NEMWI Weekly Update
October 25th, 2021
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Remainder of U.S. Senate Appropriations Bills Released

The Senate Appropriations Committee last week released the nine remaining FY 2022 appropriations bills. In August, the Committee had marked up their first three FY 2022 appropriations bills, but hasn’t yet scheduled a formal markup for the nine that were released last week. The nine newly released FY 2022 appropriation bills include:

  • Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies;
  • Department of Defense;
  • Financial Services and General Government;
  • Department of Homeland Security;
  • Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies;
  • Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies;
  • Legislative Branch;
  • State Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and
  • Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

Overall, the bills are a 13 percent increase for non-defense discretionary programs and a five percent increase for defense-related programs from FY 2021. While the bills touch upon almost every facet of American life, several highlights include:

  • $350 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI);
  • $760.9 million for the Department of Defense for environmental remediation accounts to address PFAS contamination on military bases and in neighboring communities;
  • $51 million increase for climate research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
  • $25 million for US Fish and Wildlife and $11 million for the USGS for invasive carp activities;
  • $6 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to accelerate deployment of effective methods of intervention and mitigation to reduce the frequency, severity, and impact of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in freshwater systems; and
  • $1.689 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $1.176 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

NEMWI will continue to monitor the FY 2022 appropriations process as it moves along this fall and winter. 
U.S. Senate Introduces the PROTECT Act of 2021
 
NEMWI’s Great Lakes Legislative Tracker highlights that this past week, United States Senator Alex Padilla introduced the PROTECT Act of 2021. This legislation, if signed into law, would list certain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances as hazardous air pollutants.
 
Additionally, on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio introduced S.3031. If signed into law, S.3031 would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to modify certain allotments. The bill currently has three co-sponsors.
 
The Northeast-Midwest Institute and its Great Lakes Washington Program will continue to monitor the progress of Great Lakes legislation in the months ahead. The updated Great Lakes Legislative Tracker can be viewed Here.
U.S. Senate EPA Committee Holds Hearing on PFAS
 
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week held a hearing to evaluate the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plans to address PFAS contamination. Testifying before the Committee was Radhika Fox, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water & Co-chair of the EPA’s Council on PFAS. At the hearing, Ms. Fox outlined future actions the EPA will take to address PFAS contamination. In her testimony she highlighted a newly released EPA PFAS Strategic Roadmap, which seeks to builds on the EPA’S 2019 PFAS Action Plan.
 
The Roadmap, which was developed through an analysis conducted by the EPA Council on PFAS, is centered on three guiding strategies: increasing investments in research, leveraging authorities to take action now to restrict PFAS chemicals from being released into the environment, and accelerating the cleanup of PFAS contamination.
 
Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Ranking Member Kevin Cramer (R-ID) both emphasized the importance of the EPA drafting regulations and standards that are unique to the geological and infrastructural diversity among different states. Senator Cramer placed a specific emphasis on the EPA not imposing overburdening regulations on rural water systems. Ms. Fox confirmed that the EPA will work with state regulators as partners to address problems on a state-by-state basis. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) discussed the significance of PFAS contamination at military bases in Michigan. PFAS has been detected at 10 military bases in Michigan, with readings as high as 32,200 parts per trillion. Stabenow also voiced her concerns about the migration of PFAS off of military bases, and into rivers and lakes that provide drinking water to Americans.
 
Please visit here to watch a recording of the hearing. 
Biden Administration Takes Steps To Protect Proposed Mining Lands in Northern Minnesota

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) has filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw 225,378 acres of national forest from disposition under U.S. mineral and geothermal leasing laws for 20 years.

The lands, which are located in Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, Minnesota, are part of the Rainy River Watershed in Superior National Forest which includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, America’s most visited wilderness area, and feeds into Quetico Provincial Park in Ottawa, Canada.

On Thursday the Department of the Interior issued a notice segregating the land for two years while the application is reviewed, public comments are gathered, hearings are held, and the forest service conducts an environmental analysis.

The review halts the development of a proposed copper-sulfide owned by Antofagasta, a Chilean mining conglomerate which was offered a lease under the previous administration. The proposed mine is located on South Kawishiwi River which flows directly into the heart of the Boundary Waters which, in case of spillage, could carry pollutants for hundreds of miles across the water system.

The review comes after almost of decade of lawsuits as activists, sportsmen, and naturalists in both the U.S. and Canada have raised concerns about acid mine drainage and potential impacts on water quality in Quetico-Superior County which could have disastrous effects on protected lands, fish and wildlife, Tribal trust and treaty rights, and the local recreation economy which generates almost $100 million annually and supports businesses across the region.

You can find the notice from the Department of the Interior Here.
Follow the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Twitter
 
FOLLOW us on Twitter! The Northeast-Midwest Institute is on Twitter 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 Twitter page.
 
Please check out our Twitter page here or by searching @NEMWInstitute. And be sure to FOLLOW us to keep up to date with NEMWI on Twitter!
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:

Tuesday, Oct 26, 2021 10:00 AM | Washington| Host: Committee on Agriculture | Multiple Subcommittees

Tuesday, Oct 26, 2021 10:00 AM | Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

Wednesday, Oct 27, 2021 1:00 PM | 1324 Longworth HOB | Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

Thursday, Oct 28, 2021 10:30 AM | 210 Canon HOB | Host: Select Committee on the Climate Crisis

In the Senate:

2:30 PM – VTC Host: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management

10:00 AM – SD-406 Host: Environment and Public Works
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