|
|
|
NEMWI to Hold a Primer on Water Policies That Govern its Availability, Quality, and Reliability
The Northeast-Midwest Institute is organizing a Congressional Briefing to briefly discuss primary laws governing water quality (Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act) and appropriation mechanisms like the State Revolving Fund and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) that finance much of the water infrastructure in the country.
Water infrastructure in the United States is in need of significant repair and rehabilitation. Federal funding has largely remained constant (in nominal value), while the demand for additional funding has increased. As much of the region - and vast parts of the country - deal with numerous water quality and access issues - from lead and PFAS contamination to algal blooms and high water bills - this briefing will provide Capitol Hill staff with much-needed background on key laws governing water quality and access in the country, and the tools available to impact policy changes. The list of speakers will be made available shortly.
What: A Primer on Water Policies: Key Laws and Financing Mechanisms
When: Thursday, April 11, 2019, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: 210 Cannon House Office Building
For more information, please contact
Eric Heath
, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program or Dr. Sri Vedachalam, Director of the Safe Drinking Water Research and Policy Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
|
|
Northeast-Midwest Institute to Host Congressional Great Lakes Orientation Briefing
The Northeast-Midwest Institute will be holding a comprehensive orientation briefing for Congressional staff on critical federal Great Lakes issues on Friday, March 29 from 12 pm - 3 pm in Rayburn 2060.
This comprehensive orientation briefing will focus on providing new and existing Congressional staff with a broad overview of the key issues impacting the Great Lakes. Because of the large amount of content that will be presented at the orientation briefing, there will be several orientation briefings over the spring that will address economic and infrastructure needs in the region.
What
: Great Lakes Orientation for Congressional Staff
When
: 12:00 PM- 3:00 PM, Friday, March 29, 2019
Who
: Key Great Lakes federal, state, and NGO stakeholders from across the region
RSVP
: Matt McKenna, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program mmckenna@nemw.org
For more information,
please contact
Matthew McKenna, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
|
U.S. - China Trade Talks Resume in Beijing, Washington
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Deputy Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin
will travel to China next week
to continue trade negotiations with Chinese government officials. The scheduled meeting in Beijing is the first of two that U.S. trade officials will attend in the coming weeks to discuss the framework of a new trade deal with their Chinese counterparts, with a second meeting scheduled April 3rd in Washington,
BBC reports
. The upcoming meetings continue yet another round of trade discussions between the two economic giants in an attempt to end the trade war.
U.S. trade officials will continue to condemn what they believe to be unfair trade practices by the Chinese government, which is accused of unfairly propping up domestic industries by issuing massive subsidies to its producers while engaging in forced tech-transfer at the expense of U.S. companies. U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer commented that "China knows [that] tech is the key to the future" while testifying before the House committee on Ways and Means last month. During his testimony, Ambassador Lighthizer addressed the issue of intellectual property (IP) theft by emphasizing that the U.S. needs to protect its collective competitive advantage over China. In doing so, the Trump administration has prioritized making provisions protecting against physical and cyber theft of IP a sticking point in negotiations.
The last time the two countries engaged in trade talks on
February 15th
, no deal was made. However, President Trump waived the deadline for mandatory tariff hikes on Chinese goods that was due to take effect March 1st, citing progress in reaching an agreement. The challenge on the part of U.S. officials this time around is predicated on how the U.S. will seek to enforce provisions regarding tech-transfer and currency manipulation with Chinese cooperation. If a deal falls through, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods are
set to double
, a prospect that would further exacerbate a drawn-out trade war that has taken a significant toll on key sectors of both economies.
For more information, please contact
Eric Heath
, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
|
Rep. Dingell Elected New Co-Chair of Congressional Great Lakes Task Force
Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12) was elected to be the next Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Great Lakes Task Force. She joins her colleagues Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), and in the Senate Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), as Co-Chairs. Members of the House and Senate Great Lakes Task Force work together in a bipartisan fashion to build support for key regional programs to enhance environmental quality and economic development throughout the Great Lakes basin. The Task Forces convene member-level and staff-level events, including meetings, hearings, and briefings. They also collaborate to exercise agency oversight, and advance legislative and appropriation initiatives. Rep. Dingell's district includes most of Washtenaw county and significant parts of Wayne County in southeast Michigan. A statement from the Congresswoman can be viewed
here
.
For more information,
please contact
Matthew McKenna, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
|
NEMWI Staff Publish Op-Ed Highlighting Potential Harm from Proposed WOTUS Rule
Staff from the Northeast-Midwest Institute published an op-ed this week in the Morning Consult highlighting the harm that the newly proposed Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule would have on the nation's environment and natural resources.
The rule was recently proposed to replace the 2015 version of the rule, and there is currently an open comment period regarding the proposed change. More information is available here. The Izaak Walton League of America has created a helpful resource to guide you in submitting comments on the proposed rule change to the EPA.
For more information, please contact Dr. Sri Vedachalam, Director of the Safe Drinking Water Research and Policy Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
2020 Candidate Profiles: Beto O'Rourke, Potential Democratic Nominee for President of the United States
Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke formerly served as both a city council member in El Paso from 2005-2011 and as a three-term U.S. Representative for Texas's 16th Congressional district from 2013-2019. As a U.S. Representative, O'Rourke served on a number of committees including the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Armed Services. He also received a lifetime score of 95% from the League of Conservation Voters, an advocacy group that provides an environmental scorecard based on a Member of Congress's voting history.
According to O'Rourke's campaign website, he supports "[e]nacting comprehensive energy reform that optimizes the uses of current energy sources while incentivizing the innovation of new and renewable sources of energy; rejoining the Paris Climate Accords; and empowering the EPA to exercise oversight of those harming the environment, particularly drilling, fracking, and pipeline construction." O'Rourke's environmental advocacy work began before his time serving on the El Paso City Council. He previously
joined
fellow activists in his community and fought against re-permitting Asarco - a mining, smelting, and refining company - because he wanted to preserve the natural assets within his community. Additionally, O'Rourke has been vocal about his support for putting a price on
carbon emissions
and has been critical of the Trump Administration's climate change agenda.
For more information, please contact Eric Heath, Senior Policy Counsel for the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
|
|
This Week in Washington
In the Senate:
In the House:
|
|
NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
|
|
|
|
|
