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Congressional Briefing Announced On Efficiently Funding Soo Locks
The Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Great Lakes Governors & Premiers will host a Congressional briefing on efficiently funding the Soo Locks on October 17th at 9 a.m.
Please join representatives of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers, the Great Lakes States, Lake Carriers' Association, and the American Great Lakes Ports Association for this important conversation.
The Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, are a vital component of the nation's infrastructure. In 2018, Congress re-authorized construction of a new lock at full federal expense after the US Army Corps of Engineers benefit-cost analysis favorably rated this project. The Great Lakes Governors and a coalition of regional stakeholders have called on Congress to appropriate needed funds to efficiently fund this crucial national infrastructure.
What: Congressional Briefing on Efficiently Funding the Soo Locks
When: Thursday, October 17, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Where: SVC-215
Who: Hosted by the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Great Lakes Governors & Premiers; and with participation from the Great Lakes States, the Lake Carriers' Association, the American Great Lakes Ports Association, and other possible organizations
And special thanks to Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI), Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, in coordinating space for this important briefing.
To RSVP, please email Matt McKenna, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute, at
mmckenna@nemw.org.
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House Committee Approves GLRI Reauthorization Bill
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2019 (H.R. 4031), on Thursday, September 19 by a voice vote. The bipartisan bill reauthorizes the GLRI for 5 years starting in FY 2022 at $375 million, and increasing it by $25 million each year through FY 2026 to $475 million. Introduced by Reps. David Joyce (R-OH) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), the bill has a total of 45 bipartisan cosponsors, and also has companion legislation (S. 2295) that has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The Senate bill has a total of 12 bipartisan cosponsors.
The full committee markup can be viewed here.
For more information, please contact
Matthew Mckenna at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Northeast-Midwest Institute Releases New White Paper On The Potential Of Public Banking As A Catalyst For Green Infrastructure And Investment
The Northeast-Midwest Institute has released a new White Paper that explores the potential of pubic banks as a tool for fueling green infrastructure and investment. This report lays out the major models of public banking around the world and in the United States and examines their various advantages, obstacles, and feasibility of implementation. Specifically, it explores the Bank of North Dakota, the German Sparkassen Banks, and India's Public Sector Banks. It also examines the current political momentum behind public banks in NEMW states and looks into how the concept has built increasingly more widespread support over the years throughout both regions.
This report then lays out the main policy breakdowns that could be addressed by the utilization of a public bank, particularly noncompetitive financial markets, lack of development, state fiscal health, and efficiency issues. In response to each problem, the report details how public banks could serve as a remedy. To combat these issues, the report has outlined a set of recommendations for how a state should create, structure, and regulate a state bank to best achieve its goals and address the problems facing the state.
Ultimately, this report recommends that all NEMW states adopt a public bank and do so with close attention to their circumstances and needs, tailoring the bank's specifics to the nuances of the state. Public banking is not a panacea, but it can move states in the right direction for addressing critical investment gaps and realigning state resources with state interests.
The full report is available
here.
For more information,
please contact
Michael Goff
, President and CEO of the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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Report on House Briefing:
The Subcommittee on Environment Hearing on "Environmental Injustice: Exploring Inequities in Air and Water Quality in Michigan."
The House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing on Monday, September 16th, with five Michigan residents to discuss air and water quality issues impacting the state, including the impacts of the pollution on the health of low-income communities. Michigan's Representatives on the Subommittee placed particular emphasis on Flint and Detroit as having the greatest need for increased awareness and restorative action, and their hope to hold polluting industries and elected officials accountable for their past and current actions.
Dr. Dolores Leonard, an environmental advocate at the hearing, described mass property damage and constant shaking and disturbance at her longtime property as a result of local salt miners using explosives to gather salt. In addition, a local chemical plant frequently had chemical vapor releases that spilled out over the roadways, creating unsafe driving conditions and psychological stress for the residents. She cited several articles on the effect of mining and chemical plant emissions to local air quality, and stressed that the community faces "a life or death situation" from the rampant pollution.
Nayyirah Shariff, director of the advocacy group Flint Rising, spoke on contaminated water resulting from mismanaged water intake switches. On top of the contamination, residents were paying some of the highest rates in Greater Detroit, and old, lead pipes resulted in yellow or brown water coming through residents' taps.
To address the community's pressing environmental issues, Dr. Paul Mohai recommended that the Subcommittee consider legislation that would ensure the protection of residents from the deleterious impacts of industry pollution. Mohai, a professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, was joined by the executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, Nick Leonard, to champion the proposal and to describe how, if enacted, it would safeguard the community against issues of "environmental racism" rampant in the Greater Detroit area.
The full video and audio recordings of the hearing can be found
here.
For more information on the ongoing environmental and legal developments in the region, please contact Matt Mckenna at the Northeast-Midwest Institute at
mmckenna@nemw.org.
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Report on House Briefing:
The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing on: "The Administration's Priorities and Policy Initiatives Under the Clean Water Act"
The House subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment held a hearing on the Trump administration
's priorities and policy initiatives under the Clean Water Act on Wednesday, September 18. Chairwoman Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) started the hearing with her expectations for the day's witnesses by explaining "That is your job today - to answer to this Subcommittee and the American people why you think a weakened Clean Water Act is in the best interests of the hard-working American families". Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Peter DeFazio (D-OR) opened with stronger rhetoric towards the Trump administration by saying "The Trump administration is leading a campaign to dismantle our nation's Clean Water Act".
After opening statements, the hearing had two panels of witnesses. Dave Ross, Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was the first and only witness to testify in the first panel. Ross's testimony highlighted three priority action items such as modernizing and rebuilding America's water infrastructure, reusing water for beneficial purposes instead of treating it as waste and ensuring a sustained workforce in the water sector. Ross was called to testify before the committee to give insight and clarity as to why the Trump administration, just last week, repealed the 2015 Clean Water Rule, put in place under the Obama Administration. The water rule defined the scope of the Clean Water Act and which waters should get federal protection. The Republicans want states to have more control over the protection of their bodies of water.
DeFazio was the first of the members to question Mr. Ross, setting the tone for the Democrat
s agenda. DeFazio started by asking Ross if the EPA is going to develop a new rule to replace the Clean Water Rule. Ross stated that they plan to but for the time being, the EPA will use the definitions from the 1986 Clean Water Act. The majority of Democratic members on the committee were not pleased because the roll back would also leave many wetlands and other bodies of water unprotected under federal regulations. They do not want to leave it up to the states to decide what should be considered regulated bodies of waters. Representative DeFazio proceeded to question Mr. Ross on the science the EPA was using to support the rollback. Mr. Ross answered by saying "I do not have the data" which led DeFazio to tell him "maybe before you propose anything you should go out and get some damn data".
The second panel consisted of six witnesses with the first being Ms. Maia Bellon, Director, Department of Ecology. Ms. Bellon argued against the repeal and this administration's "reckless" attempts to dismantle the Clean Water Act. Ms. Becky Keogh, Secretary of the Department of Arkansas Energy and Environment was in attendance to stress the importance of the repeal stating "The first step is making sure we are all using the same cookbook and the same recipe". Mr. Ken Kopocis, Associate Professor, College of Law, American University, argued "The Trump EPA is determined to roll back water quality protection whenever possible". Mr. Michael Hickey, a resident in Hookey Falls, NY, testified to the PFAS water pollution damages it has done to him and his family. Ms. Pam Nixon, President, People Concerned About Chemical Safety, shared her experience of the 2014 chemical spill at a former Freedom Industries tank farm. The final witness to conclude the second panel was Mr. Geoffrey R. Gisler, Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center. He provided statements such as, "We have asked this administration to do more to protect our waters; in each instance, it has done more to increase pollution".
Whatever stance each party takes on the Clean Water Rule, all members agreed that nobody wants dirty water. As said by Ranking Member, Bruce Westerman (R-AR), "it is critical for life, can't live without it".
The link to the full witness testimony and hearing can be found
here.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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