Mississippi River Basin Water Resource Weekly News

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Water Quality -

• Environmental groups, state officials meet with administration over plan to regulate minor ponds, streams, wetlands ow.ly/rO8vz
• EPA and Army Corps say benefits of protecting additional wetlands and streams far outweigh costs ow.ly/rSwoi
• Ohio water quality bill is revamped to buy time for research to inform regulations ow.ly/rObjp
• Metropolitan Sewer District board of Louisville, KY to pay $101,000 federal fine for 250 illegal sewage discharges ow.ly/rSyBT
• Wisconsin fines sand mining company in water pollution case ow.ly/rSyp3
• Environmental group asks state lawmakers for $300,000 to help create a plan to restore Iowa rivers ow.ly/rSChl
• 17-year-old initiative to clean up Minnesota River will end in its current form at the end of the month ow.ly/rSCz7
• Rivers in U.S. wintry cities remain salty year-round http://ow.ly/rVslS

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

• Report estimates 114,000 jobs could be created across Minnesota by making much-needed infrastructure investments ow.ly/rO7ch
• Plan to transport fracking wastewater on river barges draws criticism from both environmentalists, oil-gas industry ow.ly/rO9pr
• Wisconsin company snatches up, reclaims aging hydroelectric dams ow.ly/rSxtd
• Louisiana wetlands have been tattered by industrial canals, not just river levees ow.ly/rSwXL
• Army Corps of Engineers seeks information on firms able to perform Ohio River Olmsted Dam lock rehabilitation http://ow.ly/rVujU

Farm Bill-

• House-Senate farm bill conference committee eyeing votes during the week of Jan. 6 after the New Year’s holiday ow.ly/rO5vy
• Senate does not plan to take up House-passed farm bill extension ow.ly/rOaow
• Sen. John Thune (R-SD): new farm bill likely to include national "sodsaver" provision ow.ly/rSkN9
• World Wildlife Fund: "Farm Bill: Stand Up and Protect America's Grasslands" (video) ow.ly/rSkqK

Agriculture -

• Fledgling cellulosic-based ethanol industry puts down roots, raises hopes in Corn Belt ow.ly/rOf4d
• Rising damage from weather events worries farmers, insurers ow.ly/rOg64
• Bankers and agricultural economists are predicting a slowdown in farmland prices that could turn into a bust ow.ly/rSijY
• NPR: Robots could help farmers rein in fertilizer pollution ow.ly/rSuMx
• Developers lure buyers to subdivisions with on-site community vegetable, livestock farms run by professional growers ow.ly/rSAN0

Climate and Weather -

• The latest NOAA/NWS national update: snow alleviates Midwest/Upper Plains drought http://ow.ly/q3w3u
• U.S. Geological Survey model: The bottom line for Louisville, KY includes more heat and rain ow.ly/rSvl0

Louisiana Coastal Region-

• Louisiana Oil & Gas Association files suit against state Attorney General in attempt to halt wetlands damages lawsuit ow.ly/rSyQA

Resource Development -

• Minnesota Environmental Quality Board releases draft Silica Sand Model Standards and Criteria (sand mining) ow.ly/rO9Kw
• Draft set of model standards for regulating Minnesota's silica sand mining industry gets mixed reviews http://ow.ly/rVsNc
• Competing hydraulic-fracturing studies are painting different pictures about the industry’s impact on Ohio economy ow.ly/rSvbk
• Study: hydraulic fracturing chemicals can disrupt human hormone function ow.ly/rSz8C
• Interior Department likely to initiate new rulemaking on oil and gas development impacts to national wildlife refuges ow.ly/rSB8q

Federal Budget -

• Senate on Wednesday gave final passage to a two-year federal budget plan in a 64-36 vote http://ow.ly/rVq3a
• In wake of budget deal, leaders of congressional spending committees immediately begin working on 2014 appropriations http://ow.ly/rVruP
• Budget deal has implications for both remainder of 2014 fiscal year's agriculture appropriations bill, new farm bill ow.ly/rSk3q
• Budget bill policy riders could be attached to block Obama administration on environmental regulations, other matters ow.ly/rSiIq
• McConnell skeptical of ‘clean’ debt ceiling hike, POLITICO reports: politi.co/1gEhRXk

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

• Numerous Bald Eagle watches slated along the Upper Mississippi River in January ow.ly/rSBZo
• Save the date: Conservation Psychology Institute, Keene, New Hampshire, June 15-18 ow.ly/rQPkL

e-Newsletters, Publications, Journals, Multimedia  -

• Montana Watershed Coordination Council December 12 Watershed News ow.ly/rOc53
• America's WETLAND Foundation December Newsletter ow.ly/rObEg
• Link to December 17 "Water News and More" from  the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy, here:  http://ow.ly/rmhz9
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Feedlot Update - December 12 ow.ly/rOdbL
• Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota "Currents" e-newsletter ow.ly/rSxUp
• U.S. Water Alliance December News Waves e-newsletter http://ow.ly/rVqDz
• Green Lands Blue Waters biweekly update on Mississippi River crop cover-water quality issues http://ow.ly/rVr0G

In the States -

• Minnesota Legislature won't battle over $109M Outdoor Heritage plan that places premium on prairie protection ow.ly/rSxcQ

In the Cities-

• Madison's Monroe Street is state’s first business district to utilize Wisconsin Environmental Initiative tools ow.ly/rO6Ct
• Our latest Street of the Week is Main Street in Little Rock, AR. See why: on.fb.me/1gvxLDo

Politics and People-

• Iowa GOP Rep. Tom Latham declares that he will be retiring from the third district seat he’s held for 10 terms ow.ly/rShYF
• Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) rumored to be eyed by President to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to China http://ow.ly/rVtDz

Last Word -

"It's been a year of great accomplishments and achievements.  When I'm down at the old soldiers' home and I'm sitting in my rocking chair I'll say, 'Boy, 2013 was a banner year.'" - Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona (pictured, right), who "wore a mischievous grin, his voice thick with sarcasm," according to the New York Times.