LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
- Appropriations and Budget
- Updated numbers for Great Lakes program funding for FY2012-14 available
- The House Appropriations Committee has released its guidance on FY2015 Appropriations Requests, with most due by the end of March or early April
- Water Resources Conference Committee
- Work on the Conference Committee continues though recent reports have been a mixture of optimism and pessimism.
- 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
- House introduces Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act
- Authorizes spending at $8.7 billion for FY2015-16
- Reauthorizes Assistance to Small Shipyards Program through FY2016
- Instructs the Coast Guard to develop a National Maritime Strategy to improve the competitiveness of the U.S. fleet, reduce regulatory burdens, increase the use of short seas shipping, and enhance U.S. shipbuilding capacity
- Permanently exempts commercial fishing vessels and vessels less than 79 feet without ballast tanks from EPA permitting of discharges as part of normal vessel operation but does NOT apply to regulation of ballast water discharges
- Authorizes a National Academy of Sciences assessment of all factors that impact U.S. flagged vessel competitiveness, including vessel inspections
- First bill introduced in response to GLMRIS Report
- Candice Miller (MI-10), Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chair, introduced H.R. 4001, the Defending Against Aquatic Invasive Species Act, instructing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with planning and design to implement hydrological separation in the Chicago Area Waterway System
- Hydrological Separation was among the eight options included in the Great Lakes-Mississippi River Interbasin Study, released by the Corps on January 6, 2014
- Miller’s bill would require consultation with local groups, including the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District that operates the Waterway, the Governors of the eight Great Lakes States, the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
- The bill would also exempt the project from requiring a non-federal share for the project cost
EVENTS
Great Lakes Environmental Summit
On Wednesday, February 5, 2014, the NEMWI’s Great Lakes Washington Program hosted its annual Great Lakes Environmental Summit in the Capitol Visitors Center of the U.S. Capitol. Nearly 50 Great Lakes regional leaders, stakeholders, and Congressional staff came together to discuss federal policy initiatives for 2014. Great Lakes Task Force Members, Reps. David Joyce (OH-14) and Dan Benishek (MI-01) kicked off the morning session, noting the importance of the Great Lakes as a resource and continued support from their offices. Committee staff from the Agriculture, Appropriations (Energy and Water; Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittees), Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committees informed attendees on Committee actions in the past year, and actions and legislation anticipated for 2014 relevant to the Great Lakes. The staff answered questions from the group about policy directions and specific needs of the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Task Force Member Rep. Brian Higgins launched the afternoon session, discussing the value of the Great Lakes in bringing back the city of Buffalo, after recognizing the Summit and the Great Lakes on the House floor earlier in the day. The Canadian Embassy provided an update on Canadian efforts to protect the Great Lakes. The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to discussion around the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and best ways to assure its continuation. The Administration is currently drafting the FY2015-19 Action Plan, and Congressional legislation to authorize it, the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act, has been introduced in the House and the Senate.
REPORTS/LETTERS
House and Senate Great Lakes Task Forces lead Great Lakes Navigation System letters
House and Senate Great Lakes Task Force leaders and delegation members sent letters to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Assistant Secretary of Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy, requesting at least $30 million in additional funding for Great Lakes Navigation System projects. The funding would help relieve the current backlog in dredging and maintenance projects, exacerbated by low lake levels in recent years. The Senate letter, led by Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs, Sens. Carl Levin (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL), was co-signed by 11 additional Great Lakes Task Force and delegation members. The House letter, led by Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY-25) and delegation member Bill Huizenga (MI-02), was co-signed by the other three Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs, Reps. Candice Miller (MI-10), John Dingell (MI-12), and Sean Duffy (WI-07), with a total of 39 signatures.
FY2015 Great Lakes Appropriations Request Letters
Stay tuned for announcement regarding circulation of FY2015 Appropriations Requests relating to Great Lakes priorities! Past years’ requests have included programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Transportation, the State Department, as well as the Department of Energy.
ADMINISTRATION
The President announced his budget proposal for FY2015 would not come out on time in February. The budget is due out on March 4 with additional detail due March 11 and is expected to comply with the top-line budget numbers agreed to in the Budget Compromise, passed by Congress in December 2013. The exception is an expected $56 billion “Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative”, which will be split evenly between defense and non-defense priorities. The budget is also expected to include a $1 billion request for a Climate Resilience Fund, in order to adapt to the impacts of climate change. As in past years, the Northeast-Midwest Institute will release a summary of budget numbers relevant to the region.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great Lakes Day Congressional Breakfast | Thursday, March 7, 2014 | Washington, DC