Mississippi River Basin Water Resource Weekly News

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Climate Assessment Report Findings Have Implications for Mississippi River Basin
Tuesday saw the release of a National Climate Assessment ("NCA") report (the third since 2000) by a 44-member advisory committee established by the U.S. Department of Commerce to integrate federal research on environmental change and its implications for society. The national implications of climate change on the environment, human health and the economy that were highlighted in the NCA report have received widespread media coverage (some included, below, under the "Climate and Weather" heading).  We have compiled and summarized the Assessment's climate change implications for the three main U.S. regions that make up the Mississippi River Basin: the Midwest, Southeast (focusing on Louisiana) and the Great Plains. You can find that review here.

This Week and Next
Here are the Mississippi River Basin-related news highlights from the past seven days or so, in our weekly "What We Learned This Week" segment. Next week, the U.S. House will be recessed, but the Senate will be in session in Washington, DC, and there are a few hearings scheduled that relate to the River Basin. Here is a link to those Senate activities currently scheduled for the week.

Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Water Quality -

• CEO and general manager of the Des Moines Water Works: Ag regulation would improve water quality http://ow.ly/wudYc
• May 13 USEPA Twitter Chat: Waters of the U.S. Proposed Rule; 1-2 PM EDT http://ow.ly/wy4up
• EPA's release of waters of the U.S. language spurs an opposition campaign from the American Farm Bureau Federation http://ow.ly/wtYBb
• Members of Western Congressional Caucus call on EPA to refrain from moving forward with its controversial "Waters of the U.S." rule http://ow.ly/wERY5
• West Virginia Gov. Tomblin announces upcoming review of January 8 Elk River spill response http://ow.ly/wx9HG
• Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Boxer vows to block House legislation to limit USEPA Clean Water Act veto power http://ow.ly/wzEZa
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency monitoring crews begin seventh of a ten-year effort to assess condition of state waters http://ow.ly/wArWT

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

• LEAD STORY: Bipartisan agreement reached on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act conference report http://ow.ly/wEQEG
• LEAD STORY: House and Senate negotiators reach agreement on an $8.2 billion bill to boost U.S. ports and waterways http://ow.ly/wERw4
• Updated New Orleans levee system could knock down a Katrina-like storm surge, but adequacy is being questioned http://ow.ly/wpqu6
• 80-year-old Lockport Lock and Dam (Illinois River) in last phases of $148.7 million overhaul by Army Corps of Engineers http://ow.ly/wuejD
• The Mississippi River rose above the La Crosse, Wisconsin flood stage on Sunday http://ow.ly/wxdr1 and in Dubuque, Iowa later in week http://ow.ly/wEVLw
• Montana Farm Bureau is taking a "serious look" at what is being proposed in the 2015 state water plan http://ow.ly/wxk7q
• Funds needed to repair Mississippi River levee could be released soon under legislation approved by Illinois House http://ow.ly/wEWJq
• Army Corps of Engineers’ Rock Island District Engineer: US infrastructure is “degrading and underperforming” http://ow.ly/wEX47
• Mississippi River's lock and dam system headlined this year's Tri-State Development summit (Hannibal-LaGrange University, MO) http://ow.ly/wEXwD

Agriculture -

• Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announces progress through the first 90 days of implementing  2014 Farm Bill http://ow.ly/wArz1
• Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing Wednesday to examine USDA’s ongoing implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill http://ow.ly/wCiGL
• USDA Economic Research Service analysis: "2014 Farm Act Continues Most Previous Trends In Conservation" http://ow.ly/wwRSe
• USDA twice-per-decade census unlocks new agricultural insights http://ow.ly/wzxOk
• 2012 Census of Agriculture: 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across U.S. http://ow.ly/wpZ5j
• USDA farm census: Farmers increasingly choose renewable energy and conservation options http://ow.ly/wu2T2
• National Geographic: in long run small-scale farmers in developing world will ensure secure global food supply ow.ly/wpjOc
• Erosion carries tons of Iowa topsoil from its farmland each year and potentially cuts $1 billion in yield along with it http://ow.ly/wu2eD
• Ducks Unlimited and USA Rice Federation study reports that  U.S. rice production is worth $3.5B to duck conservation http://ow.ly/wCnkK

Climate and Weather -

• LEAD STORY: U.S. drought update: dryness returns "in earnest" to Missouri, Iowa, eastern Plains; large expansion in Kansas; "story is even bleaker in the southern Plains" http://ow.ly/wmTdv
• LEAD STORY: New White House report concludes that human-generated climate change is having dramatic effects on every part of U.S. http://ow.ly/wx6es (Report web page here: http://ncadac.globalchange.gov/)
• Look for more extremes: searing heat, late-spring freezes, floods and droughts across Midwestern U.S. region that includes Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri http://ow.ly/wCjNS
• National climate change report says effects on Louisiana will be significant, costly http://ow.ly/wCklK and http://ow.ly/wCkG7
• Climate report: Kentucky and Indiana can expect more heat, bigger storms, poorer air, water quality because of climate change http://ow.ly/wCl1n
• USDA climate official on Third National Climate Assessment: climate change altering agriculture and forestry systems http://ow.ly/wxZJ7
• USGS launches Internet tool to track impact of climate change on watersheds (updated National Climate Change Viewer) http://ow.ly/wEV3r
• Climate change report's Midwest projections include notable changes to weather patterns, affecting agriculture, trade http://ow.ly/wzzdr 

  

  Drought conditions, heat and wind have combined to
  generate Plains dust storms in May

• Soil conservation practices will be more critical as weather volatility increases with higher temperatures, rising CO2 http://ow.ly/wzzRZ
• WSJ: Climate Change Harming Economy, White House Report Says Urgent Action Needed; Details Effects in Every State http://ow.ly/wxrtK
• Wichita, Kansas records its earliest (May 4) 100-degree day in history http://ow.ly/wv3OP
• Extreme heat coupled with exceptionally dry conditions set temperature records, ignite wildfires in Southern Plains http://ow.ly/wxaqm
• Esri Disaster Response Program Severe Weather interactive map http://ow.ly/wpwLR (to change the search terms, go to the Media Layers menu)
• Bloomberg BNA Insights:  "A Role for Reasonableness and Physical Solution in Water Law in an Era of Climate Change" http://ow.ly/wxmOH (PDF file)

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• LEAD STORY: Army Corps of Engineers posts summary of Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Report public comments submitted http://ow.ly/wvoCI (article below)
• Army Corps finds widely diverging opinions on how to deal with invasive species in Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins http://ow.ly/wEUGz
• In Eastern Montana, confluence of Pallid Sturgeon water needs and 105 year-old federal promises to farmers raises concerns http://ow.ly/wxkK4
• USDA/DOI: Those implementing Conservation Reserve Program practices to protect, restore lesser prairie-chicken will not be subject to additional Endangered Species Act regulations http://ow.ly/wpDEN
• Fish and Wildlife Service finalizes threatened species protections for Kentucky glade cress (flower); designates 2,053 acres in state as critical habitat http://ow.ly/wzCec
• Fish and Wildlife Service designates about 1,110 acres of critical habitat for Nebraska's Salt Creek tiger beetle http://ow.ly/wzCL2
• Site in Northeastern Iowa along Mississippi River will become state's first globally important bird area http://ow.ly/wueWy
• Battle to protect Minnesota’s lakes and rivers from invasive species shifting to boat design http://ow.ly/wzxpI
• Fishing tournament to reduce Asian carp in the Illinois River scheduled by Illinois Department of Natural Resources http://ow.ly/wzFPn
• Minnesota wolves edge southeastward along the Mississippi River into Iowa http://ow.ly/wzFuP 

In the Cities -

• Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative Moves Headquarters to St. Louis, Missouri http://ow.ly/wuUC2
• Some of Mississippi River's mayors have plan to address River issues http://t.co/A0CX5YvVpr  (h/t @_MRNetwork)
• Des Moines school officials want to build multi-use stadium on environmentally troubled site on bank of Raccoon River http://ow.ly/wuawE

In the States-

• Louisiana Senate passes legislation to strip levee authority of ability to file suit enforcing laws governing coastal wetlands http://ow.ly/wCsn2
• Local groups criticize West Virginia for approving strip-mining permit located near Kanawha State Forest http://ow.ly/wu9Fb
• Wisconsin state Senator plans to introduce bill requiring phase-out of microbeads in some personal care products http://ow.ly/wu12Z

Louisiana Coastal Region-

• Louisiana oyster industry representatives launch new campaign to fight sediment diversions from the Mississippi http://ow.ly/wuff0
• Lincoln Institute of Land Policy releases "Lessons from Sandy: Federal Policies to Build Climate-Resilient Coastal Regions" http://ow.ly/wxGLf (Report PDF here http://ow.ly/wxGZH)
• White paper co-authored by the Environmental Law Institute and the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy: "Funding Deepwater Horizon Restoration & Recovery: How Much, Going Where, For What?" http://ow.ly/wEPxL

Forestry -

• Habitat improvement funding to benefit National Forest System lands available through Missouri River Resource Advisory Committee http://ow.ly/wxjwb
• Nearly 50 environmental groups oppose funding for farm bill's streamlined logging of forests threatened by insects and disease http://ow.ly/wzEdk

Resource Development -

• Livestock, environmental, small-engine sector ethanol opponents want Congress to reform or repeal EPA renewable fuel standard http://ow.ly/wCpmx
• Kansas has vast untapped hydropower potential, Department of Energy study says http://ow.ly/wueEa

Federal Budget -

• The Atlantic: how states compare in terms of their reliance on federal funding http://ow.ly/wETGA
• Earmark debate returns to Congress: Opponents insist that earmarks could make comeback, despite voter unpopularity http://ow.ly/wCf4i
• Overview of the Federal fiscal year 2015 appropriations season from Taxpayers for Common Sense http://ow.ly/wtZTw

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

• St. Croix River Association lists details for upcoming River Basin paddling experiences http://ow.ly/wxzJh
• May 10 hike near Le Sueur, Minnesota will explore floodplain forest along the Minnesota River http://ow.ly/wxdYy
• French Perspectives on Coastline Protection and Natural Disaster Prevention, Tulane University Law School, Weinmann Hall Room 151, May 14, 9 AM–12:30 PM; more information:  cbr@tulane.edu
• Webcast on living shorelines – erosion control practices to protect natural shoreline structure, function; May 14, 1 PM EDT http://ow.ly/wq1OS
• Registration for Spring 2014 Hypoxia Task Force Public Meeting open;  May 21, 8:30-5:45 pm, Little Rock, AR and webcast http://ow.ly/wwONE
• "Rivergator Exploratory Expedition" - Middle Mississippi River float from St. Louis to Caruthersville; May 26-June 8 http://ow.ly/wpGuC
• Wisconsin’s Annual Invasive Species Awareness month to be highlighted by June 10 Invasive Species Education Summit http://ow.ly/wCg6j (month's complete activity calendar: http://ow.ly/wCgrc)
• Fishers and Farmers Partnership Meeting - Bloomington, IL, July 23-24; contact Heidi_Keuler@fws.gov for more information http://ow.ly/wvrRA
• The third annual Pedal the Plains Bicycle Tour will shadow the South Platte River, featuring the Pawnee National Grasslands and Jackson Reservoir; Sept. 19-21 http://ow.ly/wxhaG

e-Newsletters, Publications, Journals, Multimedia  -

• May 6 TUWaterWays -water news from the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy http://ow.ly/wzy4U
• Green Lands Blue Waters bi-weekly update, highlighting Mississippi River Basin Continuous Living Cover on agricultural land http://ow.ly/wAqtL
• The spring edition of the Army Corps' "Our Mississippi" newsletter - http://ow.ly/wEPbM
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Waterfront Bulletin for May 2014 http://ow.ly/wEPLh
• America's Waterway "River Currents" Newsletter - May 2014 http://ow.ly/wET07

Other news-

• Scientists consider declaring 1950 as beginning of Anthropocene geological epoch, when humans began to permanently alter Earth http://ow.ly/wwZCV
• EPA releases EnviroAtlas Ecosystem Mapping Tool to highlight implications of planning, policy decisions on ecosystems http://ow.ly/wAr8v
• Prairie Rivers Network named National Wildlife Federation’s Affiliate of the Year for successful conservation efforts http://ow.ly/wEOKT

Politics and People-

• POLITICO: It’s 8 a.m. on a Friday. Do you know where your senators are?  http://ow.ly/wpnAo
• Republican state Rep. Lenar Whitney is mulling a bid for Louisiana’s 6th District U.S. House seat http://ow.ly/wzDE2
• Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway announced Tuesday that he will run for governor in 2015 http://ow.ly/wzOFF
• Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley has only missed 0.3 percent of votes over a 33-year U.S. Senate tenure http://ow.ly/wCfD7
• Obama announces nominees for long-vacant NOAA chief scientist position and USDA undersecretary for rural development http://ow.ly/wEVsT

Last Word - 

"Where it's going to go is anybody's guess." - Dr Jan Zalasiewicz, chair of the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Commission on Stratigraphy speaking of what Zalasiewicz called "this whole Earth-system change" thing that's been happening since 1950 (see associated story, above, under "Other News")