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HIGHLIGHTS
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Wholesale Electricity Markets
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Water Infrastructure
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Energy Efficiency
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Weatherization
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Community Development Block Grants
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Great Lakes Funding
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Brookhaven Oil Heat
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Invasive Species Legislation
Wholesale
Electricity Markets
Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ),
Arlen Specter (R-PA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Susan Collins (R-ME) are
seeking signatures on a letter to the Energy Committee about electricity issues
of importance to states in the Northeast-Midwest region. The letter
argues for an energy bill that supports the development of competitive
wholesale power markets. The signature deadline is Wednesday, April
27. Contact:
Kris Sarri at the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition
(202/224-0606).
Water Infrastructure
Senators Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI),
and James Jeffords (I-VT) are seeking signatures on a letter requesting adequate
funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s water
infrastructure programs, including the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and
the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The gap between the documented
need for infrastructure improvements and their actual funding widens each
year, yet a recent poll showed that nearly three-quarters of Americans
agree that "clean and safe water is a national issue that requires
dedicated national funding." The letter’s signature
deadline is Wednesday, April 27. Contacts: Kris Sarri with the
Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition (202/224-0606) or Kathleen Gohn with Sen.
Sarbanes (202/224-4998).
Energy Efficiency
Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Arlen
Specter (R-PA), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) are circulating a letter that
supports energy efficiency programs in the fiscal 2006 budget. The
letter pays particular attention to the Weatherization Assistance Program,
State Energy Program, Energy Information Administration, Industrial
Technologies Program, and the Distributed Energy Program. With high
energy prices affecting the budget of American families, these programs can
help mitigate tight oil and natural gas markets, represent good investments
in energy infrastructure, promote efficiency and cleaner power, and provide
information necessary for energy markets to function efficiently. The
signature deadline is Thursday, April 28. Contact: Kris Sarri at the
Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition (202/224-0606).
Weatherization
Reps. Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY),
and Mark Udall (D-CO) are seeking signatures on a letter that supports the
president’s budget request for the Low-Income Weatherization
Assistance Program. The letter calls for $230 million in fiscal 2006 to
help improve the energy efficiency of low-income families throughout the
country and to reduce the energy costs of those least able to afford
them. Contact: Warren
Gunnels with Rep. Sanders (202/225-4115).
Community Development Block Grants
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Norman Coleman (R-MN), Paul
Sarbanes (D-MD), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Rick Santorum
(R-PA) are seeking signatures on a letter asking appropriators to provide
$4.732 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and
related community development programs vital to communities across the
nation. The $4.732 billion matches the level of funding provided to
these programs in fiscal 2005 and supported in the fiscal 2006 Budget
Resolution. The signature deadline is Friday, April 29.
Contact: Kris Sarri
at the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition (202/224-0606).
Great Lakes Funding
Leaders of the Great Lakes Task Forces are seeking signatures
on letters in the House and Senate requesting funding for several Great
Lakes programs, such as the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal, Great
Lakes Legacy program, and Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration
program. The signature deadline is April 25th. Contact: Joy Mulinex with the Great
Lakes Task Force at (202/224-1211).
Brookhaven Oil Heat
Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) are
requesting signatures on a letter seeking $1 million for the Brookhaven Oil
Heat Program. The research and development conducted by the
Brookhaven Lab helps improve energy efficiency, conserve oil, and reduce
home energy costs. The signature deadline is Tuesday, April 26.
Contact: Kris Sarri at
the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition (202/224-0606).
Invasive Species Legislation
An op-ed in the April 22 New York Times calls the National Aquatic Invasive
Species Act a “worthy effort to update the National Invasive Species
Act of 1996, which expired in 2002.” The legislation – S.
770 and H.R. 1591 and H.R. 1592 – was introduced last week by
Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Reps. Wayne
Gilchrest (R-MD) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI). Contacts: Allegra Cangelosi with the
Northeast-Midwest Institute (202/464-4007) or Joy Mulinex with the Great
Lakes Task Force (202/224-1211).
Calendar | Media Links | Reports/Periodicals
Northeast-Midwest
Institute
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Washington DC 20003
Ph. 202 544 5200
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