Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, and in Washington, DC, as well, what with the spring Congressional break in full swing.  But nonetheless, we've managed to pull together a better than average "Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week" edition, consisting of over four dozen news and research information links (with a heavy agriculture and Farm Bill emphasis) and a "final word" from Robert Redford.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Agriculture -

• IL farmers faced with "too much good weather too soon" http://bit.ly/HPJj0r
• Rep. Ellison (D-MN) introduces bill to effectively ban use of controversial pesticide ingredient atrazine http://1.usa.gov/H0doIF
• US farmers intend to plant 95.9 M acres of corn in 2012, up 4% from 2011; news: http://1.usa.gov/H9FV0i report: http://bit.ly/H9FQK3 (PDF)
• Iowa City Gazette : Iowa corn farmers need the nitrogen that's impacting Gulf of Mexico http://bit.ly/HQRkBx
• Farmers will plant this spring on acreage that was previously off-limits and protected by USDA conservation program http://reut.rs/HbrF8R
• 30 national conservation organizations urge appropriators to oppose cuts to agricultural conservation programs; pdf: http://bit.ly/HH19Vw
• Minneapolis Mayor Rybak expected to sign off on policy to make it easier to grow and sell fresh food in the city http://bit.ly/HH1S9f
• US corn belt growing season off to rough start as warm, dry winter has left soil low on moisture http://bit.ly/HH2yeH
• Loss of lands enrolled in Conservation Reserve Program threatens to wipe out 100s of 1000s of acres of wildlife habitat http://bit.ly/HlkiqK
• Many US farmers waiting for crop insurance coverage to kick in instead of aggressively planting corn early http://reut.rs/HMAHHR
• Louisiana rice mills, Kellogg's and LSU AgCenter developing sustainable farming program for rice growers http://bit.ly/Hh2aV9

Farm Bill-

• US Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL-16): Senate to take up Farm Bill in April and May, House will take it up in May and June http://bit.ly/HjtWeS
• House Agriculture Committee's Arkansas March 30 Farm Bill field hearing ag producer testimony posted online http://1.usa.gov/H70riQ
• Environmental Working Group op-ed: The farm bill taxpayers want http://bit.ly/HGWVxk
• 32 senators call for a 2012 Farm Bill that will build on previous specialty crop investments; pdf of letter - http://bit.ly/HH1yaC
• "New farm bill by September? Don’t bet on it." http://bit.ly/HlkMwP
• Senate Agriculture Committee member Max Baucus (D-MT) wants strong crop insurance and conservation titles http://bit.ly/HZXrCl
• National Grain & Feed Assoc urges Senate Ag Committee to implement fundamental reforms to Conservation Reserve Program http://bit.ly/HZXUV1

Water Quality -

• Environment groups: more than 6.2 million pounds of chemicals released into Iowa’s waterways in 2010 http://bit.ly/H0BlUA
• Memphis working with TN and federal agencies on Clean Water Act consent decree http://bit.ly/H0BA1X
• Report says EPA’s 2010 Toxics Release Inventory places Ohio River at top of list for receiving toxic discharges http://cjky.it/HPixUL
• Mid America CropLife Assoc’s water consultant: MN on frontline on battle over numeric nutrient water quality standards http://bit.ly/HYPbpA
• Iowa Wetland Landscape Systems Initiative tests the ability to clean up farm runoff water http://bit.ly/Hh1Y8j
• USGS report: Water quality improvements and best-management practices in Wisconsin agricultural watersheds http://on.doi.gov/Hh2xPj

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

• Sens. Inhofe (R-OK) and Boxer (D-CA) introduce bill to reauthorize North American Wetland Conservation Act http://bit.ly/H7cfxC
• Mississippi River Commission meeting: Developers must spend too much to mitigate for wetlands loss http://bit.ly/HE72Ri via @Johann3216
• Army Corps Releases Working Draft of Port & Inland Waterways Modernization Strategy; pdf: http://bit.ly/HGUuZr & info: http://bit.ly/yVIwvr
• Lawmakers are finding that updating US inland and coastal ports will be a heavy lift http://politi.co/HH0fsg
• CSU climatologists confirm that 98 percent of Colorado is experiencing drought; most severe in Arkansas River basin http://bit.ly/H8qiWa
• Draft EPA "National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change" released for public comment http://1.usa.gov/Hw4u4p
• NPR: A review of global water security and water shortages in the US http://bit.ly/I5SMPj (51 minute audio stream)
• USGS projecting groundwater declines through 2037 in eastern Arkansas  http://on.doi.gov/HiJOSk
• Water-use conservation scenarios in the Mississippi Delta in northwestern Mississippi http://on.doi.gov/HiKeIi

In the States -

• MN Gov. Dayton signs bipartisan legislation streamlining environmental permitting applications for state businesses http://bit.ly/HGYGKW

Forestry -

• IN DNR dispersing almost $250,000 in tree-themed funding to 21 cities across state http://bit.ly/H8lYos

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• St. Croix River invasive zebra mussel population in Minnesota has retreated http://bit.ly/I7kPkc

Gulf Coastal Area-

• Poll: Louisiana voters overwhelmingly want legislators to approve state’s 2012 revision of Coastal Master Plan http://bit.ly/HPUQ2n
• Sea-level rise along Gulf Coast-including LA-occurred at much faster rate in the past 100 years than in previous 1,000 http://bit.ly/I7lli0
• New Orleans residents get updates from Army Corps and state on levees, coastal work http://bit.ly/I7lNwP

Resource Extraction -

• OH geologists redraw maps highlighting where Utica shale is expected to yield most oil and gas across state http://bit.ly/H9Igsb

Federal Budget -

• President Obama and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) poised to go another round in battle over Federal budget http://bit.ly/HEoWSJ

Events-

• EPA Webcast: "Using Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund for Nonpoint Source & National Estuary Projects” April 17 http://1.usa.gov/dCcmO0
• National Journal forum: How Diversity is Reshaping Politics & Policy; April 19, Washington DC http://bit.ly/Hw5PYW
• Horiniko Group Webinar: Biofuel Production-Dissecting the Water-Energy-Land Nexus; May 17 http://bit.ly/Hb4nNY
• Farm Foundation Forum: U.S. Farm Land Values: Boom or Bust? April 11; 8 AM; Washington, DC http://bit.ly/f41Wo

Other news-

• Accounting for nature's benefits: The dollar value of ecosystem services http://bit.ly/HhCCWl
• NY U School of Law study "The Regulatory Red Herring, The Role of Job Impact Analyses in Environmental Policy Debates" http://bit.ly/H8rKI9

Political Scene -

• Illinois US Rep. Tim Johnson (R-IL-15) to retire bit.ly/HZIHYO and http://bit.ly/HZJIQB

Last Word -
"It's all about winning, and it's all about the egos attached to winning and what people will do and say just to win." - Robert Redford, speaking on the state of U.S. politics to the BBC.