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Reminder: NEMWI to Host July 14 Briefing: "Water Data to Answer Urgent Water Policy Questions: Harmful Algal Blooms, Agriculture, and Lake Erie"
Following the release of the Institute's study on water quality monitoring in the Lake Erie drainage basin, the Institute will host a Capitol Hill briefing on July 14 to provide an overview of the study's findings and recommendations for improving water quality monitoring. Efficient, effective, and coordinated monitoring is essential for evaluating management practices to improve the health of Lake Erie. Appropriate monitoring will be key to evaluating progress towards reductions in nutrient inputs, like those recently announced by the States of Ohio and Michigan and the Province of Ontario. When: July 14, 2015, 10 AM Where: Capitol Visitor Center, SVC-209 Speakers: Elin Betanzo, Northeast-Midwest Institute Michael Goff, Northeast-Midwest Institute Lana Pollack, International Joint Commission Larry Antosch, Ohio Farm Bureau Honorary Sponsor: Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio For those unable to attend in person, we will post a video of the briefing on our website after July 14.
For more information, or to RSVP, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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This Week on Capitol Hill
After last week's flurry of activity, Congress is back in session this week. The House had been moving through amendments on the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, which stalled over controversy on an amendment relating to the Confederate Battle flag on federal properties. The bill, which has not passed either Chamber on its own in recent years, is not slated for any action this week. NEMWI has compiled overviews of the regionally-relevant appropriations bills, along with the list of request letters by Members of Congress.
On the schedule this week for hearings:
Tuesday
- House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power hearing on "Oversight of Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011 and Related Issues;" 10:15 AM, room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.
- House Appropriations Committee meeting to markup the fiscal year 2016 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill (funds, among other agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ("FEMA")); 10:15 AM in 2359 Rayburn House Office Building.
Wednesday
- House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources oversight hearing entitled "The Future of Hydraulic Fracturing on Federally Managed Lands;" 10:00 AM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
- House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law oversight hearing on the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs; 3:00 PM, room 2141 Rayburn House Office Building.
Thursday
- Senate Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management hearing to review the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs' Role in the Regulatory Process; 2:00 PM, room 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining hearing on several pieces of legislation, including S. 1691, the National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act of 2015, "to expedite and prioritize forest management activities to achieve ecosystem restoration objectives, and for other purposes;" 2:45 PM, room 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst; Danielle Chesky, Director, Great Lakes Washington Program; or Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst - all at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Appeals Court Chesapeake Bay Opinion Has Implications Beyond the Bay Watershed
A 60-page ruling issued last Monday (July 6) by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in American Farm Bureau Federation, et al., v. EPA has implications beyond the Chesapeake Bay watershed to which it applies. The case stems from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) 2010 Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (or TMDL) requirement that states meet nutrient runoff reduction goals from agricultural and other sources by certain dates. That TMDL and a resulting 2011 lawsuit by the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Association of Home Builders and seven other co-appellants have drawn national attention, as groups on both sides of the issue saw the potential for the EPA to utilize a similar regulatory approach to water pollution elsewhere across the country. The EPA TMDL specifically calls for reductions of 25% in nitrogen, 24% in phosphorus, and 20% in sediment loading to the Bay by 2025.
A three-judge Third Circuit panel found that the TMDL process appropriately created a flexible framework designed to meet pollution targets on a large watershed scale. The Court struck down each of the appellants' claims, importantly ruling that the TMDL did not usurp states' rights, or dictate local zoning and land use.
In the near-term the appellants may decide to seek an en banc review of the Third Circuit decision or to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case. Beyond those actions, the ruling would appear to strengthen the Des Moines Water Works' position in the water utility's lawsuit against upstream tile drainage districts over nitrogen pollution from non-point agricultural sources in Iowa's Raccoon River. The ruling could also provide an impetus for additional lawsuits against producers, landowners and other parties over non-point agricultural runoff into surface waters.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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U.S. Secretary of Commerce Announces Designation of 12 New Manufacturing Communities; Five Located in NEMW Region
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced 12 new communities that have received designations under the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership(IMCP) initiative. This is the second round of designations under the Commerce-led program, which is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies. Selected communities receive coordinated support for their strategies from eleven federal agencies with more than $1 billion available in federal economic development assistance.
Among the 12 Manufacturing Communities announced on July 8, 2015 are the following NEMW region designees:
- The Greater Pittsburgh Metals Manufacturing Community, led by Catalyst Connection in Pittsburgh, PA
- The Madison Regional Economic Partnership (MadREP) in the Madison, WI region
- The Greater Peoria Economic Development Council leading a five county region in central Illinois
- The Minnesota Medical Manufacturing Partnership, led by GREATER MSP in Minneapolis, MN
- The Connecticut Advanced Manufacturing Communities Region, a four county area centered on Hartford, Connecticut, led by the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
For more information, contact
Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst at the
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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