Iowa RealEstateRama

Home Sale prices rose 4.2 percent in First Quarter of 2016 and homes sold were up 1.7 percent over this period compared to last year. According to the Housing Trends Report by Iowa Association of REALTORS®, the median sale price for the first quarter of 2016 was $135,500 as compared to $130,017 in the first quarter of 2015.

The Senate Appropriations Committee this week approved language championed by Sen. Chuck Grassley that will ensure transparency and promote accountability in public housing authorities’ use of more than $350 million in federal tax dollars. The Grassley language, which was incorporated into a committee report that accompanies an annual spending bill, will ensure that federal funds transferred to housing authorities will retain their federal designation and be subject to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) oversight

U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be distributing nearly $90 million in grants for a variety of projects aimed to build and improve flood-prone structures in communities across south Louisiana

Under pressure from Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released updated salary data for the top executives at public housing authorities nationwide. The state and local housing authority executives are prohibited from exceeding a congressionally imposed cap on the amount of federal money that can be used for salaries. HUD announced it is seeking reimbursement from six housing authorities that exceeded the 2014 federal salary cap of $157,100. The cap for 2016 has been increased to $160,300. Grassley made the following comment on HUD’s action.

EPA Region 7 reached a proposed administrative settlement of Clean Water Act violations by the City of Osceola, Iowa, that requires the city to stabilize stream banks of a tributary flowing into White Breast Creek, and pay a cash penalty of $8,400.

Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement to share information regarding the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in order to fight the potential for manipulation along the fuel supply chain of the Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN) market. RINs help blenders and refiners track compliance with the RFS. In 2013, Loebsack led 13 members of the House in calling on the CFTC to ensure the integrity of the RIN market.

The Iowa Association of REALTORS® (IAR) reported that January home prices are up, homes are selling faster and number of sales dipped slightly when compared to January of last year. According to the IAR’s Housing Trends Report, the median sale price increased by 12 percent. The median sale price rose from $121,000 in January of 2015 to $135,500 in January of 2016.

Congressman Dave Loebsack today reintroduced legislation to establish a grant program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to invest in renewable and alternative fuel infrastructure. The Renewable Fuel Utilization, Expansion and Leadership (Re-FUEL) Act will create new and retrofit existing infrastructure, including pumps for biofuels and hydrogen, tanks, piping and electric vehicle chargers. The legislation is paid for and would not add to the deficit

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that Iowa now generates over 31.3% of its energy from wind. According to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Iowa is now the first and only state in the United States that has crossed the 30% mark

At the Administration’s Monday morning press conference today, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that six communities are receiving grants for the State Innovation Model (SIM) Initiative. These six communities spanning 20 counties will engage in broad-based health care system and payment reforms over the next three years that will lead to better health outcomes and lower costs.

Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement after the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released a report stating that the wind production tax credit (PTC) and the solar investment tax credit (ITC) will drive a net increase of 48-53 gigawatts of energy from renewable sources by 2020 and also lower CO2 emissions

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Sec. of Agriculture Bill Northey and key federal and state partners announced that the State of Iowa was awarded nearly $97 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of the National Disaster Resilience Competition that will help accelerate flood reduction and water quality efforts in key watersheds over the next five years.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Sec. of Agriculture Bill Northey will join US Housing and Urban Development officials, Mayor Roy Buol of Dubuque and City of Dubuque officials, additional state officials and key stakeholders to provide significant flood reduction and water quality grant details. The leaders will discuss efforts to help accelerate flood reduction and water quality efforts in key watersheds around the state.

The Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition announced today that it has added solar energy issues to the Coalition’s portfolio, following a unanimous vote from member governors. The Coalition also announced its new name: Governors’ Wind and Solar Energy Coalition

The city of Johnston, Iowa, has been selected as one of 10 communities across the country to receive financial and technical guidance for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure planning from EPA’s new Water Community Assistance for Resiliency and Excellence (WaterCARE) program.