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Congress on Recess
With the House of Representatives on recess until April 12 and the Senate on recess until April 4, Capitol Hill will be relatively quiet this week. Most appropriations letters are finalized and have been submitted, including letters from Members of the NEMW Coalition on the following programs, among others:
- Manufacturing Extension Partnership
- Community Development Block Grant
- Economic Development Administration
- Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds
- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
- Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms
These letters, sent to leadership on the Appropriations Committee, communicate support for various programs and/or levels of funding. A
s they are available, finalized letters will be posted
here
on NEMWI's website.
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program,
or Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst,
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI Expert Interviewed for Newly-Released Flint Water Advisory Task Force Report
The Flint Water Crisis was caused by failures at Michigan state agencies and appointed emergency managers' misjudgments, both of which answer to the Governor, according to the
final report
of the Flint Water Advisory Task Force released on March 23, 2016. The report identifies the roles and needed improvements at state and local agencies and departments. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the federal Lead and Copper Rule also contributed to the crisis, which brings national implications for the need to reduce lead exposure through drinking water and associated costs for infrastructure improvements to protect public health. In October 2015, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder commissioned the task force to conduct an independent review of the contamination of the Flint water supply: what happened, why it occurred, and what is needed to prevent a recurrence in Flint or elsewhere in the state. NEMWI Senior Policy Analyst Elin Betanzo, who played a major role in bringing attention to the
Flint Water Crisis
, was one of over 60 experts interviewed in the preparation of the report.
For more information, contact
Elin Betanzo, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI Chairs Global Ballast Water Test Facility Capacity Building Meeting
On March 14-15, 2016, NEMWI's Allegra Cangelosi chaired a two-day meeting of the GloBal TestNet, an ad hoc organization of ballast water management system (BWMS) testing facilities globally. The goal of the group is to raise the quality of global ballast water treatment testing to better assure effective performance of International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)-approved BWMS in real-world applications. NEMWI's Great Ships Initiative was an early pioneer of quality BWMS testing, especially in fresh water, and is actively vetting BWMS for USCG certification in land (freshwater only) and ship board (all salinities) applications through the NSF International Independent Laboratory.
As United States federal, and international, deadlines for ballast treatment approach, there is a critical need for ample high quality testing capacity to assure proper vetting of BWMS proposed for certification. The GloBal TestNet comprises 19 BWMS testing entities, of which 11 are recognized by the USCG as qualified to conduct USCG certification tests. The meeting took place in conjunction with the IMO's Globallast Programme Ballast Water Technology R&D Forum in Montreal, Canada. Discussions at the meeting revolved around ways to resolve shared testing challenges, and the group's organization and objectives moving forward. For more information about the GloBal TestNet, visit its website.
For more information, contact Allegra Cangelosi,
PI of the Great Ships Initiative
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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White House Water Summit Highlights Public and Private Commitments to Address Water Challenges
The White House hosted a Water Summit on World Water Day, March 22, 2016, to bring attention to water challenges that are facing communities and regions across the United States, impacting millions of lives and costing billions of dollars in damages. More than 150 institutions joined the federal government announcing new efforts and commitments to create cross-cutting, creative solutions to solving the water problems of today, as well as innovative strategies that will catalyze change in how water is used, conserved, and protected in the years to come. Senior Policy Analyst Elin Betanzo represented NEMWI at the Summit. Speakers and announcements highlighted the need for better and more accessible water data, and increased investment in water infrastructure to protect public health and the environment. NEMWI has taken a lead on documenting the need for water quality data to inform policy decisions through the project
Toward Sustainable Water Information
, and bringing attention to the
Flint Water Crisis
. The commitments and announcements at the White House Water Summit are summarized
here
.
Additionally, in conjunction with World Water Day, Co-Chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH), organized a session of special order speeches
that afternoon after votes highlighting the Great Lakes. Members spoke about the importance of the Great Lakes as an ecological and economical driver of the region. Along with Rep. Kaptur, Reps. Dan Benishek (MI), Mike Kelly (PA) and Dan Kildee (MI) all provided remarks, which can be viewed
here.
For more information, contact
Elin Betanzo, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Save the Date: Water Data and Shale Gas Development in the Susquehanna River Basin, April 20
Save the date for a Capitol Hill Briefing entitled "Water Data to Answer Urgent Water Policy Questions: Shale Gas Development in the Susquehanna River Basin." The briefing will take place in the Capitol Visitor Center's Congressional Meeting Room North on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM. NEMWI will share findings from its recently-released
Susquehanna River Basin Shale Gas Development Study
and related policy perspectives.
For more information, contact
Elin Betanzo, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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