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The Region, the Coalitions, and Results of the
Mid-Term Elections
Last week's mid-term elections brought about changes for the Northeast-Midwest region's Senate and House delegations and their NEMW Congressional Coalitions. Here's a quick overview of the results, but more information is available in our compilation of results for the region:
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36
| NEMW Senate delegation members
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8
| NEMW Senate delegation members re-elected (including NEMW Senate Coalition members Dick Durbin - IL; Susan Collins - ME; Al Franken - MN; Jeanne Shaheen - NH; and Jack Reed - RI)
| | 2 | New NEMW Senate delegation members elected in wake of retirements (Joni Ernst - IA; Gary Peters - MI)
| | | | | 164 | NEMW Congressional delegation members
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18
| New NEMW Congressional delegation members elected in wake of retirements | |
0
| NEMW Congressional Coalition members that lost a re-election campaign*
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*NY-25 Election Still Undecided
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Nitrate in the Region's Surface Waters Now Tracked and Accessible in Real Time
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) now makes nitrate water concentration information available from 86 select surface water stations nationwide, including 43 from Northeast-Midwest states Connecticut: 1; Illinois: 13; Indiana: 3; Iowa: 17; Maryland: 3; New Jersey: 2; New York: 3; and Wisconsin: 1. This related article, appearing in the November 4 issue of Environmental Science and Technology, provides an overview of one of the uses for that monitoring network data. The article summarizes USGS efforts to quantifying nitrate loading from the Mississippi River, providing a basis, ultimately, for predicting Gulf of Mexico summer hypoxia. USGS used recent advances in high frequency nitrate sensors to evaluate nitrate loading model performance compared to loads actually measured in the lower Mississippi River. The remote monitoring stations are operated in cooperation with several local, state and other federal agencies, and supported by the USGS National Stream Quality Accounting Network, Cooperative Water Program, and National Water-Quality Assessment Program. For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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December 3 Deadline to Submit Proposed WRRDA Flood Protection, Navigation and Ecosystem Restoration Projects
Among other things, the 2014 Water Resources Reform and Development Act (" WRRDA") authorized a process for approving and potentially funding flood protection, navigation and ecosystem restoration projects related to the nation's aging waterways' system. Title V subtitle C of WRRDA, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (or "WIFIA") provides financial support for infrastructure and related costs, public-private funding initiatives and other innovative credit arrangements, and authorized federal grants to help fund pilot projects. The Army Corps of Engineers is currently accepting proposals from non-federal entities, such as local municipalities, for feasibility studies and modifications to authorized water resources development projects. Proposals will be accepted through December 3. In February 2015, the Corps will publish an Annual Report to Congress listing proposed projects, which then may advance to be authorized and funded by Congress. To find out more, see this article, and this Federal Register notice. For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI Webinar Invitation:
How Well Do Today's Ballast Water Filters Perform in
Natural Fresh Water?
November 19, 2014
10 AM - Noon ET
Ballast water of commercial ships is a primary vector for non-native aquatic species introductions to new environments, where they may become invasive, destructive and even threaten human health. Regulatory deadlines for ships to install effective ballast water management systems (BWMS) rapidly approach, and the need for competent BWMS to reach the marketplace is urgent. Many BWMS design concepts carefully couple high-flow filtration with secondary treatment processes (like UV or biocides) to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. But real-world information on what filters can and cannot achieve in natural fresh water-perhaps the most challenging for filtration-is extremely limited.
GSI conducted a two-month series of filter system tests on nine commercially-available ballast water filters at its world-class, land-based testing facility in the freshwater Duluth-Superior Harbor of Lake Superior, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The testing supplies critical information to BWMS developers, customers, environmental stakeholders, and regulators. The Webinar will provide policy and technical background on the tests, an overview of the commercially available filters subject to testing, the biological and operational performance findings from the work, and opportunity for a panel-discussion on the tests, methods and implications.
Registration free for non-profit organizations and governmental agencies; for-profit organizations a minimum tax deductible donation of $40 is requested.
To start your registration go here.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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