| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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New Great Lakes Task Force Dream Team: Sens. Carl Levin and Mark Kirk to Lead Bipartisan Caucus
| Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., today announced that they will serve as the Co-chairs of the Great Lakes Task Force of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition for the 112th Congress. "I am pleased that Senator Kirk will serve as co-chair of the Task Force, and I'm excited about our prospects to protect and enhance our Great Lakes," said Levin. "The Task Force has led the way to passage for legislation to clean up contaminated sediments, fight invasive species and prevent the diversion of precious fresh water from the Great Lakes basin. I look forward to working with Senator Kirk and I am confident that he will help add to that important legacy." Senator Kirk said, "It is my honor to serve as co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force with Senator Levin. This bipartisan, bicameral Task Force will work to protect our Great Lakes--the crown jewel of the Midwest's ecosystem. Recently, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and I have worked to crack down on raw sewage dumping into the lakes and my hope is to continue this momentum in the Great Lakes Task Force to develop bipartisan solutions and protect drinking water for 30 million Americans and for generations to come." The Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition's Great Lakes Task Force is a bipartisan, bicameral group that works to enhance the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes. Levin has served as the Democratic co-chair of the Task Force since 1999. Kirk will take over the Republican co-chair spot, which was held by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, until his retirement in January.
Fore more information, contact Allegra Cangelosi, President, Northeast-Midwest Institute. |
| NEMW Has Building Blocks For Sustainable Communities | The EPA selected 16 Northeast-Midwest region communities out of 32 nationally for its 2011 Building Blocks program. The Sustainable Communities Building Blocks Program provides quick, targeted technical assistance to communities implementing development approaches that protect the environment, improve public health, create jobs, expand economic opportunity, and improve overall quality of life. The following regional selections were part of the 32 total national selections:
- Sustainable Land Use Code Audit: Dover, New Hampshire; Granville, Ohio; and Shelburne, Vermont.
- Smart Growth Zoning Codes for Small Cities and Rural Areas: Cambridge, Maryland; Essex, Connecticut; and Reedsburg, Wisconsin.
- Using Smart Growth to Produce Fiscal and Economic Health: Bemidji, Minnesota; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Erie County, New York; and Muskegon, Michigan.
- Complete Streets: Portland, Maine.
- Smart Growth Guidelines for Sustainable Design and Development: Hellertown, Pennsylvania and Syracuse, New York.
- Water Quality Scorecard: Fitchburg, Wisconsin; Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania; and Northampton, Massachusetts.
Fore more information, contact Fritz Ohrenschall, Research Associate at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. |
| NAR Study Finds Americans Prefer Smart Growth Communities | According to a recent Community Preference Survey by the National Association of Realtors, Americans favor walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, with 56 percent of respondents preferring smart growth neighborhoods over neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation. Nearly three out of five of those surveyed - 59 percent - would choose a smaller home if it meant a commute time of 20 minutes or less.
The survey of 2,071 adult Americans was conducted by Belden, Russonello and Stewart from February 15-24, 2011.
Fore more information, read the full press release from the National Association of Realtors. |
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