“Inside EPA” reported on April 22 that EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new initiative following an April 19 tour of Iowa farms to develop pilot projects "to help quantify the effectiveness of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) in reducing nutrient pollution from farm runoff, and couple those BMPs with a compliance assurance program - key actions the agriculture industry has long sought to ease their compliance with strict nutrient limits." The April 19 visit also included a visit to an Iowa biodiesel plant, and was designed to listen to concerns from farmers and agricultural representatives about EPA regulatory impacts on farmers. There is also a link to media coverage of the visit in the "Agriculture" section, below.
EPA Proposes New Cooling Water Intake Structure Standards to Reduce Environmental Impact
The EPA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on April 20 that will affect (when finalized) many large cooling water dischargers to rivers in the Mississippi River Basin, including large electric utility plants. The rule sets requirements that reflect the best technology available (BTA) for minimizing adverse environmental impact; requirements that would be implemented through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Read more background and comment submission information here.
Invasive Asian Carp Species Caught in St. Croix River
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports that a commercial angler caught a 27-pound bighead carp in the lower St. Croix River on April 18. According to a DNR Media Release issued on April 20, the catch of the carp "is the sixth incident of bighead carp being caught in the Mississippi River bordering Minnesota, but the only the second bighead carp caught near the St. Croix River. In 1996, a bighead was caught in the St. Croix River north of its confluence with the Mississippi River." Bighead carp can grow to reach weights of 110 pounds, and - like other non-native carp species that have been released in North America outside of their native Asian or European ranges - cause ecosystem problems in their wake. Watch a video and read more detailed background on Asian Carp in the Upper Mississippi River (upstream of Cairo, Illinois) here.
Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week:
Agriculture -
- EPA chief has no plans to regulate farm runoff http://bit.ly/gn9JKv when "folks stepping up and are willing to do the conservation
- Sediment from Minnesota's farms threatens to choke off Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers http://bit.ly/dQ40mK
- Urban St. Louis MO farm gives opportunity to refugees http://bit.ly/ecAjqq
- UN Environment Programme Director: we need a "new agriculture" where conservation & farming learn to live together http://bit.ly/goqY7k
- Even strong congressional supporters of farm subsidies say they will be cut in the 2012 budget http://bit.ly/fCPj9i
- Corn, soybean & other crop direct payments as they exist today not likely to be in next Farm Bill http://bit.ly/fJgYm0
- Democrats: cuts in House-passed budget plan could make it politically impossible to pass Farm Bill in 2012 http://bit.ly/eeA5um
- Book review: "This Perennial Land . . . road to a restorative agriculture" http://bit.ly/i6I8mc & book's web site: http://bit.ly/eRIG3y
- Sen. Conrad (D-ND) convenes meeting of his ND Agriculture Advisory Committee to lay out 2012 Farm Bill priorities http://1.usa.gov/eP2hjw
- International Energy Agency: Biofuels could make up 27% of world’s transportation fuel by 2050; Sustainability is key http://bit.ly/e5ZXk0
- State Agricultural Lands Nutrient Reduction Strategies Workshop Announced for Upper Mississippi basin audience http://bit.ly/dKMVPk
- Book review: "The CAFO Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories" http://bit.ly/hhmLu1
- WA House passes bill to make it first state to ban coal tar based sealants http://bit.ly/hSl5bG Rep. Doggett (D-TX) seeks nationwide ban
- EPA soliciting public comment on General Permit to reduce stormwater discharges from construction sites http://1.usa.gov/4cTrLO
- 170 lawmakers urge Obama Administration to stop roll-out of guidance defining waters of the US http://bit.ly/dXiCOI (pdf of letter)
- American Farm Bureau says draft EPA guidance takes overly broad view of ‘waters of the US’ definition http://bit.ly/gl3zP7
- Climate change could make Chicago's chronic water pollution (that goes down to the Mississippi River) even worse http://bit.ly/el0jBz
- Minnesota's state Aquatic Invasive Species bill advances through legislative committees http://bit.ly/eBsaAG
- Draft South Metro Mississippi River Clean-Up Plan meeting; May 4, 3:30-7:30pm; St Paul, MN http://bit.ly/gr5djr
- WI DNR selects new water chief: Ken Johnson http://bit.ly/fBye8C
- Nashville, TN mayor launches “Nashville: Naturally” plan; emphasizes green infrastructure to rebound from 2010 flooding http://bit.ly/gI8Wmw
- Predicted Thursday 20.3-foot Mississippi River crest will make it 6th worst flood in Quad-City history http://bit.ly/fWddhp
- Rising Mississippi River turns dangerous in Dubuque IA area http://bit.ly/fkH91J
- 40-year-old ''emergency" levees remain primary line of defense against floods in many MN areas http://bit.ly/h07kRW
- Nat Fish Habitat Brd: > 27% of US stream miles at high/very high habitat degradation risk http://bit.ly/i79gvZ & map http://1.usa.gov/dTHrxl
- Minnesota Court of Appeals overturns aquatic invasives conviction http://bit.ly/fB2phY
- "Carp alarm sounds" in St. Croix River (story plus video) http://bit.ly/fc4sl0
- St. Croix River Asian Carp catch intensifies fears that the destructive fish are moving into Minnesota http://bit.ly/gU2DH8
- Southern Dakota County (MN) wetland mitigation site: "where wetlands go when they die" http://bit.ly/fnXLBL
- Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program combating invasive species with local grants http://bit.ly/i9PErs [Louisiana]
- Water infrastructure budgets (EPA & Army Corps) to see massive cuts in 2012 http://bit.ly/eJ9yab
- Economy insiders polled; say that odds are long for a long-term budget deal based upon current plans http://bit.ly/fCkgvh
- IA Ag Secretary: state & federal conservation program cuts makes reducing farm runoff difficult (last paragr) http://bit.ly/gJYbpn
- RT @InvasiveNotes: The Case for Funding Agricultural Research http://tinyurl.com/3uc2sfg
- FY2012 Republican House Budget Resolution is "non-starter" for House Agriculture Committee Democrats http://bit.ly/fCEa2w
- House passes Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan's 2012 budget plan http://bit.ly/em9Tv2
- For the numerologists and economists among us: the perpetual US national debt clock: http://bit.ly/bUCCK3
- Corps of Engineers' budget cuts could hurt Mississippi River-Memphis region industries http://bit.ly/gSAxMA
- GOP will send House Majority Leader Cantor (VA) & Senate Minority Whip Kyl (AZ) to negotiate budget & deficit w/ Dems http://bit.ly/ecgjNy
- State Agricultural Lands Nutrient Reduction Strategies Workshop Announced for Upper Mississippi basin audience http://bit.ly/dKMVPk
- Briefing on new National Research Council report: effects of climate change on natural resources; DC, April 25, 2 PM http://bit.ly/fhRQNm
- Course: Adaptive Management for Conservation Success, June 6-17, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Inst, Front Royal, VA http://bit.ly/ezD2Ay
- July 15-18, 2012 (Save the date): Inagural North America Congress for Conservation Biology; San Francisco Bay Area, CA http://bit.ly/fkXrln
- Abstract deadline May 13 http://bit.ly/hxrAlA for Nov 7-10 American Water Resources Association Conf; http://bit.ly/fPksRU Albuquerque, NM
- RT @eesionline: BRIEFING Apr 27: developing sustainable biomass supplies for energy, economic, & environmental security http://bit.ly/f8n4nE
- Upper Mississippi River Basin Assoc. announces May 17-18, 2011 meetings, Rock Island, IL (open to public) http://bit.ly/3zQb40
- Likely redistricting victims: Reps. Landry (R-LA), Donnelly (D-IN), Carnahan (D-MO), Schilling (R-IL), Latham (R-IA) http://wapo.st/f4YAy3
- Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA-4) announces a 2012 run against Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA-3) in the third district http://wapo.st/gXa8G4
- Christie Vilsack likely to run in 2012 against Iowa Rep. Steve King (R-IA-5) http://wapo.st/i8L8Dj & http://bit.ly/dWNcQY
- IA Gov Branstad signs redistricting bill: state’s new legislative boundaries are officially law http://bit.ly/enmGs6
- MO congressional redistricting unknowns in MO statehouse lead to in-fighting among US House Dems http://politi.co/hbrkR5
- Dems set to file recall petitions against 5th GOP WI state senator for her vote to limit collective bargaining rights http://wapo.st/gXM3Ub
- Congress's approval rating hovering near its all-time low, stands at 17% http://bit.ly/hYUfH5
- LA Sens. Landrieu & Vitter introduce bill to direct 80% of BP spill penalties to Gulf coastal restoration http://bit.ly/fN1XlI
- Scientists surveyed say: Gulf of Mexico health nearly at pre-BP-spill level ("68" on 0 to 100 scale) http://bit.ly/eRXgSt
- BP: freshwater diversions that decimated oyster beds off Mississippi River not approved or "viable response technique" http://bit.ly/hoeQFX
- Research directors/water resource administrators seek to develop common Upper Mississippi River water framework http://bit.ly/ega1wd
- Conservation Biology article: Ecosystem services as a common language for coastal ecosystem-based management http://bit.ly/gV38s7
- Perceived threat to oil & gas jobs undercuts growth of Gulf Coastal environmental movement http://lat.ms/fa8GeK
- "Quagmire Of Bureaucracy" Stifles Gulf Spill Research (with even more "devastating" "loss of wetlands" & "dead zone") http://bit.ly/gjskTr
- Beyond the Oil Spill, the Tragedy of an Ailing Gulf; & a need to find "solutions for a continuing systemic tragedy" http://nyti.ms/dYtrGk
- Environmntl Counc of States regulatory reform recommendations to EPA; letter: http://bit.ly/ijMuaj letter attachment: http://bit.ly/hYue5j
- Fertilizer producer Terra Industries fined for nitrogen oxide air violations at 9 plants (IA, MS, OK) http://bit.ly/dHQLlT
- EPA Proposes New Cooling Water Intake Structure Standards to Reduce Environmental Impacts http://bit.ly/dHjINs
"Washington is a very easy city for you to forget where you came from and why you got there in the first place." - Harry S. Truman
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