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Save the Date: Briefing on Improving the Efficiency of Conservation Efforts
The Northeast-Midwest Institute will hold a briefing exploring ways to improve the efficiency of conservation efforts using the Regional Conservation Partnership Program as a model. The briefing will take place on Tuesday, December 11th, at 2:30 PM in Rayburn 2253.
The briefing will include a panel of the following experts:
- Michelle Perez, Water Initiative Director, American Farmland Trust
- Rosalyn Brummette, Legislative Aide, Senate Agriculture Committee
- Jimmy Bramblett, Deputy Chief for Programs, Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Dr. Sri Vedachalam, Director of Safe Drinking Water Program, Northeast-Midwest Institute
For more information, please contact
Eric Heath
, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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House and Senate Reach Farm Bill Compromise "In Principle"
On Thursday of last week, Congressional leaders announced an agreement in principle on compromise text between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. While the members of the conference committee and Congressional leadership are still working to finalize the specifics of certain titles, the Farm Bill appears to be reaching the finish line.
While much is still unknown about the content of the bill, Senator Debbie Stabenow announced that the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) will be in the compromise version of the bill despite efforts from the House Agriculture Committee to eliminate the program by folding it into the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Senator Stabenow did not specify the funding levels for CSP or EQIP, however, so reallocation of funding is still possible.
With the death of former president George H. W. Bush, all votes in the House have been postponed until next week, and votes in the Senate have been pushed until Wednesday. Similarly, at the time of this publication, it appears Congressional leaders will soon announce a two week continuing resolution to keep the government funded until December 21st.
These developments give the conference committee more time to finalize a compromise agreement on the Farm Bill and get it scored by the Congressional Budget Office.
For more information, please contact
Eric Heath
, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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Incoming Members of Congress Call for "New Green Deal"
The 116th Congress does not officially convene until the start of 2019, but that is not stopping newly elected members from getting a head start on promoting legislation they want to see passed during their time in office. Democratic Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), is already building support for her "Green New Deal." With the proposal's name paying homage to the 1930's New Deal policies pushed by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Green New Deal focuses not only on cutting climate pollution but also creating millions of family-sustaining jobs, raising wages, and building climate resiliency while prioritizing the counteraction of inequality for working class families and communities of color.
Ocasio-Cortez is pushing for the House to create a special committee to work on the specifics of the proposal that already has a draft resolution. The draft includes actions to be taken within 10 years of the execution of the plan including,
inter alia, making national power generation 100% renewable sources, de-carbonizing manufacturing and agriculture industries, and de-carbonizing and improving transportation and infrastructure.
There has been a surge of support for the Green New Deal, led by 15 House Democrats along with many green organizations and groups. Among those organizations are The New Consensus, a 501 c (3) non-profit policy group that formed to bolster ongoing efforts to pass the package, along with a group of young people belonging to the climate group, The Sunrise Movement. With support comes resistance, however, and Ocasio-Cortez's most notable opposition from the Democratic Party has been Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-06), the incoming chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Congressman Pallone has stated that he does not think that a special committee is necessary or should have legislative authority.
Other opposition has been based on the content of the package. A lack of specificity in regards to which renewable energies would be used and if it would be mandated, the exorbitant price tag that is inevitable with an overhaul of the energy sector, a lack of a comprehensive cost analysis in the draft, and the lack of practicality for having 100% renewable energy sources nationally are a few of the arguments made against the proposal from conservative economic agencies and fossil fuel backed think tanks, among others.
Legislation to enact the plan is not anticipated to happen any time soon after the 116th Congress begins, but supporters of the package hope to see it take shape within the next two years. At a minimum, the plan's proponents would like to build momentum for the legislative package that would make passage more likely after the 2020 elections.
For more information, please contact Eric Heath, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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U.S., Canada, and Mexico Sign New NAFTA; Uneasy Ceasefire Established in U.S.-China Trade War
The leaders of Canada and Mexico joined President Trump on Friday of last week in signing the updated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) text, which the White House is calling the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Despite coming to an agreement on the proposed text in recent months, there was still concern about whether or not the deal would ultimately be signed by all three parties due to the steel and aluminum tariffs still being imposed by the United States against Canada and Mexico.
While all three leaders ultimately signed the agreement, the text must be ratified by all the respective governments before it can enter into force. Ratification will not come easily in the U.S. now that Democrats will control the House in January, the earliest that a vote could take place. This ratification will further be complicated by the fact that President Trump has now stated that he will formally notify Canada and Mexico of the U.S.'s withdrawal from the existing NAFTA agreement in an attempt to make Congress ratify his agreement or have no agreement at all.
Separately, the U.S. and China have agreed to postpone any further increases in retaliatory tariffs on each other for 90 days. In the short term, this means the U.S. will not raise its current 10% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports to 25% on January 1st, as the Trump administration had been threatening to do for weeks. China, for it's part, has pledged to lower its tariffs on U.S. auto imports and purchase more U.S. goods, though it was non-committal on specifics. As
reported by Bloomberg, the respective statements from the two leaders raised questions as to what was actually settled in the agreement.
For more information, please contact
Eric Heath
, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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NEMWI Releases New Report on Lead in
Drinking Water in the Region
The Northeast-Midwest Institute released a report documenting the severity of the lead contamination problem in drinking water and analyzing policy changes in the Northeast-Midwest region.
The study finds the lead contamination problem in drinking water has a
broad geographic reach throughout the Northeast and Midwest region, with more than half of the region's Congressional districts - spanning cities, suburbs, and rural areas - having significant issues with lead contamination of water.
The report is available
here and a related press release is available
here.
For more information, please contact
Dr. Sri Vedachalam
, Director of the Safe Drinking Water Research and Policy Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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EPA and Interior Notices
National Drinking Water Advisory Council Meeting:
The meeting is open to the public. To reserve a spot, send an email to ward.tracey@epa.gov with the subject line NDWAC 2018 Attendee. Include your name, address, and phone number.
There will be time for public comments at the meeting. Indicate your interest in the reservation email.
Water Information Advisory Committee Openings:
The Interior Department is seeking nominations for a federal water data advisory group.
More information can be found at the official notice, here.
For more information,
please contact
Eric Heath
, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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This Week in Washington
With the
death of former president George H. W. Bush
, all votes in the House have been postponed until next week, and votes in the Senate have been pushed until Wednesday. Some committee hearings are still taking place as scheduled, however. The following are committee hearings and briefings of interest to the region.
In the Senate:
In the House:
The majority of House committee hearings have been postponed until next week. Full details are available from the House Committee Repository, here.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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