Great Lakes Day in Washington is on Thursday, March 9
Great Lakes Day will be held in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 9. This is the first in-person gathering for Great Lakes Day since 2020. Throughout the week Great Lakes stakeholders will provide federal lawmakers and their staff with key policy education on Great Lakes priorities.
The Northeast-Midwest Institute will again co-host the Congressional Great Lakes Breakfast Reception with the Great Lakes Commission to kick off Great Lakes Day.
Army Corps FY 2023 Work Plan Includes Additional Funding for the Soo Locks
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) last week delivered to Congress its Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023) Work Plan for the Army Civil Works program. The Work Plan includes funding for 1,284 projects and studies, in 50 states, 16 Tribes, and three territories. These investments are currently assisting local communities to improve their resilience in the face of global climate change and addressing commercial improvements at coastal ports and inland waterways.
The Corps Work Plan includes an additional $67 million to construct a new lock at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Last October, the Biden Administration announced it would reprogram approximately $214 million of Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding towards constructing the new Soo Lock. When considering the Work Plan and the IIJA funding, the new lock is set to see $281 million in funding for FY 2023. Congress recently increased the authorization for construction to $3.2 billion to complete the new lock under the last Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) passed in 2022.
Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing Addresses Conservation Title
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry continued its work on reauthorizing the Farm Bill by holding a hearing on the conservation title last Wednesday. The conservation title funds the bulk of federal incentives to farmers to incorporate key conservation practices in the agriculture sector.This was the fourth hearing that the Senate Agriculture Committee held on the Farm Bill this Congress.
Witnesses at the hearing included Mr. Terry Cosby, Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Mr. Zach Ducheneaux, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator. The NRCS and the FSA are the primary agencies within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) that administer federal conservation programs.
In her opening statement, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), emphasized the importance of passing a bipartisan Farm Bill that supports farmers, families, and the environment. Ranking member John Boozman (R-AR) voiced his support for a voluntary, incentive-based, and locally-led approach to federal conservation programs.
To watch the full Committee hearing, please visit here.
NEMWI Tracks Bills on the Great Lakes and Water in the 118th Congress
As the new 118th Congress proceeds, an increasing number of bills are being introduced relating to the Great Lakes and water policy. Overall a total of 11 bills are newly introduced, including nine bills in the U.S. House and two bills in the U.S. Senate.
Among the newly introduced bills in the House are H.R.289 Protect Our Waters Right Act, which is a bill to update operation requirements for the Central Valley Project and Klamath River Basin, and H.R.325 Harmful Algal Bloom Essential Forecasting Act, which is a bill that requires the Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System to continue to operate during a government shutdown by designating certain services related to the system as excepted services under the Anti-Deficiency Act. Newly introduced in the the Senate is S.64 Water Rights Protection Act of 2023, which is a bill that prohibits the Departments of Interior and Agriculture from conditioning the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit or other land use or occupancy agreement (permit) on the transfer of any water right to the United States or on any impairment of title granted or otherwise recognized under state law by federal or state action. Also newly introduced in the Senate is S.115 Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act of 2023, which is to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to modify certain allotments under that Act and for other purposes.
NEMWI will continue to monitor legislation relating to the Great Lakes and water policy with the Great Lakes and Water Policy Legislative Tracker which is available here.
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