LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
- Appropriations and Budget
- The Budget Conference Committee, led by Rep. Paul Ryan (WI-01) and Sen. Patty Murray (WA), produced a final top line budget for FY2014, as well as a contingency budget for FY2015
- The final numbers are higher than the sequestered levels under the Budget Control Act, though not as high as pre-sequester funding. A broader discussion of the budget numbers, as well as the offsets, is provided.
- Appropriations Committee Staff worked throughout the holiday break to ready an omnibus for consideration prior to expiration of the current Continuing Resolution on January 15, 2014.
- Water Resources Conference Committee
- Conference Committee leadership announced they would not have a conference bill for consideration prior to the holiday break – work is expected to continue into the second session of the 113th Congress which begins January 6, 2014.
- The Conference Committee includes Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chair, Rep. Candice Miller (MI-10), as well as delegation member, Rep. Rick Nolan (MN-08)
- NEMWI released a summary comparison of the Senate and House bills
- Farm Bill – Conference committee hits snags
- Discussions on final Farm Bill had broken down before the Thanksgiving recess. Compromise on differences in the nutrition, commodity, and dairy titles remained.
- Failure to pass some sort of extension or bill may lead to increased prices of dairy products, whose terms expired as of January 1, 2014. The time to implement the regulatory changes is expected to allow further discussion and debate on the conferenced bill before the price increases come into effect. Farm Bill Action is expected in January 2014.
- This NEMWI Blog post provides more details and links to the past actions and potential future path to a Farm Bill.
BRIEFINGS
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Moving from the GAO Report to the Next Action Plan
On Wednesday, December 18, 2013, the Northeast-Midwest Institute coordinated a briefing on the agency responses to the Government Accountability Office’s audit of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), as well as future plans for the GLRI. Speakers included Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Rachel Jacobson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife & Parks, U.S. DOI; and Martin Lowenfish, Natural Resource Conservation Service Conservation Initiatives Team Leader, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mr. Davis provided background on how the GLRI, through bipartisan Congressional support, has been able to boost the environmental restoration efforts in the Great Lakes region, notably, the work on Areas of Concern. As part of the Administration’s continued commitment to the GLRI, the agencies have begun taking public input on what should be included in the next Action Plan. The agencies are also using feedback from the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Audit of the GLRI; the Great Lakes Advisory Board input; and input from the Administration’s Science Advisory Board. The draft of the FY2015-19 Action Plan is expected in Spring 2014, where it will be open to formal public comment. Speakers from the Department of the Interior and Agriculture highlighted specific projects that have led to progress under the GLRI, including preventing invasions of Asian carp into the Great Lakes and reduction of nutrient loadings, respectively. 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.
REPORTS/LETTERS
Great Lakes Task Forces Weigh in on Water Resources Priorities
Members of the House and Senate Great Lakes Task Forces weighed in on priorities for the Great Lakes navigation to the Water Resources (and Reform) Development Act Conferees in late November. Led by Great Lakes Senate Task Force Co-Chairs Sens. Carl Levin (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL), 13 Senators, representing seven of the eight Great Lakes states, signed on to the letter supporting designation of the Great Lakes as a Navigation System, dedicated funding for the Great Lakes, and prioritizing the backlog of maintenance and repair prior to expanding the uses of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. On the House side, 34 House Members also representing seven of the eight Great Lakes states, including Great Lakes House Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. John Dingell (MI-12), Sean Duffy (WI-07), and Louise Slaughter (NY-25), signed on to support the same priorities. Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chair, Rep. Candice Miller (MI-10), was appointed as a conferee.
Additionally, six Great Lakes delegation members, including Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition Co-Chair Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-03) and Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY-25), signed a letter supporting a set-aside level of funding for small ports and harbors, including as Section 202 of the House bill (H.R. 3080).
ADMINISTRATION
Great Lakes Advisory Board Releases Recommendations for FY2015-19 GLRI Action Plan
On December 18, 2013, the Great Lakes Advisory Board published its recommendations to the Interagency Task Force on the future FY2015-19 Action Plan for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Led by Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Executive Director, David Ullrich, and League of Conservation Voters West Michigan Director and former State Senator, Patricia Birkholz, the report highlighted priorities, including a continued focus on on-the-ground projects, cleaning up Areas of Concern, acknowledging and planning for impacts of climate change, promoting environmental justice, and integrating adaptive management planning. The report is part of the Obama Administration’s continuing support of its initiative, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and planning for the next Action Plan. The current Action Plan covers FY2010-14.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great Lakes Environmental Summit | Wednesday, February 5, 2014
9:30 am – 3:30 pm | Washington, DC | SVC 202-03 [Note the earlier start time]
Great Lakes Day Congressional Breakfast | Thursday, March 7, 2014 | Washington, DC
Details to follow
THE GREAT LAKES “FUNNY”
12 Days of Christmas – Aquatic Invasive Species Style