| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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White House Releases Updated Principles and Guidelines for Water Resources Projects
| On March 22, the Obama Administration's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released a long-awaited, updated version of federal Principles and Guidelines (or "P&G") designed to govern how federal agencies evaluate proposed water resource development projects. The P&G include a final set of Principles and Requirements that, according to the CEQ, lay out "broad principles to guide water investments, as well as draft Interagency Guidelines for implementing the Principles & Requirements." The CEQ concurrently released Interagency Guidelines that outline the "detailed methodology for conducting implementation studies under the new Principles and Requirements." The public has an opportunity to comment on the draft Interagency Guidelines during a 60-day comment period. The schedule for implementing the revised Principles and Standards is not at all certain, however, due in part to a rider added to the 2012 Fiscal Year federal appropriations bill that was effectively extended by the recently passed (Fiscal Year 2013) continuing resolution. That rider blocks the Army Corps of Engineers from implementing P&G updates. Links to both the draft P&G and Interagency Guidelines can be found under the "Resources" section of this CEQ web page. For more discussion on the history and impact of the P&G, the public comment period, and its uncertain fate, see this article.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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National Rivers and Streams Assessment Draft Report Released for Comment
| On March 25, the U.S. EPA Office of Water released its draft report of the National Rivers and Streams Assessment 2008-2009 (NRSA) for public evaluation and also announced a 45-day comment period on the draft report. The NRSA report describes the results of the nationwide survey of river and stream conditions that was conducted during the summers of 2008 and 2009, and also describes survey methods, and future actions and challenges. This report marks the first national monitoring study of the overall condition of rivers and streams using a statistically-representative sampling approach. Fifty-five percent of U.S. river and stream miles do not support healthy biological communities when compared to least disturbed areas. In the Northeast-Midwest region, the Upper Midwest, Southern Appalachian and Coastal Plain ecoregions fared worse than the national average, while Northern Appalachian aquatic communities were healthier than the national average. Of the stressors examined during the survey, phosphorus and nitrogen are the most ubiquitous, and the study found that the biological communities were at increased risk when those nutrient levels were high. Links to and discussion of related information can be found here.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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DOE Presents Concurrent Webinars on State Energy Planning and CHP
| The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will present a webinar titled "State Energy Strategic Planning" on Wednesday, April 3, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EDT). During this webinar, the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) will discuss their recent analysis of 39 State Energy Strategic Plans and accompanying "Guide to State Energy Planning." (Register to attend the webinar here.) The Energy Department will also present a webinar titled "CHP: Enabling Resilient Energy Infrastructure" on Wednesday, April 3, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EDT). This webinar will discuss how combined heat and power (CHP) systems can fulfill the need for resilient critical infrastructure while making energy more cost- and fuel-efficient for the user and more reliable and environmentally friendly for society at large. (Register to attend the webinar here.)
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Chesapeake Stormwater Network and the Center for Watershed Protection Host Webcast on "Watershed Arithmetic"
| The Chesapeake Stormwater Network (CSN) and the Center for Watershed Protection will host a webcast of "Watershed Arithmetic - Crediting & Counting Your Watershed Practices towards TMDL Goals" on April 17, 2013, from 12-2pm EST. CSN will discuss its Chesapeake Bay Program/Urban Stormwater Work Group experience. EPA Region 1 and the Charles River Watershed Association will also share their perspectives regarding TMDLs and load reductions. More information about the webcast can be found here. To register, visit this link and "Add to Cart."
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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