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     WEEKLY UPDATE January 12, 2015 

In This Issue
Great Lakes Task Force Leaders Re-introduce Great Lakes Restoration Bill
NEMWI Briefing/Webinar: Liquefied Natural Gas in Great Lakes Transportation
NEMWI Welcomes Winter Intern
Save the Date: "Reception for the Northeast-Midwest Region 2015"

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Great Lakes Task Force Leaders Re-introduce Great Lakes Restoration Bill 


On Thursday, January 8, Great Lakes Task Force (GLTF) members Reps. Dave Joyce (OH-14), Louise Slaughter (NY-25; GLTF Co-Chair), and Sandy Levin (MI-09), along with Reps. Dan Benishek (MI-01) and Mike Quigley (IL-05), introduced bipartisan legislation that would formally authorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) at $300 million for the next five years. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2015 would address invasive species problems while coordinating protection and restoration efforts. The bipartisan legislation is nearly identical to the bill from last Congress, which passed the House of Representatives by voice vote, though did not pass the Senate before the 113th Congress ended. The bill formally authorizes funding of GLRI at $300 million annually for fiscal years 2016-2020. Multiple business and environmental organizations supported last year's bill and have been supportive of funding for the GLRI, though unauthorized, since its initiation in FY2010. The House bill has 18 total sponsors, including GLTF Co-Chair Rep. Candice Miller (MI-10) and Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition Co-Chair Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-03).


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

   

NEMWI Briefing/Webinar:  

Liquefied Natural Gas in  

Great Lakes Transportation

   

On Tuesday, January 13 at 10 am (Rayburn Bldg., Room 2103), NEMWI will host a Capitol Hill briefing on the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) within the Great Lakes martime transportation system. The briefing will feature: the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute (GLMRI)

Co-Director Richard Stewart, Ph.D; Amy Ferrell, Vice President of Market Development for America's Natural Gas Alliance; James Winebrake, Ph.D, Rochester Institute of Technology; and James Corbett, P.E., Ph.D., University of DelawareThe Great Lakes maritime transportation industry is considering shifting to natural gas to reduce emissions and would like to do so without affecting reliability. Since 2011 the GLMRI--funded through the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration and in conjunction with other academic institutions like the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Delaware--has studied the potential impacts, costs, and use of natural gas by the maritime industry within the Great Lakes region. America's Natural Gas Alliance is an association of natural gas exploration and production companies, and has partnered with the GLMRI to provide industry-specific details. The Great Lakes navigation system delivers over 163 million tons of cargo on vessels, produces 24% of the country's exports (2009), and provides a unique link for product movement and economic development. Speakers will provide information on:   

  • The role of the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute in promoting sustainable solutions to transportation challenges;
  • Proposed policy affecting the use of natural gas in Great Lakes transportation;

  • The involvement of industry and stakeholders in requesting, developing, and testing solutions; and

  • The broader impacts of greater use of natural gas as a transportation fuel throughout the nation.

A webinar will be available for those unable to attend in person. Register here.  

 

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

   

NEMWI Welcomes Winter Intern

 

NEMWI Welcomes Matthew Plaia, who will intern for the Institute this winter. Born in Burbank, California, Matthew is currently a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, studying English and Engineering, a welcome combination at NEMWI! He is in DC until March as an attendee of UCLA's Quarter in Washington Program. During his enrollment with the DC Program, Matthew plans to develop several different projects dealing with potential sustainable energy devices of his own design. During his internship, Matthew will assist NEMWI work on energy efficiency and sustainable energy production. Following his graduation ("Finally!" - Matthew's parents), he intends to help fight illiteracy abroad, and continue his research and development of new forms of sustainability, with hopes to install many projects under the guidance of the National Geographic Young Explorer Society. In his free time he enjoys reading the same books over and over again, talking to strangers, and helping his girlfriend with her essays.

 

Save the Date:

"Reception for the Northeast-Midwest Region 2015"


On Tuesday, February 3, 2015, the NEMWI will host its annual regional reception in the Capitol Visitor Center - South Capitol Room from 5:00-7:00 pm. NEMWI  Board members will introduce NEMWI's new President, Michael Goff, Ph.D. For over 37 years, the NEMWI, working closely with regional stakeholders, has actively, creatively, and effectively generated regional information and analysis for the NEMW Congressional and Senate Coalitions and states to support their significant joint efforts to improve federal, state, and local policy responses to the region's needs. The NEMWI is especially skilled in the areas of economic development in the context of resource conservation and restoration. Areas of focus include water resource restoration and protection, energy efficiency, community redevelopment, advanced manufacturing, transportation improvement, public health protection, and workforce development. Please join us to celebrate the remarkable NEMW region and the bipartisan NEMW Coalitions and state offices that work to improve it!

 

For more information, contact Hope Ratner, Administrative Manager at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.   

 

NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation