The Northeast-Midwest Institute welcomes Samuel Breene, legislative director for the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition. Sam was born, raised, and educated in Western Pennsylvania.  Before being named Legislative Director for the NEMW Congressional Coalition, he worked directly for Rep. Mike Kelly, first on the Hill for two years and then in his District offices where he worked closely with local officials, agencies, and businesses on many issues important to the NEMW Coalition. Sam replaces Kate Ostrander, the fabulous former Coalition Legislative Director, who moved into a new government affairs role with Americans for the Arts.  We are delighted to have Sam on board and look forward to working closely with him on a wide range of issues of critical importance to the NEMW region!

 

For more information, contact Sam Breene, Legislative Director of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition. 

On Monday, September 16, 2013, the NEMWI will host a public briefing on the use of the eDNA technology when monitoring and responding to Asian carp.  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 briefing. The briefing will feature speakers from the federal partners 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, and representatives from three states (Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois) that have directly felt the impacts and threats of Asian carp. 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 will occur from 10:30 am - 12 noon, in the Capitol Visitor's Center, House-side, Congressional Meeting Room North (CVC-268). The briefing is open to the public but due to Capitol Security, non-Congressional staff attendees are asked to RSVP by Friday, September 13.

Also upcoming, the NEMWI will host a briefing for House staff on potential impacts of a Water Resources Development Act in the Great Lakes, on Friday, September 13, from 2 - 3 pm in Longworth House Office Building, Room 1310. 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.

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

The August edition of the Great Lakes Hill Happenings is now available. This edition includes: 

• Projected legislative happenings for September 2013, the last month of Fiscal Year 2013, including appropriations, the Water Resources Development Act in the House, and Farm Bill action;
• Notices on upcoming briefings on Asian carp and the Water Resources Development Act;
• And a welcome to the new Legislative Director for the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, Sam Breene.

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