| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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Updated Manufacturing Statistics on NEMWI Website
| NEMWI has updated its Manufacturing Fact Sheet, now available on the NEMWI website. The fact sheet includes information on production, employment, trade, inventories, and other vital manufacturing activity relevant to the success of the Northeast-Midwest region. NEMWI has also updated its national Economic Data page, providing a national context for the recently updated State Economic Profiles.
For more information, contact Fritz Ohrenschall, Research Associate at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Corps Turns Up Power on Asian Carp Barrier
| The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is turning up the power on the electric barrier meant to prevent Asian Carp from migrating into Lake Michigan and competing with native fish there for resources. Senators Levin and Kirk wrote a letter to the Corps on July, 27, 2011 requesting more power. Five states have sued the federal government demanding that the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal be changed to sever the connection between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes. The Corps has stated it is confident that the electric barrier provides adequate protection. See the full story in the Washington Post.
For more information, contact Leah Konrady, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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House and Senate Agree to Vote on Surface Transportation and FAA Extensions
| Members of the Senate and House have agreed to vote on a proposal to extend the nation's surface transportation and aviation programs, which impact the NEMW region's transportation-related employment, aging infrastructure, and large network of public transit systems. Under the latest version (H.R. 2887) the surface transportation authorization SAFETEA-LU, which expires September 30, 2011, will be extended for six months. The FAA authorization, which expires September 16, 2011, will be extended for four months. The bill will cost a total of $26 billion, similar to current levels of funding. Of that total cost, $24.78 billion is in contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund to fund surface transportation for the first six months of FY 2012, and the $1.18 billion is in contract authority for the FAA's Airport Improvement Program to fund that account for the first four months of FY 2012. The plan should be passed in the House today under Unanimous Consent. It will then need to pass the Senate. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, issued a statement on the extension yesterday. More details are available here.
For more information, contact Fritz Ohrenschall, Research Associate at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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New Date for NEMWI Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force Webinar
| The Northeast-Midwest Institute will host the last webinar in a series of four Natural Floodplain Function Alliance-sponsored presentations on floodplain issues. The "Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force Webinar," originally scheduled on August 23, was postponed due to that day's east coast earthquake. The new date for the webinar is Wednesday, September 21, 2011 from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT). This webinar will present an overview of the Task Force: its history, goals and objectives, and current activities. Presenters will include Pete Rabbon, Special Assistant on the National Flood Risk Management Program with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, John McShane, with the USEPA's Office of Water, and Dave Stearrett, Chief, Floodplain Management Branch at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Click here to be directed to a webinar registration page. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI to Host Film-Screening and Panel Discussion on Revitalizing Small Older Industrial Cities: October 13
| NEMWI, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the State of Vermont's Department of Tourism and Marketing, and the German Marshall Fund, is hosting a Capitol Hill-based screening of "The Blood in This Town," a new documentary that chronicles Rutland, VT's drive to revitalize. The film uses Rutland's Gift-of-Life Marathon blood drive to explore how an ailing rust-belt town can rebuild from the grassroots up. The free event will also include a reception featuring VT products and a panel discussion on post-industrial revitalization of small cities and towns. Save the date for a unique event on October 13, 2011 from 6-9pm in the Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, D.C. More details will be provided next week.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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