Northeast-Midwest Institute Policy Research

10/20/2026

Meet Naomi Hoff, one of NEMWI's Fall 2026 Environmental Policy Interns!

10/16/2026

Back in September, the EPA granted the removal of the Beach Closings Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) at the Maumee Area of Concern, moving the site closer to delisting. To date, the EPA alongside local partners have finished 42 of 53 planned management actions across the AOC.

The Maumee Area of Concern spans 787 square miles in northwest Ohio, making it one of the largest AOC’s in the United States. The AOC covers 1,900 miles of streams and 45 miles of Lake Erie shoreline. Read more about the Maumee AOC under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in our spotlight from earlier this year here:

AOC Spotlight: Maumee By Taylor deNeve, Northeast-Midwest Institute Intern and Student at Texas A&M UniversityThe Maumee AOC is an interconnected system spanning 787 square miles and 11 independent watersheds, each one contributing differently to the overall condition of the AOC. “We are the third...

10/15/2026

Meet Aidan D'Oria, one of NEMWI's Fall 2026 Environmental Policy Interns!

10/14/2026

NEMWI has updated and released its Manufacturing Legislative Tracker to reflect recent action in Congress. The update includes H.R.10675, the BUILD with Allies Act of 2026, introduced by Representative Bill Huizenga (R-MI), and H.R.10402, the Good Energy Jobs Act of 2026, introduced by Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) in the House and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) in the Senate.

See these bills and others on NEMWI’s Manufacturing Legislative Tracker here:

Federal Great Lakes and Water Legislation Tracker, 2025-26 Updated as of September 9th, 2026 Download the report here To navigate the tracker, type one of the following tags in the search bar to filter results: Agriculture, Contaminants, Infrastructure, Great Lakes, Groundwater, Water quality, Water...

10/13/2026

Meet Greta Merrill, one of NEMWI's Fall 2026 Environmental Policy interns!

10/12/2026

Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) last week announced a new bipartisan permitting reform bill, the Bipartisan Affordability and American Jobs Act (BAAJA). The lawmakers comprise the leadership of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR).

The bill proposes sweeping changes to streamline the federal permitting process, and it reduces executive agency authority to block energy projects. It would protect ratepayers from cost increases related to data center energy consumption. The bill would also modify the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in an attempt to cut down on project delays but may also reduce environmental oversight.

Read more in NEMWI’s newsletter here:

Email from Northeast-Midwest Institute NEMWI holds invasive carp briefing, Senate passes GLRI reauthorization   NEMWI Weekly Update  October 5th, 2026   NEMWI Holds Invasive Carp Briefing The Nort

10/09/2026

The Northeast-Midwest Institute held a virtual briefing on the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee’s (ICRCC) annual Invasive Carp Action Plan last week. The briefing included an overview of the ICRCC and the development of the Action Plan from panelists from the USFWS, ILDNR, OHDNR, USGS, GLFC, and USACE.

If you missed it, view the recording here:

10/08/2026

The Senate passed a bill reauthorizing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative last week by unanimous consent. The bill would reauthorize GLRI for four years at $475 million, which is the current authorized level. The legislation would still need to pass the House to become law.

The GLRI has invested over $4 billion since 2010 in Great Lakes restoration, including remediating Areas of Concern (AOC), restoring habitat, and combatting invasive species. The program has revolutionized Great Lakes cleanup efforts: whereas just one AOC was delisted in the 20 years before GLRI, seven have been delisted in the 16 years since.

Read the bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/528/text

10/07/2026

The Northeast-Midwest Institute is excited to announce our Fall 2026 intern team. These five interns come from five different colleges and universities across five states. Look out for their bylines in the Weekly Update throughout the semester, and help us extend a warm welcome!

10/06/2026

El Niño is a natural climate pattern that occurs every few years as water in the center/eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean warms above normal temperatures. The pattern is officially considered “super” when surface temperatures warm at least 2°C. The 2026-2027 Super El Niño is expected to be one of the largest in 150 years.

Globally, El Niño impacts vary from dry and warm conditions causing drought in Southeast Asia, Central America and Africa, impacting agricultural exports and shipping due to low Panama Canal levels. In North America, a “hyperactive Pacific hurricane season” is likely, but the Atlantic hurricane season will be very quiet. However, super-fueled east coast storms (Nor’easters) are anticipated to increase this fall and winter. Finally, the winter is forecasted to be one of the warmest U.S. winters on record, although cold periods are possible.

Read more in our newsletter:

Email from Northeast-Midwest Institute Upcoming invasive carp briefing; Senators warn against further Brandon Road delays   NEMWI Weekly Update  September 28th, 2026   Invasive Carp Briefing Thursda