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NEMWI Submits Comment on Proposed Repeal of the Clean Water Rule
The Northeast-Midwest Institute submitted a comment last week on the proposed repeal of the Clean Water Rule by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Clean Water Rule, issued by the Obama administration in 2015, clarifies whether certain bodies of water are within the scope of the Clean Water Act's protections. The rule is not currently being enforced due to ongoing federal litigation.
The Institute's comment was one of the over 215,000 that were submitted to the public docket by the end of the comment period last week. A copy of the Institute's comment is available
here.
For more information, please contact
Joe Vukovich, Senior Policy Analyst for the Upper Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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House Holds Hearing on
21st Century Infrastructure
"Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Water Stakeholders' Perspectives" was the focus of a hearing last week before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee. Witnesses at the hearing included local elected officials, representatives from municipal water agencies, environmental NGOs, and the private sector stressed the need for Congress to address wastewater infrastructure as it moves forward with a potential comprehensive infrastructure plan. The panel cited that efforts to fix America's wastewater systems have been hindered by shrinking municipal budgets, insufficient independent financing abilities, and overburdensome regulations.
Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH) pressed the panelists on their thoughts about the effectiveness of public-private partnerships, to which the majority of the panel said they are important but not a full panacea to meet the nation's aging infrastructure needs.
Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT) focused her attention on the importance of protecting drinking water. As a co-chair of the Corrosion Prevention Caucus and citing the drinking water catastrophes occurring in Flint, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio, the Congresswoman emphasized the need to increase standards of drinking water in public schools, apartment buildings, etc.
Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI) stated that water is not a luxury but rather a necessity and that moving forward public policy should address water affordability.
For the written testimony and an archived recording of the hearing, please click
here.
Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Briefing on Great Lakes Aquaculture Held on Capitol Hill
The Risks of Net-Pen Aquaculture in the Great Lakes were the subject of a Capitol Hill briefing on Wednesday, September 27. The briefing was hosted by the National Wildlife Federation, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Trout Unlimited, Anglers of the Au Sable, and the Michigan Steelhead & Salmon Fisherman's Association.
A panel of experts from conservation and sportsmen organizations in the Great Lakes discussed the impact of commercial net-pen aquaculture to the region. Congressional staff and relevant stakeholders were all in attendance.
The participants all stressed the importance of increased regulation of commercial net-pen aquaculture to protect the Great Lakes. The briefing focused on broader ecological impacts net-pen aquaculture has on the surrounding environment including pollution with accumulating fish waste, increased risk of escapement into the local ecosystem, and the spread of disease between fish.
Earlier this year, Rep. Dan Kildee introduced legislation aimed at protecting the Great Lakes and Michigan's rivers from pollution, disease, and invasive species. The proposed legislation seeks to ban aquaculture facilities in the Great Lakes, in an attempt to preserve the environmental and economic health of the region.
Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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This Week on Capitol Hill
The House and Senate have turned their attention to tax reform after a third failed attempt by the Senate to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) last week. This week, Republicans in Congress will look to approve a FY 2018 budget resolution that includes reconciliation instructions so that they can move forward with tax reform with a 51 vote majority in the Senate. The House will likely take up its budget resolution
on Thursday, while the Senate Budget Committee will consider its own resolution this week and move it to the Senate floor in the coming weeks.
A full list of key Congressional committee activity that impacts the region can be viewed below:
Tuesday, October 3
- The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee markup for nine bills at 4:00 PM in 1334 Longworth House Office Building. The docket includes:
- H.R. 424, the Gray Wolf State Management Act of 2017.
- H.R. 1488, the Indiana Dunes National Park Act.
- H.R. 3131, the Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act
Wednesday
, October 4
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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