~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~
Congressional Schedules on Major Water-Related Legislation SlipWater Resources Development Act
The Senate's attention turned decidedly toward gun control this week, and the week's rumored floor activity on the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) failed to materialize. Senate floor action on the bill that passed out of the Environment and Public Works Committee in March has yet to be scheduled by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Since Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have not reached agreement laying out gun debate conditions, that activity could take up considerable floor time, and push Senate WRDA action into May. On the House side, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has scheduled its first formal hearing on WRDA for next Tuesday (April 16) after holding a "roundtable" on Army Corps inland waterways' issues this week.
Farm Bill
Both the the Senate and House Agriculture Committees expressed desires earlier in the month to hold Farm Bill mark-up sessions in April. However, a more realistic target for work in both committees is May, especially in light of this past Monday’s presentation to Congress of newly revised Farm Bureau Federation Farm Bill proposal (PDF file copy available here), which the committees are now taking under consideration. Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) has indicated that the Committee may mark up a House bill as early as the week of May 6, possibly preceding any action in the Senate Committee.
Obama Budget Reprises Past Themes - - Broad Strokes and Fine Points
Normally an inside-the-beltway, drama-filled event, this year's late release by President Obama of his federal budget proposal has registered only a slight blip thus far on the Washington, DC political radar screen, coming as it has two months late, and following passage of both Republican House and Democratic Senate budgets. The Administration's budget includes familiar themes from past years' plans (made before without success), including curbing farm subsidies and increased spending for infrastructure projects White House officials say the budget is an attempt at compromise; trying to strike a balance between the House and Senate versions. The plan repeats deficit reduction overtures made during December 2012 White House negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH); negotiations that Boehner walked away from over his opposition to higher taxes on the wealthy.
If it is nothing else, the annual release of the budget proposal is a political statement. And while no Administration's budget stands any realistic chance of being reflected en masse in any subsequent Congressional appropriation's bill, the annual rite does play one role: it reflects Presidential priorities at that moment in time. With that in mind, here is a link to an overview that includes details of the Obama team's water resource priorities (broken out by agency: EPA, USDA, Corps of Engineers, Interior and NOAA). Links are also provided to each agency's detailed budget document. To read a more broad perspective of the Obama budget proposal and how it may play out on the political playing field, see here.
Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week
Water Quality -
“The timeline between the submission of a president’s budget and someone saying the phrase ‘dead on arrival’ is the shortest measure of time in Washington.” - Tony Fratto, a spokesperson for George W. Bush’s Treasury Department and later the Bush White House, told to Yahoo News.
Both the the Senate and House Agriculture Committees expressed desires earlier in the month to hold Farm Bill mark-up sessions in April. However, a more realistic target for work in both committees is May, especially in light of this past Monday’s presentation to Congress of newly revised Farm Bureau Federation Farm Bill proposal (PDF file copy available here), which the committees are now taking under consideration. Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) has indicated that the Committee may mark up a House bill as early as the week of May 6, possibly preceding any action in the Senate Committee.
Obama Budget Reprises Past Themes - - Broad Strokes and Fine Points
If it is nothing else, the annual release of the budget proposal is a political statement. And while no Administration's budget stands any realistic chance of being reflected en masse in any subsequent Congressional appropriation's bill, the annual rite does play one role: it reflects Presidential priorities at that moment in time. With that in mind, here is a link to an overview that includes details of the Obama team's water resource priorities (broken out by agency: EPA, USDA, Corps of Engineers, Interior and NOAA). Links are also provided to each agency's detailed budget document. To read a more broad perspective of the Obama budget proposal and how it may play out on the political playing field, see here.
Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week
Water Quality -
- Tennessee Environmental Council and Rediscover East sue PSC Metals over alleged metals' water pollution http://ow.ly/jQxEd
- Living on Earth report: media access to federal-Exxon Arkansas oil spill cleanup info gets routed through official Exxon channels http://ow.ly/jQykx
- Two persons file federal lawsuit against Exxon Mobil for Arkansas oil spill from pipeline burst http://ow.ly/jT0Ch
- Iowa's proposed strategy to reduce nutrient water pollution may impact many Northwest Iowa farmers http://ow.ly/jQCj1
- EPA report: Oklahoma’s 2012 efforts to curb nonpoint source water pollution outpaced those in all other states http://ow.ly/jQDGr
- City of Vicksburg, MS cited by the US EPA for raw sewage flowing into Mississippi River between 2007 and 2012 http://ow.ly/jYKV1
- Midwestern universities seek grant for nutrient management center addressing farm runoff; Gulf of Mexico dead zone http://ow.ly/jXE9L
- Environmental groups oppose new selenium water pollution rules for Kentucky ow.ly/jYlKJ
- U.S. Water Alliance convenes first of four meetings of agriculture, water, and environmental leaders in Minneapolis http://ow.ly/jZRdZ
- Natural river diversion at Mardi Gras Pass south of New Orleans gains support from political, commercial interests http://ow.ly/jQtZ2
- Waterways Council, Inc.’s Executive Committee endorses two waterways bills introduced by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) http://ow.ly/jYKDJ
- Competition heats up among U.S. ports as they prepare for post-Panama Canal-expansion realities http://ow.ly/jQLDk
- Army Corps of Engineers holding public meetings this week on its water management plans for the Missouri River basin http://ow.ly/jR8jA
- Cairo, Illinois Mayor to Army Corps: halt reconstruction of Bird's Point Levee; it will promote floodplain development http://ow.ly/jSZAm
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee confronts Army Corps inland waterways issues during roundtable http://ow.ly/jY4d8
- After gun control, Senate set to take up Water Resources Development Act next, as environmental concerns remain http://ow.ly/jVkcB
- Congressional Budget Office says Senate's Water Resources Development Act would cost $12.5 billion over next decade http://ow.ly/jVnXv
- Georgia may take centuries-old resource-state line battle with Tennessee over the Tennessee River to Supreme Court http://ow.ly/jYA4E
- House Members introduce bill to take fish and wildlife projects off Army Corps' authorized Missouri River activity list http://ow.ly/jYDde
- Water levels in Wisconsin River reservoirs vary depending on if they are in north or south http://ow.ly/jZSvz
- Shifting the government's climbing flood risk exposure to private insurers is not as easy as it sounds http://ow.ly/k02kH
- American Farm Bureau Federation sends Congress its revamped five-year farm bill proposal http://ow.ly/jT3gz
- House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders would like to move farm bill soon, but common sticking points remain http://ow.ly/jVlvz
- Tough Farm Bill negotiating remains, especially if committees have to trim spending more than they did in 2012 http://ow.ly/jVlPp
- New York Times editorial board: ag-gag laws guarantee increased distrust of American farmers and food supply http://ow.ly/jVmcH
- Dozen or so state legislatures have proposed or enacted bills making it illegal to covertly videotape livestock farms http://ow.ly/jQvTr
- New paper contends Congress should increase US agricultural research budget threefold to reverse decades of neglect http://ow.ly/jT88Y
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| Drought Monitor Map (click to enlarge) |
- NOAA: beneficial, soaking rains finally fall; providing some badly-needed drought relief in Plains states http://ow.ly/jYqli
- Earth Networks: Summer 2013 is going to be a hot one across large stretches of the U.S. http://ow.ly/jMfun
- Weather, now fluctuating on a grand scale, is becoming increasingly hard to forecast long-term http://ow.ly/jQB8y
- Midwest drought eases but persistent dry conditions in western Plains states could still limit Mississippi River flow http://ow.ly/jT8V8
- Quad-City, IA-IL area "officially" over drought; remainder of Iowa still abnormally dry, or in some stage of drought http://ow.ly/k05qK
- Drought conditions persist in Missouri River basin; Army Corps enacts drought water conservation measures http://ow.ly/jTa10
- Professionals name floods, drought, water quality, climate as major environmental; economic concerns at conference http://ow.ly/jVxXJ
- New NOAA Drought Task Force report examines the causes of 2012 Great Plains drought http://ow.ly/jYjqn
- Upper reaches of the Minnesota River Watershed may see Spring flooding materialize this week http://ow.ly/jYDOS
- Arkansas Senate approves $125 million in state incentives for new $1.1 billion steel mill on banks of Mississippi River http://ow.ly/jMuPl and http://ow.ly/jMuq6
- Strict US city planning regulations driven by property owners protecting own interests, not quality of life considerations http://ow.ly/jT7wk
- St. Cloud, MN mayor highlights city's long connection to Mississippi River at annual State of the City event http://ow.ly/jVpcC
- St. Paul, MN City Council adopts its Great River Passage Master Plan focused on the Mississippi riverfront http://ow.ly/jYKo1
- Opportunity exists to set good precedents and protocols for using social teamwork in US National Forests' management http://ow.ly/jT20f
- Study: No DNA Evidence of Asian Carp in the St. Croix River; Scientists Urge Continued Action http://ow.ly/jMFp7
- Midwestern Governors Association observes Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month by launching LinkedIn group http://ow.ly/jR6hX
- Federal appeals court to review ruling that Gulf Coast landowners can sue companies over greenhouse gas emissions http://ow.ly/jQJMz
- Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy looks at the RESTORE Act and what it means for the Gulf Coast and its communities http://bit.ly/14SzoVz (PDF file)
- As third anniversary of BP oil spill nears, Mississippi River delta wetlands' restoration advocated http://ow.ly/jVN9i
- Southern Illinois counties see first of fracking oil and gas land rush, start to rake in fees http://ow.ly/jQxcd
- Advances in fracking, crippling drought and depleted Ogallala Aquifer intensify longstanding water-drilling debates http://ow.ly/jQByQ
- Oklahoma's oil and gas producers get little opposition over use of hydraulic fracking from the public http://ow.ly/jQBTP
- South Dakota state scientists search for Black Hills sands suitable for oil-and-gas fracking http://ow.ly/jQDpA
- Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota companies eager to mine frac sand http://ow.ly/jVMIZ
- Washington Post interactive visual exploring President's proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2014: income and revenue http://ow.ly/k0cgR
- Kayaker Janet Moreland to embark on 3-1/2 month long historic trip down Missouri River from Montana to St. Louis http://ow.ly/jMkMU
- 18th Int'l Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species; April 21-25; Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada http://ow.ly/jR7eG
- Adaptive Management for Conservation Success, June 10-21, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, Front Royal, VA http://ow.ly/jVhXh
- The Wetlands Initiative lists its April events targeting wetland resources' restoration in the Midwest http://ow.ly/jVjwK
- Migratory Bird Festival; North Utica, IL; Saturday, May 4 http://ow.ly/jYkli
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's "Waterfront Bulletin" for April 2013 http://ow.ly/jMjiC
- Tennessee Clean Water Network's April 4, e-newsletter http://ow.ly/jMO4o
- Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy's April 9 WaterWays e-newsletter link here: http://ow.ly/jcEII
- Weekly Newsletter from the Office of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: "Water Headlines" http://bit.ly/YJofTA
- U.S. Water Alliance "News and Waves" April newsletter http://ow.ly/jZRsE
- Here is the 1 Mississippi Campaign's April newsletter link: http://ow.ly/jXC8G
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Watershed Network News for April 11 http://ow.ly/jYJs7
- Natchez Democrat op-ed: "Let's engage with entire Mississippi River" http://ow.ly/jT9mj
- Brewers start to sign on to Natural Resources Defense Council's "Brewers for Clean Water" campaign http://ow.ly/jTpS9
- EPA designates Center of Excellence for Watershed Management at Mississippi State University - a resource for universities across state http://1.usa.gov/YJnNVw
- U.S. Appeals Court clears path for property owner 'rails to trails' takings lawsuits against the government http://ow.ly/jZSQT (PDF file of ruling)
- State preparing to promote recreation, development along Kansas River; news: http://ow.ly/jZZeo Kansas web site: http://ow.ly/jZZaT
- Democrat Jim Mowrer all but certain to run for US House seat held by GOP Rep. Steve King (R-IA-4) http://ow.ly/jQv4O
- U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA-13) officially kicks off her 2014 campaign for Pennsylvania Governor http://ow.ly/jTb6a
- Democrat Robin Kelly easily wins race to replace former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL-2) http://ow.ly/jVkW2
- Minnesota’s 6th District US House race-Michele Bachmann (R) vs Jim Graves (D)-is one of top 2014 races to watch http://ow.ly/jXDpx
- Louisville Courier Journal animated editorial cartoon on Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY) and Democratic rivals' relationship http://ow.ly/k07AZ (embedded below)
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