| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
|
|
House Committee Passes Vision for 2012 Farm Bill
| The House Agriculture Committee passed its vision of a 2012 Farm Bill early in the morning on Thursday, July 12, following 15 hours of grueling and sometimes contentious debate over a series of 109 offered amendments. In the end, the bill passed by a wide and bipartisan 24-vote margin, 35-11. Thirteen Democrats joined 22 Republicans in voting for the measure. The four Republicans who voted against the bill expressed concern over commodity provisions and stated their desire to cut even more than the $35 billion already eliminated over ten years from its nearly trillion dollar price tag. The seven Democrats who voted against the bill opposed what they described as Draconian and excessive cuts to the bill's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or "SNAP").
The House version of the bill contrasts significantly with a Farm Bill passed by the Senate in June. That bill cuts only $23 billion from direct spending, with lower cuts to SNAP ($4.5 billion in Senate compared to the House's $16.5 billion) accounting for much of the $12 billion difference between the chambers' measures. The House Committee voted down amendments to increase the amount of SNAP cuts, or reduce the nutrition assistance cuts to an amount equal to those in the Senate bill. However, proponents of both deeper and shallower SNAP cuts are sure to raise the issue again either on the House floor and during any Senate-House conference committee negotiations. There are also some significant commodity subsidy policy differences between the two versions that Agriculture Committee leaders from both chambers hope to iron out in conference. For more on last week's Farm Bill activity, see this NEMWI blog post.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
Upcoming Watershed Conferences Scheduled in September
| Two conferences, the Upper Mississippi River Conference and the America's Great Watershed Initiative Summit, have been scheduled for September. The Upper Mississippi River Conference is set for September 26-28 in Moline, Illinois, and the America's Great Watershed Initiative Summit is planned for September 26-27 in St. Louis, Missouri. They both have as a goal bridging divides, mending fences, overcoming fragmented approaches and unifying a vision for the River Basin, demonstrating the importance to the River stakeholder community of bridging the many divisions that separate them. The Fifth Annual Upper Mississippi River Conference is entitled "Make Room For the River In Your Life, Floodplain, and Architecture." Among other things, it will feature concurrent breakout sessions, plenary speakers, and networking opportunities. The inaugural America's Great Watershed Initiative Summit is designed to be an interactive forum for leaders throughout the Mississippi River Basin to examine collaborative ways to address barriers and maximize "the potential of the watershed."
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
EPA Office of Sustainable Communities to Hold Rural Economic Growth Webinar July 19
| The EPA will hold a webinar on the tools and strategies to help rural communities spur economic growth while maintaining their rural character. The webinar, entitled "Essential Smart Growth Fixes: Ideas for Rural Communities," will be led by EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities. To participate in the webinar event on July 19th at 2PM ET, visit this link. Presenters Ben Herman (FAICP and Principal of Clarion Associates, a national land use firm) and Dean Severson (AICP and Principal Agricultural and Rural Planning Analyst for the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Planning Commission) will highlight zoning strategies from EPA's companion report, found here and provide tips for implementation.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain , Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
Save the Date: EPA Water Quality Standards Virtual Academy Webinar this October
| The EPA will host its first Water Quality Standards Virtual Academy webinar this October. "Water Quality Standards 101" will provide information on how to use Water Quality Standards (WQS) to protect water resources. The webinar is aimed at a broad audience, including states, territories, tribes, environmental groups, industrial groups, municipalities, the academic community, federal agencies, watershed groups, and any other interested parties. The webinar takes place on Thursday, October 4, 2012 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM EST. Register here. For more information on the WQS Classroom or Virtual Academies, please contact Erin Cabral or visit the EPA's site.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain , Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
