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Welcome to NARC
05/14/08
NARC Washington, DC Update - 5/14/08
Category: The Washington Update
Posted by: shannon
DEVELOPMENTBRIEF
Final Farm Bill Conference Report May Get Vote From Congress Soon
Votes one the final farm bill conference report may be completed as early as today in both chambers. The Senate was expected to adopt the conference report on the bill by a wide margin with enough votes to override a threatened presidential veto. The House, however, is less unified, with Minority Leader Boehner (R-OH) stating he will vote against, as well as some liberal Democrats and fiscally conservative Republicans.
The farm bill would spend more than $280 billion over five years, and would reauthorize crop subsidies, food stamps, and other food related entitlement programs. It would provide an increase for nutrition programs over current spending. Also, it includes some new limits on crop subsidies.
Conservation Program information:
- Conservation Reserve Program. The farm bill retains the highly successful Conservation Reserve Program which allows for annual payments for 10-15 year contracts to participants who establish grass, shrub and tree cover on environmentally sensitive lands. While the cap on eligible lands has been lowered from 39.2 million acres to 32 million acres, the projection reflects expected attrition, and the cost savings are being used to fund other conservation programs in the farm bill.
- Wetlands Reserve Program. The bill also retains this voluntary program that assists landowners with restoring and protecting wetlands through conservation easements and cost-share agreements.
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Through EQIP, farmers and ranchers may receive financial and technical help to install and maintain conservation practices that enhance soil, water, and related natural resources, including wetlands. Under the new agreement, the program receives an additional $2.4 billion to help producers plan and implement conservation practices including renewable fuels such as wind and solar power.
- Enhanced funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program by an additional $1.1 billion while promoting better practices
- Doubling of funding to $500 million for the Farmland Protection Program.
- Addition of 300,000 new acres eligible for the Grasslands Reserve Program.
Click HERE and then click “Farm Bill Conference” button for the final conference report.
Article – Senate Finance Ranking Member Grassley (R-IA) Indicates Congress has Enough votes to Override a Veto
HOMELANDSECURITYBRIEF
Landrieu: U.S. Still Not Ready for Another Major Hurricane
From Congressional Quarterly
With June 1 — the start of hurricane season — less than three weeks away, Sen.
Often outspoken in her criticism of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Louisiana Democrat who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery is working on legislation that would overhaul the Stafford Act (PL 93-288), which authorizes FEMA to fund post-disaster recoveries.
In an interview with CQ Homeland Security, Landrieu, who lost a home to flooding from Hurricane Katrina, was particularly adamant that the nation’s disaster housing strategy situation needs to be addressed. Last month, FEMA’s No. 2 official Harvey E. Johnson Jr. said the Congressionally mandated — and overdue — National Disaster Housing Strategy would be ready for Congress sometime in late May or June.
Despite the often heavy criticism Landrieu has for FEMA, she had kind words for Johnson and FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison.
Q. With the 2008 hurricane season less than three weeks away, would you say the country is ready?
A. No. I would say the country is not ready for another catastrophic hurricane, but I would say that there are a few things that have been improved, and still some glaring short comings. Three of the things that I could mention that [have] been improved are, one the [National Response Framework] has been tightened and strengthened and that means that in a catastrophic disaster there’s more clear lines have been drawn as to what agencies are responsible for what. . . . Two, there’s improvement, according to the report that’s been done by the Inspector General, on logistics. There’s been some substantial improvements made in the pre-positioning of materials necessary to respond: i.e., food and water, some vetting of a better process for contracting [and] getting them there more quickly. You can remember the problems associated with ice traveling 1,000 miles and then melting in the trucks. We think we’ve probably solved that problem. ... The third piece is that we have made some significant progress in expediting the project work orders, public work order sheets. ... It’s the current, very complicated system that FEMA uses to reimburse public entities for damaged public facilities and infrastructure, and we have made some progress in streamlining that process, particularly as it relates to school buildings. We still have a long way to go, though. But those are sort of three [examples] . . . and there are others . . . of things that have been improved.
Q. What are some of the things that haven’t been improved?
A. Three things that virtually have not been improved, and that still remain and I’m very, very concerned about, and it’s still a real problem, is we don’t have a national housing response plan. Even the immediate sheltering for a catastrophic disaster, I don’t think is adequate and neither FEMA nor HUD has yet to turn in a long-term housing strategy. . . . The first thing that [has] not been improved is the regional coordination of evacuation and sheltering. While I think there has been some effort made, I think that the efforts have fallen short of the ideal goal for there to be regional based plans. For some reason, FEMA has objected to the changes that we have proposed along these lines for regional sheltering and evacuation coordination. And then the lack of an overhaul housing plan is still probably the most glaring area that just sort of has evaded solutions for whatever reason. And then thirdly . . . we still haven’t had the overall kind of reform to the Stafford Act that I think [is] required to deal with a catastrophic event, the actual law changes.
Q. I understand that you and your subcommittee are working on legislation to overhaul the Stafford Act. What’s wrong with it now and what do you hope to accomplish?
A. Well, it’s real weakness now is it fails to provide the different size toolboxes necessary to deal with different levels of catastrophe. It’s sort of a one size fits all, and it needs to be more flexible, more expandable, based on the nature of the catastrophe. There’s a difference of opinion right now whether the act is written flexibly and it’s just not being interpreted that way and whether the act itself is just not flexible. So, that’s what we’re trying to get to the bottom of, and there are differences of opinion about it. One of the roles of my subcommittee is to try to figure that out, and we’ve been doing that by having several different hearings on different topics. But, we don’t have to wait for the complete rewrite of the law to take steps now that can move us forward, which is why we’ve tried to move forward bits and pieces of it. But, the agenda gets tight on the floor. It’s hard to fight for time in the committee. While we’ve had pretty good cooperation from the chair and the ranking member, and I’m not indicating that they haven’t been generally supportive, there are other issues that are pressing the Congressional agenda. The administration has been not very creative or innovative in pursuing its own set of reforms. But having said that, the bottom line is I don’t believe the nation is ... ready for a catastrophic disaster. While we’ve made some progress, and I’ve outlined some of the areas that we have, there are still some glaring shortcomings.
Q. If Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast again today, would the same thing happen now as happened then?
A. I think what would happen is . . . there would probably be better initial evacuation done. I think that there would be better delivery of food, water and basic supplies based on improvements. I think that there would be a slight improvement in the communications capability, based on mobile communication units that are probably now available that weren’t. However, I know that there would be no improvement in the intermediate or long-range housing plan. Outside, of trailers with formaldehyde, there still doesn’t seem to be a solution to that problem.
Q. Nearly three years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, there are still people living in those formaldehyde-laden FEMA mobile homes and trailers. You and many others have criticized FEMA and the administration for this. But don’t people, at some point, have to step up and take responsibility for themselves? If not after nearly three years, then when? At some point shouldn’t the people who are living in these trailers say we need to do something, we need to take it upon our own initiative to move out of here?
A. Well, yeah, and I think that many families have taken that initiative. But there are all sorts of barriers. No. 1, there’s not enough affordable rental housing in the area. No. 2, some people are still waiting for their insurance settlements or Road Home grants, and the bureaucracy has been very slow. . . . I think everybody should take initiative. Families in the Gulf Coast have taken a tremendous amount of initiative given the abject failure of the federal government and, in some measure, the state and local governments as well. But the federal government still has not provided the kind of housing options that [are] necessary for people to make good choices to get basically back on their feet. But, yes, people do take initiative. People have taken a lot of initiative. Sometimes, seniors gutting the houses themselves, doing the construction work themselves. The catastrophe overwhelmed the system.
Q. We talk a lot about the changes that have been on the federal side since Katrina, the Post Katrina Emergency Reform Act (PL 109-295) being a prime example. But are state and local governments doing enough to help prevent another Katrina type situation?
A. I’m not really sure about that. My focus has been what the federal response has been. I really would hope that the states have stepped up, but I’m really not in a position to comment on that.
Q. FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison, has been around for a while at this point. What do you think of the work he has done as the head of FEMA?
A. Well, I think he has done pretty well considering what he inherited. The fact that he’s still there shows a lot of commitment on his part because he’s really committed to stay through the administration and his job [has] not been an easy one. Adm. Johnson has made some significant improvements since he’s been there, particularly on implementing this expedited project work order, project worksheet.
ENVIRONMENTBRIEF
Wind Can Supply 20% of U.S. Electricity, Report Says
The US Department of Energy said yesterday that the United States has the ability to meet 20 percent of its electricity-generation needs with wind by 2030, enough to displace 50 percent of natural gas consumption and 18 percent of coal consumption. Click HERE to read the article from The Washington Post.
Calif.'s fuel efficiency standard 41% tougher than U.S.'
From ClimateWire
California's proposed tailpipe emission standards could eliminate 41 percent more greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 than federal fuel economy standards that would pre-empt California's, the state said in a study released last week. California's standards would reduce emissions 1,283 million metric tons between 2009 and 2020 if implemented nationwide, compared to 912 MMT under the federal plan.
Furthermore, if Canada adopts California's standards, it could save 87 MMT by 2020, compared to 58 MMT under the proposed U.S. federal standards. Canada has hinted it will follow the U.S. plan, but a 2006 report seen last month suggested it might keep automakers' voluntary pledge under the previous administration to use California's standards.
California says its regulations, issued in 2006, impose restrictions on vehicles' tailpipe emissions, rather than their fuel content. They would require new cars and trucks with a model year of 2009 or later to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide 22 percent by 2012 and 30 percent by 2016. The standards have been held back by court challenges from automakers and U.S. EPA's refusal to grant a waiver to allow the state to regulate motor vehicle GHGs.
Kansas appoints group to assess climate change
A new Kansas group has been charged with reducing the state's carbon dioxide emissions. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) has appointed 20 members to the newly created Kansas Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group, including representatives from science and industry fields. The group will convene for the first time May 20 in Wichita. The new group will create an inventory and forecast of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, recommend a plan to cut emissions and produce a preliminary report by next January.
Free Webcast on Green Infrastructure Measures
The National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP) is hosting this free web cast on Tuesday, May 20th, from 3:00-4:30 PM Eastern focusing on green infrastructure measures. This web cast will feature two speakers, Don Outen, the Natural Resource Manager from the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection & Resource Management and Maureen Hart, President of Sustainable Measures located in West Hartford, CT. Both speakers will focus on examples and case studies that highlight their work on green infrastructure.
Click HERE to register. For more information, please call, NALGEP at 202-638-6254.
Click HERE to register. For more information, please call, NALGEP at 202-638-6254.
Agency planning 'National Climate Service'
To relieve a climate research tangle involving 13 federal agencies, the head of the nation's weather agency is weighing the idea of consolidating some of it in a new "National Climate Service." The new office would support climate modeling and research now handled by several federal agencies, serving as the "government spokesman" on climate change. This will be modeled after the National Weather Service, which is part of NOAA.
The proposal has won support from the White House and NOAA is working to outline a formal proposal for the next federal budget cycle after a new president takes office.
According to a National Academy of Sciences report issued in 2001, the concept of a National Climate Service dates back to a law enacted in the Carter administration. The National Climate Program Act directed the federal government to establish a network of six national climate centers that reported to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
MISCELLANEOUSBRIEFS
Congress Moving Forward on FY2009 Budget
House-Senate conferees (who will be appointed this week) most likely will not formally approve a compromise FY09 budget resolution until next week, when Congress will be headed toward its Memorial Day recess.
According to Senate Budget Chairman Conrad (D-ND), the budget resolution will show a small surplus in 2012 and 2013. The House plan (H Con Res 321) showed surpluses of $178 billion in fiscal 2012 and $158 billion in fiscal 2013 and the Senate budget (S Con Res 70) shows surpluses of about $4 billion in each of those years. The difference is due to Senate adoption of an amendment that calls for dedicating surpluses in those years to the extension of tax breaks targeted at middle- and lower-income taxpayers.
HEARINGS&MARKUPS
Transportation
House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials hearing on the reauthorization of Amtrak on 5/14/08 at 10amin 2167 Rayburn.
House Homeland Security Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee hearing on efforts to promote resilience, focusing on the areas of transportation security and infrastructure protection on 5/14/08 at 2pm in 311 Cannon.
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing titled "Condition of Our Nation's Infrastructure: Local Perspectives from Mayors" on 5/15/08 at 10am in 538 Dirksen.
Economic & Community Development
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing on fiscal 2009 appropriations for programs under its jurisdiction – The Census Bureau – on TBA in 2358-A Rayburn.
Homeland Security
House Homeland Security Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response Subcommittee hearing titled "Advancing Public Alerts and Warnings System to Build a More Resilient Nation” 5/14/08 at 10am in 311 Cannon.
Environment
House Science and Technology Committee hearing on the water supply challenges on 5/14/08 at 10am in 2318 Rayburn.
House Select Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee hearing on green buildings and smart growth on 5/14/08 at 2pm in TBD.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on EPA's new ozone standards on 5/20/08 at TBD in 2154 Rayburn.
Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection Subcommittee hearing on "International Deforestation and Climate Change Adaptation” on TBD in 419 Dirksen (witnesses include Stuart Eizenstat - partner, Covington and Burling, representing Sustainable Forestry Management and Heather McGray - senior associate, World Resources Institute).
House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management hearing on the practical impact of national flood plain remapping on TBA in 2167 Rayburn.
House Energy and Commerce Committee mark up on HR 3754, a bill to authorize the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to accept, as part of a settlement, diesel emission reduction supplemental environmental projects, and for other purposes on TBA in 2123 Rayburn.
DCEVENTS
CQ Forum on America's Infrastructure
Congressional Quarterly will host a CQ Forum sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers on America's Infrastructure. During this economic downturn and time of war, what are the benefits, costs and tradeoffs we must balance in order to restore, maintain--and even expand--our national infrastructure?
DATE: Wednesday, May 14
TIME: 8am
LOCATION: Columbus Club, Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Contact: Marie Kilroy at 202-419-8484 or cqforum_infrastructure@cq.com
Note: Registration required to contact listed. For further information: www.cq.com/cqforum_infrastructure
Risk Management, Mitigation, and Renewable Energy Technology
The American Council On Renewable Energy in collaboration with the American Bar Association's (ABA) Renewable Energy Resources Committee will host a teleconference with a panel of experts who will discuss varying perspectives on how the current risk management environment is evaluated by participants in the renewable energy sector.
DATE: Wednesday, May 21
TIME: 12:00-1:30 pm ET
There is a $25 charge for this event. Click on the following link for more information: http://www.renewableenergyinfo.org
The Summit for American Prosperity: Washington and Metro Areas Working Together
The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program will host The Summit for American Prosperity: Washington and Metropolitan Areas Working Together. The event will take place at the Washington Hilton on Wednesday evening, June 11 and Thursday, June 12, 2008.
To attend sessions and meal functions registration is required – although there is no fee to attend the Summit.
DATE: Wednesday evening, June 11, 2008 — Thursday, June 12, 2008
LOCATION: The Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC
To RSVP, please register at www.regonline.com/brookingsblueprintsummitor contact Kathleen Kruczlnicki with any questions (kkruczlnicki@brookings.edu, 202.797.6139)
To RSVP, please register at www.regonline.com/brookingsblueprintsummitor contact Kathleen Kruczlnicki with any questions (kkruczlnicki@brookings.edu, 202.797.6139)
NATIONALNEWS
South Carolina House approves bill to fund road, bridge work
From Land Line Magazine
Struggling to come up with solutions to help pay for needed road and bridge work throughout the state, legislators in South Carolina discussed bills that would take different paths to solve the state’s funding crisis.
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Working Together Helps Area Prosper
From The Tampa Tribune
This power of collaboration and inclusion is the hallmark of the Tampa Bay Partnership since its inception in 1994. We are a business-led, regional economic development organization committed to the economic well-being of the seven-county Tampa Bay region.
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Kaine says more taxes necessary to fix highways
From The Roanoke Times
Gov. Tim Kaine said Monday that the mounting cost of highway maintenance and the possible consequences of ignoring it led him to propose another statewide tax increase for transportation, despite opposition from key Republican legislative leaders.
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David Preece: Manchester's public transit is essential to economy
From The Union Leader
MANCHESTER MAYOR Frank Guinta's proposed budget cuts to the Manchester Transit Authority would be devastating to Manchester and the region. Investments, not cuts, in public transportation are needed to keep downtown Manchester thriving as the region's center of finance, commerce, retail and culture.
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Patrick offers $3b plan for bridge repairs
From The Boston Globe
Governor Deval Patrick yesterday announced a $3 billion bond proposal to repair deteriorating bridges throughout the state over the next eight years, a scaled-back version of an initiative he announced last month.
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Law creates new division to build reservoirs
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue signed the Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act of 2008 Tuesday to expedite the building of reservoirs.
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Young Workers Flee Midwestern States
From NPR
Upper Midwestern states are in danger of losing a precious economic commodity: young people. Many are leaving for other parts of the country after finishing school. Without young, educated workers, there's little incentive for businesses to locate in economically hard-hit states.
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Drought-stricken Barcelona forced to ship in drinking water
From The Baltimore Sun
Spain's worst drought in decades forced the proud city of Barcelona to start shipping in drinking water today, an unprecedented step that business leaders bemoan as a public relations nightmare for one of Europe's top tourist destinations.
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540 Toll Road Plan Goes To General Assembly
From NBC 17 News
Members of the 21st Century Transportation Committee approved this morning on a proposal that could ease traffic congestion across the state. The proposal will now go to the general assembly.
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Fixing roads, adding buses among congestion solutions
From The Business Ledger
Fixing the roads, expanding the Pace bus fleet and extending the Chicago Transportation Authority’s Blue Line service to Yorktown are three items on a wish list of traffic and congestion solutions compiled by a policy committee.
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BioRegional seeks to create local 'zero carbon' community
From The Triangle Business Journal
BioRegional North America has brought a former Casey Trees Endowment Fund leader on board to help it find a Washington-area contender for a worldwide One Planet Communities Program.
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Knowledge is power on transportation issues
From The Twin Cities Planet
On the theory that 300 million Americans can’t be wrong – and even if they are, the customer is always right — politicians and public policymakers pay careful attention to opinion polls. Where else would recent calls by presidential candidates for a federal gasoline tax holiday have come from?
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For Whom the Bridge Tolls
From San Francisco Weekly
When financial executives have to pay an extra dollar for crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, terrorists win. At least, that's one moral to be gleaned from an absurdist controversy surrounding plans to ease the commute for some of the richest Americans by making them pay for it.
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Breaking News
NEW! Member Assistance Request: Urban Area Security Initiative Regions
FY09 Appropriations Update for Homeland Security
NARC Board Members Submit Applications to FEMA's National Advisory Council
Overview of FY2009 Presidential Budget Request for Homeland Security
Better Coordination, Information Sharing Key Lesson From Cyber-Exercise
NEW! FY09 Appropriations Update for Environment
NARC Calls for Regional Support in Senate Climate Change Bill
Sponsors lower expectations for Lieberman-Warner bill
EPA Makes $50 Million Available to Clean Up Diesel Engines Nationwidez`
EPA Seeks Public Comment on Water Strategy to Respond to Climate Change
Ernst & Young Reports Climate Change Tops List of Insurance Risks
Regions 360°
GRADD Celebrates 40 Years
SPC Region receives APA's 2008 National Planning Excellent Award for Public Outreach
SEMCOG Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Bob DeLotto, NARC 2003 John Bosley Award Winner, Passes Away at 82
Save the Date! 2008 Ohio Conference on Freight, September 16-17
NARC Events
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Board of Directors
Fall Retreat
Closed Meeting
October 16-17, 2008
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National Conference of Regions February 22-24, 2009 Ritz Carlton Washington, DC |
| 2009 Annual Conference and Exhibition June 1-3, 2009 Hyatt Regency Convention Center Denver, CO |
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