Beyond the Motor City Screening and Discussion, Today in Buffalo
The Northeast-Midwest Institute, in coordination with the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition is sponsoring a film screening on transportation 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. |
Bill Could Offer Help to Disadvantaged Communities for Drinking Water Systems
Legislation amending the Safe Drinking Water Act to increase assistance to and expanded the definition of "disadvantaged communities" moved through the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (vote of 45-1) on May 26th. HR 5320 the Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2010, introduced by Reps. Robert Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA), recognizes that metropolitan water systems often serve a range of communities with varied income levels and would allow these systems to receive additional subsidization if a portion of their service area qualifies as a "disadvantaged community" under state affordability guidelines. Current law only allows a utility's entire service area to qualify as disadvantaged, which severely limits access to this assistance by large systems that serve populations with diverse incomes. For more information contact Greg Lewis at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. |
Iowa-Mississippi Farmer to Farmer Exchange Project
A group of Iowa farmers and agricultural leaders traveled to Mississippi later last week to learn more about efforts to reduce pollution going into the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River basin. The trip constitutes the first half of an "Iowa-Mississippi Farmer to Farmer Exchange," a project focused on addressing hypoxia in the Gulf by increasing understanding among stakeholders and expanding the use of conservation practices in both states (you can read more in news articles here and here). The tour is the direct result of discussions between Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and agricultural leaders in Mississippi that occurred as part of the work of the Mississippi River-Gulf of Mexico Nutrient Watershed Nutrient Task Force. That Task Force was highlighted in the Environmental Protection Agency's portion of an April 15, "Briefing on Federal Programs Impacting the Mississippi River Basin," hosted by the Northeast-Midwest Institute, in conjunction with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition. Here is a link to the briefing materials, including materials relating to the Mississippi River-Gulf of Mexico Nutrient Watershed Nutrient Task Force. For more information contactcontact Mark Gorman at the Northeast-Midwest Institute, 202-464-4015. |
Institute Works With NEMW Coalition and Rep. Tsongas to Convene Policy Forum in Lowell, MA
The Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition and the Northeast-Midwest Institute, in coordination with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, will convene a policy forum on Saturday June 19, 2010.
At the forum Congresswoman Tsongas will hear testimony from various experts about the role of federal policy in restoring economic prosperity and improving the overall livability of post-industrial cities. Expert testimony will focus on issue areas including smart growth policies, historic preservation, and brownfield and vacant land re-use.
Following the oral statements of each expert the Congresswoman will engage in a question and answer session to extract precise considerations for improving federal policies. Immediately after the session, members of the audience will have the opportunity to meet and share success stories and challenges with the policy experts and staff from the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition and Institute.
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