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Houston-Galveston
Area Council
December
2011
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Meetings
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TAC, Wednesday, December 14,
2011
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
University of Houston
College of Education
Farish Hall, Room 222A
4800 Calhoun Road
Houston, TX 77004
Drayage Loan and Grant Workshop
Monday, December 5, 2011
8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
H-GAC, 3555 Timmons Lane
Conference Room A
Houston, TX 77027
Teleworking Webinar
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Excargo Services, Inc. Terminal
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Action
2020 Workshop for Bicycles and Pedestrians
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The
Houston-Galveston Area Council and Bike Houston will present the
Action 2020 Workshop on Friday, December 2, 2011. The workshop is
designed to ensure advocates and elected officials have the tools to
access untapped or under-utilized federal funding sources to build
bicycling and walking programs.
Friday, December
2, 2011
8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
University of
Houston
College of Education
Farish Hall, Room 222A
4800 Calhoun Road
Houston, TX 77004
Register to attend
this free workshop.
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Drayage Loan and Grant Workshop
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On December 5, 2011, Air Quality Staff will hold a Drayage
Loan and Grant Workshop intended for new and used truck vendors in the
H-GAC Region. The workshop is intended to provide truck dealers with an
overview of the Drayage Loan and CMAQ programs. This workshop will
focus on program requirements, processes and timelines
so vendors will be better prepared to assist applicants in
applying for H-GAC grants and loans.
Monday, December 5, 2011
8 a.m. - 10 a.m.
H-GAC, 3555 Timmons Lane
Conference Room A
Houston, TX 77027
For more information, visit the H-GAC website or
call 832-681-2588. Click to view a YouTube
video about the program.
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Teleworking Webinar - December 7,
2011
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H-GAC's Commute
Solutions program will host an informative webinar on teleworking (also
known as "telecommuting") from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. on
Wednesday, December 7, 2011.
The webinar will
offer an in-depth look at the productivity increases and potential
savings teleworking has to offer. Participants will also hear
business scenarios for implementing a telework program, detailing
program benefits and preparing employers to start or expand
a program.
Register
today to learn more about the Regional Telework Incentive Program and
how to apply for federal grants worth up to $72,000.
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H-GAC Truck
Fair - December 10, 2011
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Excargo Services, Inc. is hosting a truck fair presented by
H-GAC on December 10, 2011. At the fair, H-GAC representatives will
discuss grants
available to assist the Houston-Galveston non-attainment area by
replacing old, highly-polluting trucks with cleaner, more-efficient
equipment.
The
fair will feature more than 20 trucks supplied by Arrow Truck Sales.
Michelin also will display their fuel-efficient products.
This
year, H-GAC successfully organized two previous Fairs at the Port of
Houston.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Excargo Services, Inc. Terminal
5330 Gulf Freeway
Houston, TX 77023
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Distracted Driving PSA in a Theater
Near You
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A public service
announcement created by H-GAC and Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia
will be shown at Cinemark, AMC and Regal Cinemas theaters from December
9, 2011 - January 12, 2012. The video warning teens of the dangers
of distracted driving will be shown before movies on 303 screens in 15
theaters in Houston and the surrounding area.
The PSA also ran on
Telemundo throughout September 2011. Watch the video on YouTube.
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Walker County Transit Plan Kick-Off
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 H-GAC, in association
with leaders in Walker County and the Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT), is launching the first phase of a comprehensive transit plan for
Walker County. The plan will identify unmet transportation needs and
feasible options to address them.
H-GAC is conducting a
brief survey to gather information from Walker County residents, students
and employees. The survey is available online in English and
Spanish.
English - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/walker_county
Spanish - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/walker_county_espanol
For more information
regarding this plan, contact Kari Hackett, kari.hackett@h-gac.com.
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METRO Full Funding Grants for Light
Rail
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 Elected
officials and Peter Rogoff, Administrator of the Federal Transit
Administration, signed grants, bringing $900 million to Houston's
light rail. The two Full Funding Grant Agreements (FFGA) were signed
at a ceremony on November 28, 2011. U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson,
U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressmen Gene Green and Al
Green, attended the event, marking the first time rail projects will
receive FFGAs.
The total construction
cost for the North (Red) extension and the Southeast (Purple) line is
$1.6 billion. Each line will receive a $450 million federal grant.
Click the links to view
the North
and Southeast lines.
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"EcoCoogs" Football Game -
November 19, 2011
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 On Saturday, November 19,
2011, H-GAC's Commute Solutions program partnered with IMG Sports
and the University of Houston for the third annual "EcoCoogs" football
game at Robertson Stadium. Commute Solutions staff answered questions
regarding commute options and distributed commute alternative information
to more than 5,000 fans before the game.
To view pictures of the
event, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CleanAirAction.
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 You can now follow Clean Air Action
on Twitter @CleanAirAction.
Get links to articles related to Transportation, Air Quality, Commute
Solutions, event photos and more!
The Clean Air Action
program created a video
featuring the many events and sponsors that participated in the various
programs throughout the year.
For more information,
visit www.cleanairaction.org.
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H-GAC in the Hispanic Community
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H-GAC Transportation
Department recently increased outreach efforts to the Hispanic co mmunity.
Representatives from
H-GAC and Texas Children's Hospital appeared on Channel 61's full-length,
30-minute program "Houston
Comunidad Latina," to discuss safety, loan opportunites
and air quality. The program was broadcast on November 20, 2011.
In addition, on November
16, 2011 an article on the Drayage Loan Program was published in Semana,
a top free Spanish weekly.
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Drayage Loan Program
The H-GAC Drayage Loan Program is a low-interest loan program that
enables eligible truck owners who conduct port-related activity to
finance the purchase of newer, more environmentally friendly trucks. Visit
H-GAC's website for more details.
Grants are also available.
Clean Vehicles
Program
H-GAC's Clean Vehicles program is a fuel/technology-neutral grant program
that funds cost-effective vehicle retrofit, repower, replacement,
conversion (to alternative fuels) or the establishment of alternative
fuel infrastructure. Prospective applicants are urged to review the
program guidelines at www.houston-cleancities.org before submitting a grant application.
Commute and Transit Pilot Program
Qualifying projects are eligible to receive federal CMAQ funds to cover a
percentage of incurred operating expenses for up to three years. This
program funds new services which provide additional commuting options and
do not duplicate or replace existing transit services. Visit the Commute
Solutions' website for more details.
Telework  Program
Find out how your business can receive a federal grant for up to $72,000
to begin or expand your existing telework program. Applications are
available at: www.commutesolutionshouston.org/telework/telework.htm.
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H-GAC Makes Latest Census Data Available Online
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 On May 26, 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau released
additional data for the H-GAC region based on the 2010 Census. The
product, called "2010 Demographic Profile," includes 23 data
tables for counties and cities. The tables include detailed age/sex
distribution, median age and types of households. The data is now
available on H-GAC's website.
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TxDOT collects traffic data
24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support federal, state, regional and
local transportation entities. H-GAC uses these counts to develop its
Regional Travel Demand Model. For more information about traffic counts
visit these sites:
www.txdot.gov/travel/traffic_map.htm
http://ttihouston.tamu.edu/hgac/trafficcountmap/
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 Learn more about H-GAC projects and
programs on our YouTube
channel. We're constantly adding new videos.
H-GAC
Brown Bag Series - View all videos
of Brown Bag presentations.
Distracted Driving
PSA - H-GAC and Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia have joined
forces to create a Spanish-language television campaign aimed at Hispanic
kids and parents warning of the dangers of distracted
driving. "La Voz" covered the story. Read the article or
view the Public
Service Announcement.
Chronicles
of a Teen Killer
H-GAC and the Houston
Police Department (HPD) recently produced "Chronicles of a Teen
Killer," a documentary about the dangers of Driving While
Intoxicated (DWI). Watch "Chronicles of a Teen Killer" on YouTube.
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