The Sustainable Northwest Policy Program is tracking the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and it's implications for Western rural communities.

USDA and Forest Service Resources:

• Press Release: Vilsack announces economic recovery projects for forest health protection (9/9/09)
  
• Guidance to the field re: Stewardship Agreement Policies and Procedures (Ron Hooper, Director of Acquisition Management, 8/27/09)
  
• Guidance to the field re: ARRA Matching Contributions Guidance (Ron Hooper, Director of Acquisition Management, 8/27/09)
  
• Cover letter and guidance to the field re: 'Preparing Projects for Contracts, Grants, or Agreements Funded by the Recovery Act' (Ron Hooper, Director of Acquisition Management, 3/11/09)
  
• First 10% of Forest Service Projects in Capital Improvements and Maintenance (CIM) and Wildland Fire Management (WFM) (3/11/09)
• Press Release: Vilsack Announces First Wave of Economic Stimulus Funding (3/9/09)
  
• List of Forest Service Project Criteria (Forest Service memo from the Chief, 2/11/09)
  
• Forest Service direction on economic stimulus package (Update released 1/9/09)

Congressional Resources:

• House Appropriations Committee summary of new economic stimulus package (Press summary released 1/15/09)

Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition publications:

• Implementing Economic Recovery: Opportunities, Problems and Solutions (2-23-09)
• Economic Stimulus Proposal: The First Steps Toward Building a Rural Green Economy (2009 RVCC issue paper)
• RVCC Transition Memo This memo was drafted by several members of the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition and submitted to the appropriate people on President elect-Obama's transition team. The memo supports integrated solutions to rural economic, environmental and social issues.  The memo was created and based on existing RVCC issue papers and materials and emerging issues and frameworks.
  
  

Recent Studies:

• Implementing the Economic Stimulus on National Forests: Using Hazardous Fuels Reduction to Create Local Jobs (February 2009, Susan Charnley, Cassandra Moseley and Ellen Donoghue)
• Economic Impact and Job Creation from Forest and Watershed Restoration: A Preliminary Assessment (Winter 2009, Cassandra Moseley and Max Nielsen-Pincus)

Testimony and Public Comments:

Jim Walls, Executive Director of Lake County Resources Initiative, and active RVCC participant, was interviewed March 2, 2009 about green jobs on the Oregon Public Broadcasting program "Think Out Loud".  Listen to the interview.

U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing regarding Investments in Clean Energy and Natural Resources Projects and Programs to Create Green Jobs and to Stimulate the Economy ~ Cassandra Moseley, Ph.D., Director, Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon (12/10/08)
View the archive webcast  (Cass speaks at 146 minutes)
View a pdf of the written testimony

Helpful websites:

• View the White House Energy and Environment web page
• View the USDA web page dedicated to economic stimulus
  
• View the National Congress of American Indians Economic Stimulus web page