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W E E K L Y     U P D A T E   November 30, 2015
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Capitol Hill this Week: Community Water Systems, Energy, Spending, and Surface Transportation
  
In addition to Committee activity, today the House is scheduled to consider  S.611  - the Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act - a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate in June that would reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency's program providing technical assistance to small public water systems.

The middle of the week should see the beginning of House floor debate on a comprehensive Energy and Commerce Committee energy bill. The bill includes some of the Department of Energy's quadrennial review recommendations, and focuses on energy infrastructure improvements. Of interest to regional stakeholders will be amendments likely to be considered during the floor debate, including those designed to expedite permit (including environmental impact) reviews of certain pipeline projects and reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, as well as amendments addressing climate change. The current list of filed amendments is available here.
 
A draft FY2016 omnibus discretionary spending bill will likely be released during the week. The measure will be accompanied by an unknown number of riders that would restrict funding for the implementation of select environmental and energy programs (possibly including the Interior Department's proposed Stream Protection Rule and the administration's final Clean Water (or "Waters of the United States") Rule). 
 
Finally, this week the House and Senate will either have to reconcile two differing long-term federal surface transportation authorization bills ahead of a Friday (December 4) deadline, or pass yet another in a long line of authority extensions. 

Several hearings and meetings of regional interest will take place this week:
 
Monday, November 30
  • House Rules Committee meeting to set the rules for the full House consideration of H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015; 5:00 PM. room H-313 Capitol Building (possibly continuing into Tuesday, December 1, at 3:00 PM).
Tuesday, December 1
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to receive testimony on the Department of Interior's proposed Well Control Rule and other regulations related to offshore oil and gas production; 10:00 AM, room 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
  • House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Interior hearing "examining invasive species policy (the impacts of non-native species and the effectiveness of the National Invasive Species Council)"; 2:00 PM, room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
Wednesday, December 2
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry hearing on the agriculture industry's role in combating global hunger; 10:00 AM, room 328 Russell Senate Office Building.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman , Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

HUD Announces Latest Round of Choice Planning Grants
  
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced  availability of funding for the latest round of   Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants , intended to help local communities create comprehensive plans to redevelop distressed public and HUD-assisted housing and transform surrounding neighborhoods. This round includes an additional component, Planning and Action Grants, which would support planning for and implementation of tangible, early improvements to sustain community energy, attract new resources, and build momentum. Public housing authorities, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and tribal entities are eligible to apply. Applications are due February 9, 2016. 
 
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation