Mississippi River Basin Water Resource Weekly News

~Most of the Water News - None of the Spin~

USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program Conservation Projects Include Significant Mississippi River Basin Representation
On Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the awarding of $372.5 million for 115 conservation projects to be implemented across the nation under USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a program newly authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.  At least one project was selected in each of the 50 states, including numerous projects within the ten main-stem Mississippi River states.  Twenty-four of the selected RCPP projects are focused within eight "Critical Conservation Areas" (CCAs) named in 2014 by NRCS, with five of those 24 designated as Mississippi River Basin CCA projects.  For additional background and more watershed-specific details, see our RCPP announcement summary.

Next Week in Congress and Elsewhere
Monday is a Federal holiday, and the U.S. House and Senate will reconvene on Tuesday (to hear the President's State of the Union address), with potential floor votes happening later in the week on the Keystone XL pipeline and Homeland Security (including FEMA) funding on the Senate side, and on a " "Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act" in the House.  Many Congressional committees are still in the process of organizing, which involves formalizing membership, appointing subcommittee members, chairs and ranking members, and outlining committee oversight activities for the upcoming session. Most of the committee action outlined in our weekly preview of watershed-related Hill activities are of that nature.

Also next week, look for the release of USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program findings from its ongoing evaluation of water quality in the principal aquifers of the United States, including several notable findings for aquifers supplying irrigation and public drinking water within the Mississippi River Basin.

Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Water Quality -

• EPA releases final scientific report that underpins the Obama administration's  proposed clean water rule news article: http://ow.ly/Ho8PJ Federal Register notice: http://ow.ly/Ho8nT EPA web site: http://ow.ly/Ho8A9
• Opposition to Obama Administration's proposed clean water rule is a key theme at Farm

  

  Photograph of water drainage swale with lower 10% planted in
  perennial grass rather than annual crops

  Bureau annual meeting http://ow.ly/Hf454 (see related article link under "Agriculture," below)
• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) calls on EPA and Army Corps to withdraw proposed clean water jurisdiction rule http://ow.ly/HiJTS
• House  Transportation and Infrastructure Committee plans February 4 hearing on "Impacts of the Proposed Waters of the United States Rule on State and Local Governments"  http://ow.ly/Hqw5e
• Draft Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy public comment period open until January 24; news: http://ow.ly/HomKv   Illinois EPA: http://ow.ly/HomY5
• Vice President Biden to announce on Friday three new federal drinking and waste water system infrastructure spending initiatives http://ow.ly/HqmDw
• Potential precedent-setter: federal judge rules Oregon dairy farm manure poses significant public health risk from contaminated water Article: http://ow.ly/Hoaud and ruling: http://ow.ly/Hoa6l
• NPR Morning Edition: Iowa's largest city sues over farm fertilizer runoff in rivers http://ow.ly/HaMxu
• Federal authorities allege company knew about spill-containment dike problems at Elk River (West Virginia) facility years before 2014 spill http://ow.ly/H3p26
• 2014 spill of coal-cleaning chemical into Elk River in W.Va., traveled farther than first thought http://ow.ly/Hau61
• Tennessee's environmental regulator sues the Tennessee Valley Authority over unlined coal ash ponds http://ow.ly/H4xgp
• Study: many of world’s smaller bodies of water at risk from climate change, nutrients, land use practices  http://ow.ly/Hc0nk
• Researchers find elevated levels of ammonium and iodide in fracking wastewater released into Pennsylvania and West Virginia streams http://ow.ly/Hj91w
• Perennial filter strips can reduce nutrient loading, including nitrates, to water bodies and, ultimately, the Gulf of Mexico http://ow.ly/HkqEE
• North Dakota Department of Health: Brine spill reached the Missouri River http://ow.ly/HqHRR

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

Click to enlarge

• Researchers say barges, rail cars and crews are spread thin as U.S. freight shipments reach record levels http://ow.ly/HiP1C
• Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish Council denies building permit to controversial Mississippi River coal export facility http://ow.ly/H4wvi
• West Virginia coalfield communities see few options to address chronic water quantity, quality and infrastructure issues http://ow.ly/Hf8XR
• First USDA 2015 forecast shows near average near normal streamflow forecast for Missouri River http://ow.ly/HnsAw
• Building 360-mile aqueduct to reroute Missouri River water to irrigate western Kansas crops could cost $18 Billion http://ow.ly/Hqs3M

Agriculture -

• DTN-Progressive Farmer: “USDA is changing the way it funds conservation"
  
  http://ow.ly/HmADh (Regional Conservation Partnership Program)
• Emotions run high in Indiana industrial hog farm siting fight http://ow.ly/H3sF7
• Proposed hog confinement project creates controversy in Dickinson County, Iowa, on the Iowa/Minnesota border http://ow.ly/HqJMt
• Underground and on rooftops, farms set roots in big cities http://ow.ly/H3pTF
• USDA makes over $18 million available through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program for training and development http://ow.ly/HeUK2
• American Farm Bureau: Excessive federal government regulation threatens the viability of farming and ranching http://ow.ly/HeVJp
• American Farm Bureau Federation 2015 strategic plan includes opposing Clean Water Act jurisdiction expansion; advancing legislation to reform Endangered Species Act http://ow.ly/HqteN
• Fully and partially autonomous farming systems are close to becoming a reality http://ow.ly/HqqYo
• Latest farmland value survey of high-quality ground: prices level off and even decline in many geographies http://ow.ly/HqrAD

Climate and Weather -

2012 drought

• National Drought Mitigation Center: “How the 2012 central U.S. drought evolved from the floods of 2011: A state-by-state assessment” http://ow.ly/HeU4X
• US drought update: Kentucky and Tennessee: abnormal dryness expanded, drought introduced; Northern Plains and Midwest: broad-scale abnormal dryness, some moderate drought http://ow.ly/wmTdv
• NOAA: 2014 U.S. slightly warmer than average; Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana each had one of 10 coldest years on record http://ow.ly/H42Qz (data sets available here http://ow.ly/GVf3O)
• Senate to vote on whether climate change is happening http://ow.ly/HiEWd

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• eDNA results imply that Asian carp may have reached the Chicago River beyond a carp barrier separating it from the rest of the Mississippi Basin http://ow.ly/Hn64z
• Fish and Wildlife Service releases strategic growth policy to guide expansion of   National Wildlife Refuge System http://ow.ly/Hobm1
• University of Missouri researchers: businesses can contribute to raptor preservation with less lawn development, more native grasslands, woodlots http://ow.ly/H3ZKt
• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries awards $103,448 grant to  Southeastern Louisiana University professor to study bee communities in conservation habitats http://ow.ly/H44UW
• Food groups  urge the Obama administration to suspend the use of "bee harming pesticides" http://ow.ly/HiHWt (copy of food groups' pesticide letter to Obama administration http://ow.ly/HiIge)
• Goats fighting America's plant invasion: Eating machines enjoying a US smorgasbord of invasive plants http://ow.ly/HeOOe (In case you need a goat to fight invasive plants, here is a map literally depicting every goat in the US ow.ly/HeYnJ)

In the Cities -

• Six ways city landscapes can be more flood resilient - in pictures http://ow.ly/H3SNg
• Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative mayors plan for March 17-19 meetings in Washington, DC http://ow.ly/H3xBc

In the States-

• Missouri state Senate bill would require DEQ to submit Clean Air or Clean Water Act rule
  
  implementation plan for Legislature and governor review http://ow.ly/Hf22R  (more) Missouri Rep. Mike Moon (R) plans to introduce a more sweeping bill http://ow.ly/Hf2F4 barring state agency rule implementation without Legislature's approval
• Proposed Missouri tax credit legislation aimed at enlisting beginning farmers http://ow.ly/HiHtl
• Report: West Virginia had inadequate regulations to prevent, and sufficient training and planning to respond to Elk River spill http://ow.ly/HamLm
• Increased USEPA scrutiny led to better West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection water pollution permit application reviews http://ow.ly/Hf9FE
• West Virginia groups oppose move to strip state streams of their designation as potential drinking water sources http://ow.ly/HaoZb
• Indiana Senate bill would block local governments from placing restrictions on large livestock facilities in most rural areas http://ow.ly/HappN
• Stakeholders to gather for fifth anniversary Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment celebration and forum http://ow.ly/HbZf7

Gulf Coastal Region-

• Environmental group sues Obama administration for refusing to release documents re: extent of Gulf of Mexico fracking http://ow.ly/HojfP
• Louisiana Gov. Jindal asks state Supreme Court to uphold law banning wetlands damage suit against oil companies http://ow.ly/Hanrp
• Louisiana coastal tourism group wants oil and gas industry to pay for marketing campaign, after its BP money runs out http://ow.ly/Hfb86
• BP will face maximum fine of $13.7 billion under Clean Water Act for 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill (smaller than government claimed) http://ow.ly/HqIwL

Resource Development -

• In a victory for Keystone XL proponents, Nebraska Supreme Court upholds 2012 law giving governor permitting authority for major oil pipelines like Keystone XL http://ow.ly/H3MMs
• Following state court ruling, Keystone XL pipeline company could face new legal challenges from Nebraska ranchers http://ow.ly/HfajF
• House passes bill to approve Keystone XL pipeline construction, hours after pipeline-favorable Nebraska court ruling http://ow.ly/H4vC4 (Here is the House 266-153 roll call vote breakdown for passage of the Keystone XL pipeline approval bill http://ow.ly/H4xTL)
• Patriot Coal Corp., which has 8 mining complexes in WV and 2 in western KY, moves headquarters from St. Louis to WV http://ow.ly/HatmR
• Senate agrees to debate Keystone XL pipeline, setting stage for more energy battles http://ow.ly/HeLGX
• Democrats poised to make Republicans cast series of tough votes on legislation approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline http://ow.ly/HeLhI

Federal Budget -

• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: What to expect in 2015 from Congress - budget and appropriations http://ow.ly/HaBUu

Events - Information on all past and future events listed here each week can be viewed in the on-line calendar, located above and to the right (and here as a stand-alone calendar)

• Upper Mississippi River (UMRBA and UMRR-EMP CC) meetings scheduled for February 10-11; Rock Island, Illinois http://ow.ly/HiMp6
• Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference; Houston, Texas, February 16-19 (highlighting oil spill and ecosystem science research during the five years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill) http://ow.ly/Hg8d2
• Annual International Water Management Modeling conference, Marriot Courtyard Toronto Brampton, Feb 25-26 http://ow.ly/HmvdR
• 2nd Colorado Water Summit; March 3-5, Denver, to cover Colorado Water Plan, Public Private Partnerships, other water management issues http://ow.ly/HiSPU
• National Ground Water Association Upper Great Plains Groundwater Conference; September 22-23; Cheyenne, Wyoming http://ow.ly/HeWY7

e-Newsletters, Publications, Journals, Multimedia  -

• Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 272, January 9: "A Muddy Guitar String 1,000 Miles Long" http://ow.ly/H40o6
• Winter edition of Army Corps' "Our Mississippi" magazine http://ow.ly/Hc15z (PDF file)
• New report: “The Conservation Social Sciences: What?, How? and Why?” http://ow.ly/HePmp
• Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy January 14 TUWaterWays e-newsletter http://ow.ly/HmzQW
• Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 273, January 15; "Bittersweet Twinges in a Watery Wilderness" http://ow.ly/Ho1Qn
• Montana Watershed Coordination Council's January 15 Watershed News http://ow.ly/Hqnr6
• Gulf Restoration Network January 15 "Gulf Waves" e-magazine http://ow.ly/Hqqmn

Other news-

• Journal Science paper authors suggest the Earth could soon cease to be a "safe operating space for humanity" http://ow.ly/Hqoe9
• GAO: sue-and-settle lawsuits brought by environmental groups have only a "limited" impact on U.S. EPA regulations http://ow.ly/HmyMW
• Job announcement - Director, Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, Lewiston, IL (search closes February 28 http://ow.ly/H3X3O)
• Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee Conservation Award nominations due February 13 http://ow.ly/H4za9
• How paved surfaces define the U.S. (in state-by-state maps) http://ow.ly/HaoaR (related national map on the right)
• U.S. House passes legislation that would require federal agencies to estimate the economic costs of regulations http://ow.ly/HiJa6 (roll call tally: http://ow.ly/HiJ2Q) (see related article, below)
• White House threatens to veto House bill designed to curb some of Obama administration’s most costly regulations http://ow.ly/HeVnU
• Many Minnesota public safety workers say they are not prepared to deal with an oil train or pipeline accident http://ow.ly/HqIUQ

Politics and People-

• Mike Boots, acting White House Council on Environmental Quality chairman, plans to leave the position in March http://ow.ly/HiN2J
• Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) said Monday that she won't run for governor in 2016 http://ow.ly/Hfnox
• National Great Rivers Research and Education Center recruits six scientists to serve as faculty fellows for 2014-2015 academic year http://ow.ly/HauJ7
• Many candidates lining up for November 3, 2015 Kentucky gubernatorial election as filing deadline approaches  http://ow.ly/HaEsM
• Pennsylvania Governor-Elect will appoint John Quigley as Department of Environmental Protection Secretary and Cindy Dunn as Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary http://ow.ly/HgcEH
• House Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop announces creation of a new Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations http://ow.ly/HiOp1
• Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas new chair of once-prominent House Tea Party Caucus http://ow.ly/HmJKp
• PBS NewsHour Morning Line: the 113th Congress wasn’t as unproductive as we gave them credit for http://ow.ly/Hn4A8 http://ow.ly/Hn4m2 
• Pew Research graphs proportion of women in Congress, state legislatures alongside those in high corporate positions http://ow.ly/HmvYh

Your Moment of Zen - 

Photograph: Ian Plant/Solent News