Northeast-Midwest Institute Policy Research

08/07/2026

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources met to examine three bipartisan bills aimed at strengthening the United States' domestic critical mineral supply chain. The legislation covered included mineral mapping, permitting reform, and quantum technologies. Much of the discussion centered the Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026 (H.R. 9640) and the Expanding the Fast Track Act of 2026 (H.R. 8003). These proposals aimed to identify where America's critical mineral resources are located, and help projects move through the federal permitting process more efficiently.

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Email from Northeast-Midwest Institute GLTF Co-Chairs send letter on Brandon Road stoppage, committee hearings on AIS bill and critical minerals   NEMWI Weekly Update  August 3rd, 2026   Great Lakes

08/06/2026

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries held a legislative hearing on July 21 on four wildlife and natural resource bills, including H.R. 8876, the Aquatic Invasive Species Control and Prevention Act of 2026. The bill would update the federal framework for prevention and control of aquatic invasive species.

Dr. Marc Gaden, Executive Secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, testified in support of H.R. 8876. He pointed to the coordinated sea lamprey control program as a model, noting that invasive species cross jurisdictional state and national boundaries and become much harder to manage once established. He argued that H.R. 8876 would promote greater federal coordination through the existing Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force and National Invasive Species Council. H.R. 8876 would improve coordination among federal agencies, states, Tribes, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions.

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Email from Northeast-Midwest Institute GLTF Co-Chairs send letter on Brandon Road stoppage, committee hearings on AIS bill and critical minerals   NEMWI Weekly Update  August 3rd, 2026   Great Lakes

08/05/2026

The bipartisan Co-Chairs of the Great Lakes Task Force sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Army Corps to express concern over the delayed construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP). The BRIP is critical to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes, which would threaten the ecosystem and economy of the Great Lakes region with ramifications for the entire country.

The Co-Chairs write, “we respectfully urge you to lift the stop-work orders, conclude any additional administration review of BRIP, and release Federal funds through the Army Corps of Engineers without any further delay.”

Read the letter here:

08/05/2026

On July 15th, the Great Lakes Members of Congress sent a letter to Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, urging the Coast Guard to “expeditiously complete” two Congressionally mandated items relating to icebreaking. The first is the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act to build and deliver a new capable Great Lakes heavy icebreaker. The second is the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which mandates the Coast Guard develop and make public a database of icebreaking operations in the Great Lakes.

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08/03/2026

The Co-Chairs of Congressional PFAS Task Force sent a letter to the Department of Defense to urge it to fulfill its legal obligations to track and clean up PFAS contamination at military bases. As required under the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, the Department must develop a strategy to prioritize cleanup sites based on risk, establish cleanup timelines, and expand PFAS testing capacity.

Read the letter:

07/30/2026

NEMWI has released an update to its Federal Critical Minerals Legislative Tracker, highlighting recent congressional activity on critical minerals. The bills include the Energy Security Pacts Act (S. 4392) the Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026 (S. 4870), and the Critical Minerals Security Act of 2025(S. 789). These pieces of legislation focus on expanding partnerships with allied countries, supporting mineral production, and improving domestic resource development. As U.S. demand for critical minerals grows, Congress is advancing legislation aimed at strengthening supply chain security and reducing reliance on foreign sources.

View the updated tracker:

Critical Minerals Legislative Tracker 2025-26 Updated as of July 9th, 2026 Download the report here ChamberBill NameDescriptionSponsor(s)Committee(s)Status (Location & Date)Companion Bills SenateS. 257Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025To improve the resilience of critical supply cha...

07/29/2026

Wildfires burning in Ontario and Minnesota have spread harmful fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, and other pollutants across the Midwest. Air quality levels ranged from the lowest “good” levels of 0–50 to the highest “hazardous” levels of 300–500. On Thursday and Friday, the EPA’s Air Quality Index measured as high as 500 in parts of the Midwest and up to 300 in Washington, D.C. PM2.5 can have detrimental short- and long-term effects, including impaired cognition and worsening asthma and respiratory disease. Studies have also found an increase in overall crime and a decrease in productivity in areas with higher PM2.5 exposure.

Read more: https://conta.cc/4wfoPuP

07/23/2026

Last week, House and Senate Committees advanced the Water Resources Development Act, which is the biennial water infrastructure bill that authorizes U.S. Army Corps projects across the country. The bills also cover fishery investments and algal bloom mitigation efforts. The Senate version, also reauthorizes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from FY2027-FY2030 at $475 million per year.

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Email from Northeast-Midwest Institute House, Senate Committees advance WRDA bills. Plus: What is really to blame for wildfires?   NEMWI Weekly Update  July 20th, 2026   Senate EPW, House T&I Advanc

07/22/2026

Climate change, not Canadian forest management policy, is to blame for current wildfire blazes. Only around one-fifth of the area burned by Canadian wildfires in the past 40 years has been in managed forests, and the vast majority of fires occur in boreal forests that aren’t managed at all. Meanwhile Canada is experiencing faster warming than the global average, contributing to hotter, dryer fire seasons.

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Email from Northeast-Midwest Institute House, Senate Committees advance WRDA bills. Plus: What is really to blame for wildfires?   NEMWI Weekly Update  July 20th, 2026   Senate EPW, House T&I Advanc

07/20/2026

Last month, the Joint U.S.–Canadian Committee of Advisors to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission passed a resolution in support of the Save Great Lakes Fish Act of 2025 that would authorize $500 million over 10 years for the U.S section of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to combat invasive species of mussels. These invasive mussels can disrupt water infrastructure and create hostile environments for commercial fish populations, causing an estimated $1billion in economic damages per year.

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Email from Northeast-Midwest Institute Black River AOC takes a step towards delisting, GLFC advisors endorse SGLF Act   NEMWI Weekly Update  July 13th, 2026   Final BUI Removed at Black River AOC