Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week-Early Edition

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Water Quality -

• Clean Water Act lawsuit filed by Springfield, Illinois against the US Environmental Protection Agency may be settled http://sgfnow.co/U5XCab
• Group cites problems with Kentucky Energy cabinet’s proposed new standard for selenium pollution in water http://cjky.it/U62trN
• Vermillion River Watershed District working to address groundwater and surface water contamination from agriculture http://bit.ly/YoMcLD
• Kansas company to pay $2.3 Million to EPA for past Clean Water Act violations and clean up costs (2007 oil spill) http://1.usa.gov/VSgMCe

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

Click to enlarge

• Army Corps says Missouri River will be low, but navigable during upcoming navigation season despite drought http://bit.ly/VWVGNM
• Farmers, environmentalists await seventh analysis of 60-year-old, New Madrid flood plain, Mississippi River levee plan http://wapo.st/VPsAjs
• Ag Professional Editorial: Mississippi River levee gap may be closed to the benefit of New Madrid flood plain farming http://bit.ly/VWXnuu
• Op-ed: "It's Time to Talk About the Future of U.S. Water Infrastructure" http://huff.to/YRUNsn
• Army Corps of Engineers awards its final levee repair contract to repair 2011 Missouri River flood damage http://bit.ly/X4KJKp
• Railroads would be shipping option if barges cannot move enough cargo through drought-starved Missouri River basin http://bit.ly/X4KZJp
• Army Corps of Engineers asked to explain why it allowed Missouri River water use for oil drilling but not navigation http://bloom.bg/YoMVwd
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair: committee will work first on new Water Resources Development Act http://bit.ly/XavAXO
• House passes Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act, would streamline small hydropower project permitting http://bit.ly/Xav7oE

Drought-

National Climatic Data Center
Drought Monitor Map
(click to enlarge)

• U.S. drought conditions continued to improve in the Upper Midwest and Northern and Southern Plains this past week http://bit.ly/rak0SU

Farm Bill-

• Lobbyist speculates that Farm Bill may not move until after May; more likely between September and December (if at all) http://bit.ly/Z5dNY4
• AGree group issues series of 2013 Position Papers on Farm Bill issues being debated in Congress and the Administration http://bit.ly/Z5eeBO
• House Ag Committee Ranking Member sees Farm Bill work starting "after we deal with all of these budget issues" http://bit.ly/XaBf05 (video)

Agriculture -

• U of IL Agricultural Economists: Ethanol Blend Wall, Biodiesel Production Capacity, and the RFS; Something Has to Give http://bit.ly/XaCs7E
• Senate Committee hearing: Drought, Fire and Freeze-Economics of Disasters for Agricultural Producers; info here: http://1.usa.gov/YJ0clc
• 20 ethanol plants cease production as farmers struggle to produce corn during ongoing drought http://b.globe.com/YRVPEK
• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduces bill to set a per-farm Federal subsidy cap maximum at $250,000/year http://bit.ly/VSifbN and http://1.usa.gov/VSigMV
• Southern cotton farmers expected to shift significant acreage into more profitable corn and soybean crops http://bloom.bg/VSiBir

In the Cities -

• Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative mayors to hold meeting in St. Cloud, MN, June 26-28 http://on.sctimes.com/VWWD8R

In the States -

• Kentucky state legislative hearing held on administration proposals to weaken water quality standards for selenium http://cjky.it/YoMCl9

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• Environmental groups file Notice of Intent to Sue for TN strip mine threatened species impacts, including Blackside Dace http://bit.ly/Z5inFP
• 10 ways to observe National Invasive Species Awareness Week (March 3-8) http://bit.ly/Z5o0DN (Week's web page: http://www.nisaw.org/)
• 2012 fish surveys indicate rainbow and brown trout numbers are up in Montana's Missouri River http://bit.ly/X4KrTK

Gulf Coastal Region-

• Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council announces Louisiana public hearings re: BP oil spill fine money http://bit.ly/Z5hVXX

Resource Extraction -

• U.S. House hearing: how states regulate hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas; Feb 15; 9:30 AM http://1.usa.gov/YlHePz
• Environmental concerns about Winona County, Minnesota frac sand mining expansion are voiced by a competing firm http://bit.ly/U61UON

Federal Budget -

• Senate Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY): $85 billion in automatic spending cuts very likely to go into effect March 1 http://bit.ly/VSiROr
• House Appropriations Committee crafting spending bill to extend current continuing resolution through Sept. 30 politi.co/Ufsyol

Events -  Information on all past and future events listed here can be viewed in the on-line calendar on this Blog page and here as a stand-alone calendar

• March 3-8: National Invasive Species Awareness Week; Washington, DC-Arlington, VA; website: http://bit.ly/4vuLqO agenda http://bit.ly/Z5nfe2
• Conference on Students as Catalysts for Large Landscape Conservation; Colby College, ME, March 1, 2013 http://bit.ly/ST19XC
• Izaac Walton League-MN Summit: “Watershed/Water Management Solutions–Policy to Action” Feb 23, all day, Bloomington, MN http://bit.ly/VdEuGr

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• Tennessee Clean Water Network February 10 e-newsletter http://bit.ly/Z5iFwh
• National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (Alton, IL) February e-news update http://bit.ly/Z5jCon
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's "Waterfront Bulletin" for February 2013 http://bit.ly/Z5kHg3
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's "Watershed Network News" - February 13 issue http://bit.ly/V9pdce
• Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota e-newsletter http://bit.ly/VdFtXp (with coverage of new MN "ag certainty" program)

Other news-

• US House members establish bipartisan "Mississippi River Valley and Tributaries Caucus" http://1.usa.gov/VPsTKZ
• In light of reduced global phosphorus supplies, researchers investigate its conservation and recovery in soil and waste http://bit.ly/U5Yj36
• Sen. Johanns (R-NE) introduces bills to promote "greater transparency and accountability" of EPA regulatory process http://1.usa.gov/ZaLlUL
• Wisconsin DNR plans to transform Poynette environmental education center into hunting and fishing training center http://bit.ly/VWW9Q2

Political Scene -

• Poll: USDA Secretary Vilsack is Iowa's top choice in race for retiring Sen. Harkin's (D) US Senate seat http://bit.ly/11YaO4s
• Republicans nominate state Rep. Jason Smith for open US House seat in Missouri 8th District; June 4 special election http://bit.ly/Z5dmwP
• Iowa state Rep. Pat Murphy announces that he will seek Iowa's US House 1st District seat being vacated by Braley http://bit.ly/XazCzy

Italian Astronomer Galileo Galilei

Last Word -  "The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." – Italian Astronomer Galileo Galilei,  born on February 15, 1564.