| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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NEMWI Releases "Analysis of Key Regional Programs in the President's FY2013 Budget"
| This new NEMWI Note to the Coalitions provides more in-depth analysis of funding for some key federal programs for the region, including smaller programs for which funding information was not available in the President's Budget and long-standing programs supported by the NEMW Coalitions. This Note also includes a table with FY2005-FY2012 appropriations levels and proposed FY2013 funding for more than 70 programs of regional importance. Last month, NEMWI and the bipartisan Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition produced a rapid review of the President's FY2013 budget to inform the Northeast-Midwest Congressional and Senate Coalitions, states, and other regional partners of its implications for the Northeast-Midwest (NEMW) region.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at NEMWI.
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Mayors Weigh-In on MATS Rule
| Mayors from several cities in the Northeast-Midwest region signed onto a letter last week expressing support for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently issued Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants (MATS). Those cities include:
- New York, NY
- Philadelphia, PA
- Boston, MA
- College Park, MD
- Lambertville, NJ
- Burlington, VT
- Madison, WI
- Portland, ME
- Beverly, MA
- Ann Arbor, MI
On December 16, 2011, EPA finalized the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards to reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic air pollutants from new and existing coal- and oil-fired power plants. Until now, more than 20 years after the 1990 CAA Amendments passed, there was no federal limit for toxic emissions - including mercury - for coal- or oil-fired power plants. The final rule will: prevent 90 percent of the mercury in coal burned in power plants from being emitted to the air; reduce 88 percent of acid gas emissions from power plants; and cut 41 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants beyond the reductions expected from the Cross State Air Pollution Rule. EPA noted that for every dollar spent to reduce this pollution, the public could realize $3-$9 in health benefits. These benefits include annually prevention of 5,700 hospital admissions and emergency room visits; 2,800 cases of chronic bronchitis; and 3.2 million days when people must restrict their activities each year. For more information on these Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, go to: http://www.epa.gov/mats For more information, contact Colin Wellenkamp, Director, MS River Cities and Towns Initiative at NEMWI.
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Mississippi River Asian Carp Legislation Introduced
| On March 6, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Al Franken (D-MN), and Representatives Keith Ellison (D-MN-5), Erik Paulsen (R-MN-3) and Tim Walz (D-MN-1) introduced legislation that attempts to curb the invasion of Asian Carp in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The bill, as introduced in the House, is called the "Upper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection Act of 2012" (or "Upper Mississippi CARP Act"). You can view the text of the House version online here. The measure authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to "take actions to manage the threat of Asian carp traveling up the Mississippi River in the State of Minnesota," specifically at the Mississippi River's Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam at Minneapolis. The companion Senate bill has yet to be made available on-line.
The bills' introductions follow closely on the heels of a March 1, 2012 catch of two Asian carp species - a silver carp and a bighead carp - in a seine net by commercial anglers in the Mississippi River's Pool 6 near Winona, Minnesota, approximately 120 land-miles downstream of St. Paul. Additional details and background on Asian carp migration in the Mississippi River Basin and on Federal Asian carp control attempts can be viewed here.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at NEMWI.
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