The biannual National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (NCER) 2011 will be held in Baltimore, MD at the Marriott Waterfront hotel on August 1-5, 2011. The NCER 2011 Program Committee invites members of the ecosystem restoration community to assist with developing the conference program agenda by proposing and organizing sessions. Proposers should not feel limited to the preliminary topical categories listed on the NCER 2011 web site. Each proposal will be assessed according to individual content, structure and overall relevance. Proposal acceptance will be primarily based on an evaluation of the session's potential for generating useful results, relevance and expected level of interest in the topic. The Northeast-Midwest Institute's Mark Gorman is on the NCER 2011 Planning Committee.  Please feel free to contact Mark with any questions or ideas.

Senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman released their draft Climate bill.  The bill provides transportation funding in three ways determined by the price of allowances and totalling a maximum of $6.25 billion. 

• $2.5 billion to Highway Trust Fund (with policy language about GhG reducing projects)
  
• $1.875B to TIGER
• $1.875B Clean Transport Program under American Power Act

It also provides funding to States and MPOs for planning.
For more information contact Fritz Ohrenschall (202-464-4020), at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

The Society for Wetland Scientists, Restore America's Estuaries, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Law Institute are co-hosting a Panel Discussion entitled "Resilient Wetlands = Prosperous Economies; How Restoring and Conserving Wetlands Supports Economic Productivity," on Wednesday, May 19; from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m., in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room HVC-215.  RSVP by May 14 to yoder@eli.org or (202) 939-3829.  For more information, included in a Flyer on the panel, see here.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service will brief congressional staff on their Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts. This briefing will focus on the many tangible actions, past and present, that the Service's Environmental Contaminants Program has implemented to address contaminant issues as part of a larger effort to achieve the vision of restored, protected and sustainable Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are threatened and degraded by toxic substances from contaminated sediments; industrial and municipal point sources; oil and chemical spills; nonpoint sources including atmospheric deposition; agricultural and urban runoff; contaminated groundwater; and cycling of chemicals within the Lakes.  The briefing will be held on May 19th at 10:00 a.m. in S-212 of the Capitol Visitor's Center.

For more information contact Joy Mulinex at the Great Lakes Task Forces.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute, in coordination with the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition is sponsoring a film screening on infrastructure with Rep. Brian Higgins (NY-27).  The film, Beyond the Motor City, part of PBS's Blueprint America series focuses on the transportation infrastructure of Detroit and its ability to transform the way people are transported.  The film touches on infrastructure disinvestment and auto-centric cities juxtaposing them with cities using a variety of modes and modern infrastructure.  The event will feature statements by the Congressman as well as a discussion with the film's director, Aaron Woolf.

The screening will take place at 5:30 on the evening of Tuesday June 1 at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society in Buffalo, NY.

For more information contact Fritz Ohrenschall (202-464-4020), at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.