Monday, February 28, 2011

Key Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Hearings for the Week

At the same time that funding for the current Fiscal Year are being hashed out, hearings begin this week on the Fiscal Year 2012 budget.  Here are some key hearings, with links to the respective hearing web page:
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Back from Recess, Congress Dives Back into Spending Legislation

Much of this upcoming week in Congress will be spent finding a compromise path toward a short-term (probably two-week) Continuing Resolution (CR) that will keep the Federal government running beyond this Friday's deadline for the current funding measure, leaving the Senate and House breathing room to negotiate a longer-term bill to fund the government through the end of September. The House Republican two-week CR under consideration would cut $4 billion from the budget over that two-week  period, with more than half of the savings coming from 2010 earmarks automatically carried over but not yet spent in the existing CR. The remaining savings would come from the elimination now of programs that the Obama Administration has already proposed to eliminate or drastically reduce, as part of the President's Fiscal Year 2012 budget proposal (see this "Terminations, Reductions and Savings" document that accompanied the President's budget proposal).  In it's 2012 budget proposal the Obama Administration identified 120 terminations, reductions and "other areas of savings" that it said would save about $20 billion each year.

The CR, if passed, would provide two full legislative weeks for negotiations to continue on a long-term funding bill before the next scheduled Senate and House recess period, starting March 21.
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Friday, February 25, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

Mississippi River Collaborative
I've spent half of this week in Nashville, Tennessee participating in a Mississippi River Collaborative meeting with some of the best people you'd ever want to cross paths with.  If you've never heard of the Mississippi River Collaborative or visited the Collaborative's web site (here it is), take a few moments to become acquainted with this group of organizations dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the Mississippi River Basin and Gulf of Mexico.


The Federal budget for both the 2011 and 2012 Fiscal Years has been an ongoing theme of our discussions this week, with concern over proposed cuts to programs that help the Collaborative members and many others meet restoration and conservation goals being paramount. I've placed the latest news on the Federal budget machinations at the head of the "Twitter Postings for the Week," below.


Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week: 
Federal Budget-
  • Environmentalists Warn of Natural Debt as Budget Cuts Loom - TIME -http://bit.ly/flYKuO
  • House efforts in funding bill to block EPA programs and regulations move to the Senate http://politi.co/fqG1W7
  • GOP aides: House Republicans plan to pass 2-week stopgap spending bill next week with $2 B/wk in cuts http://bit.ly/hgyKgw
  • Top Senate Dems putting together 7-month continuing resolution including some cuts outlined from Obama’s proposed 2012 budget http://bit.ly/i5tszc
  • Senate leaders summarily dismiss House Speaker John Boehner's 2-week stopgap spending measure http://wapo.st/gzzelZ
Agriculture -
  • Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) laments Congressional resistance to addressing farm subsidy issues http://bit.ly/h2g8k6 (bottom of article) 
  • IA State U to lead $20 M study of cornís climate impact http://bit.ly/gtNwKb
  • Amendment to House funding bill blocks EPA from spending any money to allow E15 ethanol blend gas sales http://bit.ly/goTxu6
  • Smallest corn inventories in 37 years a sign farmers failing to produce enough grain to meet demand http://bloom.bg/gZdtYv
  • Environment America report: Agribusinesses spent millions to block regulations http://bit.ly/dVtr3Y
  • Bill Clinton warns against using too much corn for fuels http://wapo.st/fO3Bbu; industry responds http://bit.ly/etRser
  • Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Stabenow (D-MI) outlines guiding principles for next Farm Bill http://bit.ly/eYpWxQ (pdf file)
In the States -
  • TN groups voice their concerns re: gas well fracking and state regs to Tennessee Oil and Gas Board http://bit.ly/dXOsQ2
  • Kentucky appeals Court ruling allowing groups to intervene in clean water enforcement case vs coal mining companies http://bit.ly/f08qwZ
  • New TN environmental chief was previously lawyer representing those challenging EPA and the state in pollution cases http://bit.ly/gpaFlg
  • 11% budget cut proposed for MN Pollution Control Agency, MPCA head says agency will still make progress http://bit.ly/hsVcse
Flooding, Floodplains, Dams and Navigation -
  • NOAA: Another Spring of Major Flooding Likely in North Central US http://bit.ly/eDi9bd
  • Association of State Dam Safety Officials: 4,400 of US's 85,000 dams susceptible to failure http://nyti.ms/dMggwS
  • Coon Rapids Dam Commission recommends $17 M dam upgrade to keep Asian Carp from migrating up Mississippi River  http://bit.ly/enlUOb
Events -
  • 11th Annual Kaskaskia River Watershed Summit, March 7, Carlyle Lake http://bit.ly/gFundn
  • National Symposium on Low Impact Development, nonpoint sources & Surface Water Issues; Philadelphia, Sept 25-28 http://bit.ly/dRj2Sx
  • March 15 Round Table to highlight value of collaborations in Agriculture, Food, Nutrition & Natural Resources R&D http://bit.ly/fBbQVu
  • Attending the Mississippi River Collaborative meeting today and tomorrow in Nashville TN http://bit.ly/aw24aR
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • Invasive alga Didymosphenia geminata ("Didymo" or "Rock Snot") threatens Missouri streams http://bit.ly/fLEImq
  • Research: more CO2 means stronger weeds; more resistant to herbicides; article: http://bit.ly/emUesD; study: http://bit.ly/hNW7x6
  • Coon Rapids Dam Commission recommends $17 M dam upgrade to keep Asian Carp from migrating up Mississippi River  http://bit.ly/enlUOb
  • RT @Interior: Sec. Salazar announces new draft vision for future of the National Wildlife Refuge System: http://bit.ly/goALx3
Other news-
  • EPA seeks public comment on plan to perform retrospective reviews of regulations http://bit.ly/h0W5b0
  • Northeast-Midwest Institute's February Update on Mississippi River Basin issues: (PDF file) http://bit.ly/hNbxsh
  • Clean Water America Alliance announces 2011 US Water Prize winners; includes National Great Rivers Research & Ed Cntr http://bit.ly/fgDu5q
  • EPA OIG report: agency needs better controls over staff resources (pdf file) http://bit.ly/ejHTrA
Political Scene -
  • Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO-8th) announces that she won’t run against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) in 2012 http://bit.ly/dJd9XN
Last word- “The right answer to a fool is silence.” — Afghan Proverb . . . and with that, I'll shut up!
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

February Update from the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Mississippi River Basin Issues

The February Update from the Northeast-Midwest Institute on Mississippi River Basin issues is now available for viewing or downloading as a pdf file. The Update contains articles on Budget and Appropriations, Legislation, and River Basin News and Notes:  
Budget and Appropriations - Continuing Resolution, the Administration's Budget and Upcoming Appropriations 
Legislation - Legislative Initiatives on Back Burner for Now 
River Basin News and Notes
  • Letter Urges Congress to Include Water Quality Concerns in Upcoming Farm Bill Discussions
  • Federal Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds-Gap Between Funding Levels and Needs 
  • Significant Springtime Flooding Likely in the Upper Mississippi River Basin 
  • Delta Dispatches 
  • Tennessee Clean Water Network Newsletter
  • Upcoming Conferences, Events and Workshops
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Friday, February 18, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

 2011 and 2012 Federal Budget Picture 
"First Word" - As we have noted here before, the budget debate within the halls of Congress that we discuss below will best be served if it is well-informed by educated perspectives from the River Basin region. Contact information for individual Senators and House Members and for the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and Subcommittees central to the Federal funding debates our outlined in this "Regional Voices Inform the Budget Debate" blog entry.

2011 Federal Funding - House Republican leaders plan to conclude debate today (Friday, February 18) on HR 1, the Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund the Federal government through the remainder of the 2011 Fiscal Year (through September 2011).   After GOP leaders made the unusual decision to lift restrictions on proposing changes to the legislation, House Members proposed hundreds of amendments, many of which would effectively eliminate or severely limit Executive Branch environmental programs and initiatives.  Given the huge number of proposed amendments, the debate on the Federal funding measure (first officially proposed by the House last Friday) will roll on into the evening hours Friday in the House, when it will likely be passed, largely along party lines.

What's next - The Senate is expected to take up the CR legislation after it returns from its Presidents Day, week-long recess at the end of the month, but the House measure - however it turns out - is unlikely to pass that chamber.  The CR currently funding the Federal government expires on March 4.  There is essentially no chance that the Senate will pass its version of an appropriations bill and then come to a compromise agreement with the House that the President would endorse in the five days between February 28, when Congress returns from its recess, and March 4. So another short-term CR will almost certainly be passed during that post-recess period.  House Speaker Boehner (R-OH-8th) on Thursday said that even that short-term, stop-gap bill would have to contain spending cuts to be entertained by the House, stating, “I am not going to move any kind of short-term CR at current levels," setting up the specter of a possible government shutdown after March 4.

2012 Federal Funding - The Obama Administration released its 2012 Fiscal Year budget proposal on Monday in a move that kicks off months of debate among  members of Congress and the Administration regarding which Federal programs to cut, and by how much for the fiscal year starting October 1.  The implications of the President's budget proposal for various programs that intersect with Mississippi River Basin environmental issues are outlined here, in an article we posted on Monday.

What's Next - Keep in mind that the Administration budget proposal is just that - a proposal.  House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI-1st) is reported to be preparing his own 2012 budget plan, called a budget resolution, which he plans to release in April.  The budget resolution will be Congress’s response to the President’s proposed budget, and, in part, is used to set spending ceilings for appropriations in the upcoming fiscal year.  Following release of the budget resolution, the House Appropriation Committee and its subcommittees will go about the business of crafting a 2012 spending bill that (traditionally, but not always) would be then passed onto the Senate for consideration.

What this means - Not as much as it seems.  Despite likely cuts (some deep) to Federal conservation and environmental  programs, we see daily in the news reminders (many posted here) that it will be the macro socio-economic trends that will more significantly influence land and water conservation and restoration in the near- and long-term.  Federal programs that target millions of dollars toward water quality improvement, land conservation and the like are but a thumb in the proverbial floodwall compared to the billions and trillions of dollars exchanging hands worldwide and influencing the future of agriculture, water resource allocation, land use, development patterns, energy systems, global climate and human population growth.  From that perspective, how the Federal budget impacts US and global economic stagnation, recession or recovery may be more important to environmental sustainability than the gains or losses to any individual program, project or agency.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week: 

Agriculture -
  • USDA issues report to Congress on indirect land-use change associated w/ increased biofuel feedstock production http://bit.ly/fDKwsv
  • USDA report considers how increased commodity prices might impact enrollment in/benefits of Conservation Reserve Prog http://bit.ly/hVe4m3
  • USDA ERS: Net farm income is forecast to be $94.7 billion in 2011, up 19.8% from 2010 http://bit.ly/5s7CpE
  • Sens Baucus & Grassley introduce bill to permanently extend tax relief for agricultural land donated for conservation http://bit.ly/eNZPeU
  • Farmland values in much of Midwest climbing at fastest rates since 2008 boom http://on.wsj.com/fQNFKu
  • Ag Committee Chair Lucas to GOP Leaders: USDA program cuts should be out of budget debates & decided in new Farm Bill http://bit.ly/gl8lGo
  • Sec of Agriculture Vilsack spent  ~4 hours testifying re: US farm economy Thursday on Capitol Hill; good overview: http://bit.ly/fQY4FD
  • USDA Economic Research Service releases Atlas of Rural & Small-Town America, valuable map-based resource: http://bit.ly/g8bWhX
  • Des Moines Register (IA) considers local effect of rising global food prices http://bit.ly/goi1lo
  • USDA smart phone apps under ARS development will improve efficiency of conservation model services for farmers 80-90% http://bit.ly/hNUCwt
Water Quality-
  • Industry coalition to Congress - EPA water quality regulations in FL coming to a state near you http://nyti.ms/h09RN1
  • RT @InvasiveNotes: RT @DianeN56: UN sounds alarm on ocean pollution: http://tinyurl.com/4hjbq56 [re: phosphorus runoff into oceans]
In the States -
  • Kentucky State Capitol sit-in protests mountaintop-removal mining in Eastern KY  http://bit.ly/echeLe
  • Opposition to Iowa House proposed cuts in spending on parks and trails is expected in State Senate http://bit.ly/gwJXyz
  • Minnesota Governor Dayton says he did best he could to protect DNR in state budget http://bit.ly/dRh9tH
  • KY Senate could vote Friday to make KY a “sanctuary state” from USEPA's coal mining regs http://bit.ly/ibZs1S
Flooding, Floodplains, Dams and Navigation -
Federal Budget-
  • Here is the detailed breakout of the Presidents' FY 2012 budget (note it's a 1000+ page pdf file) http://bit.ly/igYmNm
  • Here is our first take of the President's budget proposal & impact on water resource programs: http://bit.ly/iaBxob
  • In proposed 2012 budget, Obama proposes to cut direct subsidies to wealthiest farmers http://bit.ly/i2xYtv & http://reut.rs/g2MKLb
  • Federal Funding Continuing Resolution Status Update - schedule for vote slipping as flood of amendments slow debate http://bit.ly/i3sSVG 
  • House comes to agreement to limit debate on amendments so continuing resolution can sent to Senate by Friday http://politi.co/hFbtjd
Events -
  • U of MN Freshwater Society to sponsor talk "Taking the Pollution out of Agricultural Production" Feb. 24, 7 PM (CST) http://bit.ly/h8Xf8x
  • Bottomland Ecosystem Restoration Conference; Collinsville, IL; March 8-10 http://bit.ly/djNV7X
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • Public gives feedback at Great Lakes & Mississippi River Interbasin (invasive species) Study, Alton, IL meeting http://bit.ly/fFiWl0
  • Obama unveils plans to conserve 'Great Outdoors,' improve recreational access & boost economy http://bit.ly/hHvcR9
Other news-
  • Construction soon on Mississippi River steamboat museum in Ascension Parish, La. http://bit.ly/gsyMqL
  • Nancy Stoner begins this week as USEPA acting assistant administrator for water.  Bio here: http://bit.ly/dWnmPm
  • Army Corps seeks public comment on proposal to renew & revise nationwide permits re: wetlands & other waters http://bit.ly/epAxJQ (pdf)
  • Very informational online USDA map atlas of rural & small town America with population & farm info down to county level http://bit.ly/gfjo64
  • Interesting map of the Mississippi River Watershed drawn in subway map style: http://bit.ly/eMm0eQ
  • Doubly "green" machine? Algae clean wastewater of nutrients & then become biodiesel feedstock http://bit.ly/feikB8
Political Scene -
  • Poll-43% of TN GOP voters prefer more conservative US Senate 2012 candidate than Sen Corker but 60% approve of his job  
  • League of Conservation Voters releases its latest congressional environmental scorecard http://bit.ly/crdZB5
"Last Word" - "Being nice goes a long way. People don't like to help jerks." - Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), giving advice to incoming new lawmakers.
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Regional Voices Inform the Budget Debate

Discussions centering around continued 2011 and upcoming 2012 Federal funding will certainly focus on programs central to Mississippi River Basin issues of water quality, water resource planning, navigation, infrastructure, agriculture, invasive species and many others. The debate within the DC Beltway will be best served if it is well-informed by educated perspectives from the River Basin region.  

House Members and Senators representing your Congressional district or state would benefit from hearing your views. Contact information for their House and Senate offices can be found here and here, respectively.  For those wishing to contact House and Senate appropriators on Federal funding issues, members of the House Appropriations Committee (web page here) and its subcommittees can be found on page two of our House committee member listing, here. Senate Appropriations Committee members are listed on the Committee web page, here and its subcommittee members are listed here.  The appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over funding for Federal departments and agencies that manage key River Basin programs, and links to their web pages are:
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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Federal Funding Continuing Resolution Status Update

Originally House Republican leaders had hoped to conclude debate today (Thursday, February 17) on HR 1, the Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund the Federal government through the remainder of the 2011 Fiscal Year (through September 2011).  But because of the host of amendments offered regarding the CR, a final vote on the funding measure could now slip into the President's Day week-long recess, which is scheduled to begin this weekend.

Here is today's House schedule, from Majority Leader Cantor's (R-VA-7th) office.  A link to C-SPAN's live coverage of the House floor proceedings can be found here.  The Majority Leader's office circulated a memo yesterday regarding the House schedule, which said, "When the House finishes its business for the week will depend on how many of the 400 plus remaining amendments are offered, how long members choose to speak on those amendments, and which amendments receive recorded roll call votes."

What's next - The Senate is expected to take up the CR legislation after it returns from its recess at the end of the month, but the House measure - however it turns out - is unlikely to pass that chamber.  The CR currently funding the Federal government expires on March 4.  There is very little chance that the Senate will pass its version of the appropriations bill and then come to a compromise agreement with the House that President would endorse in the five days between February 28, when Congress returns from its recess, and March 4. So another short-term CR will almost certainly be passed during that post-recess period.  House Speaker Boehner (R-OH-8th) on Thursday said that even that short-term, stop-gap bill would have to contain spending cuts, stating, “I am not going to move any kind of short-term CR at current levels."
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Proposed Continuing Resolution Rider Would Block Administration Attempts to Clarify Clean Water Act Jurisdiction

The debate on the Federal funding Continuing Resolution (see text here)  proposed by the House last Friday rolls on in the House this week.  And after GOP leaders made the unusual decision to lift restrictions on proposing changes to the legislation, House Members have proposed dozens of amendments that would totally strip or severely limit Executive Branch environmental programs and initiatives.  One of the sections of the  proposed Continuing Resolution would limit the EPA's ability to restore Clean Water Act protections rolled back during the George W. Bush administration on the heels of two Supreme Court rulings that narrowed the definition of the waterways covered by the Clean Water Act.

The proposed language (Section 1747 of the Bill) would limit the Administration's ability to clarify and restore the interpretation of "waters of the United States" to the meaning originally intended by Congress in the Clean Water Act.  The Section 1747 language states in full that, "None of the funds made available by this division or any other Act may be used by the Environmental Protection Agency to implement, administer, or enforce a change to a rule or guidance document pertaining to the definition of waters under the jurisdiction of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.)."

Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY-21st) and James Moran (D-VA-8th) have introduced amendments that would remove section 1747 from the Continuing Resolution.  Neither amendment has been voted on yet by the House.

Background
In stating in 1972 that the Clean Water Act covers the “waters of the United States,” Congress expressed its intent that the term “waters of the United States” “be given the broadest possible constitutional interpretation.”  The resulting USEPA and Army Corps of Engineers regulations implementing the Act's provisions reflected that congressional intent by covering, among other waters:
  • tributaries of various waters, 
  • adjacent wetlands, and 
  • intrastate waters with linkages to interstate commerce. 
Those agency rules were upheld by the vast majority of courts that examined them, including the Supreme Court, until 2001 and 2006, when two Supreme Court decisions changed the regulatory and legal landscape and cast doubt upon the initial intent of the CWA jurisdiction and on its interpretation by the USEPA and Army Corps (for a full background on the issue, please see our White Paper, entitled, "Interpretations of the Clean Water Act - 'Waters of the United States'" located here).
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Monday, February 14, 2011

A Tale of Two Spending Plans (2012 and 2011)

2012 Fiscal Year Budget
The Obama Administration released its 2012 Fiscal Year budget proposal this morning  in a move that is sure to kick off weeks, and possibly months, of debate among fiscally conservative and progressive members of Congress and the Administration regarding which Federal programs to cut, and by how much.

The Obama budget proposal would arguably reduce the national debt by $1.1 trillion in the next 10 years through a combination of cuts, spending freezes and tax increases. About one-third of the Obama deficit reduction would be reached by raising taxes, and two-thirds of the reduction would come from spending cuts, many to popular programs, including several to programs that further ecosystem restoration, and land and water conservation in the Mississippi River watershed.  

EPA
EPA's budget would see a decrease of $1.3 billion below Fiscal Year 2010 enacted levels.  EPA's "Budget in Brief" is available here and contains details and justifications on their proposed budget.

The Administration proposes to fund a Mississippi River Basin program in 2012 at a level of $6.6 million (although not funded in Fiscal Year 2011, the Administration proposed to fund this program at a $17 million level in its fiscal 2011 budget proposal).  The EPA Budget in Brief describes the program as a competitive grant program in cooperation with States that will address excessive nutrient loadings contributing "to water quality impairments in the basin and, ultimately, to hypoxic conditions (dead zones) in the Gulf of Mexico."  The EPA budget brief goes on to say that, "Working with the Gulf Hypoxia Task Force, EPA will help target efforts within critical watersheds to implement effective strategies that can yield significant progress in addressing nonpoint source nutrient pollution.  A key emphasis will be coordinating with USDA and USGS to promote sustainable agricultural practices, to reduce nutrient loadings in the Mississippi River Basin and to implement monitoring programs to measure nutrient reductions."  The proposed $6.6 million budget Includes $0.6M for "enforcement actions in the Basin."

Two key Environmental Protection Agency budget reductions proposed by the Administration are cuts in the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs), and to the Nonpoint Source Grant program.   
  • SRF programs would be reduced $947 million from Fiscal Year 2010 appropriated levels to $2,540 million.  SRFs provide grants to States to capitalize their State-run revolving funds, which provide loans to support improvements in municipal wastewater and drinking water systems.  The Administration contends in its "Terminations, Reductions and Savings" document, accompanying the budget release, that the proposed SRF funding levels, while representing cuts from "historically high funding levels provided in 2010," are not draconian in the sense that they are a "total of $1 billion more than provided in regular appropriations in 2009." 
  • Nonpoint Source Grants would be reduced $36 million from Fiscal Year 2010 appropriated levels to $201 million. Through these grants, States fund nonpoint source staff, watershed planning, and project implementation to address water pollution runoff from urban, agricultural, and other sources.
USDA
With the proposed cuts to USDA’s mandatory Farm Bill conservation programs, overall, conservation programs will lose more than $1 billion from what they would have received under the funding growth levels envisioned in the 2008 Farm Bill.  Among the cuts, however, the budget proposal includes the largest funding levels ever for the Wetlands Reserve and Environmental Quality Incentives programs. Here are some USDA conservation program 2012 funding levels included in the President's budget:
  • Agricultural Management Assistance Program: $3 million - provides cost share assistance to agricultural producers to voluntarily address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations.
  • Agricultural Water Enhancement Program: $60 million - operated under EQIP, AWEP promotes the conservation of ground and surface water and the improvement of water quality.
  • Conservation Reserve Program: $1.995 billion - CRP provides technical and financial assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. The program provides assistance to farmers and ranchers in complying with Federal, State, and tribal environmental laws, and encourages environmental enhancement.
  • Conservation Stewardship Program: $788 million - CSP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance on Tribal and private agricultural working lands to support ongoing conservation stewardship. The program provides payments to producers who maintain and enhance the condition of natural resources.
  • Environmental Quality Incentives Program: $1.408 billion - EQIP provides assistance to landowners who face serious natural resource challenges that impact soil, water and related natural resources, including grazing lands, wetlands, and wildlife habitat.
  • Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program: $200 million - FRPP provides funding for the purchase of conservation easements or other interests in land for the purpose of protecting agricultural use and related conservation values by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land.
  • Grasslands Reserve Program: $67 million - GRP is a voluntary program to help landowners and operators restore and protect grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, and certain other lands, while maintaining the lands’ suitability for grazing.
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education: $15 million - The SARE program advances the growth of farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education grants program.
  • Wetlands Reserve Program: $785 million - WRP is a voluntary program in which landowners are paid to retire cropland from agricultural production if those lands are restored to wetlands and protected, in most cases, with a long-term or permanent easement.
  • Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program: $73 million - WHIP provides financial and technical assistance to eligible participants to develop habitats for upland wildlife, wetland wildlife, threatened and endangered species, and fish and other types of wildlife.
Army Corps of Engineers
The Army Corps' Fiscal Year Program Budget Press Book is available here (pdf file).  In that press book (page 19), the Corps reports that its Upper Mississippi River Restoration work (i.e., in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin) would be funded at a $18.15 million level in 2012, which would represent a $1.65 million increase from 2010 appropriated levels (although a decrease from the President's $21 million 2011 budget proposal).  The Army Corps' construction budget for Mississippi River programs (which goes mostly for dredging and flood control in the Lower Mississippi River) would take a 39 percent cut from Fiscal Year 2010 levels, down to $210 million in Fiscal Year 2012.

We are reviewing the Press Book now for further details on the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works budget related to Mississippi River Basin navigation, operation and maintenance, other construction and environmental restoration, although, in general, nationally, "environmental projects" are cut significantly from the appropriated 2010 fiscal year's $795 million to $221 million in the President's 2012 proposal; "aquatic ecosystems" program funding is cut from $39 million (2010) to $12 million (2012 proposal), and "project modification for environmental restoration" would be reduced from $22 million (2010) to $18 million (2012).  
 
What's Next - Keep in mind that the Administration budget proposal is just that - a proposal.  In the meantime, House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI-1st) is reported to be preparing his own 2012 budget plan, called a budget resolution, which he plans to release in April.  The budget resolution will be Congress’s response to the President’s proposed budget, and, in part, is used to set spending ceilings for appropriations in the upcoming fiscal year.

2011 Fiscal Year Appropriations
Late Friday night, House Republicans released a Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution (CR) that would appropriate money for Federal spending from the beginning of March, when the current CR expires, through the remainder of the 2011 Fiscal Year, which ends September 30. Like the President's Fiscal Year 2012 proposal, the GOP plan would cut Federal spending in numerous programs that relate directly to Mississippi River Basin restoration and conservation (however, the House Fiscal Year 2011 would do so to a considerably more significant extent when compared to the President's 2012 proposal).  The detailed list of the House Republicans' proposed cuts can be found here (as a pdf file; in alphabetical order, by Appropriation's Committee Subcommittee). It is noteworthy that, in addition to cutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by $3 billion the Republican proposed CR contains language that would block the agency from implementing its climate change rules.

Here is a link to the full (360-page) House Continuing Resolution, which the House will begin considering on Tuesday, with debates scheduled throughout the remainder of the week.  

What's Next - A House vote on the CR may occur as soon as late this week.  Once the 2011 Fiscal Year CR passes the House, it will then move on to the Senate, where many of the House's spending cuts will undoubtedly be removed, setting up a showdown between the House and Senate.  The two chambers will have to work out a compromise by March 4, when the current CR expires, to avoid a potential government shutdown. Alternatively, the possibility exists that Congress will pass yet another short-term CR to keep the government running while the two chambers work out their differences.
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Hearings of interest to Mississippi River basin stakeholders this week

House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on environmental regulations and jobs
Tuesday; 1:00 PM (Eastern), 2322 Rayburn House Office Building

Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on agriculture's impact the on economy
Thursday; 2:30 PM (Eastern), 328A Russell Senate Office Building
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Saturday, February 12, 2011

House Republicans propose deeper cuts to Federal spending

As anticipated, House Republicans unveiled a spending resolution Friday night that would cut federal spending in numerous programs that relate directly to Mississippi River Basin restoration and conservation, including USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Agricultural Research Service, NOAA Operations, Research and Facilities, Corps of Engineers Investigations, Construction, Mississippi River and Tributaries projects, and Operation and Maintenance, NOAA Operations, Research and Facilities, and numerous Fish and Wildlife, EPA and USGS programs (see background story on the budget issues here).


The GOP's Continuing Resolution (CR) would appropriate money for Federal spending from the beginning of March, when the current CR expires, through the remainder of the 2011 Fiscal Year, which ends September 30. The full list of the House Republicans' proposed cuts can be found here (as a pdf file).  And here is a link to the full (360-page) House Continuing Resolution, which the House will begin considering on Tuesday, with debates scheduled throughout the remainder of the week.

President Obama is expected to deliver his own budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2012 on Monday.
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Friday, February 11, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

Regional Voices Inform the Budget Debate
Whether it is cuts or flat funding that are envisioned, (see our article below), the discussions centering around continued 2011 and upcoming 2012 Federal funding will certainly focus on programs central to Mississippi River Basin issues of water quality, water resource planning, navigation, infrastructure, agriculture, invasive species and many others. The debate within the DC Beltway will be best served if it is well-informed by educated perspectives from the River Basin region.  House Members and Senators representing your Congressional district or state would benefit from hearing your views. Contact information for their House and Senate offices can be found here and here, respectively.  For those wishing to contact House and Senate appropriators on the funding proposals we outline below, members of the House Appropriations Committee and its subcommittees can be found on page two of our House committee member listing, here. Senate Appropriations Committee members are listed here and its subcommittee members here.  The appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over funding for Federal departments and agencies that manage key River Basin programs are:
  • Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (USDA, except the U.S. Forest Service)
  • Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies (Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Interior-Bureau of Reclamation)
  • Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (USEPA; U.S. Forest Service; Department of the Interior, except Bureau of Reclamation and Central Utah Project)
The Neverending Story (The Federal Budget and the River Basin)
What's happening - With the clock ticking towards a March 4 end to the Continuing Resolution (CR) that is currently funding the Federal government, Congressional leaders must pass a new budget measure by then in order to avoid a government shutdown. But thus far, no consensus is emerging regarding what to fund and what to cut within CR legislation that would cover the seven months remaining in the current (2011) Fiscal Year.

On February 9 the House Appropriations Committee Republicans released “a partial list of 70 spending cuts” that the GOP majority planned to include in their upcoming CR bill.That initial list of CR spending cuts included reductions in programs that are particularly relevant to Mississippi River Basin water resource issues (see our article here on the proposed cuts). However, almost immediately, conservative House Republican expressed their desire to come up with even deeper cuts than those proposed by appropriators, who, by Thursday afternoon, promised to find a full $100 billion in spending cuts, reflecting the party’s "Pledge to America." This appropriation "re-do" meant that Republican staffers scrambled to scrape together the extra cuts in time to unveil a revised spending resolution by the new Friday release target. Whatever level of cuts end up being proposed, the Republican House majority is framing them as cuts below the Obama Administration's Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal (see here). So the proposed cuts do not necessarily reflect reductions to levels of spending actually approved for the last (2010) Fiscal Year.

What this means - A deeper spending cut package is very unlikely to become law, as President Barack Obama and the Democrats who control the Senate are certain to oppose extensive cuts. President Obama has called for spending to remain at Fiscal Year 2010 levels (in his State of the Union address). Thus far, at least, Senate Democratic leaders have not expressed a position on overall spending for the remainder of this Fiscal Year, with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) saying that, “Our minds are open to anything that’s reasonable.”

New Pew Research Center survey data released on Thursday imply that flat spending or, at most, more moderate cuts may be supported by the majority of Americans who, the poll suggests, by and large do not want to see the severe, quick reductions envisioned in the House Republican plan (see a summary of the Pew survey here).

What's next - As things evolve on the 2011 Fiscal Year budget front, the debate will become even more energetic on Monday (February 14), when the Obama Administration releases its 2012 Fiscal Year budget proposal (it will be released on this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) web page).  OMB Director Jacob J. Lew said this week that the President's proposal will call for a five-year freeze on discretionary spending not related to national security. We will post updates on our blog on Monday and throughout next week as the Administration's budget numbers relevant to key Mississippi River Basin programs become known.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week:

In the States -
New survey of WI residents indicates public has it wrong with perceived sources of water pollution http://bit.ly/i1iJTk
River accident dumps 2000 gallons of oil in Mississippi River near Port Allen, Louisiana http://bit.ly/gKuQhi
WI organization documents wide range of potential state climate change impacts http://bit.ly/gvtaf7 (including habitats, ag & H2O resources)
Group threatens suit against Champaign, IL over alleged coal gasification plant hazardous discharge to stream http://bit.ly/fgD4cD
IA issues moratorium on use of land purchase funds; part of Governor's program-by-program evaluation of spending http://bit.ly/f6iVZO

Flooding, Floodplains, Dams and Navigation -
Winter weather snarls US Midwest grain barge flow http://bit.ly/ewJW03
La. State Senator Crowe launches 33-state legislative petition drive calling for Mississippi River dredging http://bit.ly/fKKmBd

Agriculture -
>140 groups urge Congress to include water quality concerns in upcoming Farm Bill http://bit.ly/em5126 & http://bit.ly/f4sprz (pdf files)
Researchers produce detailed global map of imbalances in way phosphorus is being used as fertilizer around the world http://bit.ly/gcT1Yo
Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. new mission statement includes providing beef "in an environmentally . . . sustainable manner” http://bit.ly/hkoaD9
Lincoln Journal Star editorial: USDA should be "congratulated for giving high priority to Conservation Reserve Program" http://bit.ly/ho593U
USDA predicts corn stockpiles will be at tightest supply-to-use ratio since Great Depression as more used for ethanol http://reut.rs/ea7DCu
House Ag Committee drafts extensive oversight plan re: administration's farm programs & regulations; USDA & EPA http://bit.ly/emoifK
House Agriculture Comm. Chair Lucas (R-OK) urges stakeholders to reach out to members of Congress on farm issues http://bit.ly/i7FUaT
Congressional Research Service issues “Environmental Regulation & Agriculture” report highlighting agriculture-regulatory nexus areas http://bit.ly/dS7cKL

Water Quality-
Mississippi River-Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force releases its FY 2011 Operating Plan (PDF file) http://bit.ly/eVd6zX

Events -
Should be great - National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration; Aug 1-5 http://bit.ly/hkfQVR (Baltimore; see pix here: http://bit.ly/fHKJgw)
9th INTECOL International Wetlands Conference; Orlando FL; June 3-8, 2012 http://bit.ly/e8vVV1

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
MN State Senator, Chair of Environment & Natural Resources Committee, vows to deal with aquatic invasive species http://bit.ly/eiNZPQ
Cyanobacterium common in lakes turns on estrogen-related genes in fish; abstract: http://bit.ly/h17uII news piece: http://bit.ly/fQ3q1v
USDA releases pre-publication version of massive national forests & grasslands management policy: http://bit.ly/fozfox (pdf)

Other news-
USGS Great Lakes study released today 1st in series to assess national water supplies & usage http://bit.ly/fX9Bpi & http://bit.ly/g0wb0Y
Center for American Progress & Oxfam America release report on moving Gulf Coast toward a sustainable future http://bit.ly/dI9ePj

Federal Budget-
House appropriations subcommittee oversight hearings begin this week; goal: to trim federal spending http://bit.ly/gkpmVq
House Republicans planning for USDA & FSA budget cuts of $3.2 billion for remainder of FY 2011 http://bit.ly/fiE9JO
Table with FY 2011 CR spending limits & cuts announced by Appropriations Chair Rogers for each Subcommittee: http://bit.ly/efAS96
House Appropriations Chair Rogers announces partial list of 70 spending cuts; includes wilderness, water, conservation http://bit.ly/eKQVVL
Potential Continuing Resolution budget cuts include programs central to Mississippi River Basin conservation http://bit.ly/gjb9eO
Senate Budget Committee schedules Feb 15 & 17 hearings to examine President's proposed FY 2012 budget request (to be released on Feb 14)
House Appropriations Comm Chair Rogers announces plan cut $100B in spending for fiscal year 2011 http://bit.ly/eOoPrL

Political Scene -
Senate Appropriations Committee today unveiled its 112th Congress subcommittee memberships: http://bit.ly/ftYE6k
Wall Street Journal: EPA is "No. 1 target of complaints from business groups" collected by House GOP leaders http://on.wsj.com/fltdmD
Tea Party rolls out "2012 Target List" First up: Sens. Lugar (R-IN), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Snowe (R-ME) & Stabenow (D-MI) http://bit.ly/gs3ZIa

Last Word -  
We (my dog and I) were crying in our Pittsburgh Steelers "Terrible Towels" last Sunday as our beloved Mississippi River Basin team went down to defeat in the Super Bowl. But with February here, our eyes now turn to Florida and baseball's spring training! The Steelers? They'll be back next year!

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Over 140 Groups Sign Onto Letter Urging Congress to Include Water Quality Concerns in Upcoming Farm Bill

A coalition of over 140 water, wastewater, conservation, agricultural, environmental and state organizations distributed a letter to Capitol Hill today (February 10) urging all members of Congress to support practices and policies that strengthen the links between agriculture and water quality as they consider the 2012 Farm Bill.

The organizations note in the letter that discussions concerning the 2012 Farm Bill "will provide an opportunity to substantially improve our nation’s waters through the promotion of practices that improve the conservation performance of our farms and ranches."  The letter goes on to express the organizations' interest in working with Congress "to craft a Farm Bill that better connects agricultural systems and practices to water quality improvements."

Full copies of the letters to Senate Majority Leader Reid and House Speaker Boehner can be found here and here, respectively (pdf files).
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The Federal Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds

Are you unsure what the relevance of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and their potential funding cuts are to the Mississippi River Basin?  You can check out our latest, revised and updated White Paper on those Federal loan programs here.  

As the White Paper explains, the Clean Water State Revolving Fund is a Federal loan assistance authority for water quality improvement projects that provides loans for the construction of municipal wastewater facilities and implementation of nonpoint source pollution control and estuary protection projects. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is largely patterned after the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program and is designed to assist public water systems with financing their infrastructure costs of achieving or maintaining compliance with the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.  For more detail, please refer to the White Paper.
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Potential Budget Cuts Include Programs Central to Mississippi River Basin Conservation

Yesterday (February 9) the House Appropriations Committee released “a partial list of 70 spending cuts” that the Republican majority plans to include in an upcoming Continuing Resolution (CR) bill. The CR legislation will fund the federal government for the seven months remaining in the current (2011) Fiscal Year.  The CR currently in place expires on March 4.  The list of CR spending cuts includes reductions in the following programs that are particularly relevant to Mississippi River Basin water resource issues:
  • Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies   (-$30M)*
  • NOAA   (-$336M)
  • EPA   (-$1.6B)
  • USDA Farm Service Agency   (-$201M)
  • USDA Agriculture Research   (-$246M)
  • USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service   (-$46M)
  • Land and Water Conservation Fund   (-$348M)
  • USGS   (-$27M)
  • Fish and Wildlife Service   (-$72M)
  • National Park Service   (-$51M)
  • EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund   (-$700M)
  • EPA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund   (-$250M)
  • USDA Forest Service   (-$38M)
* cuts below the Obama Administration's Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal (see here)
M = million; B = billion
Source: House Appropriations Committee media release

A full list of program cuts will be released when the Continuing Resolution bill is formally introduced.  Republican appropriators had hoped to unveil a spending bill incorporating their proposed cuts later today, February 10, and bring it to the House floor next week, but those plans may be revised because of conservative House Republican desires to come up with even deeper cuts.

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA-6th) released a statement in response to the list of cuts, which is available on-line here, noting that the proposed cuts would undercut "vital investments in the long-term health of the nation.”

For those wishing to contact House and Senate appropriators on these funding proposals, members of the House Appropriations Committee and its subcommittees can be found on page two of our House committee member listing, here.  Senate Appropriations Committee members are listed here and of its subcommittee members here.
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Friday, February 4, 2011

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

Budget and Appropriations Debate Begins in Earnest
The debate over funding the Federal government during the remainder of this (2011) and the next (2012) fiscal years became more intense recently, beginning with President Obama's State of the Union proposal to freeze discretionary Federal spending at Fiscal Year 2010 levels, and continuing with yesterday's (February 3) announcement by House Republican leaders that they would seek $32 billion in spending cuts from the Continuing Resolution currently funding the Federal government. 
The House Appropriations Committee members, whose job it now is to write a bill detailing the cuts that will be made to meet the $32 billion target, said on Thursday that the biggest reductions would be made to transportation and housing programs (with cuts of 17% below Fiscal Year 2010 appropriated levels). Other cuts directly relevant to Mississippi River Basin conservation and restoration would include agricultural programs (by 14%); energy and water programs (by 10%); and interior and environment (by 8%).    Defense and homeland security spending would increase 1% under the Republican plan. See the graphic, below, from this Wall Street Journal article:
Democrats immediately promised to fight the proposal, reprising their recently-made arguments that significantly cutting spending too rapidly might derail the economic recovery. The White House also countered that the proposed GOP cuts could lead to widespread furloughs of Federal employees, threaten people with loses of subsidized housing, reduce services in national parks, and cut aid to schools and local emergency personnel.
This debate is all but a prelude, however, to a much bigger one looming over spending and tax priorities in the future.  Those discussions will kick off on February 14 when the Obama Administration releases its Fiscal Year 2012 budget proposal to Congress.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week: 

In the States -
Flooding, Floodplains, Dams and Navigation -
  • Upper Mississippi River group forms to find alternatives to controversial "Plan H" flood-control option http://bit.ly/i7AaXv
  • National Weather Service: large snowpack has set stage for Upper Minnesota River Valley spring flooding http://bit.ly/gSPZeA
  • National Weather Service: Mississippi River runs "high risk" of flooding this spring http://bit.ly/fb3d0K
  • Significant springtime flooding likely in the Upper Mississippi River Basin http://bit.ly/gsX0NX
  • Business owners & government officials explore options re: future of "high hazard" Minnesota Falls Dam http://bit.ly/dX63pi
  • Meeting attendees take sides on Minnesota Falls Dam site options http://bit.ly/hOqCf9
  • Improving  Mississippi River Coon Rapids Dam is project under MN Gov. Dayton's proposed $1 billion bonding bill http://bit.ly/hemVWF
  • As funding concerns mount, Army Corps says it will resume some lower Mississippi River dredging http://bit.ly/dV7Z4f
Agriculture -
  • EPA draft report on environmental/conservation impacts of biofuels production/use highlights uncertainties http://bit.ly/dWlaGS
  • Ethanol industry attacks draft EPA study detailing ecological harm that may accompany increased biofuel production http://bit.ly/fGJSsE
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s agenda this year includes new scrutiny of ethanol http://bit.ly/hWnt2N
  • USDA Conservation Reserve Prog sign-up March 14-April 14; targets highly erodible & environmentally sensitive land http://bit.ly/gGhf5B
  • Farmers create U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance to fight bad publicity http://bloom.bg/dPXc4u & http://bit.ly/hVMYjK
  • OH Farm Bureau spokesman re: messaging: "Feeding the world requires us to kick up some dirt and create a few odors" http://bit.ly/eni7tY
  • Upcoming USDA Program & Grant Deadlines from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition http://bit.ly/fCmADP
  • UN Food & Agriculture Organization report: world food prices reached all time high in January http://bbc.in/gxwUpu
  • Rep. Conaway (R-TX) Chair of a House Ag Subcommittee: new farm bill will have to accept funding cuts http://bit.ly/eSgU7l
Water Quality-
Federal Budget-
  • The Obama Administration has now set Valentine's Day for delivery of its budget proposal - Monday, Feb. 14 http://reut.rs/gG0U3u
  • Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Inouye (D-HI) announces earmark moratorium for both FY 2011 & FY 2012 bills http://bit.ly/fCFRuE
  • House GOP leaders: will seek to cut $74 billion from President 2011 budget request http://bit.ly/h0vtGH ($32 B from spending)
  • GOP Fed 2011 spending plan would cut Ag programs by 14%; energy/water by 10% and Interior/environment by 8% http://bit.ly/hcldPt
  • Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) says House GOP proposal to cut $32 billion from 2011 spending is “unworkable” http://bit.ly/gjZmQ6
Events -
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • RT @InvasiveNotes: Invasive plant species lists by state-US East Coast, Ontario & Midwest http://bit.ly/ePO5qP
  • Invasive Emerald Ash Borer expected to migrate into IA soon from WI http://bit.ly/ggPYqt
  • Anti-zebra and quagga mussel bacterium holds promise for control of those invasives http://bit.ly/ftG4HV
  • Due to weather conditions, Army Corps GLMRIS public scoping meeting scheduled for Thursday is rescheduled for March 8 http://bit.ly/h9AtN5
  • Senate EPW Committee Dems: Bills removing Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolf set bad precedent http://bit.ly/hubEyv
Other news-
  • Fishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin receives Stry Foundation funding http://bit.ly/eWRTRw
  • 18 university & research center scientists call on US lawmakers to take "fresh look" at climate change http://bit.ly/fS0E24
  • New report estimates that Gulf of Mexico should recover from BP oil release by end of 2012, with some exceptions http://nyti.ms/g8qEAS
Political Scene -
  • Here is the latest listing of announced US House Committee assignments http://bit.ly/h0I41L
  • Tea party candidates eyeing Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) U.S. Senate seat for 2012 http://bit.ly/efMc8q
  • Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI) sounding more & more like potential 2012 candidate vs. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) http://bit.ly/hfe2xj
Last Word-
Finally, we would not be true to our Mississippi River Basin values if we didn't root for our favorite watershed team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in this Sunday's Super Bowl.  As they say in my old home town, "Go Stillers!" 
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