| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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NEMW Congressional Coalition Co-Chairs Ask Secretary of Commerce to Revise MEP Cost Share
| Last week, Northeast-Midwest Coalition Co-Chairs Reps. McGovern (D-MA) and LaTourette (R-OH), along with 19 other Members, asked Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to move forward with revising the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) cost share. The cost share was called for in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, but has been stalled. The MEP program aims to establish, maintain, and support manufacturing extension centers and services. Funds may be used for the purpose of demonstrations, technology deployment, active transfer and dissemination of research findings and extension service expertise to a wide range of companies and enterprises, especially small manufacturers with fewer than 500 employees. The program is especially important to the manufacturing industry in the NEMW region, with NEMW states receiving 41% of MEP funding in 2009. Due to the recent recession, many small and mid-sized manufacturers have delayed investments in continuous improvement, resulting in declines in project fees for MEP Centers. This in turn has made it difficult for some MEP Centers to meet the program's current 66% cost share requirement, the highest cost share ratio of any Department of Commerce program.
For more information, contact Kate Ostrander, Legislative Director of the NEMW Congressional Coalition.
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Capitol Hill Briefing: Short Sea Shipping
| The Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition will co-host a briefing on "short sea shipping" next Monday, July 11, from 12:00-1:00pm, in Rayburn House Office Building (Room B-338). Short sea shipping refers to the movement of cargo through waterborne transportation along trade routes that do not span oceans. The briefing will spotlight the pending Short Sea Shipping Act (H.R. 1533)--co-sponsored by Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY-28)--and consider challenges facing cross-shipping between U.S. ports and Canada, as well as associated taxation policies and their impact on waterborne transportation. Speakers include: Will Friedman, President and CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority; and a representative from the Maritime Institute for Research and Industrial Development (MIRAID).
For more information, contact Kate Ostrander, Legislative Director of the NEMW Congressional Coalition. |
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June Mid-Atlantic and Mississippi River Basin Updates Now Available
| The Northeast-Midwest Institute issues monthly updates on federal policy activities relevant to the Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River Watersheds. These updates are intended to be timely resources providing brief news clippings, legislative and policy information, and other information relevant to conservation and restoration efforts. Now available are the June installments of the Mid-Atlantic Watershed and the Mississippi River Basin Updates.
For more information, contact Rachel Dawson or Mark Gorman, Policy Analysts at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. |
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Habitat, Water, and Open Space Maps Now Available on Northeast Landscapes Website
| Due to complex urban development patterns and high demand for land and resources, the Northeast states share unique conservation challenges. The Regional Plan Association's (RPA) America 2050 Initiative is working to produce a comprehensive inventory of landscape conservation initiatives that protect watersheds, wildlife habitat, and other natural processes. This Northeast Landscape Initiatives Inventory summarizes 165 initiatives and now includes three sets of context maps for Habitat, Water, and Open Space, as well as case studies profiling landscape initiatives that have been successful at protecting these resources. In the coming weeks, RPA will also publish maps highlighting challenges to landscape conservation goals from energy needs, transportation projects, and climate change in the Northeast.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. |
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