Dear friend,

It’s one of my favorite days of the year - Earth Day! To celebrate, I visited the Brandywine Valley unit of the First State National Historic Park in Wilmington - the only National Park in Delaware! I was joined by the Park’s Superintendent, Joshua Boles, who gave me a tour of the most scenic areas of the Park.  

I encourage all Delawareans to show some love to our planet today in any way they can – recycle, plant a tree, pick up litter, or go for a walk and just admire nature! And if you’re interested in visiting First State National Historic Park, click here. 

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Park Superintendent Joshua Boles.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester at First State National Historic Park.

On Monday, I joined the Be Ready Community Development Corporation, Senator Carper, Senator Coons, local and state elected officials, and community and private partners to announce the completion of Phase I of the Solomon’s Court project that helped create 6 new affordable housing units in Wilmington. We also announced $2 million in federal funding for Phase II at Solomon’s Court which will add 12 more units and street-level commercial space to the building. We know that affordable, available, and accessible housing is foundational to everything, and I’m proud to be working at the federal level to bring support to fill the housing availability gap in our state.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Be Ready Community Development Executive Director Pastor Margaret Moon Taylor.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester joins the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Solomon's Court project.

While in Washington, I welcomed the Delaware State Association of Letter Carriers to discuss how Congress can continue to ease the challenges many postal workers face. The Letter Carriers were representing all three counties in Delaware and we got to talk about our fundamental goal of serving Delawareans as effectively and efficiently as we can. I'm so grateful for all they do. 

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester meets with representatives from the Delaware State Association of Letter Carriers in her Washington, DC office.

The bipartisan congressional Supply Chain Caucus on which I serve met this week for an engaging roundtable conversation on how we can work across the aisle to build more resilient supply chains and spur American manufacturing - one of the seven areas of my JOBS Agenda that I announced last week. When our supply chains are broken things take longer to get and cost more threatening our health, economy and national security. That's why if we can make it in America, we should.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester at the roundtable discussion on supply chains.

The House passed H. R. 734 this week, a bill that would effectively ban all trans girls as young as kindergarten from participating on school sports teams. The bill is a direct attack on an already-marginalized group of children in our country - and one that I was firmly opposed to. I often say that the policies we pass should be rooted in compassion, care, and love for one another. Instead, this bill seeks to divide and target trans youth. Even Republicans across the country have condemned these efforts, with Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox vetoing a similar measure in his state last year. In his veto message he wrote, "rarely has so much fear and anger been directed at so few." My message to trans youth in Delaware and across the country is simple - you are seen, you are loved, and we will continue to stand with you. 

I voted no on this bill and it’s important to note that this bill does not have the momentum to be taken up in the Senate.

On Friday, I joined environmental justice advocates at the White House to witness President Biden sign an Executive Order underscoring our shared belief that every American has the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a healthy community. I’m particularly proud of the provision of the Executive Order which would alert local communities in the event of toxic spills or releases - provisions I’ve championed through my introduction of the ALERT Act. I look forward to continuing to work with the Biden-Harris Administration to secure Environmental Justice for all.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Michele Roberts, National Co-Coordinator for the Environmental Justice Health Alliance.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Catherine Coleman Flowers, founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice.

Energy Community Tax Credit Bonus

 

The IRS recently released guidance on energy tax credits that are now available through the Energy Community Tax Credit Bonus made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. This means that eligible projects, facilities, and technologies located in energy communities can receive a bonus of up to 10% (for production tax credits) or 10 percentage points (for investment tax credits). Fore more information on the tax credit, please click here. For more information on eligibility, please click here. 

GRANT RESOURCES FOR DELAWAREANS

 

As a member of the Regional Leadership Council, where I am helping lead the implementation and communication of the historic pieces of legislation passed last Congress, I want to make sure Delawareans are informed about grant opportunities for organizations, state and local governments, nonprofits, and others. Please see a few that are now available:

• REMINDER:
• • URBAN FORESTRY: U.S. Department of Agriculture's Urban and Community Forestry Program, expanded through the Inflation Reduction Act
  • SAFER ROADS: U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All Program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
  • COMBATTING POLLUTION: U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Demonstrations Program, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act
  • EV CHARGING: U.S. Department of Transportation's new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

April is National Poetry Month so for this week’s Constituent Corner I wanted to share a poem that was sent to my office recently from William Claire, a distinguished poet, essayist, and author who lives in Lewes, Delaware. His poem does an excellent job of capturing the rich, natural heritage of our state, reminds us to always treasure and protect our coastlines - and I thought was a beautifully fitting tribute on Earth Day. I hope you will take some time to read it and reflect on the beauty of our state.

The Heartbeat of Cape Henlopen Park

It’s elemental, dear Señor Neruda,

like your ode to glories

of bird watching; “sailors of the air,”

or, if near here, por ejemplo

horseshoe crab-eggs

at spawning time,

God’s manna for valiant red knots

flying nonstop from the southern tip

of Patagonia in your Tierra del Fuego

enroute to a frigid Arctic

surviving and doubling their weight

at paradise here on earth…

 

Ruddy turnstones nibbling now

at ocean’s edge; the pulse and throb

of The Great Dune Overlook

where we bring visitors

from a land-locked midwest

with a diminishing August

daylight mist off the Atlantic

knowing we are all stage-struck

passers-by on specks of land

windblown here whether

we do or do not witness this Dune

sand hill built by the aeolian process…

 

Our treasured land safe

from a decaying half-life of time

and tempests, nurturing now

exotic plants and animals

where once lonely sentries

in Ghost Towers kept watch

by day & unearthly nights,

targeting by triangulation

German submarines prowling

our shores; programmed

by madmen with desperate dreams

until their surrender here

restored natural harmonies:

say now with reverence…

 

piping plovers, shifting sands,

wind, water, air, sanderlings

 

majestic now from our

mini-Mt. Olympus-like view

and utopian spur of land.

 

Yours in service,

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester

Member of Congress

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