NEMWI Weekly Update
March 1, 2021
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NEMWI Hosts 2021 Great Lakes Environmental Summit Sponsored by The Nature Conservancy

The Northeast-Midwest Institute held the 2021 Great Lakes Environmental Summit on February 25, an annual event which is a premier gathering of Great Lakes stakeholder organizations to discuss the upcoming federal legislative and regulatory agenda. This year The Nature Conservancy and its Great Lakes chapters served as the Summit’s primary sponsor, with Ducks Unlimited and GEI Consultants as co-sponsors. This year’s Summit was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and attendance reached a record of over 70 participants, including representatives from a range of key environmental organizations committed to the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes.

Representing The Nature Conservancy, Dr. Scott Sowa, Great Lakes Director, provided opening remarks highlighting the key work that The Nature Conservancy is engaged in throughout the region. Dr. Sowa also discussed H2Ohio, which is the Ohio initiative to ensure safe and clean water for all through a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improving water quality over the long term.

An early part of the Summit program was a discussion with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Co-Chair of the bipartisan and bicameral Great Lakes Task Force, who discussed upcoming opportunities to address key Great Lakes environmental and economic issues in the new 117th Congress and with the new Administration. Rep. Kaptur pointed out that President Biden has appointed former Great Lakes public officials to several key Cabinet positions, including former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy; Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and the former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, as Secretary of Transportation.

Key topics discussed during the Summit included the FY 2021 and FY 2022 appropriations and budget cycles, environmental justice, conservation, environmental restoration, economic development, climate change, resiliency, and water infrastructure issues. Key Congressional staff provided updates on committee work and legislative priorities, while also discussing upcoming Congressional actions. Additionally, the Great Lakes National Program Office provided an overview on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and other key issues that will impact the health of the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes Summit sponsor, The Nature Conservancy, is one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world, and is a leader in providing critical resources to protect the world’s largest source of freshwater. For over 65 years, The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 100 sites throughout the Great Lakes, including prairies, savannas, forests, wetlands and rivers, as well as working collaboratively with farmers, foresters, elected officials, agencies, and communities across the region to protect this globally significant freshwater ecosystem. The Great Lakes Summit’s co-sponsors were Ducks Unlimited and GEI Consultants. 

Ducks Unlimited is the world’s leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. Since 1937, DU has conserved almost 15 million acres of waterfowl habitat across North America.

GEI Consultants serves as a leading consulting engineering and environmental firm that delivers value by providing professional services to improve our world’s built environments. GEI is a leader in providing multi-disciplined engineering and technical services to a range of private and public sector clients domestically and abroad.
Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm Confirmed as Secretary of Energy

Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 25 to become the Secretary of Energy. The final vote was 64-35, with 14 Republicans joining every Democrat in showing support for her nomination. President Biden and Democrats are hopeful that she will be able to carry out his energy-related campaign promises and deliver a strong response to the ongoing environmental crisis.

Granholm’s tenure as Governor from 2003-2011 included responding to the economic crisis in Michigan in a way that drew bipartisan praise from both sides of the aisle. Granholm was also a member of the presidential transition team for Barack Obama in January 2009 and is a longtime Democratic ally. Granholm addressed the 2012 Democratic National Convention with a sharp speech, touting President Obama’s prompt response to the economic crisis but more specifically his bail-out of the auto industry and the positive impact it had.

Republicans expressed concern about Granholm’s view of the fossil fuel industry and energy in general, claiming that she is too extreme when it comes to climate and the environment. Environmentalists are hopeful than Granholm will carry out one of Biden’s main campaign promises – to address the climate crisis and seek to ensure environmental justice.

Michigan Senator Gary Peters spoke highly of Granholm’s nomination in December when she was first nominated: “As Governor, Jennifer Granholm was on the forefront of investing in clean energy as an economic and job-creating opportunity. She would be a great energy secretary.”

Granholm, who is the first woman to serve as Governor of Michigan, is the first Secretary of Energy born outside of the United States.
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Holds Investing in Transportation Hearing
 
A hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on February 24 entitled “Building Back Better: Investing in Transportation While Addressing Climate Change, Improving Equity, and Fostering Economic Growth and Innovation” included testimony by Governors and other officials.
 
Tom Carper (D-Deleware), Chairman, opened the hearing with a statement in which he reminded everyone about the recent Texas ice storm, the fires of 2020 in California and Colorado, hurricane force winds in Iowa, and the sea level encroaching on Louisiana’s land the size of a football field every 100 minutes. He stated, “Scientists tell us that if climate change is left unchecked, these disasters are only going to get worse.” Mr. Carper said that smart investments in infrastructure could improve road conditions, create jobs, lift up communities, improve air quality, and build a sustainable economy.
 
Ranking member Senator Shelley Moore Capito said the transportation reauthorization bill is one of her top priorities. 
 
In testimony to the Committee, Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan stated that “without significant investments in infrastructure, my state and our nation will struggle to stay competitive”. She said that doing nothing is not an option. She is also committed to Michigan becoming carbon neutral by 2050. 
 
Also testifying, Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland remarked that his state of Maryland has taken an “all inclusive” approach to infrastructure. He said, “Investing in infrastructure is more important than ever” and “together we can rebuild America’s infrastructure.”  
 
Testimony also was presented by Mayor Michael B. Hancock (Denver, Colorado) and New Hampshire’s DOT Commissioner Victoria Sheehan.
 
The committee is proposing a reauthorization bill with the goals of adding charging or fueling stations for electric and hydrogen fueled vehicles, making it safer to use public transit and to walk or bike, strengthening infrastructure that can withstand the effects of extreme weather, and holding state and local partners accountable to ensure funds are appropriated in well-designed projects.   
 
Mr. Carper and the committee believe that using a VMT pilot for all 50 states will help pay for the needed funding. VMT, or vehicle miles traveled, are fees based on distance traveled by a vehicle user on a roadway system.
House Agriculture Committee Discusses Future Incentives to Reduce Carbon Emissions

The House Agriculture Committee held a full committee hearing last week to discuss how Congress can assist in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture sector by creating incentives for farmers to engage in climate-smart farming practices to combat climate change. The House Agriculture’s hybrid hearing on February 25, at 12:30 p.m. (EST) was titled “Climate Change and the U.S. Agriculture and Forestry Sectors.” 

House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott (D-GA) stated that he hopes to work across the aisle to create opportunities for more conservation practices within the agriculture sector. The Committee acknowledged how climate change will severely impact agriculture in the United States, noting that the impacts could affect risk-management tools, the economy, and global food security. Chairman Scott noted that “our farmers, ranchers, and forest managers understand these risks, and they are the first to experience the pressures of a changing climate.” 

Witnesses throughout the hearing highlighted the importance of protecting rural and agricultural communities as the impacts of climate change continue to bring about unpredictable and devastating weather conditions. Extreme weather conditions, such as increased temperatures, drought, and extreme rainfall events, increase the risk of water shortages, flash floods, and food shortages, which pose a major risk to American farmers who cannot survive the economic consequences of these disasters. Members of Congress agreed that farmers need to be included in future conversations regarding solutions to address climate change as it directly impacts agriculture and America’s food security. 

Among the witnesses at the hearing was Gabe Brown, farmer and rancher of Brown’s Ranch in Bismarck, ND, who claimed that a wide-scale adoption of regenerative agriculture could “mitigate climate change while increasing resilience against current and future climatic uncertainty.” When discussing climate solutions, Brown noted that increased funding into existing government programs isn’t enough, and that we “need more education on the ecological approach for how and why regeneration of the land can and must happen.” 

Regarding upcoming legislation, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) plans to reintroduce the Growing Climate Solutions Act in 2021, which would make it easier for farmers to access carbon credit markets. Spanberger noted that the bill would ensure that farmers would “have the tools to participate and benefit from voluntary programs” in efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, agreed that programs should be voluntary and incentive-based, while noting that farmers must continue to have a seat at the table in all future conversations to ensure that Congress makes decisions that will make “not only farming successful, but also make our rural communities resilient.”  

A recording of the House Agriculture Committee hearing on “Climate Change and the U.S. Agriculture and Forestry Sectors” is available here. 
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This Week in Washington
In the Senate:

Wednesday, Mar 03, 2021
10:00 AM – SD-562

Hearings to examine the nominations of Brenda Mallory, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality, and Janet Garvin McCabe, of Indiana, to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Wednesday, Mar 03, 2021
10:00 AM – SR-253

Hearings to examine the nomination of Polly Ellen Trottenberg, of New York, to be Deputy Secretary of Transportation.

Thursday, Mar 04, 2021
10:00 AM – SD-366

Hearings to examine the nomination of David Turk, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.
In the House:
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