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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. Look out for an official invitation in the coming weeks.
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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The Great Lakes Water Protection Act Introduced in Senate
The Great Lakes Water Protection Act was introduced in the Senate last week by Senators Tammy Duckworth (IL) and Dick Durbin (IL). S. 3630 seeks to improve the water quality in the Great Lakes by ending the dumping of untreated sewage waste into basin.
The bill also creates a dedicated fund to help clean up sewage in the Great Lakes and requires the public to be immediately notified when sewage is discharged. This new dedicated fund, which is called the Great Lakes Cleanup Fund, authorizes up to $250 million each year from 2020 to 2024 to support projects that lead to reductions in wastewater blending.
Similar legislation was introduced in the House by Reps. Dan Lipinski (IL). Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH) has joined as a cosponsor since its introduction. More details about S. 3630 can be viewed here.
For more information, please contact
Matt McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington 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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Environmental Working Group Scrutinizes Farmer Aid Package in Forthcoming Report
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a
report today regarding the distribution of funds under the Trump Administration's $12 billion farmer aid package. EWG filed a Freedom of Information Request with the Department of Agriculture to get a closer look at exactly where the money was going.
What they found was that despite being billed as "farmer aid," a lot of the bailout funding was being sent to recipients in major cities. According to EQG, "1,142 'farmers' in the nation's 50 largest cities have received bailout payments so far. That includes nine residents of San Francisco, four residents of Los Angeles, five residents of New York City and four residents of Washington, D.C."
Furthermore, it seems the USDA is not following its own rules for distribution of the funds. "EWG also found 85 bailout recipients who collected more than $125,000, including one bailout recipient in Louisiana who received $439,120. The USDA established a $125,000 payment limit when the program was announced."
This $12 billion dollar
farmer aid package is the Trump Administration's attempt to reduce the harmful impacts on struggling farmers resulting from the ongoing trade war with China. It seems, however, that the aid is not being distributed as intended.
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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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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Update on Recent Study Regarding Ocean Warming Rates
The authors of a major scientific study that claimed Earth's oceans were warming faster than previously anticipated have now said that their work contained errors that made their conclusions more certain than they actually are. As reported by the
Washington Post, the authors have submitted
corrections to the article they published two weeks ago, which was also covered in this newsletter.
They had previously asserted that the Earth's oceans have "absorbed 60 percent more heat than previously thought." A co-author of the study indicated that the researchers found too much uncertainty in their measurements to definitively support the paper's conclusion about how the ocean has absorbed heat over time.
While their paper cannot conclusively determine that the oceans have absorbed 60 percent more heat than before, the study still highlights the significant impact of ocean warming on global temperature increases.
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
The House and the Senate are both in recess this week.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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