GLIN==> Northeast-Midwest Weekly Update -- 30 October 2000

[Glenn Starnes <gstarnes@nemw.org>]

HEADLINES

* LIHEAP Obtains Additional $300 Million
* Coalition Appeals for Robotics Research 
* Institute Posts Appropriation Updates 
* Coalition Requests Fuel Survey
* Field Trip to Blue Plains Rescheduled


LIHEAP OBTAINS ADDITIONAL $300 MILLION
--------------------------------------
     Negotiations last week between White House and
congressional
leaders resulted in a $300 million increase for the Low Income Home
Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).  The negotiators agreed to
boost
LIHEAP funding from $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion annually in 
regular
funds and to forward fund the program by $1.4 billion for fiscal
2002.

     The Senate effort to increase LIHEAP funds was
led by the
Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.  According to Coalition
co-chair
Jim Jeffords, "Northeast senators have fought tirelessly to
protect
low-income families from going without heat this winter.  
After
turning the heat on congressional leaders and the president to
increase LIHEAP funding, I am pleased we will be able to turn the
heat
on for more Americans this winter."

     In addition to obtaining increased LIHEAP funds,
Coalition
members advanced the recently-released fuel from the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve, the creation of the Northeast Home Heating Oil
Reserve, increased home weatherization funding, and further
investments in alternative energy sources.

     Contact: 
Cameron Taylor at
the Northeast-Midwest Senate
Coalition (224-0606).


COALITION APPEALS FOR ROBOTICS RESEARCH
---------------------------------------
     Members of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional
Coalition last
week urged Energy Secretary Bill Richardson to increase funding in
the
fiscal 2002 budget for research and development of robotics and
intelligent machines.  Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Ron Klink (D-PA),
John
Murtha (D-PA), William Coyne (D-PA), and Bob Franks (R-NJ) also
urged
the department to make use of the industry and university
communities
for both collaborative research and technology commercialization.

     Contact: 
Tim
Daniels at the
Northeast-Midwest Congressional
Coalition (226-8636).


INSTITUTE POSTS APPROPRIATION UPDATES
-------------------------------------
     The latest data on appropriations for key
regional programs can
be found at
http://www.nemw.org/approp2001.pdf. 
More detailed
information on Great Lakes funding is located at
http://www.nemw.org/tracking2001.pdf;
updates on the Chesapeake Bay
are at
http://www.nemw.org/ChesbayApprop2001.pdf.


COALITION REQUESTS FUEL SURVEY
------------------------------
     Leaders of the Northeast-Midwest Senate
Coalition this week are
asking the Energy Information Administration to survey home heating
oil and natural gas distributors in the Northeast-Midwest region in
order to obtain an accurate picture of the amount of oil currently
in
the tanks of homeowners and in the storage sites of heating oil
dealers and businesses.  The senators – Jim Jeffords (R-VT),
Daniel
Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Patrick Leahy (D-VT),
Carl Levin (D-MI), and Jack Reed (D-RI) – also want to better
understand the supply situation for natural gas in the region, and
they want EIA to track information regarding interruptible 
contracts
during the coming winter.

     The Northeast-Midwest Institute has continued
posting current
prices for residential heating oil and propane on its website at
http://www.nemw.org/wntrfuel00.htm.

     Contact: 
Cameron Taylor at
the Northeast-Midwest Senate
Coalition (224-0606).


FIELD TRIP TO BLUE PLAINS RESCHEDULED
-------------------------------------
     The Northeast-Midwest Institute has rescheduled
its tour for
congressional staff and others of the Blue Plains Wastewater
Treatment
Plant, located in Southeast Washington, D.C.  This field trip --
now
set to leave Capitol Hill on Wednesday, 1 November, at 10:00 am --
will allow staff to learn first-hand about the large-scale
facilities
that treat our cities' sewage and stormwater runoff.  It will
highlight challenges associated with wastewater and nonpoint source
water treatment.

     Contact: 
Olwen
Huxley at the Northeast-Midwest Institute (544-
5200).