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You're Invited: Reception for the Northeast-Midwest Region, February 3
Join us for NEMWI's annual "Reception for the Northeast-Midwest Region," which will take place on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, in the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) Congressional Atrium.
The reception is a unique opportunity to hear about priority regional issues from Senate and House leaders, NEMWI board members, and NEMWI staff, as well as to meet other leaders who are in the forefront of advancing the future of the NEMW region. We'll have appetizers and a taste of some regional microbrews!
To RSVP, contact
Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Snowstorm Disrupts Congress' Schedule This Week
This weekend's snowstorm has disrupted the Capitol Hill workweek. All House sessions and votes
ahead of this week's Democratic strategy retreat
have been cancelled
; business will resume on February 1.
The Senate is expected to begin work on the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 (S. 2012). The bill, which is a comprehensive effort to modernize current energy law, seeks to address energy efficiency and reliability issues while improving the nation's energy infrastructure. Numerous provisions directly impact the region. For example, the bill would: modernize the electrical grid by increasing the coordination efforts between federal regulators; strengthen the Department of Energy's (DOE) efforts to develop energy efficient strategies for manufacturers, state and local governments; and create an Energy Workforce Pilot Grant Program within the DOE for the energy workforce. Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) worked closely with ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to craft the bipartisan bill, which has the potential to gain the necessary support to pass the Senate chamber.
An Environment and Public Works hearing that was scheduled for this week on "Economic Opportunities from Land Cleanup Programs" has been postponed until further notice, but
other hearings of regional interest are still on the calendar, such as Thursday's S
enate Finance Committee hearing
on Helping Americans Prepare for Retirement (9
:30 AM,
215 Dirksen Senate Office Building).
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program,
or Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst,
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Recap: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act and WOTUS
Last week was a big one for environmental restoration and water regulation. Last Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works marked up the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act (S. 1024). The bill, which was authored by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and cosponsored by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), authorizes $300 million a year for the GLRI through FY 2020. The Committee unanimously approved a substitute amendment to the bill and ordered that it be reported to the Senate floor. It remains unknown when the full Senate might consider the legislation.
Additionally, President Obama vetoed legislation (
S.J.Res. 22) that would overturn the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that defines what bodies of water are regulated under the Clean Water Act. A Senate veto override vote failed to move past a Democratic filibuster
, meaning that Congressional attempts to reverse the WOTUS rule will likely remain futile for the time being. The resolution was originally approved by the Senate last November and was cleared by the House earlier this month.
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NIST Opens Competition for Additional Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) this week opened a competition to award new cooperative funding agreements for its
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership
(MEP) centers.
The current competition will fund awards
in Puerto Rico and 12 states, including Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
The MEP centers help small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers create and retain jobs, increase profits and save time and money.
U.S.-based nonprofit institutions or organizations, including existing MEP centers, are eligible to participate in the competition. More information is available here.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at
the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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