| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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NEMWI Great Lakes Washington Program Receives Joyce Foundation Grant
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The Northeast-Midwest Institute received a grant from the Joyce Foundation to support its critical Great Lakes Washington Program. These funds, together with matching support from the Mott Foundation, assure NEMWI focus on Great Lakes restoration-related federal policy issues as it produces and supplies objective and timely NEMW region-specific information to the bipartisan NEMW Senate and Congressional Coalitions and their Great Lakes Task Forces, States and tribes, Cities, NGOs, industry and other stakeholders.
For more information, contact Leah Konrady, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program.
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NEMWI Posts FY11 Funding Levels for Programs of Regional Importance
| The Northeast-Midwest Institute tracks and reports to the region on federal funding levels for a broad array of programs critical to the NEMW states. It has now posted FY2011 funding levels from the final 2011 Continuing Resolution on its website. The 2011 appropriated levels appear along with FY10 enacted funding levels and the President's 2011 funding request, for comparison purposes. Some agencies have not yet released their detailed final 2011 budgets; NEMWI will update its website as this information becomes available.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst.
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UM Center for Environmental Science Releases 2010 Chesapeake Bay Report Card
| The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences released its 2010 Chesapeake Bay Report Card. The report is meant to provide a "transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment" of the bay's health. According to the Report Card, the overall health of the Bay declined slightly last year, earning a C-, down from a C in 2009. The analysis points to increased runoff as a primary factor in the drop. The Northeast-Midwest Institute continues to track and support regional and federal efforts toward Chesapeake Bay restoration and conservation.
For more information, contact Rachel Dawson, Policy Analyst.
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Minneapolis To Receive $474 for Light Rail
| Secretary Ray LaHood announced last week that the Department of Transportation will provide $474 million for a light-rail project linking Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The project, called the "Central Corridor," will be 11 miles long with 18 stations; LaHood argued that it would help Minnesotans deal with rising gas prices. Read more in the announcement on LaHood's Fast Lane blog.
For more information, contact Fritz Ohrenschall, Research Associate.
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Green Infrastructure in Your Backyard: Northeast & Great Lakes Area
| On Thursday, May 26, 2011 from 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM EDT, the National Association of Counties (NACO) will hold a webinar on Green Infrastructure for the Northeast and Great Lakes region. Join the webinar to learn how urban metropolitan regions are planning green infrastructure to manage storm-water and environmental services.
The Webinar program is directed to counties in the following states: IL, IN, MI, WI, MN, ME, NH, MA, NY, NJ, PA, WV, VA, and OH. The Northeast-Midwest Institute is focused on the majority of these states; it is especially interested in strategies to address storm-water management problems facing many of its older cities. Green Infrastructure is one such strategy that is often considered both environmentally-friendly and economically beneficial. Register here for the webinar.
In related news, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that it is launching a new strategy to promote the use of green infrastructure by cities and towns to reduce storm-water runoff. As part of the strategy, EPA will work with partners including local governments, watershed groups, tribes and others in ten cities that have utilized green infrastructure and have plans for additional projects. Three of those cities are in the NEMW region: Boston, MA.; Cleveland, OH; and Syracuse, NY. Read more here. |
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