NEMWI Weekly Update
July 12th, 2021
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NEMWI To Host Webinar on HABs
on Wednesday, July 14th
 
The Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI) is pleased to announce the fourth session of the Great Lakes Primer and Orientation on harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Great Lakes region. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, July 14th, at 11 AM EDT. Registration is open HERE.

Record HABs driven by nutrient loadings have affected water quality, fish populations, tourism, and the economy across the entire Great Lakes region. A bloom in western Lake Erie in August 2014 resulted in a drinking water advisory for the city of Toledo, Ohio, restricting water use for 400,000 people for three days. These events throughout the region severely impact the quality of life to all living in the Great Lakes community. The webinar session will focus on the science behind HABs, the upcoming forecast of the severity of the western Lake Erie HAB, and policies aimed at reducing the growth of HABs throughout the region.

Panelists will include:

  • Reagan Errera, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Nicole Zacharda, the Great Lakes Commission
  • Todd Brennan, the Alliance for the Great Lakes
 NEMWI To Host Webinar on Monday, July 26, on
“Watershed Conservation Primer and Orientation:
Policy-Makers and Stakeholders”
Please join the Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI) for a webinar on “Watershed Conservation Primer and Orientation: Policy-Makers and Stakeholders” on Monday, July 26th, at 2:00 PM (EDT). To register for the webinar, please visit HERE. This virtual webinar launches NEMWI’s Watershed Conservation Primer and Orientation Program for Congressional staff.
 
Watershed conservation and its significant impact on water quality and soil health are major areas of environmental policy with which many Members of Congress and their Congressional staff are highly engaged. This webinar begins a Watershed Conservation Primer and Orientation Program that is designed to introduce Congressional staff who are engaged in this major policy area to the Congressional policy-making process as well as the work of critical environmental stakeholder organizations.
 
Participating on behalf of Senate and House committees engaged in watershed conservation will be:
 
  • Adam Tarr (Office of Senator Debbie Stabenow), Senior Professional Staff Member, Senate Agriculture Committee.
  • Felix Muniz (Office of Congressman David Scott), Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee Staff Director, House Agriculture Committee.

Participating on behalf of major stakeholder organizations engaged in watershed conservation will be:
 
  • Raj Shukla, Midwest Director of Freshwater Policy, The Nature Conservancy.
  • Kelly McGinnis, Executive Director, Mississippi River Network.
  • Eric Deeble, Policy Director, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
House Appropriations Committee
Continues To Markup Bills

The House Appropriations Committee continues to markup the annual FY 2022 appropriations bills this week. The full Committee is scheduled to take up a handful of bills that include:

Thursday, July 15 - The FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill; and the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Appropriations Bill.

Friday, July 16 - The Fiscal Year 2022 Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill; and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

The Committee has already marked up the annual FY 2022 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which includes $43.4 billion in regular appropriations, an increase of $7.3 billion, or 20.2 percent above FY 2021 spending. It includes a total of $15.6 billion for the Department of Interior, an increase of $2.3 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level, and $11.34 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, an increase of $2.11 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level.

The bill includes $375 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), an increase of $45 million for the FY 2021 enacted level. It also includes $26 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services invasive carp program, $10.62 million for the U.S. Geological Survey’s invasive carp program, and $14 million for the USGS’s Great Lakes Science Center. NEMWI will continue to monitor the annual spending bills as they progress through Congress. 
U.S. House Passes Infrastructure Bill
 
The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed a $760 billion infrastructure package. H.R. 3684, the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act, passed the House by a 221-201 vote with two Republicans joining Democrats in support. The package includes $343 billion for roads, bridges and safety programs, $109 billion for transit agencies, and $95 billion for rail. It also includes $117 billion for drinking water programs and $51 billion for wastewater infrastructure. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (NY) is spearheading efforts in the Senate to craft a bill.

He has said that he wants the Senate to consider both a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a broader budget bill with Democratic support in July. Congressional leadership has indicated that it is aiming for a potential agreement between the House and Senate in the fall.
U.S. House Includes Funding for
Great Lakes Resiliency Study

The House’s FY 2022 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill includes $500,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to start the Great Lakes Resiliency Study. The Great Lakes Resiliency Study, which was originally authorized by Congress in the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), falls under the Corps Section 729 planning authority, and serves as a blueprint to outline future investment and management of the Great Lakes coasts.

The study is meant to include the development of tools for federal agencies, state agencies, and coastal communities to use supporting informed decision-making along the Great Lakes shorelines. The study, which has received bipartisan support from the House and Senate Great Lakes Task Forces, was formally requested to the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee by Representatives Dave Joyce (OH) and John Katko (NY). 
NEMWI Launches Great Lakes Legislative Tracker
To Monitor Great Lakes Bills
Updated as of July 9th, 2021
The Northeast-Midwest Institute has launched a Great Lakes Legislative Tracker to identify key Great Lakes legislation in process in the 117th Congress, and the progress and status of each of these bills. Currently, 38 bills and three resolutions are being tracked to examine the attention Congress is paying to Great Lakes and water legislation.

These bills are being tracked as they advance in the legislative process. Each bill is identified by its bill number and name, a brief description, any sponsors, the committee to which it is referred, and its status. This information is updated on a weekly basis, with a specific focus on the status and current position of the bill, tracking how each bill is moving through Congress.

Among the many bills tracked, notables include H.R.2008, the “Local Water Protection Act,” and H.R.2467, the “PFAS Action Act of 2021.” The Local Water Protection Act already passed the House, the only bill in the tracker to have done so, and it is currently in the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works. The PFAS Action Act of 2021 is on schedule to be reported out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce after being marked up and reported favorably in the past two weeks. Both of these bills, if passed into law, would have enormous implications for freshwater quality.

Climate change and failing infrastructure highlight the need for Congressional action, and the Northeast-Midwest Institute will continue to monitor the progress of this legislation in the months ahead. The Great Lakes Legislative Tracker can be viewed here, and any questions can be directed to: Matt McKenna at mmckenna@nemw.org
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 Senate:

Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2022 for the Department of Labor. Wednesday, July 14, 2021 10:00 AM – SD-138 Host: Appropriations | Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies

Business meeting to consider an original bill to invest in the energy and outdoor infrastructure of the United States Wednesday, July 14, 2021 10:00 AM – SD-366 Host: Energy and Natural Resources
In the House:

Monday, July 12, 2021 1:00 PM | 2118 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies

Tuesday, July 13, 2021 1:00 PM | Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands

Wednesday, July 14, 2021 11:00 AM HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Thursday, July 15, 2021 10:00 AM | 1100 Longworth HOB Host: Committee on Appropriations

Thursday, July 15, 2021 1:00 PM | Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Friday, July 16, 2021 9:00 AM | 1100 Longworth HOB Host: Committee on Appropriations
Notheast-Midwest Institute | nemw.org