Friday, May 10, 2013

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~
Farm Bill Resources
The House and Senate Agriculture Committees will be holding mark-up sessions next week on their respective versions of the farm bill (Here is the Senate bill; and here, the House bill).  The Senate Committee will consider its bill during a May 14, 10 AM meeting, and the House Committee in a May 15 session.  This is only the beginning of a lengthy legislative process of crafting and passing a comprehensive farm bill. Here is a link to a compendium of on-line resources you may find useful during the farm bill considerations over the next days, weeks and months, including links to bills, hearings, legislator's contacts and more.  You can see many more related news links below, under "Farm Bill."

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week 

Water Quality -
  • EPA committed to study and development of Total Maximum Daily Load of nutrients in Illinois River watershed http://ow.ly/kSvC7
  • Fathead minnow acquires an outsized importance for researchers studying endocrine disruption http://ow.ly/kFZej
  • Environmental groups petition EPA to set numeric conductivity standard for waters near mountaintop mines ow.ly/kNv8T
  • Conservation, citizen groups to file lawsuit to halt hog farm construction in Arkansas' Buffalo National River basin ow.ly/kMJbK
  • Media coverage on Kentucky Waterways Alliance, others' petition to the EPA to adopt a conductivity standard http://t.co/ON4ttONbYs
  • EPA approves Pennsylvania’s 2012 list of impaired waters under Clean Water Act; 263 are newly added to list of 7,009 http://ow.ly/kSgDH
  • Operator of uncertified West Virginia coal slurry dam has until June 3 to certify structure as sound ow.ly/kMIlN
  • City of Grand Island, Nebraska wastewater plant accused of polluting surface water; lawsuit threatened ow.ly/kMDET
  • $120 million facility will treat mercury-contaminated water at Oak Ridge (TN; head of East Fork Poplar Creek) ow.ly/kMBfM
  • House lawmakers support funding of EPA pilot projects to integrate wastewater and stormwater infrastructure planning http://ow.ly/kP0Yl
  • Supporters step up efforts to save EPA clean water and drinking water state revolving funds from spending cuts http://ow.ly/kP0xo
  • Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) asks Exxon CEO to explain contradictory statements on 210,000 gallon Arkansas oil spill http://ow.ly/kPinc
  • How mussel farming could help to clean polluted surface waters http://ow.ly/kRCGC

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

Water Resources Development Act
  • Senate approves four Water Resources Development Act amendments; final vote could be next week http://ow.ly/kTEJi
  • Senate takes up Water Resources Development Act but it faces high level opposition ow.ly/kMvxw
  • Obama administration objects to Vitter-Boxer Water Resources Development Act proposal ow.ly/kMKwC
  • White House releases statement on Senate WRDA - "is deeply concerned with the project permitting provisions" http://ow.ly/kQ1dm
  • Proposed Senate Water Resources Development Act provisions to speed water projects riles critics ow.ly/kMGpG
  • Boxer defends her deal with Vitter to streamline environmental oversight of Army Corps of Engineers in WRDA bill http://ow.ly/kPj3S

Other Water Resource News
  • Despite a wet April, snowmelt lags and the amount of water flowing into the Missouri River remains below average http://ow.ly/kTJ23
  • House Members push Army Corps in letter to use port taxes to improve US harbors; not fill funding gaps http://ow.ly/kTFaV
  • Coast Guard has closes portion of Mississippi River near its confluence with Missouri River after barges break free http://ow.ly/kGsPx
  • As climate drives US breadbasket northward, farm commodity transportation shifts away from Mississippi River options http://ow.ly/kLat3
  • Representatives from 14 Louisiana parishes head to Washington, DC to rally for flood insurance cost relief http://ow.ly/kPiKN
  • Government leaders from across South Louisiana working to build flood insurance coalition to change federal policy http://ow.ly/kREDZ
  • Widening of Panama Canal prompts calls for US port expansions; but not all are enamored by the urban side effects ow.ly/kMFlM
  • Reminder: May 28 deadline to comment on federal water resource Principles & Guidelines; Draft Interagency Guidelines ow.ly/kNyCQ
  • Army Corps of Engineers approves start of latest construction for rebuilding of New Orleans levee system ow.ly/kMJKh
  • Army Corps of Engineers announces plans to restore Missouri River shallow water habitat north of Atchison, KS http://ow.ly/kPrms
  • $20 million from USDA Wetlands Reserve Program set for AR, KY, LA, MS, MO and TN landowners ow.ly/kMnob ow.ly/kMnuv
  • Senate energy committee passes four hydropower bills, including two that have passed House http://ow.ly/kRwZ5 and http://ow.ly/kRx49
  • Sen. Alexander (R-TN) threatens to restrict Army Corps' funding transfers over "unreasonable" fishing restrictions  http://ow.ly/kRBJi
  • Articles on the high Mississippi and Illinois water levels this past week: http://ow.ly/kGg96 http://ow.ly/kGfny ow.ly/kMn22 ow.ly/kMnHB
  • Chillicothe, Missouri residents clearing debris and assessing Illinois River flood damage as FEMA prepares to come in http://ow.ly/kGtXf

Farm Bill-
Senate
  • Members of Senate Agriculture Committee have received a draft of the farm bill; link here: http://www.ag.senate.gov/issues/farm-bill
  • Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow's summary of the Senate farm bill: http://ow.ly/kTBU3
  • Senate Agriculture Committee schedules farm bill markup session for Tuesday, May 14, 10 AM EDT; room 328A Russell SOB ow.ly/kNtpX 
  • National Farmers Union encouraged by initial farm bill draft circulated to Senate Agriculture Committee members http://ow.ly/kSuuv
  • Rep. Collin Peterson (ranking House Agriculture Committee Democrat) confident on prospects for passing a farm bill http://ow.ly/kRfPM
  • Sen. Harkin (D-IA) on Senate farm bill: “very happy about conservation provisions . . . conservation compliance" http://ow.ly/kTD60
  • Unlikely there will be a farm bill vote by full Senate before the Memorial Day recess http://ow.ly/kOTIH
  • For the most part, the Senate draft farm bill resembles the one passed by full Senate last year http://ow.ly/kTCJJ
  • Senate Farm Bill Released; Would Expand Insurance Programs, Drop Direct Payments ow.ly/kTCoc
  • Draft Senate farm bill courts Southern GOP votes with target prices for rice and peanut producers http://ow.ly/kTFQg
  • Groups largely praise Senate farm bill draft http://ow.ly/kU7DG
House
  • Discussion Draft - Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013: http://ow.ly/kUkpE (PDF file)
  • Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act committee summary: http://ow.ly/kUkwo
  • House Ag Committee Chair Lucas retools farm bill; sets goal of $38 billion in 10-year savings; cuts from food stamps ow.ly/kMoYV
  • Lucas: farm bill will pass, after possibly 100 farm bill amendments in committee; at least that many on House floor ow.ly/kMrxU
  • Democratic House members to introduce bill Wednesday to reform USDA conservation programs; influence farm bill debate http://ow.ly/kPknW
  • Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR); twelve other House Members, introduce bill to "modernize conservation priorities" http://ow.ly/kSfAJ
  • House Majority Leader to House Republicans: "we will consider a farm bill produced by the Agriculture Committee" http://ow.ly/kL6F5
  • House Agriculture Committee Chair opposes plan to link crop insurance premium subsidies to conservation compliance http://ow.ly/kRgA1
Other Farm Bill News
  • Ag, conservation groups offer conservation compliance proposal: Would avoid means testing for crop insurance http://ow.ly/kP5oL
  • Agricultural groups agree to farm bill compromise plan to tie conservation compliance to crop insurance subsidies ow.ly/kMsXl
  • American Farm Bureau Senior Director of Congressional Relations discusses farm bill conservation compliance prospects ow.ly/kMsCS
  • Farm, conservation groups ink 'historic' farm bill language deal linking stewardship to crop insurance ow.ly/kMw0r
  • Former USDA officials, watchdog environmental group say conservation should be crop insurance subsidy prerequisite ow.ly/kNvEU
  • Calls mount for deeper farm subsidy and food stamp spending cuts in farm bill  http://ow.ly/kOSWg
  • Environmental Working Group launches campaign to underscore "need for federal farm bill reform" ow.ly/kNBJH
Agriculture - 
  • Corn belt farmers whipsawed by drought, then rain across region ow.ly/kMINU
  • Montana farmers are adapting to climate change by shifting planting schedules and selecting different crops ow.ly/kMA7K
  • Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors' advisers: "Agricultural land prices are veering further from what makes sense" http://ow.ly/kOVDF
  • Agriculture groups have a keen interest in this week's Senate consideration of the Water Resources Development Act http://ow.ly/kOW5r
Climate and Weather -
Click to enlarge
  • US Plains drought persists; wet, cool weather "definitely dented or eliminated the drought in much of the Midwest" http://ow.ly/kROQy
  • Farmers and ranchers in parts of US West and Plains pondering prospect of another year of drought ow.ly/kMCQD
  • NASA climate study predicts that, worldwide, "wet areas will get wetter and dry areas will get drier" ow.ly/kMAuh
In the Cities -
  • Louisville, Kentucky tree commission wants developers to save or plant more trees to replace those lost when building http://ow.ly/kFZE9
  • Alternate methods for dealing with New Orleans area stormwater are the focus of workshop series ow.ly/kMBwy
  • U.S. Conference of Mayors report documents increasing spending on, challenges of water-wastewater infrastructure http://ow.ly/kSrk5
Forestry -
  • 2.4 million trees planted on 4000 acres in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Illinois in Mississippi River valley http://ow.ly/kPH0l
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -
  • Studies: Midwestern frogs decline and mammal populations altered due to invasive European buckthorn plant http://ow.ly/kPuwW
  • Asian carp serve as visible icon for invasive species http://ow.ly/kGub5
  • Monitoring for Asian carp to increase in Illinois this year http://ow.ly/kSvmp
  • 1 °C temperature rise would shift painted turtle population to 100% female and earmark species for extinction ow.ly/kMARY
  • Three Minnesota dogs now specially trained to work with MN DNR; sniff out invasive zebra mussels http://ow.ly/kPi2p
  • University of Wisconsin research: Shrinking North American snow cover puts invertebrates and amphibians at risk http://ow.ly/kRE2a
Gulf Coastal Region-
  • Environmental groups criticize use of BP oil spill Gulf recovery money to fund Gulf State Park convention center ow.ly/kNxlS
  • Mississippi Secretary of State: proposed Louisiana levee may pose flood risk for low-lying south Mississippi areas ow.ly/kMK9j
Resource Extraction -
  • 13 energy-producing states tell EPA it should not provide "back-door entry for federal oversight of fracking" ow.ly/kML0m
  • Southern Illinois region braces for oil rush as Illinois Legislature considers fracking regulations ow.ly/kMGOC
  • Forest Service mulls proposed coal lease in southeast Ohio in Wayne National Forest; seeks public comment http://ow.ly/kPQDO
  • Republicans; energy representatives criticize pending DOI hydraulic fracturing rules as burdensome; expensive http://ow.ly/kRHU1
Federal Budget -
  • U.S. House and Senate reach impasse over how to move forward on their respective budget proposals http://ow.ly/kL5ER
  • CBO plans a May 14 release of updated 10-year baseline projections of federal spending, revenues and budget deficits http://ow.ly/kRgV3
  • House GOP will wait until June to begin the process of passing annual (fiscal year 2014) appropriations bills http://ow.ly/kTFrV
Events -  Information on all past and future events listed here can be viewed in the on-line calendar (here as a stand-alone calendar)
  • National C-FAR Capitol Hill seminar: Organization of Agricultural and Natural Resource Markets; May 13; noon RSVP: http://ow.ly/kRuBB
  • Save the date: National Roundtable on New Tools for Water Quality: Trading and Beyond; July 18; Cincinnati, OH http://ow.ly/kSqRE
  • Those interested in designating St. Croix River region as National Heritage Area encouraged to attend May 16 event http://ow.ly/kSw4l
  • May 14 webinar will discuss effects of nanomaterials on soil health and the food chain; 11:00 AM EDT; register: http://ow.ly/kTGkq
e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -
  • Weekly "Water Headlines" Newsletter from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water ow.ly/kNws9
  • Peer-reviewed science journal Nature publishes a special edition on genetically modified crops http://ow.ly/kP2in
  • Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy's May 8 and archived WaterWays e-newsletter links here: ow.ly/klTzd
  • Green Lands Blue Waters bi-weekly update re: Mississippi River Basin Continuous Living Cover advancement on agricultural land http://ow.ly/kPIqZ
  • Here is the "1 Mississippi" Campaign's May newsletter http://t.co/J7T5eft3mT
Other news-
  • Director of USEPA Criminal Investigation Division: "There are significant geographic regions we can no longer cover" ow.ly/kMHWC
  • Globe and Mail reporter: "What I found on my road trip along the Keystone pipeline route" ow.ly/kMG5b
  • Mississippi Water Walkers arrive in Louisiana with water from river's source after two month trek to raise awareness ow.ly/kMBI4
Political Scene -
  • And now for something completely different - a Congressional "Hotdish Off" featuring Minnesotan "delicacies" ow.ly/kGskd
  • Republican Rep. Steve King (R-IA) announces that he will not run for US Senate http://ow.ly/kL5Yp
  • GOP prospects will start announcing US Iowa Senate intentions soon in 2014 race against Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley ow.ly/kMqAZ
  • Louisiana in top five of Roll Call's "Clout Index" - index of potential influence each state has on national affairs ow.ly/kNA3v
  • Former Madison County Chief to challenge freshman Rep. Davis in Illinois 13th House district - announcement today ow.ly/kMqg7
  • Longtime Kentucky environmental lawyer eyes underdog challenge to McConnell for US Senate seat ow.ly/kMpvj
Last Word -
"We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong." - U2 band member, Bono, whose birthday is today.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the link to the Minnesota Delegation "Hotdish-off". I half expected a hockey puck in Rick Nolan's recipe! Anything with the word "ranger" in it usually has one somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll have to try out some of the recipes in the cookbook!

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