Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

"Look!  Up in the sky!" - What to Expect from the Deficit Reduction Supercommittee

The president signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into law on August 2.  The law authorized a $900 billion increase in the Federal debt ceiling.  The legislation in part created a twelve-member bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (which immediately became known as the "Supercommittee").  The job of the Supercommittee is to identify from $1.2 to $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction (in the form of either spending cuts or new revenue) over the 2012 to 2021 period and to submit that proposal to Congress for a straight up or down vote.  

Between September 7 and November 23, the Supercommittee will have its window of opportunity to make targeted cuts from Federal programs.  If a proposal is developed and then approved by the Supercommittee, the committee’s report and legislative language is required to be issued by December 2, and then be presented to the House and Senate on a "take-it-or-leave-it" basis.  Congress will need to vote on the Supercommittee's proposal by December 23.

If December 23 passes without Congressional approval of the Supercommittee’s proposal, then “sequestration” forces automatic spending reductions of $1.2 trillion, including $600 billion in defense cuts, and $600 billion in cuts from all other programs, through 9 percent across-the-board spending reductions (except Medicare, which would be cut by only 2 percent).

If the Supercommittee fails to reach agreement or produces less than $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, then the President is authorized to increase the debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion.  However, if Congress passes a Supercommittee plan to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion (or more), then the President may increase the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion.

The 12 Super Committee members include:

• Representatives Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Dave Camp (R-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI) (appointed by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH))
• Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Xavier Becerra (D-CA) (appointed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA))
• Senators Max Baucus (D-MT), John Kerry (D-MA), and Patty Murray (D-WA) (appointed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV))
• Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), and Rob Portman (R-OH) (appointed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY))

Senator Murray and Congressman Hensarling will serve as Supercommittee Co-Chairs.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week: 

Agriculture -

• USDA Secretary Vilsack: economics makes continuation of farm conservation efforts uncertain http://bit.ly/qmQyb0
• SD GOP Senator John Thune: "the biggest (budget cut) bulls-eye right now is on direct payments" http://bit.ly/qdzXgc
• Kansas-based corn waste to energy project to commercialize cellulosic ethanol by 2013 http://1.usa.gov/p0XaRW
• Agribusiness confidence slips for first time since August 2010 on back of ethanol uncertainties http://bit.ly/o7sMmY
• International Water Management Institute: Water resources at risk from growing global demand for food http://bit.ly/nad8cP
• USDA publishes 20-year WRP commemorative “Restoring America’s Wetlands: A Private Lands Conservation Success Story” http://1.usa.gov/p0qjvV
• EPA Issues Clean Water Act Compliance Orders to 6 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Iowa, Kansas; Nebraska http://1.usa.gov/oANk8u
• USDA "AmberWaves" Sept 2011 Featured Article: Reducing Agriculture’s Nitrogen Footprint http://1.usa.gov/p3HWeR
• USDA ERS study analyzes whether federal farm programs encourage native grassland losses http://1.usa.gov/pQ91AK
• Native grassland advocates worry rising crop prices cause farmers to plow under native SD grass to grow more grain http://bit.ly/oV0dS5
• Intriguing chart showing USDA conservation program spending by category from 1949-present (and ERS analysis): http://1.usa.gov/pqapRX
• Links to testimony from August 25 Farm Bill field hearing by the Senate Agriculture Committee in Wichita, KS: http://bit.ly/qfDPx4
• Senate & House Agricultural committees will start writing versions of latest farm bill in matter of weeks http://bit.ly/pBCdFr

Water Quality-

• Second exposed petroleum product pipeline ruptures in Missouri River flood zone http://on.wsj.com/rpcuAF
• Iowa City Press-Citizen Editorial: Significant steps needed to restore the Iowa River http://bit.ly/p1xmQi
• Keeping water on the land is the solution to erosion, pollution & flooding that plague Iowa River http://bit.ly/r9XvdJ
• Study: Ag land associated with good water quality in highly-urbanized watersheds, but to pollution in less-urbanized http://bit.ly/r8r37W
• Environmental groups: KY coal company submitted >17,000 possibly false water pollution discharge reports http://bit.ly/oSzXON

Water Resource Management (Floodplains, Dams, Navigation, Flooding, etc.) -

• Army Corps' Mississippi & Missouri Rivers' work won't be done in time to protect areas from run-of-mill 2012 floods http://on.wsj.com/pIc3DM
• Group opposes multimillion dollar Illinois River island-building project http://bit.ly/p0oK1k
• 7 Missouri River governors pledge cooperation to convince Army Corps to make flood control top priority http://bit.ly/qBTuM2 & http://bit.ly/ngGFyI
• Op-ed: Army Corps Flood Failures on Mississippi Demand New Vision http://bloom.bg/nn0kPV

In the States -

• WI DNR announces restructuring plan to make agency more responsive to public http://bit.ly/psV33S
• Funding cuts have some worried about Iowa’s commitment to protecting its rivers http://bit.ly/nboGqk
• UMETCO Minerals Corp clean water violations & lack of AR DEQ enforcement frustrate public http://bit.ly/oOCPvt

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• MN DNR wants sonic bubbler barrier against invasive carp in St. Croix River http://bit.ly/qOFG0L
• MN DNR: no Asian carp captured during 5 day search of St. Croix River http://cbsloc.al/mPXsWf
• MN DNR Search Continues for Asian Carp in St. Croix River http://bit.ly/p6XEdg
• North Dakota's waterlogged landscape attracting massive flocks of breeding ducks http://bit.ly/oKViUx
• Invasive Oriental bittersweet control in Minnesota: A presentation by MDA [available to view on-line] http://bit.ly/poIOcf

Federal Budget -

• OMB to Federal agencies: cut your budgets by 5-10% for FY 2013 budget request (OMB memo: http://bit.ly/rkVlkc (PDF file))
• Debt-ceiling agreement providing little help to congressional appropriators running late on their funding bills http://bit.ly/qPrShg
• House Ag Committee Chairman & Ranking Minority Member mapping out unified Farm Bill program spending cut strategy http://bit.ly/nQsdVR
• Conservation Stewardship Program is "low-hanging" Farm Bill fruit that could be cut or eliminated by Supercommittee http://bit.ly/r7vQhk

Gulf Coastal Area-

• Invasive Apple Snails continue to spread in Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary region (Texas & Louisiana) http://bit.ly/q5blha

Resource extraction -

• EPA officials tour eastern Kentucky coal mining region to hear community concerns http://bit.ly/nn9m1a
• WV enacts temporary shale drilling regulations http://bit.ly/qsQbBh

Events -

• 31st International Symposium of the North American Lake Management Society; Oct 26-28; Spokane, WA http://bit.ly/rdV3rf
• Managing Water. Harvesting Results - America's Ag Water Management Summit.  October 11-12; Bloomington, MN http://bit.ly/p5iiPs
• First Illinois RiverWatch Biennial Symposium; Peoria, Illinois, October 4 http://bit.ly/qwukM5
• 2011 Horinko Group Water Resources Summit; October 25; U of MD College Park http://tinyurl.com/3zganno
• World Agricultural Forum Congress: Rethinking Agriculture To Sustain Growing Global Population; Nov 18-Dec 1, Brussels http://bit.ly/nemvFj
• Kentucky Stormwater Association is having its annual convention September 27-29; Frankfort, KY http://bit.ly/q6fw2J
• National Nonpoint Source Monitoring workshop/Low Impact Development conference  Sept 25-28, Philadelphia, PA http://bit.ly/bVpnUT
• Iowa Farm Bureau will hold its annual summer policy conference next Tuesday - Wednesday http://bit.ly/nUjhXw

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• Latest issue of Journal of Sustainable Human Development now available online http://bit.ly/n9tf7j

Other news-

• Okla. tribes sue state over water rights, seeking to stop exports until water rights are analyzed & allocated http://nyti.ms/peSg7M
• Stream restoration key to Cincinnati's battle against urban blight & excess stormwater runoff http://nyti.ms/qdiNbR
• Analysis: Role of Baseline Data & Analytical References in Restoring Ecological Integrity in Highly Regulated Rivers http://bit.ly/pI0rUk
• Severe hurricanes prompt talk of changing storm scales and adding "Category 6" http://bit.ly/pTEnUM
• Journal PLoS Biology: # of species on Earth: 8.7 million give or take http://reut.rs/pSckjs

Political Scene -

• Poll has Missouri Lt. Gov. Kinder (R) trailing Gov. Nixon (D), 48 to 41 % in the governor's race http://politi.co/omEuxL (pdf file)
• Former GOP congressman Mark Neumann set to announce US Senate campaign for Kohl's WI seat http://bit.ly/phj6a6
• No criminal charges will be filed in  WI Supreme Court fisticuffs case http://bit.ly/oTww35 (and you thought Midwesterners were docile!)

Last Word -"They used to cane each other and have duels! The Speaker of the House Henry Clay was in at least one duel!"  - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), in an interview with Slate, on why the 112th Congress isn't so bad.