Friday, August 16, 2013

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News of the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Water Quality -
  • Environmental Science & Technology: Water Quality Remediation Faces Unprecedented Challenges from “Legacy Phosphorus” http://ow.ly/nSNte
  • Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement: IA Dept of Natural Resources and EPA should sign strong Clean Water Act plan http://ow.ly/nMonR
  • EPA's Stormwater Calculator "should help reduce US water pollution and improve aquifer recharge" http://ow.ly/nMZmr
  • Suit over when municipal stormwater dischargers are liable for permit violations could return to Supreme Court http://ow.ly/nQhZc
  • Louisiana fishing industry representatives visit South Dakota ethanol plant to explore water quality issues http://ow.ly/nQm9c
  • io9.com: "This is why the ocean is full of dead zones" http://ow.ly/nX06g
  • NPR: "Agriculture is the central part of the story when it comes to algae blooms" http://ow.ly/nQv0f
  • Mississippi River to be first of Minnesota’s five largest rivers to be focus of state's water quality monitoring effort http://ow.ly/nR22G
  • 13 outdoor sporting groups push Obama Administration to finalize Clean Water Act jurisdiction guidance http://ow.ly/nR7mZ
  • Industry backs conductivity standard in amicus brief in push to limit Clean Water Act jurisdiction guidance impact http://ow.ly/nSJV2
  • EPA warns that industry's reading of ruling would exclude any CAFO pollutant carried to federal waterbody by rainfall http://ow.ly/nUTHF
  • EPA success at integrating wastewater, stormwater infrastructure planning relies on Congress passing spending bills http://ow.ly/nVTtW
Water Resource Management (Floodplains, Dams, Navigation, Wetlands, Flooding, Supplies, etc.) -
  • Conservation groups contend that water resources law should promote Upper Mississippi River environmental restoration http://ow.ly/nUWg5
  • Izaak Walton League: Restoring America's River: Using the Water Resources Act To Mend the Upper Mississippi River http://ow.ly/nUWr1
  • Southeast Louisiana officials urge FEMA to halt planned flood insurance rate increases http://ow.ly/nQgqo
  • Missouri River water an option to refill declining Ogallala Aquifer or supply water for Kansas farmers, communities http://ow.ly/nMPA8
  • Sequestration less painful than predicted for USGS National Streamflow Information Program; flood forecasting http://ow.ly/nQaS7
  • Annual Ohio River lock tour offers Indiana farmers a look at River commodity transportation http://ow.ly/nQj5z
  • Army Corps officials say federal cutbacks would drastically change how Mississippi River navigation and habitats are managed http://ow.ly/nSLyX
  • Construction on massive, $3 B Ohio River Olmsted Dam will halt unless Congress increases project spending limit http://ow.ly/nUUnu
  • Push to strengthen EPA's pending cooling water intake rule could also address freshwater resource demand concerns http://ow.ly/nVTQU
  • Energy firm plans 80-mile pipeline to transport needed Ohio River water to fracking sites in West Virginia and Ohio http://ow.ly/nUUEL
  • Union of Concerned Scientists warns that National Flood Insurance Program unprepared for climate change ow.ly/nUXrf (Link to the report here: http://ow.ly/nUXj3)
  • Governor Quinn signs bill to help Illinois communities prevent flooding by "going green" http://ow.ly/nWUTS
  • Amid legal doubts, key federal agencies extend talks on endangered species harms from Army Corps' nationwide permits http://ow.ly/nWZOT
Farm Bill-
  • Declining US midsection bird populations are warning sign of larger ecosystem disruptions; warrants strong farm bill conservation programs http://ow.ly/nMrBj
  • The Forum (Fargo, ND) editorial: “Make no mistake about it. House Republicans are to blame for the farm bill stall.” http://ow.ly/nSEe9
  • Head of conservative Heritage Action organization calls for one-year farm bill extension http://ow.ly/nZ2zf
Agriculture -
  • USDA expects a record corn year, despite drought and floods; soybean growers less fortunate ow.ly/nSL5u
  • Interactive map: US Corn Belt corn production (harvested acres) by state; 2013 projection with an historic context http://ow.ly/nSDVx
  • Ethanol groups argue that USDA's new corn production report shows federal renewable fuel standard will not cause food price increases ow.ly/nSKtI
  • EPA Administrator pledges to build trust with farmers who have been roundly critical of federal regulations http://ow.ly/nZ2T3 and http://ow.ly/nZ30r
  • Dearth of investment alternatives spur wealthy farmers to amass more acreage; farmland prices continue to rise http://ow.ly/nZ3eG (PDF file)
Climate and Weather -
Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

  • University of Minnesota butterfly expert aims to preserve monarch butterflies and their habitat http://ow.ly/nMBtd
  • Fungus that causes lethal disease in bats found in two Minnesota state parks http://ow.ly/nR7Ws
  • Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee provides recommendations to federal agencies for listed species http://ow.ly/nZ4MB
  • As winters warm, the invasive and voracious rodent nutria may move north out of Louisiana's bayous http://ow.ly/nSQBa
  • Iowa Great Lakes businesses want zebra mussels stopped; Iowa DNR evaluates threat http://ow.ly/nUOCx
  • Asian carp control report released by Army Corps of Engineers for Eagle Marsh (Indiana) http://ow.ly/nZ5o6
In the Cities -
  • Quad-City mayors sign memorandum of common purpose with Army Corps to support preserving, promoting Mississippi River http://ow.ly/nX0hM
  • Cape Girardeau, Missouri mayor reflects on Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative's annual meeting http://ow.ly/nSMjq
  • Creating Tennessee’s first green street: Deaderick Street in Nashville http://ow.ly/nWV1V
  • "Omaha by Design" design contest: opportunity to develop and implement a creative design for open space in Omaha http://ow.ly/nWVbO
In the States-
  • Minnesota will require its insurance companies to discuss how extensively they’re prepared for climate change http://ow.ly/nQgP9
Gulf Coastal Region-
  • Sweeping coastal destruction lawsuit in Louisiana against oil, gas and pipeline companies draws another opponent http://ow.ly/nQgi3
  • New Orleans levee authority gets an earful from state lawmakers over massive lawsuit against oil and gas industry http://ow.ly/nZ24O
  • Researchers warn that Gulf of Mexico stressed killifish population may be 2010 BP oil spill's "canary in a coal mine" http://ow.ly/nSMJx (Original study publication here: http://ow.ly/nSO4J)
  • Sequestration cutting into funding available for Gulf coastal restoration and economic recovery under Restore Act http://ow.ly/nSScc
  • Proposed lower Mississippi River coal terminal has groups questioning Louisiana's coastal restoration commitment http://ow.ly/nUVTt
Resource Extraction -
  • Frac sand mine raising  concerns along the Wisconsin River; Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board takes up issue http://ow.ly/nQh7X
  • Franklin County becomes first Kentucky county to pass moratorium seeking to block proposed natural gas liquids pipeline http://ow.ly/nSRCF
  • Conservationists try again for North Dakota ballot measure designating oil money for conservation http://ow.ly/nUTgV
Events -  Information on all past and future events listed here can be viewed in the on-line calendar (here as a stand-alone calendar)
  • Missouri Coalition for the Environment celebrating 44 years with October 11 event http://ow.ly/nV2vL
  • "Music Along the Mississippi River" new show At The Phoenix art gallery, Moline, Illinois (opening reception August 16) http://ow.ly/nZ4Ye
  • Workshop -  Mapping the Food System and its Effects, September 16-17, The National Academies, Washington, DC http://ow.ly/nMhrG
  • Mississippi River cleanup in Alma, WI, Buffalo City, WI, Winona, MN on September 7 http://ow.ly/nR8C9 (also see http://ow.ly/nR8JM)
  • Mississippi River Commission to conduct annual low-water inspection of lower River; hold 3 meetings; August 20-23 http://ow.ly/nUTYi
  • EPA Community Based Public Private Partnership Workshop for Urban Stormwater Retrofits; Sept 26, Annapolis, MD http://ow.ly/nWVlB (pdf)
  • Save the date: March 28-30 2014 Midwest-Great Lakes Society for Ecological Restoration Chapter Meeting; Univ of Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN (Chapter website: http://ow.ly/nZ10d)
  • 2013 Clean Water Summit; September 12; 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.; U of MN Minnesota Landscape Arboretum ow.ly/nZ1vk
e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -
Other news-
  • Interactive map: number of people in each state receiving food stamps over time through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program http://ow.ly/nQeQr (Mississippi and Tennessee lead the country on a percentage basis; Louisiana has huge spikes following hurricanes)
  • Memorandum signing with Army Corps highlights National Great Rivers Research and Education Center's river research http://ow.ly/nQjmC
  • MN DNR proposed Mississippi River land-use rule revision being greeted with skepticism in Twin Cities metro area http://ow.ly/nQlkw
  • Petroleum groups formally ask EPA for relief from 2014 biofuel (ethanol) fuel blending mandate http://ow.ly/nUNOf (Here is API's filed waiver request: http://ow.ly/nUPRa)
Political Scene -
  • Arkansas House Majority Leader Bruce Westerman announces 2014 bid for U.S. House 4th District seat http://ow.ly/nUPn6
  • South Dakota state Rep. Nelson (R) announces campaign to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson (D) http://ow.ly/nUT0I
  • Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) says that League of Conservation Voters is on an “environmental jihad” against him http://ow.ly/nWZ35  (as a reader service, here is an overview of what the word "jihad" actually means: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad)
Last Word -
"Get real."  - US Senator Chuck Grassley's (R-IA) reaction after the Iowa State Fair’s iconic butter cow sculpture was painted red early Sunday, including red letters, reading, "freedom for all."  A group calling itself "Iowans for Animal Liberation" claimed responsibility for the rebranding.
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