House Schedule for Wednesday Still Includes Farm Bill Extension

The U.S. House schedule for tomorrow still includes consideration of H.R. 6228, the combined Farm Bill extension and disaster aid bill. This, provided by the Democratic Whip's office earlier today:

"The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Wednesday, August 1: The House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to consider several of bills under suspension of the Rules. The House may also consider H.R. 6228 - To provide a one–year extension of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, with certain modifications and exceptions, to make supplemental agricultural disaster assistance available for fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and for other purposes (Rep. Lucas – Agriculture) (Subject to a Rule)."

NOAA Scientists Measure Small Gulf Hypoxic Zone; Link Size Reduction to Drought Conditions

(Click this link to a graphical representation
of dead zone size changes over time) 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ("NOAA's") National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (or NCCOS) announced on July 27 that its scientists had observed the fourth smallest hypoxic or oxygen-free zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico since record-keeping began in 1985. Drought conditions in the country's midsection are largely believed to have directly resulted in the "dead zone's" smaller than average size (2,889 square miles), since both lower amounts of water and accompanying plant nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) flowed down the Mississippi River system this spring and summer into the Gulf of Mexico. The dead zone is widely acknowledged to be caused by the decrease in dissolved oxygen caused when enormous algal blooms die off and decay (the algal growth being spurred largely by nutrient-laden runoff from agricultural sources upstream in the Mississippi River watershed) (see this USGS Gulf hypoxia study for additional information).

In June 2012 scientists from the NCCOS-funded Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems and Hypoxia Assessment (NGOMEX) program had issued two contrasting predictions of the expected size of this summer's Gulf dead zone. A University of Michigan model had predicted a size of 1,197 square miles, which contrasted with the findings of a Louisiana State University model predicting an hypoxic zone size of 6,213 square miles.

The smallest dead zone obeserved to date was 15 square miles in 1988, which was another drought year. The largest was measured in 2002 at slightly more than 8,400 square miles (see the above graph or follow this link to a graphical representation of dead zone size changes over time).

The NCCOS Mid-Summer Survey Result's press release noted that "The hypoxic zone that forms each spring and summer off the coast of Louisiana and Texas, threatens (sic) valuable commercial and recreational Gulf fisheries. In 2009, the dockside value of commercial fisheries in the Gulf was $629 million. Nearly three million recreational fishers further contributed about $10 billion to the Gulf economy, taking 22 million fishing trips."

UPDATED: House Sets Farm Bill Extension Vote This Week; Senate Likely to Accede

The U.S. House is set to vote this week on a bill extending farm bill programs for one year, and providing disaster emergency relief to agricultural landowners and producers. The House Rules Committee will meet tomorrow (hearing at 5 PM EDT in Capitol room H-313) to consider the order of rule for the bill’s consideration by the full House. Here is the House schedule for the week (including listing of farm disaster relief/Farm Bill extension consideration before Congress takes off for its five-week August recess). Here is a link to the PDF file of the bill. It extends conservation and energy programs that would otherwise have run out of money with the expiration of the current farm bill’s authority on September 30.

Assuming that the House passes the one-year bill, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) could potentially call for a conference to reconcile the House bill with the Farm Bill passed by the Senate in June. She would be likely seeking to resolve significant differences between the two bills on food stamp cuts, crop insurance and price protection for southern farmers.

UPDATE: (1 PM EDT, July 30) Democratic agriculture leaders (mostly Debbie Stabenow in the Senate and Collin Peterson in the House) are not backing this approach unless they can get GOP assurance that this week’s one-year extension bill will commit Congress to a timetable for finishing the farm bill this fall. They don't like the House legislation since it will extend the current crop subsidy provisions for another year. House GOP leadership (Boehner especially) likes the short-term extension approach since it takes what had been a lightning rod issue (along with food stamps) and takes it off the pre-election House calendar. So Democratic leaders are very likely not going to get those assurances of a full farm bill debate in 2012. It looks as if the House will pass the bill on Wednesday and at that point, Senate Democrats will have little option other than to stop all their positioning about filibustering preliminary motions and simply opt for the short-term extension. Most bets are that the Senate will pass the bill soon after the House does.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Drought, Farm Bill and Disaster Assistance Chess

With the latest drought map and report showing widespread drought intensification over the central United States, House Republican leaders were on track to scheduling a potential vote for next week on disaster relief for livestock and specialty crop producers (several such disaster assistance programs that were in the 2008 Farm Bill expired last year). And several key House and Senate leaders have made incremental moves during the week implying that such a disaster relief vote could clear a heretofore blocked path to enacting a Farm Bill.  However, the end game and ultimate scope of that farm-food legislation are still very murky.  The legislative path could include a disaster relief bill, a full blown, five-year Farm Bill, a one-year Farm Bill stop-gap extension, or some combination of the above.  To read more details, including  how the drought-farm-food chess game played out this week on Capitol Hill, see our earlier analysis here and the news stories linked under "Farm Bill," below.  To read more details on and link to the three livestock and specialty crop producer disaster relief bills currently introduced in Congress see this listing.


Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  
Drought-

• Drought over 2/3 of US had been considered relatively shallow, but new report shows its intensity rapidly increasing http://bit.ly/Ohu4Db
• The Guardian: US midwest drought worsens despite rains http://bit.ly/Nx833z
• Rains sweeping across US Midwest raise hopes that crop conditions could stabilize amidst drought http://on.wsj.com/PI1Px5
• Southwestern MN farmer says he could see above average corn and soybeans yields with a few more rains. http://bit.ly/JuZogm
• Despite showers, Midwest crops still stressed in drought areas http://huff.to/MHCVwH
• Drought forces ranchers to sell animals; shrinking US cattle herd to smallest size since USDA began July count in 1973 http://wapo.st/LHp4SB
• Wisconsin governor tours drought-savaged state http://bit.ly/LHyPjQ
• USDA Secretary Vilsack announces more efforts to help drought-stricken farmers | AgriPulse http://bit.ly/PKhI2q
• USDA designates 76 more counties in 6 states as primary natural disaster areas due to drought damage/losses http://1.usa.gov/QbiNRf
• USDA Risk Management Agency: crop insurance holders need not worry about coverage in event of drought-related losses http://bit.ly/OhugCC
• Looking for drought updates and resources? Stop by USDA’s disaster assistance page: http://www.usda.gov/drought
• Washington Post editorial board perspective on the Farm Bill and drought: "Put a damper on Congress’s drought drama" http://wapo.st/PHZphU
• Most farmers are not sweating this year's drought like they did 24 years ago when 1988 drought hit http://reut.rs/PI132Z
• For nation's heartland-including key agricultural areas from Nebraska to Illinois-summer heat has proven relentless http://bit.ly/PIcho4
• USDA says drought will push up food prices in 2013 http://on.sctimes.com/OF1M0v
• House GOP crafting relief bill for drought-hit livestock producers; transferring up to $300M from other farm programs http://bloom.bg/Qbfcmi
• House Republicans scramble to find drought relief & Farm Bill solutions before August recess http://politi.co/Qbd51J
• NPR: In drought-stricken Midwest, hog & chicken farmers compete w ethanol factories for scarce; increasingly costly corn http://n.pr/PMu1yU

Farm Bill-

• Agricultural Economists develop “Comparison of Changes in Program Spending in the Senate and House Farm Bills" through 2022 http://bit.ly/QmzyyB
• Top House Agriculture Committee Dem signals support of 1-year Farm Bill extension if used to negotiate Senate deal http://politi.co/MIN3Hr
• Momentum builds for short-term farm bill but fate still in limbo http://bit.ly/LSjGwh
• Bipartisan Group of House Members urges leadership in letter to schedule Farm Bill Floor time next week http://bit.ly/LShpkJ
• Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) takes steps toward discharge petition that would circumvent House leaders’ hold on Farm Bill http://bit.ly/LNINoD
• Conservation groups brief House Members on linkage between farmland conservation and crop insurance http://bit.ly/LHuI7x
• In midst of severe drought, House leaders proposing to walk away from farm bill; decades of precedent http://politi.co/NLQbR9
• Op-Ed: US House farm bill ignores past mistakes by including "small, piecemeal and arbitrary sodaver provision" http://bit.ly/QrNs14
• "By September 30. Done. Signed by the president." Rep. Peterson's (D-MN) assessment of fate of 2012 Farm Bill http://bit.ly/MHCqAE
• House Speaker Boehner may try to extend farm programs; fund drought disaster aid, leaving massive farm bill undone http://bit.ly/PHWrKr
• Instead of a five-year Farm Bill, House leaders plan possible livestock drought disaster aid bill & one-year extension bit.ly/PHVOAm
• NY Times editorial: US House appears to have abandoned any attempt to move forward with its version of farm bill http://nyti.ms/PHXeLe
• Missouri’s top sportsmens’ organizations commend US Sen. McCaskill’s work on Farm Bill http://ow.ly/cuohF

Agriculture -

• SE MO State U grant to fund research on growing techniques; assess plant varieties being used in biomass/fuels industry http://bit.ly/LHVQTL
• EPA rejects beekeepers’ petition to take harmful pesticide off market: http://bit.ly/NI6cpQ saying it isn't “imminent hazard”
• USDA has begun sign-up for its Highly Erodible Land Initiative under Conservation Reserve Program http://bit.ly/QbvefM
• 13 biofuel research and deployment projects will receive $41 million in federal funds under several USDA/DOE programs http://bit.ly/NLjbr1

Water Quality -

• USGS study finds contamination in soil and water from Appalachian mountaintop coal mining sites  http://bit.ly/MdwQFq
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair says committee will not consider water/sewer infrastructure bill http://bit.ly/QbAQXz
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passes 2; reschedules consideration of 3 water resource related bills http://bit.ly/NLgoOo
• NACWA Sr. Director of Regulatory Affairs decries proliferation of “best guess” N and P water quality criteria http://bit.ly/PMnK6m
• Federal judge grants motions to intervene filed by Attorneys General from 10 states in water quality lawsuit vs EPA http://bit.ly/PMow3d

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

• Some of world's biggest companies join forces to create unprecedented maps of worldwide groundwater resources http://reut.rs/LNF9pY
• Bill from Sens Baucus & Tester would guarantee $80M/yr for rural water projects; release: http://bit.ly/OCH44G bill: http://1.usa.gov/OCGEvd
• Editorial: New Panama Canal will impact Midwest economy; author calls for port modernization http://bit.ly/LHrdhd

In the States -

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: EPA approves WI phosphorous pollution plan http://bit.ly/PMvGnS (172 WI waterways impaired due to high P)
• EPA approves Wisconsin’s program to reduce phosphorus levels in Great Lakes and Wisconsin's inland waters; EPA release: http://1.usa.gov/QbldPU
• Greek ocean-going ship oil spill fine fine includes $100,000 payment to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; to be used in Louisiana http://bit.ly/PMxKMT

Forestry -

• USDA Releases First Ever Agroforestry Handbook for Farmers, Woodland Owners http://1.usa.gov/QbueZ9

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• USFS & NFWF seek grant proposals for effective costewardardship of natural resources in National Wildlife Refuge System http://bit.ly/PHTiKv
• Drought helps wildlife managers cultivate ideal habitat conditions at Illinois River Valley migratory bird refuges http://bit.ly/P07IAN
• MN  lawmakers allocate $12.5 million over six years to fund lab examining invasive species http://hrld.us/P083U7
• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approves several wildlife conservation bills http://bit.ly/QbyRT1
• Rare Appalachian darter proposed for protected status; 100+ stream miles proposed for critical habitat designation http://1.usa.gov/NLildG

Gulf Coastal Region-

• Mississippi universities poised to help build science foundation for management of the gulf. http://bit.ly/MSKgWF (via @EDF_Louisiana)
• Sediment diversions could help protect New Orleans from flooding http://bit.ly/MSKugy
• 2011 flooding and River bypassing gives scientists chance to study Mississippi River delta land restoration patterns http://nyti.ms/NLiGgv
• Environmental coalition offers its vision for Gulf coastal restoration, citing 39 priority project proposals http://bit.ly/QbssXU

Resource Extraction -

• Key fracking research sponsored by gas drillers; led by economist who historically wrote pro energy industry research http://bloom.bg/SQej5B
• NPR story: Rifts emerge amid 'frac sand' rush In Wisconsin http://n.pr/QrJrJY
• Dunn County (Wisconsin) Board agrees to extend moratorium on silica sand mining for up to three more months http://bit.ly/PMwMQD
• No slowdown foreseen for silica sand mining industry in west-central Wisconsin as long as fracking need continues http://bit.ly/LHApCe
• Drought helps fracking opponents build momentum in support of fracking water recycling http://bloom.bg/MW75rG

Federal Budget -

• GOP and Dems coming together on plan to pass 6-month stopgap spending bill (Continuing Resolution; until end of March) bit.ly/MDfhzk
• House and Senate leaders approach an agreement on a six-month FY 2013 Federal spending continuing resolution http://politi.co/OqnVBb

Events-

• Save the date: MO Coalition for the Environment anniversary: "Love Where You Live" Oct 7; Lemp Grand Hall, St Louis http://bit.ly/LHtfhi
• Great Rivers Habitat Alliance 2012 Dinner with Friends; Sept 15, 7 PM CDT; Grant’s Farm; Saint Louis, MO http://bit.ly/PIb0h5
• USGS briefing: Anatomy of Floods: Cause and Effect and the Epic Floods of 2011; Reston, VA; August 1; 7 PM EDT http://on.doi.gov/aa315C
• Horinko Group Environmental Speaker Series Luncheon presentation by USDA NRCS Chief White http://bit.ly/July18ESSppt (large Powerpoint file)

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• New book explores past/future challenges of ecological restoration, using IL tall grass prairie as relevant case study http://bit.ly/QbqzdZ

Other news-

• Bill McKibben's Rolling Stone magazine opinion piece: "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math" http://bit.ly/MLxKrg
• Taxpayers foot cleanup bill at polluted site in south St. Louis at confluence of River Des Peres and Mississippi River http://bit.ly/QrIHES
• "Mississippi River Corridor-Tennessee" organization raises awareness of and works against Mississippi River pollution http://bit.ly/MHA452
• USDA website statement encouraging employees not to eat meat on Mondays was "made without proper clearance" http://wapo.st/Qbkdv2
• New Ohio State U research indicates carbon sequestration benefits are linked to wetlands restoration http://bit.ly/QbwOOR
• 19 US metropolitan areas will hit 1 Million in population by 2042; three in Mississippi River Basin bit.ly/LSmEAH

Political Scene -

• US Senate candidate Eric Hovde (WI), critical of farm subsidies, says his real estate firm will stop collecting farm subsidies http://bit.ly/Mue5hT
• Former US Senator Bob Kerrey’s (NE) US Senate bid against state Sen. Deb Fischer (R) is an uphill climb http://wapo.st/LHrxN8
• With only 19 pre-election House working days left, Hill braces for lame-duck frenzy; nothing settled on Farm Bill front http://bit.ly/PHUDRC
• WI state Rep. Mark Pocan (D) clear front-runner in race to succeed US Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI-2) http://bit.ly/PI7uDa
• How people consume political news - the major media streams represented in one chart http://wapo.st/NJToiG
• Democratic outside groups playing active role in defining GOP US Senate primary candidates in Missouri and Wisconsin http://bit.ly/PMoZSN

Last Word 
“Sec. Vilsack, all Iowa delegation already agrees we need a farm bill now. Your time is far better spent in Ohio or Virginia this weekend.” - Tweet from House Agriculture Committee Member Steve King (R-IA), reflecting King's belief that it is Ohio's House Speaker Boehner and Virginia's House Majority Leader Cantor who are blocking movement on the Farm Bill.

Livestock and Specialty Crop Producer Disaster Relief Bills Surface in Congress

To date, three agriculture disaster relief bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress (one in the Senate and two in the House) that would provide relief for livestock and specialty crop producers who suffer losses due to the ongoing drought gripping much of the nation's mid-section (several such disaster assistance programs that were in the 2008 Farm Bill expired last year). Those bills (with links to the legislation) include:

• Senate, July 12 “Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Extension Act of 2012” (S 3384) sponsored by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)
• House, July 23 “Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012” (HR 6167) sponsored by Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA-2), and
• House, July 25 bill "To extend certain of the supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs through fiscal year 2012 and to continue to fund such assistance through the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund" (HR 6192), sponsored by Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO-8).

If and how these bills could proceed through Congress, and whether a Farm Bill is linked to a disaster relief measure are uncertain, at best.  To read more of their fate and how negotiations on disaster relief and the Farm Bill are playing out on Capitol Hill, see here.

Drought, Farm Bill and Disaster Assistance Chess

With the latest drought map and report showing widespread drought intensification over the central United States, House Republican leaders were on track to scheduling a potential vote for next week on disaster relief for livestock and specialty crop producers (several such disaster assistance programs that were in the 2008 Farm Bill expired last year). And several key House and Senate leaders have made incremental moves during the week implying that such a disaster relief vote could clear a heretofore blocked path to enacting a Farm Bill.  However, the end game and ultimate scope of that farm-food legislation are still very murky.  

Here is how the drought-farm-food chess game played out this week on Capitol Hill.

At his weekly press conference, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said that he believed the House would address the livestock disaster situation before going home for the month-long August recess, which begins at the end of next week.  However, the Speaker avoided answering any questions regarding whether the disaster relief bill would be part of a full, five-year Farm Bill, would be incorporated within a "simple" one-year Farm Bill extension, or would be a stand-alone disaster relief measure.  Boehner simply said that Republican leaders were working with House Agriculture Committee leaders "on an appropriate path forward."

Following the Boehner press conference, one of those Committee leaders, House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) said the short-term, one-year Farm Bill extension option was the most logical way to move aid quickly to drought-impacted farmers and ranchers before the August Congressional recess. Lucas has supposedly since been busy whipping support for the one-year extension option (with disaster aid for livestock producers and specialty crop producers wrapped into the extension bill).

Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, had until this week steadfastly opposed the one-year extension route, but signaled Thursday that he would support the Republican-backed one-year Farm Bill extension if that House bill would then be used as a vehicle to negotiate a larger comprehensive Farm Bill deal with the Senate. Peterson stated, "I’m against doing an extension, but it’s okay if it gets us to a point of being able to conference a bill in August." Under that scenario, the Senate could receive the House's one-year Farm Bill extension and then substitute it’s own five-year Farm Bill version (passed in June) in place of the House's language. Then the matter could go to a conference committee for “quick” resolution.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) also had been sharply critical of the idea of a simple one-year extension, saying that approach would continue the past system of direct cash payments to farmers, something that the Senate-passed Farm Bill would end. However, following Peterson's statement, Stabenow made her move, and on Thursday officially backed the one-year extension suggestion, noting, “If the House intends to send us a bill that will be used to negotiate the Farm Bill during August, I am open to that approach.  However, a short-term extension is bad for farmers and our agricultural economy."

Stay tuned.  The next move will likely be up to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA).  Cantor has also expressed interest in bringing some disaster aid bill to the floor next week, if it could be done without increasing the deficit.  But he has to date specifically avoided any discussion of the full Farm Bill or one-year exptension.

Bipartisan Group of House Members Urges Leadership to Schedule Farm Bill Floor Time Next Week

In a July 20 letter to House leadership, a bipartisan group of 79 House Members asked House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer to bring that chamber's version of the Farm Bill to the House floor for full consideration before the month-long August recess, which begins at the end of next week. Stressing that the "message from our constituents and rural America is clear: we need a farm bill now," the co-signers asked "that you make time on the floor of the House to consider this legislation, so that it can be debated, conferenced, and ultimately passed into law, before the current bill expires."

The House Agriculture Committee passed HR 6083, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (commonly known as the "Farm Bill") on July 12 by a healthy and bipartisan 24-vote margin. However, since then Republican House leaders, who view the bill as too divisive to bring to the floor before the November general election, have been reticent to schedule floor time for the bill.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Passes Two Water Resource Related Bills; Reschedules Consideration of Three Others

This morning the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee took up and passed two of the five water-related bills it had originally scheduled for consideration today, and rescheduled consideration of the three remaining bills.

The two bills passed out of Committee were (with links to the bills in blue):

• H.R. 3158, sponsored by Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), which would specify how EPA should enforce spill-prevention rules for large containers on farms. 
• H.R. 5797, sponsored by Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN), which would exempt Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, from federal jurisdiction, in order to stop the U.S. Coast Guard from requiring fishing guides there from having to pay approximately $2,000 for boating licenses. 

Three of the five bills will be rescheduled for Committee consideration next week:

• H.R. 4278, cosponsored by Reps. Robert Hurt (R-VA) and Jason Altmire (D-PA), which would eliminate limits on the regulatory exemptions provided in the Clean Water Act for agricultural activities. 
• H.R. 2541, sponsored by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), which would prohibit the EPA from requiring a water pollution permit for silviculture.
• H.R. 5961, sponsored by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), which would amend the Clean Water Act to prohibit the EPA from conducting aerial surveillance of farmland without voluntary written consent, public notice and a certification of reasonable suspicion that a violation has occurred.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to Consider Five Water Resource Related Bills Today

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a business meeting today at 10 AM (EDT) to consider and mark up five water resource related bills. The five bills scheduled for markup today are:

• H.R. 4278, cosponsored by Reps. Robert Hurt (R-VA) and Jason Altmire (D-PA), which would eliminate limits on the regulatory exemptions provided in the Clean Water Act for agricultural activities.
• H.R. 5961, sponsored by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), which would amend the Clean Water Act to prohibit  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from conducting aerial surveillance of farmland without voluntary written consent, public notice and a certification of reasonable suspicion that a violation has occurred.
• H.R. 2541, sponsored by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), which would prohibit the EPA from requiring a water pollution permit for silviculture.
• H.R. 3158, sponsored by Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), which would specify how EPA should enforce spill-prevention rules for large containers on farms.
• H.R. 5797, sponsored by Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN), which would exempt Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota, from federal jurisdiction, in order to stop the U.S. Coast Guard from requiring fishing guides there from being forced to pay approximately $2,000 for boating licenses.

The Committee meeting will be held in room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building, and can be viewed live, streaming on-line, here.

On-Again, Off-Again Levee Construction Bill Back On (UPDATED: See Comment)

The U.S. House is scheduled to vote today (Monday, July 20) on a bill introduced by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) that would direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to rebuild permanent levees on North Dakota lands acquired under a federal program for reclaiming floodplains (FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program). The bill (S 2039) was originally scheduled for a floor vote last Tuesday. However, that vote was cancelled, likely indicating the measure did not have the votes to pass. The bill certainly was not without its controversiy and detractors. Earlier in that week, American Rivers, the Association of State Floodplain Managers and the conservative "R Street Institute" had come out as opposing the levee carve-out bill.

The bill now being considered in the House was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate in January, and would create what Hoeven has called a "pilot project" in his home state, allowing a State or local government to "construct levees on certain properties otherwise designated as open space lands," and lifting a ban on federal levee construction on lands purchased under.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Drought, and its Real and Political Ramifications

The chronic drought took center stage this week, not only geographically in the nation's midsection, but also on the front pages of U.S. newspapers and magazines, in the hallowed Congressional halls on Capitol Hill and inside White House offices.  The July 17, U.S. Drought Monitor map showed increases in the area of the United States in all categories of drought, setting a record for the third consecutive week for the total area of the country in drought during the 12-year history of the map.  Here is the section of the drought monitor map for the Upper Mississippi River Basin and here the lower River Basin.  The drought shows no signs of releasing its grip any time soon.  The latest outlook released by the National Weather Service on Thursday forecasts increasingly dry conditions over much of the nation’s midsection. The drought not only has had impacts on the ground in the Mississippi River region (affecting crops, groundwater supplies and river navigation), it is being cited in the halls of the U.S. Congress as another reason to expeditiously pass a Farm Bill before the current bill's September 30 expiration date (an argument unlikely to sway Republican House leaders, who view the bill as too divisive to bring to the floor before the November general election).  From a commodity crop standpoint, alone, 88 percent of corn and 87 percent of soybean crops in the country are now in drought-stricken regions.


More details on all of these drought-related matters can be found in the various articles listed in the special "Drought" section, immediately below, including links to on-line resources for producers impacted by the drought provided by the Iowa State University Extension and Kansas State University.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Drought-

• Farm bill & drought offer striking example of disconnect between Washington and rest of country bit.ly/MI9ypF
• ~ 55% of continental US now in moderate drought or worse & >1000 counties in 26 states declared natural-disaster areas http://wapo.st/PczWwP
• Corn and soybean prices leap to record levels on rising Midwest drought fears http://on.wsj.com/PlKCtc
• Analysis of NASA satellite imagery: drought damage to US crops centered on MO, AR, OK, TX, KS, NE and SD http://1.usa.gov/PcElzW
• Amid drought NE orders >1100 farmers to stop irrigating; KS orders >200 land owners to stop taking H2O from 10 streams http://reut.rs/M7cDBc
• FarmPolicy.com picture of pitiful ear of corn from East Central IL field representative of how crop looks throughout area bit.ly/ND0d2o
• Photo gallery: how drought is ravaging land, crop yields, and farmers’ livelihoods across Midwest http://bit.ly/MI6MAH
• 2012 Midwest drought rivals that of the Dust Bowl http://wxch.nl/MvGp0K
• Low Water Levels On The Mississippi River A Major Threat To Commerce http://bit.ly/NDK8tw
• Drought expands to previously-spared northern & western Midwest; analysts slashing corn yield estimates "by the hour " http://reut.rs/NvqqV9
• Central US drought disrupts Mississippi River barge traffic from Cairo, IL to Natchez, MS http://on.wsj.com/NDKUGP
• National Drought Mitigation Center: 2/3 of IL at least in a severe drought, and ~9% in an extreme drought or worse http://trib.in/NzIsTk
• Endless summer: US leads world in resource consumption, pollutant production & unwillingness to do anything about it http://nyti.ms/NR4uzj
• Iowa State U Extension http://bit.ly/PgTUmz and Kansas State U http://bit.ly/PgU2m5 provide online resources for drought-plagued producers

Farm Bill-

• House Republicans pressure House Speaker Boehner to bring up farm bill for floor consideration http://bit.ly/LA5mNi
• 46 organizations ask House Leadership for floor time for the Farm Bill in a letter http://bit.ly/ND0W3G (PDF of letter)
• House Speaker Boehner "less than enthusiastic" about bringing Farm Bill up for a floor vote http://bit.ly/ND157b
• Sen McCaskill (D-MO) calls on House to quickly pass Farm Bill http://1.usa.gov/PlLRIN as does Senate Ag Committee Chair http://bit.ly/PlM4eQ
• Senate Ag Committee Chair Stabenow: drought raises bar on Congress to get farm bill done; reinstall expired disaster programs http://bit.ly/MIaCtq
• New York Times editorial board: “House Agriculture Committee has approved an unconscionable farm bill" nyti.ms/ND1g2h
• Mississippi River Network calls  on Congress to pass a Farm Bill this year that protects Mississippi River http://bit.ly/NzHDK7 (Word doc)
• Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts backs House version of Farm Bill despite its conservation cuts http://bit.ly/PlGSrn

Agriculture -

• Studies highlight critical role farm conservation programs play in protecting; restoring nation’s environmental health http://bit.ly/NCZrm3
• USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack commentary: "Conserving and restoring America’s natural resources" http://bit.ly/PlIAJj
• Financial Times Online: “Is the world on the brink of another food crisis?" http://bit.ly/ND02UR
• Washington Post editorial: “any notion that farming is a precarious, hardscrabble business . . . absurd” http://wapo.st/ND0GS8
• EPA withdraws controversial proposal to collect information about Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations http://1.usa.gov/NdmEkC
• The Nation: Whose side is the American Farm Bureau on: agribusiness or small family farmers? http://bit.ly/LWIqcx
• Corn prices push above $8 a bushel for the first time ever, as world starts to face shortage http://bit.ly/MpQEYW

Water Quality -

• Arkansas attorney general seeks to intervene in Mississippi River nutrient lawsuit against EPA bit.ly/Pcq46i
• Kansas attorney general ALSO seeks to intervene in Mississippi River nutrient lawsuit against EPA http://bit.ly/PcqsSl
• EPA's Missouri list of impaired water bodies released for comment http://bit.ly/NDJDzF
• Kentucky clean water mine case nears resolution http://cjky.it/NDLfJs
• EPA: IA animal feeding operations' failure to comply with clean water rules gave them $$ advantage over competitors http://bit.ly/NDLtAm
• OH company pleads guilty to criminal violations of Clean Water Act re: coal-wastewater spills into a SE OH stream http://bit.ly/NDLPah
• Environmental group settles with mining company over water pollution problem in northeast Knox County, TN http://on.wbir.com/NDMmsJ
• Environmental groups sue over Se pollution from WV mountaintop mining, claiming Clean Water Act violation http://bit.ly/M6qW90 and http://cbsn.ws/M6r88m
• TN Clean Water Network; State/Federal governments announce Clean Water Act agreement w/ City Of Chattanooga, TN http://1.usa.gov/NyvcQq & http://bit.ly/PlB7Kq
• EPA highlights innovative green infrastructure, water & energy approaches using Clean Water State Revolving Fund http://1.usa.gov/Plzc8J
• EPA awards $30,000 in Green Infrastructure water grants to Neosho, MO http://1.usa.gov/OJVfkN $70,000 to Omaha, NE http://1.usa.gov/OJVlZD

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

• Army Corps urged to address Missouri River sandbars; other flow constrictions ahead of next winter & potential floods http://bit.ly/PYydwx
• Mississippi River Commission to make annual Low-Water Inspection; hold public meetings at 7 River locations in August http://bit.ly/ND3Q8J
• House floor vote canceled on contentious ND levee bill indicating that it likely didn't have votes to pass http://bit.ly/MI7jTh
• Sen. Hoeven (R-ND) to 'educate people' before refloating canceled House vote on controversial ND levees bill bit.ly/MI7NZ
• Assoc of State Floodplain Managers http://bit.ly/M7afKI & R Street Institute http://bit.ly/M7amFX had opposed levee bill seeking ND carve out
• Peabody Energy selects Houston & New Orleans as primary ports for shipping West & Midwest coal to international markets http://bit.ly/LYQwkY

In the States -

• EPA: Iowa must fix regulation of livestock farms; given 60 days to come up with plan http://bit.ly/NDM45g

Gulf Coastal Region-

• Environmental groups lay out guidelines and project portfolio for restoration and recovery of Gulf Coast ecosystem http://bit.ly/NzFCxC
• Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority criticizes Coast Guard for prematurely allowing BP to pull its cleanup teams http://bit.ly/LYQTfj

Resource Extraction -

• North Dakota landowners/towns discover down sides of oil boom to rural lifestyle, environment and economy http://wapo.st/PlBXa0

Federal Budget -

• Frenzy over Federal budget sequester hits Capitol Hill; partisan sparring escalates http://politi.co/PcsMIR
• Fearing shutdown showdown, House Republican leaders want to pass 3-month stopgap funding bill in early Sept http://politi.co/MGYNVs
• GOP lawmakers now say they could settle for stopgap spending bill to fund government at current levels into early 2013 http://bit.ly/OJW1OD

Events-

• Mississippi River Commission to make annual Low-Water Inspection; hold public meetings at 7 River locations in August http://bit.ly/ND3Q8J
• EPA Water Quality Standards Virtual Academy Webinar: Water Quality Standards 101; Oct 4, 1 PM Eastern http://1.usa.gov/ND4vXL
• Reminder: Submit a dedicated 2013 National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration session proposal by July 27 http://bit.ly/MEdzwe
• Call for abstracts: 8th IAHS International Groundwater Quality Conference (GQ13); deadline Oct 15 http://bit.ly/MIbb6y
• 5th World Conference on Ecological Restoration; Madison WI; Oct 6-11, 2013; http://bit.ly/PlytUV (PDF file)
• Webinar: The Clean Water Act, EPA Regulation, and the Future of Farming; July 24; noon-1 PM EDT http://bit.ly/Pd55Ab

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• The July 13 Issue of "Delta Dispatches" with the latest news on Coastal Louisiana restoration, is now available here: http://bit.ly/OCMAl1
• Quarterly Newsletter of the Society for Ecological Restoration http://bit.ly/PlxQuG (PDF file) with a global perspective on restoration

Other news-

• House GOP setting up vote next week on bill to freeze major federal regulations until unemployment reaches 6% http://bit.ly/MIaRoA
• Term "smart growth" viewed as demeaning to those who don't embrace it wholeheartedly http://usat.ly/M6s38J
• U of MN professor: Finding common ground can keep environmental discussions from degrading into diatribe http://n.pr/NzFlL8

Political Scene - 

• Washington Post Editorial: 14 reasons why this is the worst Congress ever http://wapo.st/NuexNN
• Governors - both Democratic and Republican - agree: Washington politics is broken http://politi.co/NWgRO3

Last Word 

"They have smiled at me and that’s kind of where we are." - House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK), when responding to reporter questions about whether House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)  and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) have discussed with Lucas the scheduling of floor time for the House Farm Bill.  Lucas added that lawmakers might gain greater enthusiasm for the Farm Bill after spending the August recess visiting with constituents in drought-affected districts.

UPDATED: House Vote on Bill to Rebuild Levees on Floodplains Cancelled (see comment)

The U.S. House is expected to vote on Tuesday on a bill introduced by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) that would direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to rebuild permanent levees on North Dakota lands acquired under a federal program for reclaiming floodplains (FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program).  The bill (S 2039) was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate in January, and would create what Hoeven has called a "pilot project" in his home state, allowing a State or local government to "construct levees on certain properties otherwise designated as open space lands," and lifting a ban on federal levee construction on lands purchased under.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Farm Bill Passes Out of House Committee Facing an Uncertain Floor Fate
The House Agriculture Committee passed its vision of a 2012 Farm Bill early in the morning on Thursday (July 12), following 15 hours of grueling and sometimes contentious debate and discussion over a series of 109 offered bill amendments. In the end, the bill passed by a healthy and bipartisan 24-vote margin, 35-11.

The House version of the bill contrasts significantly with a farm bill passed by the Senate in June both on their total price tags, and on several major issues, primarily crop subsidies and nutrition programs (and to a lesser extent rural development). The possibility is growing that House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor may try to avoid a bitter floor fight on those Farm Bill issues, where both conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats would pick apart the bill from their respective positions. Seeking to steer clear of such a debate, House leadership may opt instead to leave the House bill in the hands of Committee Chair Frank Lucas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, providing them the opportunity to negotiate a Farm Bill deal with their Senate counterparts (Senators Debbie Stabenow and Pat Roberts) in conference committee. The Farm Bill product that emerges from that process would then simply be subject to one roll call vote on the House floor.

Whether the House opts for that process or for a full-blow floor debate, the legislative clock is ticking. The authority of the current Farm Bill lapses at midnight on September 30, and a mere 12 scheduled working days remain on the legislative calendar before both the Senate and House recess for their annual August exodus from the Washington, DC heat and humidity.

For more on the week's Farm Bill activity, see this earlier blog post and the numerous news links, immediately below.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Farm Bill-

General News

• Izaak Walton League’s "solution-oriented steps for reauthorizing a 2012 Farm Bill" http://bit.ly/NeDzAn
• Farm Bureau Federation http://bit.ly/PQiQqZ  & Farmers Union http://bit.ly/PQiRve  convey Farm Bill priorities to House Agriculture Committee
• Liberal Democrats are fuming over $16 billion in cuts to food stamp programs included in the House farm bill http://bit.ly/NgsxYf
• CBO analysis: Senate passed Farm Bill would spend $23.1 B/10 yrs less than that if programs were simply continued http://1.usa.gov/MV6QCn
• CBO estimates that enacting House Farm Bill proposal would reduce direct spending by $35.1 billion over 10 years http://1.usa.gov/MV7zTS
• New study by Agricultural and Food Policy Center concerns economic impacts of House & Senate Farm Bill proposals http://bit.ly/NfxQdz (PDF)

House Agriculture Committee Activity

• Reuters article detailing provisions of the House Agriculture committee’s farm bill http://reut.rs/MULi8X
• From NSAC :House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill highlights: http://bit.ly/MUN9dC and details http://bit.ly/MUNdtZ
• House Committee farm bill builds on the Senate passed-plan; cuts deeper http://bit.ly/NeBPXL
• Here is a list of the 100 Farm Bill amendments being considered this week by the House Agriculture Committee http://bit.ly/MiLWaT (PDF file)
• House Agriculture Committee approves farm bill; but its fate on House floor uncertain bit.ly/NnQ9NP

Reaction to House Committee Passage

• House Ag Committee Chair and Ranking Member issue statements after Committee approves Farm Bill http://1.usa.gov/OahIHg
• USDA Secretary Vilsack criticizes House Agriculture Committee's farm bill passage in statement http://bit.ly/NrLEyK
• Environmental Working Group issues reaction statement after House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill passage http://bit.ly/NrNMq3

Next Steps

• Senate and House versions of farm bill each play on different ambitions and anxieties of farmers http://politi.co/NeBwwk
• House and Senate lawmakers are headed for a Farm Bill collision over funding for food stamps http://on.wsj.com/PSE9br
• House Agriculture Committee's defeat of food stamp cut amendment may have effectively killed hopes of passing bill http://bit.ly/NnQTlX
• House Ag Committee challenge to Senate Farm Bill crop insurance reform sets up passage roadblock with time running out http://trib.in/LMdziX
• House Speaker Boehner refuses to guarantee Farm Bill floor time, saying that some provisions concern him http://bit.ly/NlOBoL
• Republican House leaders fear a messy debate and  may squash farm bill http://politi.co/LSSWgd

Agriculture -

• Diverse organizations deliver two letters to House farm committee leaders in support of Protect Our Prairies Act http://bit.ly/MV9t7d
• US farmers plant 96.4 million acres of corn this year, making it highest corn acreage in last 75 years http://1.usa.gov/MVf9hq
• USDA: Climate change likely to cost Corn Belt between $1.1 and $4.4 billion a year http://1.usa.gov/Nad4NT
• St. Charles County, Missouri crops wither in record heat http://bit.ly/MVMPvU
• In face of drought, USDA slashes corn crop season-end inventory forecast estimate by hefty 37% http://1.usa.gov/nwHOt (page 2)
• USDA Secretary Vilsack: Improved seed technology and improved efficiencies help limit corn losses in drought http://bit.ly/PSI6gr

Water Quality -

• Subsurface gravel wetlands are highly effective at advanced stormwater treatment http://bit.ly/MVbOPk
• GAO says that EPA and USDA programs targeting farm and urban runoff fall short of goals http://1.usa.gov/MVcXGC
• GAO: Key EPA water quality program needs greater oversight http://bit.ly/PSHKpW
• Farm Bureau Federation launches "Stop the Flood of Regulation" push to halt EPA and Army Corps Clean Water Act guidance http://bit.ly/MVdXug
• Nitrate - a dead zone pollutant - grows despite decades of work. But who's the culprit? http://bit.ly/Nadxj0
• National Center for Environmental Economics paper: Water Quality Index Aggregation and Cost Benefit Analysis http://1.usa.gov/Mf4Pwl
• Cattle feedlot near Broken Bow, NE agrees to pay $145,000 civil penalty to EPA for discharge to stream http://1.usa.gov/PQk1GT & http://bit.ly/MiJAJc
• WI Supreme Court to rule in case pitting large farm against town worried about water quality http://wapo.st/NnOwfX
• WI Supreme Court: town cannot impose water-quality standards on a livestock farm tougher than state's rules http://bit.ly/O72vqs
• EPA seeks Iowa DNR action to correct deficiencies in the state’s CAFO Permitting and Compliance Program http://1.usa.gov/NlPNsn
• EPA seeks public comment on proposed changes to list of impaired waters for Missouri http://1.usa.gov/NlPWvY

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

• IL River Emiquon Complex and Dixon Waterfowl Refuge named “wetlands of international importance” by Ramsar Convention http://bit.ly/Mf4wSe
• Association of State Floodplain Managers Announces Leadership Transition http://bit.ly/MUITuW
• USDA produces 2 new dynamic bibliographies on Water Availability http://bit.ly/PFLuLs and Drought and Weather http://bit.ly/PFLpY3
• Great Plains' Ogallala Aquifer dips as result of Texas drought http://bit.ly/NCYLgk
• Not surprisingly, agricultural producers & Conservation District disagree on health, sustainability of Ogallala Aquifer http://bit.ly/PSC8Mp
• Water-monitoring stations around US and rest of world are on the decline as funding dries up http://nyti.ms/MVeqg2
• Extreme weather threatening drinking water supplies in Central Kentucky http://bit.ly/NfBUuq

In the States -

• WI Governor Walker declares state of emergency in 42 counties as drought deepens http://bit.ly/Mf5PjS

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• Congress to Army Corps: speed up planning to stop Asian carp from moving from Mississippi basin into Great Lakes http://on.freep.com/MVeNrb
• Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Comm commits to getting Congressionally-mandated progress report out in 3 months http://on.freep.com/NnU0ug
• Grant awarded by Illinois for Grafton IL Asian carp processing plant http://bit.ly/MUT4zp
• # of ducks in US and Canada reach highest level ever recorded; an estimated 48.6 million http://bit.ly/MV8LXp
• New study: FWS rarely considered nonagency scientists' suggestions in making critical habitat designations http://bit.ly/MVa5d0
• Asian carp impact on Mississippi River Basin ecology remains unclear http://bit.ly/NrNa3U

Gulf Coastal Region-

• BP settlement for 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil  spill provides economic boost for Louisiana http://bit.ly/MVeb4S
• Restore Act signed into law: will send billions of dollars in BP oil spill fines to Gulf Coast for restoration http://bit.ly/NfzV9B
• Restore Act $ to help build 16-foot earthen levee around Crown Point, Jean Lafitte and nearby Louisiana communities http://bit.ly/OWb6RH

Resource Extraction -

• Keystone XL: Compromise route around Nebraska Sand Hills still crosses sandy hills http://bit.ly/MiID3A
• TN Dept of Environment and Conservation tries to iron out standards and guidelines for fracking http://bit.ly/MiJukG

Federal Budget -

• GOP and Democrats fiddle with meaningless health care debating as unemployment, tax cut and budget crises loom http://bit.ly/NnRynt

Events-

• 5th Annual Upper Mississippi River Conference; Moline, IL; Sept 26-28; information and register at http://www.riveraction.org/umrc/
• America’s Great Watershed Initiative Summit; Sept 26-27, St. Louis, MO; info: http://bit.ly/MP6s4C $250 registration: http://bit.ly/MP6h9r
• Horinko Group July 18 Environmental Speaker Series: Dave White, USDA NRCS Chief; info & contact to register: http://bit.ly/NeMSQT
• EcoSummit 2012: Ecological Sustainability - Restoring the Planet's Ecosystem Services; Sept 30 - Oct 5,  Columbus, OH http://bit.ly/NBnmFW

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• American Farmland Trust June issue of E-news http://bit.ly/MUJe0w
• Association of State Floodplain Managers June "News and Views" http://bit.ly/MUJSLF (PDF file)
• Tennessee Clean Water Network's July 5 e-newsletter http://bit.ly/NeIt0c
• The Horinko Group's July "sustainabulletin" is available here http://bit.ly/NagAI4

Other news-

• Heat wave, fires have climate change supporters on offensive http://bit.ly/L5y9sR
• US experienced extremes of extreme weather in first half of 2012 gu.com/p/38qz9/tf
• NOAA: last 12 months were hottest on record in US http://bit.ly/NdOaKv
• USGS Geographic Framework for Guiding Conservation on a Landscape Scale http://bit.ly/PFL6fY
• Minneapolis, MN Mayor Rybak included in top 10 "green" mayors of U.S. largest cities ow.ly/ca3sN
• The Economist: Ecosystem services - Pricing nature's freebies http://econ.st/OCcIwn via @InvasiveNotes

Political Scene - 

• GOP Senate primary slugfest could aid Sen. McCaskill (D-MO) in her run for reelection http://politi.co/PQiaBV
• Marquette University poll suggests that former Governor Thompson and Eric Hovde lead GOP US Senate primary in Wisconsin http://bit.ly/NnRR1J

Last Word 
"They don’t have much to do on the floor until August first anyway. I don’t know what their excuse is to not get us on the floor.” - House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), reflecting on the reticence shown thus far by House Leadership to schedule floor time for the House to consider the Farm Bill before Congress members flee Washihgton DC for the month of August.

And speaking of fiddling while Rome burns (my words, not Mr. Peterson's), here's a very nice five-minute fiddling musical piece that I hope you all enjoy with your Friday morning's coffee or tea: violinist Natalie MacMaster and Thomas Dolby playing Dolby’s original song “Blue Is a River” in an ethereal duet.

Natalie MacMaster is a star of Cape Breton fiddling, a Canadian tradition with Scottish roots.  That tradition really comes out at the very end of the piece (with a little dancing thrown in for good measure!).

Farm Bill Passes Out of House Committee with an Uncertain Floor Fate

The House Agriculture Committee passed its vision of a 2012 Farm Bill early in the morning (Thursday, July 12), following 15 hours of grueling and sometimes contentious debate and discussion over a series of 109 offered bill amendments. A total of 44 amendments were passed during the mark-up session; none directly impacting the Conservation Title (Title II).  A list of passed amendments can be found here.

In the end, the bill passed by a healthy and bipartisan 24-vote margin, 35-11 (roll call vote summary will be posed here as soon as it becomes available).  Thirteen Democrats joined 22 Republicans in voting for the measure. The four Republicans who voted against the bill expressed concern over commodity provisions and stated their desire to cut even more than the $35 billion already eliminated over ten years from its nearly trillion dollar price tag. The seven Democrats who voted against the bill opposed what they described as draconian and excessive cuts to the bill's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or "SNAP").

The House version of the bill contrasts significantly with a Senate farm bill passed by that chamber in June. That bill cuts $23 billion from direct spending, with much of the $12 billion difference between the chambers' measures represented by the steeper House SNAP cuts ($4.5 billion in Senate compared to the House's $16.5 billion). Amendments that would have both increased the amount of SNAP cuts and reduced the nutrition assistance cuts to an amount equal to those in the Senate bill were voted down by the House Committee yesterday. However, proponents of both deeper and shallower SNAP cuts are sure to raise the issue again either on the House floor and during any Senate-House conference committee negotiations. There are also some significant commodity subsidy policy differences between the two versions that Agriculture Committee leaders from both chambers hope to iron out in conference.

The possibility is growing that House Speaker John Boehner (OH-8) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA-7) may try to avoid a bitter floor debate on Farm Bill crop subsidies and nutrition programs (and to a lesser extent rural development), when both conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats would pick apart the bill from their respective positions. Seeking to steer clear of such a fight, House leadership may opt to leave the House bill in the hands of Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN-7), providing them the opportunity to negotiate a Farm Bill deal with their Senate counterparts (Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Pat Roberts (R-KS)) in conference committee. The Farm Bill product that emerges from that process would then simply be subject to one more roll call vote on the House floor. It is noteworthy that in statements this morning both Peterson and Stabenow rejected the straight-to-conference approach in favor of a quick full House floor consideration.

Whether the House opts for that process or for a full-blow floor debate, the legislative clock is ticking. The authority of the current Farm Bill lapses at midnight on September 30, and a mere 13 scheduled working days remain on the legislative calendar before both the Senate and House recess for their annual August exodus from the Washington, DC heat and humidity.