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NEMWI Breakfast Briefing:
The Great Lakes Seaway Navigation System
October 7
The NEMWI will host a breakfast briefing on the Great Lakes Seaway Navigation System on Wednesday, October 7 at 8:30 a.m. (Rayburn House Office Building, B-339). The briefing will discuss the e
conomic impacts, system investments, and maritime trade opportunities ongoing in the Great Lakes Seaway Navigation System. Speakers include:
- Dr. Michael Goff, President/CEO, Northeast-Midwest Institute
- Betty Sutton, Administrator, Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
- Dr. John C. Martin, President, Martin Associates
- Mark W. Barker, President, The Interlake Steam-ship Company
- Paul C. LaMarre III, Director, Port of Monroe, Michigan
- Peter R. Johnson, Deputy Director, Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers
- American Iron and Steel Institute (invited)
Honorary Co-Sponsors of the briefing are the House Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Candice Miller (MI), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Sean Duffy (WI), and Louise Slaughter (NY).
For more information and to RSVP, please contact Hope Ratner
, Administrative Manager at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Congressional Delegation Requests Support for Regional Priorities in President's Budget
Last week, the Great Lakes Congressional Delegation, led by the leaders in the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition's Great Lakes Task Force, sent letters to the President requesting support for maritime navigation priorities and restoration. As previously reported in the NEMWI's Weekly Update, members of the Great Lakes Task Force circulated letters among their colleagues throughout September. These letters help to inform the President's administration as it prepares its FY2017 budget request to Congress, which is expected in early February.
Led by Reps. Sander Levin (MI), David Joyce (OH), and Louise Slaughter (NY), members sent
a letter requesting $300 million in the FY2017 budget request for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The GLRI program, since its creation in FY2010, has enjoyed consistent bipartisan support and has provided nearly $2 billion to remediate legacy pollution, restore habitat, manage nutrients and invasive species, among other priorities.
Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Candice Miller (MI), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Sean Duffy (WI), and Louise Slaughter (NY), and 18 other members sent
a letter requesting $175 million for Great Lakes Navigation System Operation and Maintenance and $10 million for the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration (GLFER) Program in the FY2017 budget request. Rep. Sean Duffy (WI) had led a successful effort on the House floor to provide $10 million to the GLFER program as part of the FY2016 U.S. Army Corps of Engineer budget. Continued funding in FY2017 would ensure progress on restoration work by the Corps throughout the Great Lakes, including projects in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, among others. The Great Lakes Task Force has consistently supported operation and maintenance work, including designation of the maritime system as the Great Lakes Navigation System in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014.
One additional letter, led by Rep. Mike Quigley (IL) is still circulating. It requests full funding of the Brandon Road Feasibility Study through the Army Corps of Engineers in the FY2017 budget request. The study will examine how to prevent one-way transfer of invasive species from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes basin, and
full funding for FY2017 was supported by the multi-stakeholder Chicago Area Waterway System Advisory Committee.
For more information, contact
Danielle Chesky
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program or Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst, both at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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This Week on Capitol Hill
Looking to avoid a government shutdown this Thursday, Congress resumed a frantic schedule of legislative activity. Expectations are that the Senate will pass a "clean" (no controversial policy riders) Continuing Resolution which extends current FY2015 funding levels through December 11. Once passed by the Senate, the House will vote on the measure and send it along to the President for his signature, thus avoiding a closure of the government like in 2013. Some of the key hearings scheduled for this week are listed below with relevant times, location, and links.
Notably, the "Waters of the United States" rule resurfaces as a popular hearing topic, and the Endangered Species Act and pipeline safety-- topical in the Midwest and Plains states--take center stage before two Senate subcommittees. Finally, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program will be featured in a House hearing this Wednesday.
Tuesday
- House Agriculture Committee Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research held a hearing to highlight research innovations achieved by our nation's agricultural colleges and universities, 10:00 AM, room 1300 Longworth House Office Building.
- House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Land held an oversight hearing on Federal Forest Management, 10:30 AM, room 1334 Longworth House Office Building.
- Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife briefing for all EPW Committee Members entitled, "Improving the Endangered Species Act: Perspectives from the Fish and Wildlife Service and State Governors," 2:00 PM, room 406 Dirksen Building.
- Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security hearing to examine pipeline safety, focusing on oversight of our nation's pipeline network, 2:30 PM, room 253 Russell Senate Office Building.
Wednesday
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing entitled, "The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: A Review of the Progress and Challenges in Restoring the Great Lakes," 10:00 AM, room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
- Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Army Corps of Engineers' Participation in the Development of the New Regulatory Definition of "Waters of the United States," 10:00 AM, room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
- House Natural Resources Committee oversight hearing on "Respecting State Authority, Responsibilities and Expertise Regarding Resource Management and Energy Development," 10:00 AM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building (hearing will examine the role states play in managing natural resources and energy development).
For more information, please contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program, Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst or Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst, all at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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EPA Announces $13.2 Million in Supplemental Revolving Loan Funds to Clean up Contaminated Brownfields Sites; $8 Million Goes to NEMW Region
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
announced
approximately $13.2 million in supplemental funding to clean up contaminated Brownfields properties through revolving loans. Supplemental funding will be given to 31 successful Revolving Loan Fund grantees helping 44 communities carry out cleanup and redevelopment projects. Eighteen of those grantees are located in the NEMW region, representing $8 million of the awarded funds. According to EPA, "the RLF grantees provide a level of funding for cleanups that isn't available through traditional financing options or through other brownfield grants. When these loans are repaid, the loan amount is then returned to the fund and re-loaned to other borrowers, providing an ongoing sustainable source of capital within a community for additional cleanup of brownfield sites."
A full list of awardees is available
here
.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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New York City Office of Environmental Remediation Issues Report on Federal Brownfields Tax Incentive
New York City's Office of Environmental Remediation has issued a
report, prepared by Redevelopment Economics, on the federal brownfields tax incentive, IRS Section 198. The incentive-in effect from 1997-2011-allows a taxpayer to deduct cleanup costs on a broad range of contaminated sites in the year incurred, rather than capitalizing them and taking the depreciation over the property's useful life. The incentive allows an individual to recover from 33% to 50% of cleanup costs depending upon the individual combined income tax bracket, according to the study. By examining 17 sites in 13 states that took the deduction, the report found that 17 projects attracted $1.4 billion in capital investment, and created 14,000 construction jobs and 9,300 permanent jobs. The study also found that:
- $1.00 in foregone income through the federal brownfields tax incentive leverages $47 of funding from other sources
- $3,200 in brownfields tax incentive deductions leverages one permanent job
- The ratio of tax incentive outlays to income tax revenues derived is: 1 to 5
The NEMWI reported earlier this year on the reintroduction of legislation (HR 2002) that would reauthorize the tax incentive through the end of 2019; that bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Webinar on Equitable Development, October 14
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a webinar, "Equitable Development: The Role of Brownfields Renewal, Community Land Trusts and Employee Owned Businesses in Neighborhood Stability" on October 14th at 2:00 EDT. The webinar is an opportunity to learn from local leaders and gain an insider's view of pioneering community building strategies, practical tools, and know-how. Participants will learn about Cleveland's Evergreen Worker Cooperatives, flourishing for-profit green businesses, and the ways that the companies are building equity and wealth and retaining financial resources in the community. Participants will also hear from a representative of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative's Community Land Trust in Roxbury, MA, which was created to take ownership of more than 30 acres of land and realize a vision of development without displacement. Register for the webinar
here
.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI Job Announcement:
Director of Finance and Administration
At an exciting juncture in its 37-year history, as it enters a period of growth and increased impact, the Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI)) is seeking a new Director of Finance and Administration. The position manages the Institute's finances, including accounting functions, reporting on expenses relative to budgets and revenue, budget planning, financial policies and controls, and vendor relationships and contracts. Government funding is a major part of NEMWI's revenue stream, so managing government grants and reporting as well as indirect cost calculation and compliance are major responsibilities of the job. The position also manages human resources, including fringe benefits, and general administrative responsibilities. The position supervises the Staff Accountant, and reports directly to the President and CEO.
Qualifications: Candidates must possess at least a B.A. or B.S., preferably in accounting, and have significant experience in accounting, including a strong working knowledge of GAAP. A solid track record in budget planning and in preparing reports on spending relative to budgets is essential. Five to ten years of experience in nonprofit accounting and finance is required.
Background: The Northeast-Midwest Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan research, education, and policy organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for the northeast and midwest region. NEMWI has unique standing in the regional policy-making process in that it was founded in response to calls by the Congressional Northeast-Midwest Coalition for a stable and trusted source of regional data and research as well as policy options and analysis. Building on its strong track record of advancing the well-being of the 18 states of the northeast and midwest, NEMWI is entering a new period of growth and impact, enhancing its strengths in the areas of the environment and conservation, water quality, the Great Lakes and Mississippi River, and policy-monitoring and analysis, and exploring new initiatives in areas ranging from economic vitality and the needs of older cities, to state-focused programs and new regional issues such as regional waterways.
Compensation: Compensation includes a competitive salary, commensurate with experience, as well as an excellent package of health and other employee benefits.
To Apply: Candidates for the position should submit a letter of application presenting their experience and interest in the position, resume, and listing of five references (which will not be contacted without prior permission), to: Michael J. Goff, Ph.D., President and CEO, Northeast-Midwest Institute, at
mgoff@nemw.org.
The Northeast-Midwest Institute is an equal opportunity employer
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