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HIGHLIGHTS
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Call to Ban Exports of Refined Products
for Home Heat
·
LIHEAP and Windfall Profits
·
Royalty-in-Kind Oil and Gas
·
Great Lakes Collaboration
·
New Delaware River Task Force
·
Conference on Land Development
Breakthroughs
·
Combined Federal Campaign
Call to Ban
Exports of Refined Products for Home Heat
On behalf of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition,
Senators Herbert Kohl (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are seeking signatures
on a letter asking CEOs of top oil companies to immediately cease exporting
refined home heating product while there is a heating crisis in the U.S.
In the past seven months, U.S. oil
companies and refiners have exported more than 48 million barrels of
refined product that could be used for home heating purposes.
American consumers can expect to pay an average of $350 more this winter to
heat their homes. In 2000, then Energy Secretary Richardson worked
directly with major refiners, many of whom then voluntarily halted exports
of home heating oil products. In a related matter, Senator Kohl will
introduce companion legislation that would give the Energy Secretary
emergency powers to temporarily halt unnecessary exports of refined home heating
products in the face of an energy crisis. For a copy of the letter or
information on the legislation, contact Ari Strauss with the
Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition (202/224-0606).
LIHEAP and Windfall
Profits
Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME),
co-chairs of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition, will offer an
amendment to the tax reconciliation bill that would require big oil
companies pay a tax on "windfall" profits and direct that the
revenue fully fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
to help low-income families and seniors pay their heating bills this
winter. The Reed-Collins amendment would have oil companies
contribute an additional $2.92 billion to LIHEAP through a windfall profit
tax on the company’s record-high profits. The amendment will
increase funding for LIHEAP to $5.1 billion, the full amount authorized in
the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Oil company CEOs will be testifying this
week about their record third-quarter profits before the joint Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Commerce Committee.
Contact: Ari Strauss with
the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition (202/224-0606).
Royalty In-Kind Oil and Gas
The Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, led by
co-chairs Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and Marty Meehan (D-MA), is
requesting signatures for a letter asking Interior Secretary Gayle Norton
to implement a provision in the National Energy Policy Act of 2005 that
provides preference to low-income consumers when distributing royalty oil
or gas. The letter’s signature deadline is Thursday, November
11th. Contact: Lisa Mark with the
Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition (202) 226-5181.
The Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition last week sent a
similar letter, signed by 17 senators. Such a pilot program
would compliment rather than supplement LIHEAP. Contact: Ari Strauss with the
Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition (202/224-0606).
Great Lakes Collaboration
More
than 30 House and Senate members wrote to President Bush raising concerns
over a recent administration report on Great Lakes Regional Collaboration,
the partnership process being used to draft a Great
Lakes restoration strategy. The
letter says that "a serious consideration of the challenges faced in
the Great Lakes region
requires a commitment of federal resources," and it urged the
president not to limit the Regional Collaboration by restricting
restoration recommendations to current spending for the Great
Lakes. Contact: Joy Mulinex with the Great
Lakes Task Force (202/ 224-1211).
New Delaware River Task Force
Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY),
Jim Gerlach (R-PA), and Rush Holt (D-NJ), working cooperatively with the
Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Delaware River Basin Commission,
recently launched a reinvigorated Delaware River Basin Task Force.
According to Rep. Fitzpatrick, “Nearly 15 million people live along
and rely upon the waters of the Delaware River.
Continued flooding and erosion along the river’s banks is a cause of
great concern not only for property owners, but for the future of our
region. This task force will focus on solutions to these problems
both legislatively as well as through the private sector.” One
of Task Force’s goals will be to promote the health and well-being of
the entire watershed by organizing educational briefings, formulating joint
responses to emergencies, coordinating legislative efforts, tracking
legislation and the appropriations process, as well as promoting other
initiatives beneficial to the Delaware River and the
people and wildlife resources that depend on it. Contact: Dan Wrinn with the Northeast-Midwest
Institute (202/464-4004).
Conference on Land Development
Breakthroughs
The Institute’s Charles Bartsch will discuss
financing brownfield cleanup and reuse at the “Land Development
Breakthroughs – Best Practices” conference being held December
13-15 at the Washington Convention
Center in Washington, D.C.
The conference homepage is http://www.ldbreakthroughs.com/main/index.php
Combined Federal Campaign
The Northeast-Midwest Institute – a non-profit, 501(c)(3)
organization, financed by contributions from foundations, state
governments, federal grants, and individuals – has been approved
to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the nation’s
largest workplace giving campaign. If you are a federal government
employee and would like to help support Institute's programs dedicated to
issues affecting the Northeast-Midwest region, please enter CFC code #0851 on your pledge card during the
annual fund drive. Thank you.
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