bill. The Maryland Environmental Trust plans to push for a bill that
<br />would set up a state commission and rely heavily on existing local planning and
<br />zoning bod1es.
<br />
<br />PIPELINES
<br />
<br />Secretary of Housing and Urban Development George Romney has announced
<br />suspension of almost all new commitments to subsidize low and middle-income
<br />housing . . . present obligations indicate an l8-month continuation of programs
<br />totalling $7.3 billion at the current lower-than-usual annual rate of 250,000
<br />units . . . urban renewal and Model Cities programs' are slated for cutbacks
<br />July 1 . . . Congressional leaders and construction industry spokesmen have
<br />termed the action "disastrous, "irresponsible" and "presumptuous" . . . a
<br />moratorium is also in effect for the Agriculture Department's Farmers Home
<br />Administration, cancelling plans for an estimated 30,000 loans to low-income.
<br />rural families. . . remedies may come after further Administration evaluations,
<br />or ultimately from incorporation of community and rural development programs into
<br />revenue sharing proposals . . .
<br />
<br />Claude S. Brinegar, nominee for Secretary of Transportation, last week at
<br />his confirmation hearings before the Senate Commerce Committee, refused comment
<br />on last year's Administration commitment to transf~r Federal highway monies to
<br />urban mass transit programs . . . Brinegar has been an executive of the Union Oil
<br />Co., which opposed use of California gasoline tax revenues for mass transit.
<br />Rep. Charles Bennett (D-Calif.) has introduced a bill, H.R. 301, to permit
<br />states that have completed their share of Interstate highways to use highway
<br />trust fund appropriations for mass transit . . . December reports from the
<br />Federal Highway Administration show no states with completed Interstate systems . . .
<br />
<br />National urban growth policy at this time would be unwise and perhaps
<br />impossible due to inadequate data, concludes a report to HUD by a land use sub-
<br />committee of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of
<br />Engineering . . . the report sees lack of understanding of the process of
<br />land development -- costs, zoning, taxes, municipal services -- as a basic
<br />problem . . . recommendations include combining existing Federal urban planning
<br />grants into single packages for each area, tax subsidies to communities providing
<br />low-income housing, Federal grants for land banking, subordinate reliance on new
<br />cOlm.unities . . . "Urban Growth and Land Development" is available for $2.95 from
<br />Publications Office, NAS, 2101 Constitution Ave., Wash. D.C. 20418 . . .
<br />
<br />The 78th Michigan Legislature this year will consider a Land Use Omnibus
<br />Bill to create 13 regional authorities to implement Federal guidelines and
<br />identify unique and critical areas -- including prime agricultural land, forest
<br />lands, wetlands and wildlife areas. . . Governor William Milliken is considering
<br />designating a state land use planning agency by executive order . . .
<br />
<br />Recent planning grants from the Federal Aviation Administration include
<br />$337,000 for preparation of airport master plans in 12 communities, including
<br />new airport site studies for Louisville, Ky., San Juan County, N.M., Rumford,
<br />Me., and Yap Island, Micronesia. . . expansion plans included Carbondale, Ill.,
<br />Kenosha, Wis., Presque Isle, Me., Texarkana, Ark., Bowling Green, Ky., Murray,
<br />Ky., Harrisburg, Pa., and Erie, Pa. . . .
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