GLIN==> Northeast-Midwest Weekly Update -- 11 May 2009

Weekly Update
11 May 2009
 
*	Great Lakes Wind Energy and Wildlife Briefing
*	Proposed 2010 Budget Benefits Northeast-Midwest Region
*	Congressional Field Hearing in Philadelphia
*	Senate Letter Supports Increased Funding For Water
Infrastructure
*	Senate Letter Supports LIHEAP Funding at $5.1 Billion
 
 
Great Lakes Wind Energy and Wildlife Briefing
 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Great Lakes Commission will
brief congressional staff on wind energy and wildlife issues.  The
briefing is scheduled for Friday, May 15, at 10:00 AM, in Senate Room
215 (SVC 215) of the Capitol Visitors Center.
 
Wind energy is the fastest developing renewable energy source in the
U.S.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has placed a high priority on
responsible development of renewable energy.  Renewable energy protects
the nation's wildlife and natural resources by reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and associated global climate change.  This briefing will
focus on concerns specific to wind energy development in the Great Lakes
Region, and will describe approaches to encourage wind development in
ways that are compatible with fish and wildlife.
 
Contact Joy Mulinex
<mailto:joy_mulinex at levin.senate.gov?subject=Wind%20and%20Wildlife%20Bri
efing>  (202/224-1211) at the Great Lakes Task Force.
 
 
Proposed 2010 Budget Benefits Northeast-Midwest Region
 
President Obama, a former member of the Northeast-Midwest Senate
Coalition, has included important funding increases for programs
critical to the Northeast-Midwest region in the Fiscal 2010 budget, his
first budget proposal.  Many of these programs had been targeted for
cuts in previous presidential budgets, and many had been saved from cuts
and/or termination by the work of the Northeast and Midwest delegations
in the House and Senate.  Below are some highlights from the President's
Fiscal 2010 budget proposal.
 
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, administered by the
Department of Housing and Urban Development, had been decreasing over
the last several budget years, totaling $3.9 billion in fiscal 2009.
The fiscal 2010 proposal raises that funding level to $4.45 billion,
almost back to fiscal 2004 levels.  CDBG Formula Grants rose from $3.6
billion to $4.185 billion in the fiscal 2010 budget.  The
Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition has sent a letter to the House
Appropriations Committee requesting $4.1 billion for the CDBG Grant
program in fiscal 2010.
 
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) had recently been
appropriated at levels at or above $2 billion, with a notable exception
of fiscal 2009, when Congress appropriated $4.5 billion in regular
funding plus $590 million in contingency funds, due to the impending
economic crisis and exceptionally high energy prices.  In the interim,
energy costs have leveled and in some cases dropped slightly.  However,
the number of families in need of assistance has reached record levels,
as have the number of reported shut-offs and arrears.  For fiscal 2010,
the president has requested $2.41 billion in regular grants and $790
million in contingency funds.  The Northeast-Midwest Senate and
Congressional Coalitions have requested a total of $5.1 billion in
LIHEAP funding for fiscal 2010.
 
Appropriations for EPA's State Revolving Funds (SRFs) for clean water
and safe drinking water have also diminished in recent years.  The new
budget proposal corrects this problem by requesting $2.4 billion for
Clean Water SRF and $1.5 billion for Safe Drinking Water SRF - both
all-time high levels.  The Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition has
sent a request to the House Appropriations Committee for $2.4 billion
for Clean Water SRF and $1.5 billion for the Drinking Water SRF for
fiscal 2010.
 
The Great Lakes region suffers from numerous environmental problems
including legacy of land and water contamination from its industrial
past, aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, non-point source water
pollution, and loss of critical wildlife habitat.  State, local, and
community leaders have long sought federal help and proposed a consensus
plan.  The fiscal 2010 budget proposal seeks to address these needs with
$475 million for one specific Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  This
would subsume the existing Great Lakes National Program Office and Great
Lakes Legacy Program, both funded at $60 million in fiscal 2009.
 
Previous budget requests have sought the elimination of the
Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, a critical element in
governmental efforts to assist in the rebirth of manufacturing in the
Northeast-Midwest region.  The current request seeks $124.7 million for
the program.  The Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition has
requested the House Appropriations Committee fund the program at $131.8
million.
 
Most Department of Energy programs will see increased funding for fiscal
2010.  The Weatherization Assistance Program is proposed at $220
million, a decrease from $450 million in fiscal 2009.  However, the
Weatherization Assistance Program received $5 billion in the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The Energy Information
Administration (EIA) is up to $133 million from $110 million in fiscal
2009.  The EIA badly needed these additional funds to address quality
improvements, and to comply with the need for additional data
requirements.  The Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program was
created by the 2005 Energy Policy Act, and has received additional
funding.  Section 1703 provides for federal loan guarantees for
renewable and other supply chain or heat/power projects that reduce air
pollution or greenhouse gas production in ground-breaking ways.  The new
Section 1705 was recently authorized by the ARRA to provide $6 billion
in guarantees for rapid deployment of renewable energy or electric
transmission projects using either innovative or off-the-shelf
technology.  This more than doubled the guarantee capability of the
program.  The budget proposes $43 million for administration.
Administrative costs require additional funding as DOE strives to use
the new guarantee authority to expeditiously meet ARRA objectives, and
prudently minimize DOE exposure to undue credit risk.
 
The proposed budget eliminates three regionally useful programs at the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):  the Brownfields and
Economic Development Initiative, the Hope VI housing program, and the
Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program.  However, the administration
proposes replacing them with two new programs with potentially more
flexibility and funding:  the Choice Neighborhoods Program budgeted at
$250 million, and a new Housing Trust Fund with $1 billion in initial
capital.
 
Contact Tom Wolfe
<mailto:twolfe at nemw.org?subject=President's%20Fiscal%202010%20Budget%20R
equest>  (202/464-4014) at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
 
 
Congressional Field Hearing in Philadelphia
 
Representatives Robert Brady (PA-1), Chaka Fattah (PA-2), and Allyson
Schwartz (PA-13) will convene a Congressional field hearing at the 
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences <http://www.ansp.org/>  on May
18, from 9 AM to 11:30 AM.  Vibrant Communities, Healthy Waters, and Job
Opportunities:  Exploring Green Infrastructure and Role of Federal
Policy is being organized by the Northeast-Midwest Congressional
Coalition in coordination with the Northeast-Midwest Institute.  The
purpose of the hearing is to examine the role of federal policy in
advancing green infrastructure as a means of improving water and air
quality, enhancing the livability of dense urban areas, and creating
green collar job opportunities.
 
The City of Philadelphia is fully engaged in urban greening projects
that help control storm water and reduce urban heat island effects.
Experts at the field hearing will demonstrate how taking advantage of
every opportunity and resource in implementing greener, more natural,
infrastructure can significantly improve the economic standing of
communities.  The hearing will discuss potential opportunities for
Congress to make the successes of Philadelphia replicable in other
cities and towns.
 
Contact Greg Lewis
<mailto:glewis at nemw.org?subject=Philadelphia%20Field%20Hearing>
(202/464-4005) at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
 
 
Senate Letter Supports Increased Funding for Water Infrastructure
 
Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Kit Bond (R-MO) are seeking co-signers on
a letter requesting that the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies increase funding for the Clean Water
State Revolving Funds (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving
Funds (DWSRF).
 
Congress made a large investment in the State Revolving Funds in the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including $4 billion for the
CWSRF and $2 billion for the DWSRF.  This request - $2.4 billion for the
CWSRF and $1.5 billion for the DWSRF - builds upon that investment and
will help narrow the large gap between water infrastructure needs and
spending.
 
Contact Chris Hickling
<mailto:chris_hickling at reed.senate.gov?subject=MEP%20Letter>
(202/224-0606) at the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.
 
 
Senate Letter Supports LIHEAP Funding at $5.1 Billion
 
Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition Co-Chairs Jack Reed (D-RI) and
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are sending a letter to the Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations Subcommittee requesting $5.1 billion for the Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for fiscal 2010.  LIHEAP is the
only federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with
their energy bills.  This funding is vital for low income families
facing high energy bills during both the cold winter and hot summer.
The Fiscal 2009 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and
Continuing Appropriations Act included $5.1 billion for LIHEAP - the
highest funding level ever for the program - allowing states to serve
millions more families.
 
Contact Chris Hickling
<mailto:chris_hickling at reed.senate.gov?subject=LIHEAP%20Letter>
(202/224-0606) at the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.
 
 
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