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W E E K L Y  U P D A T E    May 21 , 2018
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NEMWI to Host Briefing on Cost of Nitrate Removal from the Mississippi River

UPDATED TIME from 1:30-3:30.   Due to a last minute change of schedule by the Senate Rules Committee, the briefing had to be changed to 1:30.  NEMWI  apologizes  for any inconvenience. 

Nitrate pollution and the cost of removing excess nitrates from drinking water are increasing at water utilities in the Mississippi River Basin, according to a soon-to-be-released study by the Northeast-Midwest Institute. After a year of research in which ten years of data are analyzed, the study shows that levels of nitrate in source water exceeding EPA standards are occurring with increasing frequency, especially in the second half of the ten year period. The resulting increases in water treatment costs highlight the need to control for nitrate pollution, which the study found to be primarily a result of fertilizers used in agriculture.

NEMWI will host a congressional briefing on full results of the study and its policy implications on Wednesday, May 23rd, from 1:30-3:00 PM.  More information including a list of panelists will be published in the near future.  

When: Wednesday, May 23, UPDATED TIME from 1:30-3:30 
Where: SVC 200

To RSVP, please email events@nemw.or g

If you have any questions on the briefing, please contact Eric Heath, Senior Policy Counsel, at eheath@nemw.org.  
House Committee Approves FY2019 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
 
The House Appropriations Committee approved a FY2019 Energy and Water Appropriations bill on Wednesday, May 16.  The bill includes $44.7 billion overall for the Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and some programs within the Department of Interior, which is $1.5 billion above the FY2018 enacted level and $8.17 billion above the President's budget request. More specifically, the bill includes $7.28 billion for the USACE, which is $451 million above the current federal spending on the Corps and $30.2 billion for DOE, a decrease of $4.4 billion from current levels.  A fact sheet compiled by the Northeast-Midwest Institute can be viewed here .

This Week in Washington

Both the Senate and House Committees with jurisdiction over water infrastructure are scheduled to hold markups of water resources authorizing bills.  
 
The Senate bill contains several key provisions impacting the region including a provision that increases the authorization amount for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) by $30 million in FY2019, $60 million in FY2020, and $90 million in FY2020; a provision increasing the authorization level of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act by 10 percent for the next three years; and a provision requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete a final feasibility report for Brandon Road by the original deadline of February 2019.  
While the House bill is smaller in scale than the Senate bill, it too includes key provisions including language that would require all of the money that is paid into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is only spent on harbor maintenance and dredging activities. 
The following hearings and markups are of impact to the region:

Tuesday
 
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a  markup to consider the Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018, at 10 am in 406 Dirksen.
 
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture will hold a  markup of the FY2019 Agriculture Appropriations bill, at 10:30 am in 192 Dirksen.
 
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water will hold a  markup of the FY2019 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, at 2:30 pm in 138 Dirksen.
 
The House Appropriations Committee will hold a  markup of the FY2019 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, at 10 am in 2116 Rayburn. 
 
Wednesday
 
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a  markup of the Water Resources Development Act of 2018, at 10 am in 2167 Rayburn.
 
Thursday
 
The Senate Committee on Appropriations to  markup both the FY 2019 Energy and Water and Agriculture Appropriations bills, at 10:30 am in 106 Dirksen.

NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation