~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~
Mississippi River Mayors Set to Press New Platform in Washington
In addition to those meetings, a formal announcement of the Initiative-backed Mississippi River Congressional Caucus and of the Initiative's platform are set to occur on March 21, when photographs from along the Mississippi River will serve as a backdrop to the announcements during a 10 AM press conference. The photo exhibit will be free and open to the public from 9 AM through 3 PM on that day. For event details and more information about the Initiative, see here.
Legislative Update
- FY 2013 Spending - Senate appropriators on Monday night introduced their spending plan to fund the federal government from March 27 (when current spending authority ends) through the end of the 2013 fiscal year in September, by amending a version passed by the House last week (H R 933). The Senate package was debated on Thursday and debate will resume again on the measure next Monday on the Senate floor. The Senate package includes a full Agriculture spending bill, not included in the House bill (among other differences), and would arguably gives agencies some added flexibility on how they implement sequestration when compared to the House bill. Any differences between the House and Senate bills will have to be reconciled either in a Conference Committee or by sending the Senate package back to the House. More details on the Senate spending package, and the differences between the House and Senate versions can be seen here.
- Farm Bill - Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)) desires that a Committee Farm Bill draft will be out in April for mark up, Committee staff changes and a limited legislative calendar between now and the end of April makes May a more realistic target. As widely predicted, drafting the bill in 2013 has gotten harder because of the change in the fiscal climate. According to a new Congressional Budget Office estimate, the 2012 Farm Bill drafts would have saved $9-10 billion less over ten years than originally thought. So, even though House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) has said that his committee’s Farm Bill saving's target is $36 billion over ten years (which is close to the savings that would have been achieved last year), last year’s measure is now downgraded in savings, meaning the Committee will need to look for deeper cuts to achieve that same goal. Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) said recently that he believes the Committee will seek to achieve $23 billion in agricultural savings over ten years, as sought by the Senate Budget Committee. Some Congressional agriculture committee members reportedly are preparing to push for a Farm Bill spending even less than those levels.
- Water Resources Development Act - Both the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) and House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) committees have placed passage of WRDA as one of their top priorities for 2013. The House T&I Committee has started to hold a series of "listening sessions" to gather input on what stakeholders want to see in WRDA. Indications are that Committee drafts may attempt to "streamline" the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental impact statement (EIS) process. T&I Committee Chair Bill Shuster has said that he can't see WRDA being easily crafted with the Congressional block on earmarks in place. EPW staff say there will be a WRDA in that committee ready for mark-up by the end of March, and while that window is rapidly closing, it is still possible that the Committee will squeeze in a mark up before the Congressional spring recess begins (Monday, March 25).
Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week
Water Quality -
- EPA Extreme Event Impacts on Air Quality and Water Quality Research Forum presentations now been posted online: http://ow.ly/iAx1b
- EPA completing cost-benefit study; considering various regulatory approaches for proposed national stormwater rule http://ow.ly/iA83v
- Allegheny Co Sanitary Authority requests consent decree extension to vet green wet weather alternatives http://ow.ly/iA94F (OH River)
- Montana intervenes against environment groups in federal lawsuit re: standards for nutrients entering surface waters http://ow.ly/iJH7S
- West Virginia House unanimously passes bill that would loosen state's selenium water pollution standard http://ow.ly/iJIUw
- Company official responds to claim that sand processing operation is responsible for IL town groundwater pollution http://ow.ly/iOROJ
- Ohio River commission warns that dozens of industrial plants may exceed new mercury water discharge limits http://ow.ly/iRT3u
- Researchers: wastewater; runoff from Marcellus Shale natural gas production making its way into WV streams http://ow.ly/iRU9A
- Hog farm to be built near Buffalo River (Arkansas) raises pollution concerns http://ow.ly/iRUY3
- Environmental advocates from throughout Mississippi Basin meet in Louisville to plan water quality agenda http://ow.ly/iV11Q
- EPA heads to court to defend Clean Water Act authority to revoke Army Corps mining permit http://ow.ly/iVnyA
- Federal Appeal Court case: Coal mine gets permit from Army Corps. Can EPA take it back again? http://ow.ly/iZ7mX
- Arkansas AG: Oklahoma's Illinois River phosphorus limit was “unfairly calculated,” prompting new study of issue http://ow.ly/iVDz6
- Generic-drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical to pay $2.25 million to settle Missouri air and water pollution case http://ow.ly/iZ6yW
- EPW Committee Chair Boxer expects to mark up Water Resources and Development Act bill within next couple of weeks http://ow.ly/iUVy9
- National Weather Service flood forecast update for the Middle Mississippi River region http://ow.ly/iRwrz
- EPA seeks nominations for panel to review draft report on connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters http://ow.ly/iAc6B
- Upper Minnesota River and Mississippi River flood risks increase to "normal" http://ow.ly/iAtBp
- After drought, now flooding on the Mississippi River http://ow.ly/iVmz9
- Mississippi River mouth dredging begins; sediment from West Bay diversion project to be used for land creation http://ow.ly/iAw84
- Association of State Floodplain Managers releases Congressional report: Cost of Flood Mapping the Nation http://ow.ly/iJxwT
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial: Focus on river commerce must include improving its health http://ow.ly/iO3nN
- Minnesota DNR says White Bear Lake water diversion lawsuit should be tossed out http://ow.ly/iORcz
- Army Corps of Engineers issues permit for controversial new four-lane bridge over the St. Croix River near Hudson, WI http://ow.ly/iO
- Barge traffic on Missouri River still restricted despite recent increases in Army Corps water releases from dams http://ow.ly/iRw53
- Landowners inundated by 2011 Missouri River flooding are preparing to sue U.S. government http://ow.ly/iRwQL
- Mississippi River's system of locks and dams is aging, but there's little money for repairs http://ow.ly/iRHis
- House passes bill authorizing Federal Emergency Management Agency to study group flood insurance policy issue http://ow.ly/iRKi2
- Environmental recovery efforts on Missouri River delayed nearly six years by Army Corps-farm stakeholders dispute http://ow.ly/iRTyf
- US Sen. Durbin (D-IL); Rep. Enyart (D-IL-12) plan bill to allow faster response to Mississippi River droughts, floods http://ow.ly/iV2xa
- Sen. Dick Durbin's (D-IL) "Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act" media release http://ow.ly/iYSnR (not the same as the above bill)
- New bill proposes to speed planning; constructing of up to 15 river infrastructure improvements and expansions http://ow.ly/iYRia
- Despite significant rains, only minor Midwest drought improvements, but some improvements in Plains states http://ow.ly/iYy1Y
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| March 12 Drought Monitor Map Click to Enlarge |
- United States crop belt is slowly recovering soil moisture after suffering prolonged dry spell http://ow.ly/iJE8g
- Recent rain and snowstorms have eased drought grip; climatologists urge caution in declaring end to drought too soon http://ow.ly/iNNiU
- USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service: many areas of Kansas received much needed moisture last week http://ow.ly/iNOpy
- Historic drought is over in the St. Louis area for now http://ow.ly/iOSfe
- Drought conditions still plague the Plains and other parts of the country http://ow.ly/iRHB0
- Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Cochran (R-MS): will try to protect Southern farmers in new farm bill http://ow.ly/iJEOO
- Some Congressional agriculture committee members preparing to write farm bill spending less than they would last year http://ow.ly/iRDJW
- Commodity, lending and supplier groups call on Congress to oppose any changes to farm crop insurance http://ow.ly/iREaN
- House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas: committee’s Farm Bill saving's target is $36 billion over 10 years http://ow.ly/iRESh
- Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN): "We’re going to wait till May before we start" new Farm Bill http://ow.ly/iUUTz
- New Council for Agricultural Science & Technology report examines use of nutrients in shaping food production; yields http://ow.ly/iNzg4
- USDA: Cover Crops Improve Soil Health, Help Farmers Weather Drought http://ow.ly/iOOG3
- Sens. Baucus (D-MT) & Hatch (R-UT) introduce bill to extend tax relief for landowners donating land for conservation http://ow.ly/iRFlx
- With hog-waste runoff blamed for polluted water, EPA urges Iowa to increase livestock facility oversight http://ow.ly/iZ9LM
- Illinois oil industry; environmentalists sit down together to draft fracking regulations http://t.co/ykFm9dwPtg
- North Dakota legislators are mulling two plans to create an Outdoor Heritage Fund to support statewide conservation http://ow.ly/iAiC6
- Iowa state rural legislators focus on "Nutrient reduction, support for beginning farmers" http://ow.ly/iVlHM
- Iowa lawmakers’ hearing on environmental issues brings state’s many environmental challenges quickly into view http://ow.ly/iZa1d
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| John Wilkes Booth, Edwin Booth and Junius Booth, Jr. (from left to right) in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in 1864 |
"The ides of March are come." - Julius Caesar to the Soothsayer in William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" Act 3, Scene 1 (to which the Soothsayer responds, "Ay, Caesar; but not gone.")
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
- Annual fisheries biologist's “State of the Missouri River” address finds River in Montana "just damn good" http://ow.ly/iAuY3
- University of Southern Mississippi will lead the new Center for Gulf Studies http://ow.ly/iztWB
- Mississippi River "takes a stab at saving a coastal marsh" by breaching its levees http://ow.ly/izX9x
- Wisconsin assembly approves controversial mining bill, sends it to governor for anticipated signature http://t.co/U8RQkmP7uB
- Gov. Scott Walker signs bill that rewrites Wisconsin's iron mining laws http://ow.ly/iOQoA
- Federal judge lifts 17 year old order blocking drilling; commercial logging in southern Illinois' Shawnee National Forest http://ow.ly/izsQp
- Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan calls for prohibiting large-scale oil and gas drilling in the state http://ow.ly/iZ5LY
- Mining-hub town of St. Charles, MN says no to major frac sand facility http://ow.ly/iRUyf
- University of Tennessee's fracking research plan for its forest land faces opposition http://ow.ly/iZ8bY
Fiscal Year 2013 Budget
- Senate Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution greatly expands on version passed by the House last week http://ow.ly/iNwko
- Senate Appropriators reach deal on $984B government funding bill to avert shutdown http://ow.ly/iNxH5
- Senate FY13 spending bill amends House's; adds full agriculture; homeland security; commerce-justice-science sections http://ow.ly/iNHZa
- Senate stopgap spending bill becoming more and more a rush to try to protect home-state interests http://ow.ly/iYFNl
Fiscal Year 2014 Budget
- Obama administration is now set to release its (late) 2014 budget proposal on April 8, according to congressional sources http://ow.ly/iA5q7
- House Budget Committee approves FY 2014 budget plan proposed by Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), on a party-line vote ow.ly/iURFY
- Senate Budget Committee passes its FY 2014 budget proposal http://ow.ly/iYPCp will go to the Senate floor next week
- 2013 Society of Wetland Scientist International conference will be held in Duluth, Minnesota, June 2-6 http://bit.ly/14kGk9u
- Mississippi River Cities and Town Initiative to be topic of St. Cloud, MN River Forum, March 15, 9-10 AM http://ow.ly/izZTF
- Minnesota Environmental Quality Board: citizen input will be the highlight of March 15 Environmental Congress http://ow.ly/iJzei
- Missouri River community river clean-up is at center of Washington, MO river festival; April 20 http://ow.ly/iJT8N
- Presentation open to public: Food, Fuel, and Plant Nutrient Use in the Future; Washington, DC, March 18; 3-4 PM http://ow.ly/iNzVd
- American Bar Association’s 31st Annual Water Law Conference; Las Vegas, NV; June 5-7 http://ow.ly/iNBFS
- CNREP 2013 Conference: Challenges of Natural Resources and Economic Policy; March 24-26; New Orleans, LA http://ow.ly/iNC3p
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Waterfront Bulletin for March 2013 http://ow.ly/izYRw
- March 11 Waterways Newsletter from the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy; link available here http://bit.ly/XX9wSS
- Weekly Newsletter from EPA's Office of Water: Water Headlines http://ow.ly/iOPjn
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Watershed Network News-March 14 http://ow.ly/iVozV
- Princeton University researchers are looking into the biofuel potential of duckweed http://ow.ly/iA6Ux
- WI DNR reverses decision: will require any new MacKenzie Environmental Center operator to maintain youth programs http://ow.ly/iAumz
- North Dakota Senate committee hears residents' testimony on whether state should fund a climate change study http://ow.ly/iJOES
- Winter aerial view of the St. Croix River Valley (Wisconsin) from a model airplane-borne video camera http://ow.ly/iSqs6
- Mississippi River Water Walk participants continue to wind their educationally-focused way down to River's mouth http://ow.ly/iWmBm
- Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) reportedly will seek a fourth U.S. Senate term http://ow.ly/iJuad
- Conservative Eastern Kentucky Democratic voters wary of potential Senate candidate Judd's bearish coal mining position http://ow.ly/iNyp8
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