On Monday, June 23, 2014, the NEMWI hosted a Capitol Hill briefing, entitled "How to keep the waste out of the Great Lakes: Regional challenges and successes in wastewater infrastructure," on challenges and innovations for wastewater infrastructure in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Task Force co-chairs, Sens. Carl Levin (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL), and Reps. Candice Miller (MI-10), John Dingell (MI-12), Sean Duffy (WI-07) and Louise Slaughter (NY-25), served as honorary co-sponsors of the briefings. Joel Brammeier, Executive Director for the Great Lakes Alliance, provided background on the many issues in the Great Lakes that stem from declining infrastructure, including combined sewer overflows, closed beaches, and algal blooms. He also discussed federal funding resources for water infrastructure projects, including Clean Water State Revolving Funds (funded at $1.45 B in FY2014) that are the main source for gray infrastructure projects, like upgrades in wastewater treatment plant technology, storage facilities, and pipes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative does not fund gray infrastructure but does provide support for green infrastructure projects, such as  rain gardens, and restored green spaces. Darnella Robertson, Manager of Government Affairs for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, discussed the background of the Sewer District, their Consent Decree in 2010 requiring them to improve their infrastructure, and the high costs and limited sources of revenue available to them. She also noted that improvements in policy could help municipalities, such as additional flexibility in payments and infrastructure options. The Sewer District estimated the cost of complying with the Consent Decree at $3 billion over 30 years, which will include funding for at least 12 green infrastructure projects. Bill Schleizer, Managing Director of the Delta Institute, discussed his work linking rural and urban water users to meet water quality compliance standards. Their work focuses on Wisconsin, where a nutrient trading pilot project may help to decrease the overall costs of compliance by aligning funding and incentives to reduce non-point and point source reduction. He noted these approaches require flexibility and adaptive management in order to implement lessons learned. The speakers closed by stating that grant money for infrastructure is almost non-existent, so flexibility is critical to complying with the required water quality standards.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2014, the NEMWI hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on the 2014 Asian Carp Monitoring Framework. The Great Lakes Task Force co-chairs, Sens. Carl Levin (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL), and Reps. Candice Miller (MI-10), John Dingell (MI-12), Sean Duffy (WI-07) and Louise Slaughter (NY-25), served as honorary co-sponsors of the briefing.  Cam Davis, Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), kicked off the briefing by discussing how this fifth framework reflects the shift in the Asian carp response in the Great Lakes basin shift from crisis mode to a more planned and focused approach. He, along with John Goss (Council on Environmental Quality; Chair of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee), emphasized the role of science-based decision making and increased use of technology, field testing, and focused approaches to combat Asian carp. Mr. Goss also highlighted the formation of the Great Lakes-Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Forum, a group of federal and non-federal entities working to gain agreement on next steps following the release of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's GLMRIS report. Rip Shively, U.S. Geological Survey, discussed some of the innovative technologies they will test this year, including expanded use of waterguns and carbon dioxide to see fish response and behavior. They will study how these technologies can help further prevent movement of invasive fish to the Great Lakes basin as well as potentially transfer that technology to other systems. Todd Turner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, noted ongoing monitoring efforts and the increase in efforts in 2014 below the electrical barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) and at the leading edge of the carp movement. Dave Wethington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, highlighted the construction and anticipated completion of the third electrical barrier by late 2016 and the complex jurisdiction and multiple uses that occur within the CAWS. Lastly, Bill Bolen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, discussed the shift in the federal agencies' budgets from primarily Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds to base budgets, conveying longer-term stability to the programs. He also noted additional initiatives for 2014, supported by the framework: first, as a follow on to the GLMRIS report, the framework will support the efforts of the GLMRIS Forum to find agreement on next steps and a Transportation Study to determine options to reduce impacts on the transportation industry; the second initiative supports the separation work ongoing at Eagle Marsh in Indiana and Little Killibuck Creek in Ohio.

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

Danielle Chesky, Director of NEMWI's Great Lakes Washington Program, last week traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to present on a forthcoming NEMWI report on federal resources to support resiliency work in Great Lakes communities. The presentation occurred as part of the Great Lakes Adaptation Assessment for Cities' Adaptation in the Great Lakes Region Conference. Conference topics included challenges, opportunities, and next steps for helping the Great Lakes region adapt to the impacts of climate change. The NEMWI report will highlight the federal resources and opportunities for non-federal government entities in the Great Lakes to incorporate climate resiliency into their communities. The report, anticipated to be finished by the end of summer 2014, will:

• describe efforts within federal agencies to build their own climate resiliency;
• categorize and detail grants, resources, and technical assistance available to communities for climate adaptation; and
• present opportunities, informed by an expert panel, for current federal resources to better incorporate and support climate resiliency efforts.

Colleen Cain, PhD, Senior Policy Analyst with NEMWI, will also contribute to the report.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis will host a webinar on the Federal Reserve Banks' community development work on July 10 at 3 pm ET. Topics will include latest trends in community development and how and why the Federal Reserve is involved. Featured speakers include Joseph Firschein of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Alfreda Norman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and Mark Pinsky from the Opportunity Finance Network. These experts will share their perspectives on the state of the community development industry and offer insights on promising practices, research, and policy issues from around the country. As part of this discussion, presenters will refer to a recently released report entitled Federal Reserve Community Development Perspectives. This session will also provide an introduction to the Fed's new web portal, FedCommunities.org, which is designed to serve as an entry point to community development resources from each of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors. Register here; session participation is free but pre-registration is required.

For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.