|
|
|
Senate to Consider Opioid Epidemic, Energy, and Appropriations
The Senate will consider several legislative proposals this week while t
he House of Representatives is in recess for a district work period.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has filed a procedural cloture vote today on a bill aimed at curbing the opioid drug abuse epidemic (S. 524) by offering grants to combat the growing abuse of prescription drugs. The Senate will also try and move forward with an energy bill (S. 2012) that has been held up because of disagreements over potential amendments, including one that would address the current drinking water emergency in Flint, Michigan. While regional lawmakers continue to push the inclusion of federal aid to replace the lead tainted pipes in Flint and other communities, some legislators remain in opposition to the package due to its price tag. Additionally this week, t
he Senate Appropriations Committee will continue to hold FY2017 budget hearings. The Committee's schedule for this week is available
here
.
Other notable events this week include:
-
Senate Commerce, Transportation, and Science Committee Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee
hearing on
"The State of the U.S. Maritime Industry: The Federal Role," 2:30 PM, 253 Senate Russell Office Building
Wednesday
- Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on "Cooperative Federalism: State Perspectives on EPA Regulatory Actions and the Role of States as Co-Regulators," 9:30 AM, 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program,
or Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst,
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
March Edition of Great Lakes Hill Happenings Now Available
The March edition of the Great Lakes Washington Program's Hill Happenings is now available to view
here. Included in this month's issue are updates on:
- The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act
- NEWMI Great Lakes Events in Washington, DC
- The Upcoming 2016 Congressional Spring Agenda
- The Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization Act of 2016
- The FY2017 President's Budget Request
- EPA Phosphorus Reduction Targets
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
NEMW Coalition Members Circulate Appropriations Letters to Support Regional Priorities
Members of the NEMW Congressional Coalition are beginning to draft and circulate letters to fellow House members seeking their support for regionally-important programs. These letters, sent to leadership on the Appropriations Committee, communicate support for various programs and/or levels of funding.
Letters currently circulating include:
- Manufacturing Extension Partnership: led by NEMW Coalition Co-Chairs Reps. Mike Kelly (PA-3) and Jim McGovern (MA-2); requests $140.4 million, an increase of $10 million over the FY2016 funding level. The deadline for member offices to sign on is March 24.
- Economic Development Administration: led by Reps. Jim McGovern (MA-2) and John Duncan (TN-2); requests $261 million, level with FY2016 funding. Sign-on deadline is March 18.
- Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds: led by Reps. Jim McGovern (MA-2), Peter King (NY-2), Dan Kildee (MI-5), and John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13); requests "critical funds." Sign-on deadline is March 16.
- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: led by Reps. Sander Levin (MI-9), David Joyce (OH-14) and Louise Slaughter (NY-25); requests an increase of $50 million from the President's FY2017 budget request to provide a total of $300 million, level with FY2016 funding. Sign-on deadline is March 14.
More letters are expected to circulate in the coming weeks.
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program,
or Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst,
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
Senate Passes SAFE PIPES Act
The Senate passed legislation (
S. 2276) reauthorizing the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) through 2019
by unanimous consent
last Thursday. The bill includes language, authored by Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), which provides new pipeline standards to help protect the Great Lakes from the threat of pipeline spills. Among the provisions included in the bill is language that designates the Great Lakes as an "Unusually Sensitive Area," which increases the requirements that pipeline operators must adhere to in the Great Lakes. Additional information can be found
here
.
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
Meeting of the Great Lakes Advisory Board, March 9
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host a first-ever public meeting of the
Great Lakes Advisory Board's
Science and Information Subcommittee this Wednesday, March 9, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (CT). The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative covering FY2016-19 and other relevant matters. The meeting will take place in Chicago. More information is available
here
.
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
EPA to Host Blight Elimination Webinar, March 10
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Sustainable Communities will host a webinar on blight elimination on Thursday, March 10 from 2-3:30 PM (ET). The webinar, entitled "
Look Before You Leap:
Designing Blight Elimination Programs to Maximize Community Co-Benefits," will explore how environmentally sensitive residential demolitions and greening vacant lots can contribute to environmental benefits and neighborhood revitalization. The webinar will feature speakers from the Detroit Land Bank and Genesee County Land Bank. Register here.
For more information, contact
Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst,
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
