Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News of the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

This Week and Next in Congress

Farm bill - The nutrition section of the farm bill that the House trimmed from its version of the farm bill back in July was passed by that chamber yesterday (September 19), setting the stage for a conference committee to negotiate the full farm bill with the Senate "as soon as we can," according to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH).   Stay tuned.  And if you're interested in all of the gory details, you can click this link to read more.


Water infrastructure - Also on September 19, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed its Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080), a major water resources authorization bill, on a voice vote, setting up its consideration sometime this fall by the full House.   Here are the details of that bill, and of the companion Senate bill, presented from a Mississippi River Basin perspective.

Next week - There are not many River Basin-related Congressional hearings or meetings of note to point to next week, since the House had been scheduled for a week's recess; however, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor earlier this week said that the House would reconvene next Wednesday (September 25) for legislative business centered on the upcoming September 30 end to the fiscal year and need to pass a continuing resolution. The House will likely vote on its continuing resolution today (Friday), and send it on to the Senate.   Senate leaders believe they have devised a way to move the bill without forcing GOP conservatives to vote against defunding Obamacare.  The Senate is adjourned until Monday, when it is likely to place the continuing resolution on next week's Senate calendar.  In other words, the situation is "fluid."  Stay tuned.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Water Quality -

Clean Water Act Jurisdiction

• Agencies release draft Clean Water Act jurisdiction plan but drop plans for a related interim guidance ow.ly/oYO4e
• Army Corps considering utilizing a new, uniform method for determining the limits of Clean Water Act's jurisdiction ow.ly/oYOgn

Other Water Quality News

• New USGS tiered water and sediment quality monitoring chemical prioritization approach focuses on human and aquatic health http://ow.ly/p3gAN
• District Court judge's EPA nutrient standards' ruling has implications for Midwestern farmers and ag retailers http://ow.ly/p1pt7
• Center for Neighborhood Technology's urban flood study may help EPA assess stormwater rule benefits http://bit.ly/15XN0Br
• Farm groups: environmental groups made "false accusations" when asking court to intervene in CAFO information lawsuit http://ow.ly/oU5GC
• Kentucky circuit court judge sides with environmental groups over local power plant in clean water lawsuit ruling http://ow.ly/oU66G
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms St. Bernard Parish water system tests positive for rare amoeba http://ow.ly/oUvy3
• Industry likely to appeal court ruling favoring EPA discretion to set nonpoint, point water pollution allocations http://ow.ly/oUzgD
• Wisconsin’s draft Nutrient Reduction Strategy calls for putting no new pollution-control regulations into effect ow.ly/oYMku
• Talks between EPA and environmental group collapse over Federal stormwater rule revision deadline http://ow.ly/p0Zdp
• Obama Administration urged to issue new fish consumption advisory before signing global mercury pact http://ow.ly/p0ZIV
• Judge: Indiana failed to fully assess the impact of coal waste runoff on local waterways in issuing permit http://ow.ly/p1loi

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

• House Committee passes water infrastructure bill http://ow.ly/p39Pl and http://ow.ly/p3aiX (link to bill: http://ow.ly/p3alD)
• Rep. Noem (R-SD) supports House bill provision requiring Corps of Engineers to communicate Missouri River flood risks http://ow.ly/oUCC8
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce calls on Congress to quickly pass new bill to boost American ports and waterways http://ow.ly/p0Uaw
• Committee-passed House water bill would close Mississippi River lock in Minneapolis to block Asian carp http://ow.ly/p3mcz
• Olmsted Locks and Dam work costing billions more than expected as delays mount http://ow.ly/oUxeP
• Army Corps better prepared for Mississippi River low water situation this fall and winter after 2012 drought http://ow.ly/oUBjV
• Army Corps says low water levels may affect Mississippi River industries http://ow.ly/p3mE0
• Op-ed: "Missouri River water plan ignores state and tribal rights" http://ow.ly/oUC9o
• Resources for the Future: "The National Flood Insurance Program: Directions for Reform" http://ow.ly/oWogi
• Lawmakers criticize FEMA for not doing more to help homeowners avoid looming flood insurance price increases http://ow.ly/p11yI
• Senators propose to revamp Harbor Maintenance Trust fund through new "Maritime Goods Movement Act" bit.ly/155OOSM
• Army Corps undertaking $ millions worth of repair to Missouri River's Gavins Point Dam bit.ly/16eGxv8
• Southeast Arkansas study to investigate problems threatening navigation, aquatic ecosystem habitat bit.ly/16lB4Up
• Maritime Administration designates Missouri River from Kansas City, Missouri to Sioux City, Iowa, as a Marine Highway bit.ly/1a3GZR2
• Plaquemines Parish proposed coal terminal's permit is protested by environmental groups http://ow.ly/p1kF8

Farm Bill-

• Farm bill continues to move along with passage of House food stamps cuts, but exactly where it's moving to is unclear http://ow.ly/p3e9s
• House passes a bill to fund nutrition programs as part of a farm bill; cuts SNAP by $40 Billion over 10 years http://ow.ly/p375a
• Farm bill fight is back: pitting one region against another; creating its own set of refugees http://ow.ly/oUuzc
• R Street Institute seeks help from nation's hunters and anglers on farm bill insurance-conservation linkage measure http://ow.ly/oWpQv
• Over 100 House members urge House leaders to link conservation and farm subsidies in the farm bill http://ow.ly/p10rb
• "Five choice nuggets contained in the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act of 2013"  ow.ly/oYM85
• Des Moines Register editorial board blasts GOP SNAP (food nutrition) cuts ow.ly/oYNmX

Agriculture -

• Biofuels advocates argue that 2013's "huge" corn crop weakens legitimacy of calls for Renewable Fuel Standard repeal ow.ly/oYOqg
• EPA intends to "vigorously defend" itself against farm groups' Freedom of Information Act lawsuit allegations bit.ly/19ehv0X
• World’s largest agri-chemicals company to call on farmers to use less pesticide, fertilizer to grow more crops http://ow.ly/p39b5
• Hancock County, Iowa, cattle feeder agrees to "innovative settlement" for violating water permit http://ow.ly/p3d7D

September 17 Drought Monitor Map

Climate and Weather -

• Last week brought some drought relief but drought expanded in some Midwestern and southern states (SD, IL, IN, MO, AR, LA, MS) http://ow.ly/p1gZs
• Scientists outline possible farming adaptations in response to climate change bit.ly/16egWDx

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• "Jurassic Carp" - Asian carp are adapting to river conditions in Indiana in alarming ways http://ow.ly/p3cFC
• Op-ed by Army Corps: Asian carp threat has its limits; not helpful for media to be ambiguous on northern fish range http://ow.ly/oWqGl
• Environmental DNA (or eDNA) emerges as key tool in the battle to stop the spread of Asian carp http://ow.ly/p10Jc
• Stakeholders divided on whether Asian carp test results signal strong threat requiring aggressive, expensive response http://ow.ly/p12ZK
• Rule issued resolving long-standing dispute regarding how economic impacts of critical habitat designation should be analyzed http://ow.ly/p1i4G

In the Cities -

• Mississippi River levee bike and pedestrian path in Algiers, La. expected to advance this week http://ow.ly/oUASf
• Ascension Parish eyes low-interest loan to build regional sewer system http://ow.ly/p1kWu

In the States-

• New Association of Clean Water Agencies president: EPA should reconsider states' obligations in light of budget cuts http://bit.ly/14S3CV2
• State water regulators urge EPA to consider their smaller budgets in assessing state enforcement, permitting adequacy http://bit.ly/162Cime

Louisiana Coastal Region-

• Mid-Barataria project could be first of 10 in Louisiana aimed at reinforcing eroding coast http://ow.ly/p12bz
• Louisiana could begin building Mid-Barataria sediment diversion by late 2015 http://ow.ly/p1jMy
• "Changing Course" competition aims to rescue wetlands around Mississippi River from sinking into Gulf of Mexico http://ow.ly/p12Ej
• Coastal authority urges longer version of West Shore Lake Pontchartrain levee http://ow.ly/p1kou

Resource Extraction -

• West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Secretary says state drilling/fracking regulations are sound http://ow.ly/oQAY2
• West Virginia University research findings suggest that surface landowners need increased rights in drilling boom http://bit.ly/1aw7wY7
• Model zoning standards for Minnesota’s frac-sand mining industry criticized by foes http://ow.ly/p1jrF

Federal Budget -

• Forget the Federal government shutdown, the debt limit hike is real problem http://ow.ly/p0UxU
• House poised to pass continuing resolution, pushed by Republican leaders at the behest of conservatives http://ow.ly/p39tb
• Senators identify bill strategy to fund federal government without forcing GOP to vote against defunding ObamaCare http://ow.ly/p39Dd
• As the end of the Fiscal Year looms, GOP leaders rework budget Continuing Resolution in a bow to party conservatives ow.ly/oYNOT
• House cancels next week's scheduled recess and will return Sept. 25 to address government spending bill http://ow.ly/p0TwY

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

• Association of State Floodplain Managers 2014 Annual Conference call for presentations now open http://ow.ly/oTURR
• NC-FAR Capitol Hill Research Seminar: Did a cow just eat my dinner? Washington, DC; Sept. 23; presented twice http://ow.ly/oUsd8
• Webinar: Valuing Green Infrastructure: Economic, Environmental, and Social Benefits, September 26, 2:30 - 3:30 PM ET http://ow.ly/oUtdw
• USACE course: Monitoring Wisconsin Streams for Sediment; September 25 – 26, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay ow.ly/oYMzG
• 2013 Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, December 3-6 ow.ly/oYMJI
• River Rally 2014; hosted by River Network and Waterkeeper Alliance; May 30 – June 2; Pittsburgh, PA ow.ly/oYMUb
• National CAFO Roundtable on October 15-17 in Sacramento, CA, agenda: http://ow.ly/p0W6u register: http://ow.ly/p0W8Z
• Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission to host workshops, fundraisers http://ow.ly/p3n5T

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• Aquatic Sciences Chronicle, Volume 3, 2013 (U of WI Water Resources Institute and Sea Grant Institute) http://ow.ly/oQAJ4
• America's Waterway River Currents Newsletter - September http://ow.ly/oWnDx
• Resources for the Future's September Resources Magazine http://ow.ly/oWoqM (PDF here: http://ow.ly/oWos8)
• Pennsylvania Environmental Council's Fall "Forum" newsletter bit.ly/15CzbGj
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Watershed Network News - Sept. 18 bit.ly/1doPdFc
• Link to the September 18 "Water News and More" from the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy here http://ow.ly/p0WUB
• American Farmland Trust September E-News: about Farmland Stewardship and the Farm Bill http://ow.ly/p36rw
• Montana Watershed Coordination Council's Watershed News September 19 http://ow.ly/p3cfO

Other news-

• Two overlapping Mississippi River/water conferences: Mississippi River has problems, potential bit.ly/1ePF9t0
• Pete Montalbano, Army Corps levee safety program manager, Mississippi Valley Division, retires after 31 years http://ow.ly/oUBFx
• Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment article on the role of psychology in conservation http://ow.ly/oUsEX
• Eclectic group forms Iowa River Friends to foster enjoyment and improvement of the River http://ow.ly/oWqjI
• Great River Road, from Minnesota to Gulf of Mexico, to turn 75; St. Louis celebration planned http://ow.ly/p12qI

Political Scene -

• Senate committee shows bipartisan support for Michael Connor to become new Interior Department deputy secretary ow.ly/oYODz
• Agriculture Secretary Vilsack taps former congressional staffer to be his next chief of staff http://ow.ly/p114w
• Louisiana Governor won’t reappoint two regional levee officials who supported wetland damages lawsuit http://ow.ly/oUw5D
• West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D) expected to announce US Senate campaign soon http://ow.ly/oTXlj
• Bill Daley exits Illinois 2014 governor's Democratic primary race http://ow.ly/oWntn
• Two high-profile Iowa Republicans actively exploring bids for US Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) http://ow.ly/oWrE7

Last Word -

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)

"nonpareil" - The word that Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) spelled correctly Wednesday night to claim his prize as the winner of the Politicians vs. Press Spelling Bee at the National Press Club.  The word means, "having no match or equal; unrivaled."