The U.S. Department of Transportation announced $474 million for the 2013 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, of which $161,777,729 went to projects in Northeast-Midwest states.  The TIGER grants are awarded through a competitive process and leverage money from the private sector, states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and transit agencies.  Projects in the NEMW region support ports, railroad, bus, and road improvements. In 2012, the NEMW states received just over $194 million for TIGER grants, from a total pot of nearly $500 million.

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

A coalition of Great Lakes states, municipalities, tribes, businesses, industries, and conservation groups wrote to Congressional leaders, urging restoration of funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. These programs have contributed to improvements in water quality, habitat restoration, economic growth, and recreational activities. Signatories to the letter emphasized the collaboration in forming the base of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative goals and objectives, and its resulting success. The release comes as Great Lakes interests gather in Milwaukee for Great Lakes Week, September 9-12, 2013.

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

The NEMWI is holding three Great Lakes briefings in September. The first briefing, scheduled for Friday, Sept 13, 2013, at 2 pm in Longworth 1310, will focus on Great Lakes relevant provisions in the House Water Resources Development Act legislation. The briefing is intended to help staff understand the many areas in which WRDA bill provisions could influence the Great Lakes economy and ecosystem. House Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs, Reps. Miller, Dingell, Duffy, and Slaughter, are honorary co-sponsors of the briefing. A limited number of webinar spots are available; please contact Danielle Chesky for information.

The second and third briefings address Asian carp issues. On Monday September 16, 2013, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon in the Capitol Visitor's Center Congressional Meeting Room North (CVC-268), six speakers will discuss use of environmental DNA in monitoring Asian carp for resource management purposes. Speakers will include representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as Dr. David Lodge of the University of Notre Dame, who developed the Carp eDNA detection methodology.  Representatives from three states (Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois) that have directly felt the impacts and threats of Asian carp will give their perspectives. Speakers will address the history of the technology, its use in monitoring and detection, future research needs to better utilize eDNA as a tool, and state impacts.  The briefing is open to the public, but non-Congressional staff attendees are asked to RSVP by Friday, September 13 to expedite security check-in.

On Tuesday, September 17, 2013, from 10-11 am in the Capitol Visitor's Center, SVC-214, the federal partners will provide information on their The 2013 Asian Carp Control Framework. Speakers will address many aspects of the 2013 Framework, including GLMRIS, monitoring, technology updates, and GLRI as an umbrella program. Anticipated agencies speaking include Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs, Sens. Carl Levin (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL) and Reps. Candice Miller (MI), John Dingell (MI), Sean Duffy (WI) and Louise Slaughter (NY) will serve as honorary co-sponsors of the briefings.

For more information, please contact Danielle Chesky, Northeast-Midwest Institute, or Sam Breene, Legislative Director, Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition.