Over the next two weeks, the US Senate and House will be having a go at "tag-team" legislating. All of next week the Senate will be on Memorial Day recess (returning the week of June 6), while following an off-day on Memorial Day, the House remains in session through Friday (the House will be off for a district work week starting June 6). This "early edition," pre-holiday e-newsletter is coming out a day sooner than usual, as your FNB ("Friendly Neighborhood Blogger") is taking off this afternoon for a long Memorial Day weekend outside the Beltway and back in cooler Pennsylvania. Here's wishing you all a safe and rest-filled Memorial Day weekend!
House Appropriations Committee to Consider Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Spending Bill Next Tuesday
The full House Committee on Appropriations will hold a mark-up meeting on the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill on Tuesday, May 31, at 4:00 PM (Eastern) in Room 2359, Rayburn House Office Building. The meeting will be webcast. Audio and video of the hearing will be available here, and an audio-only feed will be available here. During a Tuesday meeting of the Appropriations Agriculture subcommittee, the Agriculture Appropriations Bill was marked up and passed on a voice vote to the full Committee for mark-up. The bill is primarily designed to set levels of discretionary spending for the USDA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (here is a brief summary of the bill on the Institute's Mississippi River Basin blog, and a bill overview that has been posted on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition blog site). A list of House Appropriations Committee members and additional Committee member information can be found here.
Report on Farm Bill Negotiation Opportunities
The Northeast-Midwest Institute and The Horinko Group have completed the first phase of what could potentially evolve into a multiphase effort to develop a sustainable, mutual working relationship among agricultural and conservation stakeholders who have not traditionally collaborated on Farm Bill-related issues. The preliminary scoping phase of the project and its outcomes are described in a May 23 report, which is summarized in more detail (with a link to the full report) here.
Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week:
Current Flooding-
- Mississippi River flood not only big but also long: will last well into June http://wapo.st/j7bbhM
- London Guardian: Americans take a gamble with the Mississippi floods http://bit.ly/l3eCyT
- Army Corps: Mississippi River flood-damaged levees must be repaired quickly http://bit.ly/lEXv8y
- Fed inspectors check flood damage at >1400 homes & businesses near Mississippi River so far; more surrounded by H2O http://1.usa.gov/imW7MD
- Massive surge gate installed across Lake Borgne marshes by Army Corps of Engineers http://bit.ly/kPPoW8
- Corps: destroyed Birds Point levee could be replaced by mechanical gates if Congress authorizes project http://bit.ly/jJs1bT
- Great 2009 compendium of papers re: Upper/Middle Mississippi flood/management issues http://bit.ly/luhJ6z (PDF 93 p)
- RT @unifymissriver: Re-engineering Mississippi River's flood defenses considered within climate change context http://bit.ly/jIDpR2
- Pressure builds from EPA and environmental groups to improve Chicago River water quality http://nyti.ms/mFmStE
- Government scientists test Mississippi River water at MO levee http://bit.ly/kTr7qt
- Coast Guard, EPA search for pollution in Atchafalaya Basin http://bit.ly/iXR6OZ
- 3M Co. plans to begin PFC-contaminated sediment dredging in small Mississippi River cove http://bit.ly/mepToP
- 17 farm & food orgs send letter to US House & Senate leaders requesting next farm bill completion in 2012 http://bit.ly/kw7wq7 (pdf)
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation plans to file motion in US District Court to intervene in EPA-Farm Bureau lawsuit http://on.wsj.com/igfRcw
- EPA offers to test private wells in Rogersville, MO for TCE http://bit.ly/jD8dOB
- Spread of Asian Carp could threaten MN rivers in Upper Mississippi River Basin http://bit.ly/lNQp8S
- MN state House committee eliminates $16 Million in dam improvement funding that some say would stop carp http://bit.ly/maxL1c
- Flooding of Atchafalaya River Basin has wildlife on the run http://lat.ms/lzA09S
- Voracious invasive bug worries US growers http://apne.ws/l4hgik while APHIS Invasive Pest & Pathogen funding faces cuts http://bit.ly/kvmQmi
- New MN invasive species law means major changes for state's 1.5 million anglers http://bit.ly/iCvSQq
- Appropriations Committee Releases FY 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill http://1.usa.gov/iDMlV1; marked-up Tues PM http://1.usa.gov/jgmpYu
- In largely symbolic votes, Senate rejects GOP House budget plan http://bit.ly/iQ6iHS & Obama's $3.7 trillion budget http://bit.ly/kUdrUk
- USEPA Recreational Water Quality Criteria Revision Stakeholder Mtg - New Orleans; June 13-15; http://bit.ly/juyXPe & http://bit.ly/lBsEFl
- Briefing: Managing Nutrients to Protect Water Quality: Innovative Approaches; Washington DC; June 9 http://bit.ly/iqqb9N
- America's Waterway blog: “Who should make such decisions for the future of the Mississippi River?” http://bit.ly/iR35BX
- The May Northeast-Midwest Institute Update on Mississippi River Basin issues is now available http://bit.ly/jvF0ZX
- May 25 issue of "Delta Dispatches" is now on line; with latest news on Gulf Coast restoration issues http://bit.ly/iUKCkY
- Tim Pawlenty launches campaign for Republican Presidential nomination in Iowa with corn ethanol challenge http://bit.ly/j8s8OR
- Ohio State U professor touts new national riverine park at confluence of Ohio & Mississippi rivers http://bit.ly/jXR6mB
Vicksburg, Mississippi house surrounded by floodwaters
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