| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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Great Lakes Task Force Welcomes Rep. Duffy as New Co-Chair
| The Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition enthusiastically welcomed Congressman Sean Duffy (R-WI) as a co-chairman of the House Great Lakes Task Force. Congressman Duffy will serve as co-chair with Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-MI), who said, "I am very proud to welcome Congressman Sean Duffy and thank him for joining as the fourth co-chair on this bipartisan group of members who are dedicated to protecting our nation's national treasure, the Great Lakes. I look forward to serving with him in this task force." The Great Lakes Task Force is a bipartisan, bicameral group that works collaboratively to enhance and sustain the economic and environmental well-being of the Great Lakes.
For more information, contact Leah Konrady, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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HHS Releases LIHEAP Block Grant Funding; NEMW States Receive 64% of Funds
| Less than two weeks ago, Senators and Representatives, including NEMW Coalition Co-Chairs, sent letters to the Department of Health and Human Services requesting a release of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds as soon as possible and at as high a level as possible under the recently-passed continuing resolution. According to an October 28 press release HHS is immediately providing $1.716 billion to states under the LIHEAP block grant program. HHS released the funding from the FY12 CR that lasts until 11/18. A complete list of funds available to states is available here. NEMW states received 64 percent of this funding.
For more information, contact Kate Ostrander, Legislative Director for the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition.
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NEMWI to Host Small City Transportation Solutions Briefing Nov. 1
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The Northeast-Midwest Institute will host a briefing on Small City Transportation Solutions on November 1, 2011, 10:00-11:30am at the U.S. Capitol, room H-137. This informational briefing will: address unique transportation challenges facing small cities; discuss how federal agencies and policymakers are taking--and plan to take--small city transportation issues into account; and highlight transportation projects in small cities within the Northeast-Midwest region. Panelists include: - Matt Dalbey, PhD, Director, Federal & State Division, Office of Sustainable Communities at U.S. EPA
- Matt Chase, Executive Director, National Association of Development Organizations
- Bryan Smith, Director of Planning, Portage Area Regional Transit Authority
- Robert Morris, Senior Project Manager, National Gateway Freight Rail Project, FHWA Eastern Federal Lands Office
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NEMWI to Host Briefing on Asian Carp and Lacey Act Nov. 1
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The Northeast-Midwest Institute will host a briefing on Asian Carp and the Lacey Act on November 1, 2011, 1:30-2:30pm at the Capitol Visitor Center, room SVC 212. This informational briefing will provide: an overview of the Lacey Act, state perspective on implementing Lacey Act, impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) like Asian Carp in the Great Lakes, and the economic benefits of preventing AIS. Panelists include: * Craig Martin, US Fish and Wildlife Service: Chief of Branch of Aquatic Invasive Species
* Carol Bambery, General Counsel for Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
* Jennifer Nalbone, Director of Navigation and Invasive Species, Great Lakes United
* Reuben Keller, PhD, Assistant Professor, Loyola University Chicago
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EPA to Develop Natural Gas Wastewater Standards
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On October 20, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would initiate a rulemaking to regulate wastewater discharges associated with natural gas drilling. According to the EPA, "No comprehensive set of national standards exists at this time for the disposal of wastewater discharged from natural gas extraction activities, and over the coming months EPA will begin the process of developing a proposed standard with the input of stakeholders - including industry and public health groups." A shale gas rule is expected by 2014. This announcement coincided with a hearing held by the Water and Power Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to examine water use in unconventional natural gas development in the eastern United States. Read about this story and more in the October installment of monthly Updates on mid-Atlantic Watershed Issues from the Northeast-Midwest Institute. This edition also includes information on: - Citizens Marcellus Shale Commission report
- FY12 budget and appropriations progress update
- Wildlife refuge, waterfronts and hypoxia legislation
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Busiest Bridges in Some NEMW States and Metros Fair Poorly in New Report
| Transportation for America's latest report, "The Fix We're In For: The State of Our Nation's Busiest Bridges," suggests that one out of every nine bridges in the United States is rated "structurally deficient" -- in need of more frequent monitoring and critical, near-term maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement. Despite the implementation of an intensive bridge repair program, Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of metropolitan areas with the highest levels of structurally deficient bridges. The Pittsburgh, PA metro has the most structurally deficient bridges of any large metro area with 30% of its bridges in the "deficient" category. The Philadelphia metro comes in at number three among large metros with 20% of bridges structurally deficient. Some metro areas in Iowa, Ohio, Rhode Island, Indiana, Michigan, and New York had among the top ten highest rates of deficient bridges for metros of similar size.
For more information, contact Fritz Ohrenschall, Research Associate at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Webinar on Job Creation from Brownfields Redevelopment
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National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP) and the Brownfields Community Network are hosting a webinar on Tuesday November 1 about job creation from brownfields redevelopment. In this webinar, speakers will offer their perspectives on several programs that track jobs associated with brownfields clean-up and redevelopment. The webinar will take place from 1:30-3:00pm EDT. Speakers include: - Ryan Smith, Analyst, US EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR)
- David R. Ives, Sustainability Coordinator, U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA)
- Joseph Bell, Program Manager, Enterprise Florida, Inc.
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