|
HIGHLIGHTS
·
From Edison to Enron – New Book
·
Federal Income Taxes and the Region
·
Income and Poverty Data
·
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration – Letters
·
LIHEAP – Letter
·
Energy Efficiency – Letter
·
Distributed Energy and the Energy Bill
– Briefing
From Edison to Enron – New
Book
Praeger Publishers has released From Edison to Enron, a new book by
the Institute’s Richard Munson that highlights the business of power
and what it means for the future of electricity. “This splendid
book,” said one reviewer, “is as readable as it is rigorous in
its fascinating journey through the creation and the evolution of the
electricity enterprise in the 20th century. What sets
Munson’s work apart is his probing exploration of the powerful and
diverse personalities who collectively shaped what has become the
world’s largest and most complex machine.” Click here to read more reviews or to
purchase a copy.
Federal Income Taxes and the Region
With President Bush’s tax reform commission
expected to issue findings and recommendations in late September, the
Northeast-Midwest Institute has released a new report about how selected
provisions of the federal income tax code affect Northeast-Midwest states
and the region as a whole. The report – Federal Income Taxes and the Region: Deductions,
Credits, Alternative Minimum Tax, & Income Levels –
will be circulated only to paying members of the Northeast-Midwest
Congressional and Senate Coalitions and to state government officials from
states that support the Institute. The Institute produced
state-specific reports to share with contributing states.
This new Northeast-Midwest Institute report focuses on federal tax
deductions and credits for which the IRS compiles data – deductions
for state and local income taxes, property taxes, interest paid (mostly
mortgage interest), and charitable deductions; and the child tax credit,
the child care tax credit, and the earned income tax credit. The
Institute document also examines the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and
provides breakdowns for deductions and credits by income levels and for
regional patterns of income levels.
Contact: Matt Kane
of the Northeast-Midwest Institute (612/825-0443).
Income and Poverty Data
The Northeast-Midwest Institute’s web site now includes updated
state-level data through 2004 for poverty rates (http://www.nemw.org/poverty.htm)
and median household income (http://www.nemw.org/income.htm).
The tables show data for three-year averages, which are the best numbers for
comparing state levels and for assessing state changes over time.
The Northeast-Midwest Institute does not rank states according to
their levels for poverty and median household income because the standard
error ranges for these data make rankings difficult. For more
information about statistically significant comparisons among states, see
the notes at the bottom of the tables.
Great Lakes Regional
Collaboration – Letters
The House and Senate Great Lakes Task Forces asked the
White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to consider the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration’s draft strategy recommendations in the
president’s fiscal 2007 budget. The draft strategy suggests funding
for several programs that are currently authorized. The Great Lakes
Task Forces also submitted general comments about the draft Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration strategy in an effort to make as helpful as
possible to the congressional delegation when the final document is
released in December. The lawmakers encouraged the collaboration to outline
specific action steps, prioritize and sequence specific actions, include
benchmarks to measure progress, address governance questions, and provide
funding information. Contact: Joy Mulinex with the Great Lakes Task
Forces (202/224-1211).
LIHEAP – Letter
Members of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition
– led by Reps. Charles Bass (R-NH), Marty Meehan (D-MA), Steven
LaTourette (R-OH), and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) – are circulating a
letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee
requesting $1.276 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) in an upcoming emergency supplemental package. The signature
deadline has been extended until COB, Tuesday, September 27.
Contact: Lisa Mark
with the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition (202/226-5181).
Energy Efficiency – Letter
Ahead of what is expected to be one of the most
expensive heating seasons in history, members of the Northeast-Midwest
Congressional Coalition - led by Reps. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Bernard
Sanders (I-VT) – also are circulating two letters requesting full
funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program, State Energy Program,
and an energy-efficiency public information campaign. One letter is
addressed to the president and the other is to the chair and ranking member
of the Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee. The
signature deadline is COB, Thursday, September 29. Contact: Lisa Mark with the
Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition (202/226-5181).
Distributed Energy and the Energy Bill
– Briefing
A Capitol Hill briefing on Monday, October 3, will
address legislative solutions needed, even after the recent energy bill, to
overcome the policy barriers to distributed electricity generation.
Discussing those barriers and the benefits of distributed generation will
be representatives of the U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association,
International District Energy Association, American Council for
Energy-Efficient Economy, and Calpine Corporation. The event is
sponsored by the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition, Northeast-Midwest
Institute, and Environment and Energy Study Institute. The October 3
session will run from 1:30 pm until 2:30 pm in 406
Dirksen Senate Office Building. Contact: Diane DeVaul at the Northeast-Midwest
Institute (202/464-4014).
Calendar | Media Links | Reports/Periodicals
Northeast-Midwest
Institute
218 D St, SE
Washington DC 20003
Ph. 202 544 5200
Email dickmunson@nemw.org with comments or to
unsubscribe from this mailing list.
|
