NEMWI Weekly Update
April 26, 2021
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NEMWI to Kick Off 2021 Great Lakes
Primer and Orientation Program This Week

The Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI) will hold the first session of the 2021 Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program this Friday, April 30, at Noon EDT. Registration is now open for the first webinar session, which will focus on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). To register for this session, please visit here.

Panelists at this session will include:
  • Michael Russ, Senior Advisor, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Great Lakes National Program Office;
  • Eric Brown, Senior Advisor for External Relations, Great Lakes Commission; and
  • Alexis Lopez-Cepero, Water Policy Fellow, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

The 2021 Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program in a series of one-hour webinars that endeavor to provide Congressional staff with a fundamental policy education on the most critical issues that directly impact the health of the Great Lakes at the federal level. Future session topics for this four-part Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program include:
  • The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI);
  • Invasive Species in the Great Lakes;
  • Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in the Great Lakes; and
  • Climate Change and Coastal Resiliency in the Great Lakes. 

Registration also is now open for the second session focusing on invasive species in the Great Lakes on Friday, May 7, at Noon EDT. To register for this second session, please visit here. Additionally, if you have any questions, please email Matt McKenna at mmckenna@nemw.org.  
House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Addresses Resiliency and Sustainability
of Water Infrastructure Systems
 
The House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment met last week to examine future investments for modernizing America’s wastewater infrastructure to address local water quality challenges in a sustainable and cost effective manner. The Subcommittee’s hearing on April 21 was titled, “Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure: Measures to Promote Resiliency and Climate Adaptation and Mitigation.”
 
Many local communities throughout the United States cannot address their wastewater challenges on their own. With aging infrastructure and extreme weather events due to climate change, smaller communities that are economically disadvantaged do not have the tools to effectively modernize their wastewater infrastructure systems. The Subcommittee stated that it is focused on solutions to the nation’s clean water infrastructure challenges by means of investments that are safe, cost-effective, and sustainable.
 
Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) opened the hearing by noting that the American people are directly impacted by Congress’s inability to invest in sustainable wastewater infrastructure. When discussing the communities which cannot afford to modernize their wastewater systems alone, DeFazio noted that “if we remain committed to cleaning up our nation’s rivers, lakes, and streams, and if we remain committed to protecting human health and the environment, the only way we can get there is through renewing a robust federal commitment to addressing our wastewater infrastructure needs.”
 
Among the witnesses at the hearing was Kishia L. Powell, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice-President of DC Water, who highlighted that future wastewater infrastructure projects are not sustainable nor resilient if communities do not have access to affordable and safe drinking water. Powell discussed the importance of ensuring water equity and the critical role that Congress must play to protect the health and well-being of all Americans as the nation modernizes its water infrastructure systems. Powell stated that “adapting and improving infrastructure to meet changing climate, precipitation, and water use trends, may be the nation’s most glaring public works need.”
 
A recording of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment’s hearing on “Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure: Measures to Promote Resiliency and Climate Adaptation and Mitigation” is available here.
Follow the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Facebook
 
LIKE us on Facebook! The Northeast-Midwest Institute is on Facebook with new updates and information on its regional research and policy education program and with announcements for upcoming briefings and events. NEMWI is posting our research reports on current regional issues and ongoing policy education on the page to make keeping up with our policy work easier than ever. The Institute also is updating the page with announcements of upcoming policy briefings and webinars. NEMWI is excited for the opportunity to connect with as many people as possible on our Facebook page.
 
Please check out our Facebook page here. And be sure to LIKE us to begin following NEMWI on Facebook!
This Week in Washington
In the House:

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021 2:00 PM | 2167 Rayburn HOB| Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management

Thursday, April 29th, 2021 11:00AM | Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change

Thursday, April 29th, 2021 1:00 PM | Host: Committee on Small Business | Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access

Hearing: Advancing U.S. Economic Competitiveness Equity and Sustainability Through Infrastructure Investments Thursday, April 29th, 2021 1:30 PM | Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Trade
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