NEMWI To Host Two Webinars on Great Lakes Policy As Its Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program Continues
The Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI) is pleased to announce that it is hosting two important webinars on key policy issues impacting the Great Lakes as part of its ongoing 2023 Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program. First, it will host a session on the impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Great Lakes on Monday, July 17th, at 2 pm EDT. Second, it will host a webinar on the efforts to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes on Tuesday, July 18th, at 2 pm EDT.
The Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program is presented with the support of the Erb Family Foundation and is intended to introduce Congressional staff to critical topics relating to the Great Lakes and the work of the Great Lakes Task Forces. This series of webinars will introduce Congressional staff and other policymakers in Washington, D.C., to issues that are directly impacting the Great Lakes community.
HABs in the Great Lakes – Monday, July 17th, 2 pm EDT
Record HABs driven by nutrient loadings have affected water quality, fish populations, tourism, and the economy across the entire Great Lakes region. A bloom in western Lake Erie in August 2014 resulted in a drinking water advisory for the city of Toledo, Ohio, restricting water use for 400,000 people for three days. These events throughout the region severely impact the quality of life to all living in the Great Lakes community.
The webinar will focus on the science behind HABs; federal, regional, and state efforts to reduce HABs throughout the Great Lakes region; and conservation efforts authorized through the farm bill aimed at reducing nutrient runoff through agricultural production across the region. To register for this webinar, visithere.
Invasive Carp and the Great Lakes – Tuesday, July 18th, 2 pm EDT
The introduction of Asian carp to the Great Lakes would greatly endanger the $7 billion fishery that helps fuel the region’s economy. These invasive species pose a significant threat to existing native fish populations, while also creating a dangerous safety risk to recreational boaters and other users of the Great Lakes, and thus would have a devastating impact on the region. In response to the threat, federal, state, local, and nongovernmental organizations have been crafting a multifaceted strategy to prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, especially through the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS).
The Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ICRCC) was formally established in early 2010 under the name Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee and represents the collective efforts of international, federal, state, and municipal agencies to combat the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes. The ICRCC provides oversight and coordination of interagency prevention activities through the development and implementation of an annual Invasive Carp Action Plan and complementary Monitoring and Response Plan.
The webinar will focus on the current activities that the ICRCC is engaged in to prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, including an overview of its 2023 Invasive Carp Action Plan. To register for this webinar, visithere.
House Appropriations Committee Begins To
Advance FY 2024 Bills
The House Appropriations Committee advanced several of the annual appropriations bills out of its committee last week, including the FY 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act and the FY 2024 Homeland Security Act. It is expected that these bills will make it to the House floor in the near future.
Both bills were approved in Committee on party lines. The Energy and Water Development bill provides $57.958 billion in discretionary spending, $1.963 billion below the FY 2024 President’s Budget Request, while the Homeland Security bill includes $91.511 billion in total discretionary appropriations, including $55 million for the Coast Guard to continue to analyze and select an acquisition phase to procure a new Great Lakes Icebreaker.
For more details about the Energy and Water Development bill, see NEMWI’s fact sheet here.
NEMWI Tracks Legislation Impacting the Great Lakes in the 118th Congress
While most of Congress’s attention this spring has been focused on raising the national debt ceiling, several bills have been introduced that would impact Great Lakes policy.
The Water Infrastructure Sustainability and Efficiency (WISE) Act (H.R.2921) is one of these bills. The WISE Act would incentivize states to promote green infrastructure and water efficiency when using funding provided by the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Additionally, in the Senate, the Water Systems PFAS Liability Protection Act (S.1430) was introduced and would protect public and privately owned water systems and treatment facilities from being held liable for releasing PFAS into waterways.
NEMWI will continue to monitor legislation relating to the Great Lakes and Water Policy with the Great Lakes and Water Policy Legislative Tracker which is available here.
Reported by NEMWI Intern Sallie Newman
Follow the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Twitter
FOLLOW us on Twitter! The Northeast-Midwest Institute is on Twitter with new updates and information on its regional research and policy education program and with announcements for upcoming briefings and events. NEMWI is posting our research reports on current regional issues and ongoing policy education on the page to make keeping up with our policy work easier than ever. The Institute also is updating the page with announcements of upcoming policy briefings and webinars. NEMWI is excited for the opportunity to connect with as many people as possible on our Twitter page.
Please check out our Twitter page here or by searching @NEMWInstitute. And be sure to FOLLOW us to keep up to date with NEMWI on Twitter!
Follow the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Facebook
LIKE us on Facebook! The Northeast-Midwest Institute is on Facebook with new updates and information on its regional research and policy education program and with announcements for upcoming briefings and events. NEMWI is posting our research reports on current regional issues and ongoing policy education on the page to make keeping up with our policy work easier than ever. The Institute also is updating the page with announcements of upcoming policy briefings and webinars. NEMWI is excited for the opportunity to connect with as many people as possible on our Facebook page.
Please check out our Facebook page here. And be sure to LIKE us to begin following NEMWI on Facebook!
