NEMWI Releases Updated Great Lakes and Water Legislative Tracker

The Northeast-Midwest Institute has updated its Great Lakes and Water Legislative Tracker as of September, 2024. There is a new column for companion bills, so users can easily see if there is a Senate version of a House bill, or vice-versa.

One bill that is making progress, as reflected in the tracker, is the Weather Act Reauthorization of 2023. It was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in October 2023 by Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) and co-sponsored by 29 other representatives. The bill passed the House of Representatives on April 30th, 2024. It aims to improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s weather research and includes the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Control Act.

The Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act of 2023 recently passed the House of Representatives. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Nick LaLota (R-NY). The bill will reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Long Island Sound programs through FY2028. The programs include a stewardship grant program that focuses on conserving and restoring the estuary off the coast of New York and Connecticut. A companion bill has been introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

Bills addressing plastic have been prevalent this Congress. Among them is the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate by GLTF member Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). The House version of the legislation is co-sponsored by 82 members, including six members of the Great Lakes Task Force (GLTF). The bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a rule prohibiting the discharge of plastic pellets and other types of plastic into waters of the United States. The Protecting Communities from Plastics Act of 2024 was introduced in the Senate by Senator Durbin and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). The bill would restrict permits to new plastic production plants and set reduction targets for certain single-use plastics.

View these bills and more in NEMWI’s Great Lakes and Water Legislation Tracker here.

Reported by NEMWI Environmental Policy Intern Joshua Bernal, Saint Xavier University

House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on EPA Oversight

The Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials within the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on September 19^th, titled “Holding the Biden-Harris EPA Accountable for Radical Rush-to-Green Spending,” addressing how Congress should navigate oversight of the EPA given the large budget increase received by the Biden-Harris administration to be used over the course of the previous five years.

The sole witness present at the hearing was Sean O’Donnell, the Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Subcommittee Chair Buddy Carter (R-GA) opened the hearing by discussing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enacted under the Biden-Harris administration. He commented on the funding allocation that the EPA has received under the Biden-Harris administration, nearly doubling in comparison to prior administrations, $10.136 billion in total. Rep. Carter expressed that he would rather see those sums directed to other programs and agencies, rather than the EPA. He then continued to discuss oversight. Under the BIL, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) received $53 million dollars to provide oversight of the EPA. The IRA, Rep. Carter claimed, has provided little guidance or requirements as to how the OIG is meant to monitor spending by the EPA.

Ranking Member Paul Tonko (D-NY) then gave his opening statement, offering a differing perspective. Rep. Tonko focused on the importance of the EPA’s budget increase under the Biden-Harris administration and highlighted the projects being completed across the nation. Rep. Tonko mentioned the infrastructure investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the improvement of drinking water quality through replacement of lead pipes in underserved communities. Tonko suggested that the Subcommittee politicized the issue of oversight. Tonko concluded his remarks by stating that the allocation of funding to the EPA should be done carefully, as the EPA has faced administrative challenges in the allocation of the allotted funds.

After opening statements, Inspector General O’Donnell was asked a series of questions by members on the committee about the role that the OIG plays in providing guidance to the EPA to ensure that funding is being properly used. O’Donnell reassured committee members that the OIG shares similar concerns about the lack of administrative capacity within the EPA that could lead to the mismanagement of funds. However, he noted, the EPA also shares these same concerns and has been proactive about implementing programs to combat the issues. Representatives Rodgers (R-WA), Joyce (R-PA), Palmer (R-AL), Weber (R-TX), Balderson (R-OH), and Pence (R-IN), scrutinized the EPA’s lack of financial oversight, fraud detection, and specific programs, such as the Clean School Bus Program.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates $5 billion over five years (2022-2026) to replace existing school buses with zero-emission school buses and clean school buses. Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY) said that the clean school bus program is vital to the health and wellbeing of students and communities, specifically in areas where asthma rates are particularly high. Implementing zero-emission and electric school buses reduce the amount of exhaust present, which reduces the likelihood of health risks for children whose lungs are still developing. Clarke asked O’Donnell about the procedure for school districts to obtain zero-emission buses. He replied that during the selection process to join the Clean Bus program, suitability is a consideration as part of the program eligibility. Continuing to discuss the Program, Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), questioned O’Donnell about previous testimony in which he stated that the EPA has been unable to keep up with demands of the program, due to issues within the supply chain. That testimony, Rep. DeGette claimed, contradicted an audit provided by the EPA that did not indicate that there were significant supply chain issues for school buses. O’Donnell clarified that his previous comment was related to chargers for batteries installed within the buses, not the buses themselves.

The application for the 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Overview, which replaces existing school buses with clean and zero emission models, is currently open until early January 2025.

Reported by NEMWI Intern Chloe Kimrey, University of Michigan

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