NEMWI and the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, in coordination with Representative Carney (DE-At Large) and the House Delaware River Basin Task Force, sponsored a well-attended briefing on February 13th, entitled "The Economic and Environmental Importance of Coordinated Conservation in the Delaware River Basin." Representatives Carney, Fitzpatrick, Gibson and LoBiondo spoke at the briefing, and Representative Carney rolled out the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act with the following co-sponsors: Reps. Dent, Gibson, Holt, Fitzpatrick, LoBiondo, Runyan, Cartwright, Andrews, Meehan, and Schwartz. The bill is bi-partisan, with 6 Republican and 5 Democrat sponsors. Other briefing speakers included Kelly Anderson, Manager for Philadelphia Water's Source Water Protection Program (presentation); Jennifer Adkins, Executive Director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (presentation); Bernie Marczyk, Director of Conservation Programs for Ducks Unlimited (presentation); and Kim Beidler, Project Coordinator for the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. Light refreshments were provided courtesy of DuPont and the National Wildlife Federation. 

NEMWI hosted a briefing, "Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: What is it, where has it been, where is it going, and what are its impacts," on the background, current projects, and future of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) on Tuesday, February 12. The Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs, Senators Carl Levin (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL), and Representatives Candice Miller (MI), Louise Slaughter (NY), Sean Duffy (WI), and John Dingell (MI) were honorary co-sponsors. Cam Davis, Senior Advisor to the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, provided background on the origins of the GLRI, funding levels, priorities, and community outreach. He described how the GLRI bridges boundaries, including political jurisdictions and parties, in order to support the economy and environment of the Great Lakes. In addition, Chad Lord of the Healing our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition reported the benefits that his group and others have seen on the recovery of the waters, beaches, wildlife, and tourism in the Great Lakes as a result of the GLRI. The final speaker, Dough Focht of Focht Construction in Port Clinton, Ohio, discussed the economic and environmental benefits he has seen as a contractor on multiple GLRI projects. View presentation slides here.

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director, Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

The Department of State delisted the Presque Isle Area of Concern (AOC), located in northwestern Pennsylvania, at the recommendation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Areas of Concern are designated locations that have experienced environmental degradation. The Department of State has jurisdiction over the AOC listings under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which was recently amended in September 2012. The Presque Isle delisting is only the second in the United States; the State Department also delisted the lower Oswego River in New York. Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition Co-Chair Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-03), in whose district the Presque Isle is located, credits "the many conservation, environmental, and sportsman groups in Erie County who have made the health of Presque Isle Bay a community priority" for the delisting. Although delisted, Presque Isle Bay will continue to receive support from the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor ecological conditions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program will provide technical assistance to 43 selected communities across the country, including 14 located in the NEMW region. Through this program, EPA helps communities to achieve their development goals, improve quality of life, and become more economically and environmentally sustainable. EPA staff and national experts conduct workshops that focus on a specific sustainability tool of the communities' choosing, such as complete streets, land use strategies to protect water quality, or neighborhood planning for healthy aging. Communities selected from the NEMW area are: Bridgeport, CT; Stamford, CT; New Castle, DE; Dubuque, IA; Lake Zurich, IL; Brunswick, ME; Portland, ME; Gun Lake Tribe, MI; Jersey City, NJ; Buffalo, NY; Seneca Nation, NY; Williamson, NY; Dayton, OH; and Brattleboro, VT. 

The application period for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 12th annual National Award for Smart Growth Achievement is now open. This competition leads to awards for public- and private-sector entities that have successfully used smart growth principles to improve communities environmentally, socially, and economically. EPA will select an Overall Excellence winner as well as a winner in the categories of: Built Projects; Corridor and Neighborhood Revitalization; Plazas, Parks, and Public Places; and Policies, Programs, and Plans. The application deadline is April 12, 2013. More details are available here.