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NEMWI to Host Capitol Hill Briefing on Vacant and Abandoned Property, May 24
NEMWI, in conjunction with the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition and the Office of Representative Marcia Fudge (OH-11), will host
"
Fighting Blight in the Northeast-Midwest: A Capitol Hill Briefing on Vacant and Abandoned Property and the Federal Response" on Tuesday, May 24
, 2016 from 3-4:30 PM in
2103 Rayburn House Office Building.
Briefing attendees will learn about: the widespread and persistent effects of abandoned property, including the most recent wave of abandonment resulting from the foreclosure crisis; NEMWI's work to identify and assess federal resources and legislation that can help communities address blight; and innovative approaches that communities are taking, with the assistance of federal programs, to rehabilitate or demolish property, or reuse land productively post-demolition.
Speakers include:
- Dr. Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst, NEMWI
- Mr. Frank Ford, Senior Policy Advisor, Thriving Communities Institute
- Mr. Michael Braverman, Deputy Commissioner, Permits & Code Enforcement, City of Baltimore
- Mr. Stephen Janes, Assistant Commissioner, Research & Compliance, City of Baltimore
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NEMWI and ACRCC to Cohost Congressional Briefing on the 2016 CAWS Monitoring and Response Plan, May 24
On Tuesday, May 24, the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), in conjunction with NEMWI, will hold a Congressional briefing on the 2016 Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) Monitoring and Response Plan/Contingency Plan. The briefing will take place from
10:30 AM to 11:30 AM in the Capitol Visitor Center, room SVC 208. The briefing will provide an overview of the ACRCC's Monitoring and Response Workgroup's (MRWG) results from 2015 and its upcoming 2016 Monitoring and Response Plan/Contingency Plan.
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Congress Faces Jam-Packed Schedule this Week
With one week to go until the Memorial Day recess, both the House and the Senate floor schedules are jam-packed. This week, the Senate will likely take up its version of the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House-passed NDAA bill, which was approved last week, included language incorporating the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) (H.R. 980). VIDA would remove the EPA's jurisdiction over ballast water under the Clean Water Act and place it solely within the U.S. Coast Guard. This provision was not included in the Senate defense bill. See NEMWI's policy brief on VIDA's potential regional impact
here.
The House will take up several pieces of legislation this week, including the FY2017 Energy and Water appropriations bill (H.R. 5055). (View NEMWI's fact sheet on this legislation
here.) The House is scheduled to take up
a bill reforming the Toxic Substance Control Act (H.R. 2576), as well as the
Zika Vector Control Act (H.R. 897), a bill that would exempt certain pesticides previously approved for use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act from the Clean Water Act. The House could also vote to go to conference with the Senate on the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016 (S. 2012).
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a draft of the 2016 Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA). The bill authorizes 28 new U.S. Army Corps projects, while looking to de-authorize about $5 billion in previously approved projects to offset the costs. The bill, which will likely be marked up by the Committee this week, also authorizes studies for future water resources projects. The draft can be viewed
here.
Other regionally-relevant events for this week are listed below:
Tuesday
- Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife oversight hearing entitled, "Erosion of Exemptions and Expansion of Federal Control -Implementation of the Definition of Waters of the United States," 2:30 PM, 406 Senate Dirksen Office Building
- House Appropriations Committee Markup of FY2017 Commerce, Justice, & Science Bill and Transportation, Housing & Urban Development Bill, 10:30 AM, 2359 Rayburn House Office Building
Wednesday
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House Transportation and Infratructure Committee
Markup of
H.R. 5303 - The Water Resources Development Act of 2016, 10:00 AM,
2167 Rayburn House Office Building
-
House Subcommittee Markup of FY2017 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill, 11:00 AM, B-308 Rayburn House Office Building
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Senators Klobuchar, Portman, Stabenow and Kirk Introduce the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act
The Leaders of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at supporting fish and wildlife restoration efforts in the Great Lakes. Introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (MN), Rob Portman (OH), Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Mark Kirk (IL), the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (S. 2949) provides assistance to Great Lakes fish and wildlife agencies to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. The bill authorizes $6 million annually for five years to implement fish and wildlife restoration projects and activities of importance to the Great Lakes. The legislation has been endorsed by organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, the Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and the Council of the Great Lakes Region.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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