The Senate returns from recess this week, in time to see the H ouse vote on the Senate-passed disapproval resolution ( S.J. Res. 22 ) of the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps' Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule  ,  which  would stop the administration from implementing the Rule. While the House will likely approve the Senate measure, the President is expected to veto it and Congress currently lacks the votes to override a presidential veto. Additionally, the House will consider the STREAM Act (H.R. 1644), which would block the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from moving forward with a proposed stream buffer zone rule for at least a year.  Other notable activities this week include several hearings, listed below:

Tuesday

• Subcommittee on Nutrition hearing on "Past, Present, and Future of SNAP: Addressing Special Populations," 10:00AM in 1300 Longworth House Office Building.
• Financial Services Committee hearing "Opportunities and Challenges Facing the National Flood Insurance Program," 10:00 AM in 2128 Rayburn House Office Building.

• Financial Services Committee hearing entitled "How to Create a More Robust and Private Flood Insurance Marketplace," 9:15 AM in 2128 Rayburn House Office Building. 

Allegra Cangelosi, Senior Policy Analyst and Director of the Great Ships Initiative at NEMWI, will present  in a Panel on "Sustainable Development: Where Rivers Meet Open Water," on January 12, 2016 at the 95th Annual Transportation Research Board Conference. Cangelosi's remarks will focus  on the interface of land-uses (especially marine transportation related) and the unique ecological and environmental service capacity of River Mouth areas of the NEMW region.  She will base  her remarks on the output from a Great Lakes Protection Fund-supported project prospectus by NEMWI entitled "Great Lakes River Mouths and the Region's Economic and Environmental Future," describing the range of potential Great Lakes River Mouth environmental and ecological services, the maritime transportation nexus with them, opportunities for "cohabitation"  of maritime transportation and environmental services in Great Lakes river mouth areas, and a "to-do" list.

 

For more information contact Allegra Cangelosi, Senior Policy Analyst and Director of the Great Ships Initiative at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.     

NEWMI's Great Lakes Washington Program released its Great Lakes Capitol Hill update for the month of January, recapping several important events that took place in the fall of 2015 and highlighting current and upcoming legislative activities. This month's issue includes updates on the federal appropriations process, Great Lakes legislative updates, and news relevant to regional and federal stakeholders. A copy of the newsletter is available here.