~Most of the Water News - None of the Spin~
This Week and Next
Next week, Congress is again in session, and among other items, will take up potential reforms to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, fracking, funding for and the scope of National Science Foundation research, and Federal Emergency Management Agency funding (you can see the current list of Congressional committee activities here that are relevant to the Mississippi River Basin).
Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week
Water Quality -
Waters of the United States
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passes H.R. 1732-Regulatory Integrity Protection Act on a nearly party-line 36 to 22 vote; would require EPA and Army Corps to withdraw proposed Waters of the U.S. rule, and restart the rulemaking process. Two Democrats, Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY) and Cheri Bustos (IL), joined Republicans voting for the bill. News article: http://ow.ly/LEQuL; Link to the committee meeting page: http://ow.ly/LEbNa; Link to bill: http://ow.ly/LEbyu
- House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee approves spending bill with provision to prevent the Army Corps from using funds to implement a "Waters of the United States" rule (see Section 105, page 10 of spending bill text: http://ow.ly/LGDjl)
- At House Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing Western states say they were not adequately consulted on Waters of the U.S. proposed rule http://ow.ly/LDpZO
- 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Minnesota property owner can file legal challenge to an Army Corps jurisdictional determination; news article on 8th circuit ruling http://ow.ly/LEVdM; second news article - ruling establishes a "split between appellate courts that could reach the Supreme Court" http://ow.ly/LEVML (link to ruling: http://ow.ly/LEUv3)
Other Water Quality News
- New “meta-analysis” of existing scientific studies provides clearer picture of poorly-defined
water risks associated with farmland pesticide application http://ow.ly/LAt7Y (related news story http://ow.ly/LAtno)Photo Credit: Elizabeth Shogren/NPR - Des Moines Register editorial: 14 facts to weigh in Des Moines Water Works lawsuit against three Iowa counties http://ow.ly/LrMjR (graph from editorial: http://ow.ly/i/ajpoy)
- New global study, "The murky future of global water quality," projects rapid deterioration in water quality; Midwestern United States is one of the vulnerable areas http://ow.ly/LHZF3
- Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) seeks public comment on proposed Ohio River water pollution mixing zone changes http://ow.ly/Lx9iC (related story below)
- Nonprofits rally together to bring attention to mercury discharges into Ohio River http://ow.ly/LB0vK
- Alleged bias in Illinois River (Oklahoma) phosphorus loading study denied http://ow.ly/LxbdB
- Officials contend that Oklahoma rivers are clearer despite no ruling in ten-year-old poultry waste case http://ow.ly/Lxcq5
- Edwards, Mississippi egg producer to pay $900,000 for Clean Water Act violations (nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, Black River tributary) http://ow.ly/LAmzo
- New studies indicate that pavement sealant getting into waterways kills fish, alters DNA long after application http://ow.ly/LBIIO
- PEER protests EPA oil development wastewater disposal permits for Wind River Indian Reservation (Missouri River Basin) http://ow.ly/LDotO
- Two Tennessee environmental groups file lawsuit in federal court against the Tennessee Valley Authority over coal-ash storage pond groundwater contamination http://ow.ly/LGKVW
- Corps of Engineers asks local residents for input on how Little Tallahatchie River reservoir (Mississippi) should be managed http://ow.ly/LId1e
- Dutch studies: Twitter messages can be used to create real-time flooding maps http://ow.ly/LETXB
- Water managers from forty states expect to see water shortages in at least some areas in the next decade http://ow.ly/LHU0c
- NWF blog: what else the $165 million New Madrid Floodway project might buy http://ow.ly/LBgrj
- Kentucky Farm Bureau's recently-launched Water Management Working Group looks to address water resource issues, policy http://ow.ly/LAQOW
- Coal barge sinks in Ohio River at Racine Locks and Dam http://ow.ly/LAXI6
- Containerized Cargo Ballet at an Unidentified Port (a mesmerizing robotic video) http://ow.ly/LDHeX (perhaps coming soon to a Mississippi River Basin port near you)
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approves H.R. 1471 - FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act, moving bill on to the full House; committee meeting page: http://ow.ly/LEbNa; link to bill: http://ow.ly/LEk3p
- In that same markup session (above), the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 944 - a bill to reauthorize the EPA's National Estuary Program; link to bill: http://ow.ly/LERGz (reauthorizes the program at $27 million a year through fiscal year 2020 - an $8 million reduction per year from current levels)
- Newly-introduced House "Water Rights Protection Act" would forbid Interior and Agriculture departments from conditioning land-use permits on the transfer of private water rights to the federal government; bill: http://ow.ly/LJHA6 (related story: http://ow.ly/LJHSD)
- Chicago Council on Global Affairs: U.S. needs to revamp agriculture policy to align with nutrition goals http://ow.ly/LHYJs
- USDA reminds farmers to certify conservation compliance by June 1 deadline http://ow.ly/LIb8c
- USDA makes available its draft Conservation Compliance Interim Final Rule (to be published next week in the Federal Register) http://ow.ly/LIeNy
- Researcher contends that Corn Belt commodities-related economic diversity has changed very little since the 1930s http://ow.ly/Ls8il
- USDA designates two more Kansas counties as natural disaster areas due to drought damages and losses http://ow.ly/LI7rF (total number now 11)
- Three major U.S. crop trade groups meet to explore enhancing transparency and communication http://ow.ly/Lx0dN
- 79-year-old Salina, Kansas farmer continues his 40-year work on perennial crop-based solutions to soil erosion http://ow.ly/Lx2VE
- Farmers, food processors, distributors, lenders, market leaders discuss strategies for expanding local food supplies in Kentucky http://ow.ly/Lx6ZN
- Agriculture industry is expected to capture as much as 80% of all U.S. commercial drone use http://ow.ly/LAjcC
- Residential and agricultural interests clash over proposed Indiana pig facility http://ow.ly/LArLf
- New Grist series on the loss of mid-sized farms and what that means for rural America http://ow.ly/LAKgt
- Midwest farmers eager to see end to Cuba embargo by U.S. http://ow.ly/LAXti
- USDA’s Risk Management Agency: farmers so far have received $8.8 billion in indemnity payments for their 2014 crops http://ow.ly/LDnkF
- US drought update: some Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota areas improved after rains; minor improvements in Oklahoma, Arkansas, southeast Kansas; South Dakota drought expanded northward http://ow.ly/wmTdv
- Study: climate change will leave the Yellowstone National Park vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires and shrinking snowpack http://ow.ly/LrY7H
- West Virginia's Board of Education amends, then adopts climate change language in newly-approved K-12 science education standards http://ow.ly/LrYFg
- Downpours on upswing: Research finds flooding on the rise in central U.S. http://ow.ly/LAY1S
- EPA releases summary of major climate change-related 2014 accomplishments of EPA's national and regional water programs http://ow.ly/LDmdZ
- Republican House Natural Resources Committee leaders will back Land and Water Conservation Fund reauthorization, with changes http://ow.ly/LGCar
- Center for Biological Diversity files lawsuit against the Fish and Wildlife Service asserting that
FWS has failed to protect four fish found in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia waterways http://ow.ly/LGB3g (lawsuit: http://ow.ly/LGAZb)
Photo credit: Noel Burkhead, USGS - Asian carp "attack" Washington University rowing team at Creve Coeur Lake (Maryland Heights, Missouri) http://ow.ly/LAYn4
- Work on Yellowstone River dam to start this fall in bid to help endangered pallid sturgeon pass upriver http://ow.ly/LIbEP
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources' effort to reduce Illinois River Asian carp "shows promise" http://ow.ly/LB1JY
- Des Moines, Iowa announces intent to participate in the Compact of Mayors: global coalition
of mayors and city leaders voluntarily making commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions http://ow.ly/LI913
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Redux - St. Charles, Missouri purchases Bangert Island for shore-line development, prompting new concerns over long-protected Missouri Riverfront wildlife area http://ow.ly/LIdSI
- New Orleans goes hard-core to combat blight. But can that save the Hurricane Katrina-blighted Lower Ninth Ward? http://ow.ly/LJGnU
- Researchers measured the "happiness" of vulnerable New Orleans residents before and after Hurricane Katrina, and the results are uplifting http://ow.ly/LJSIL
- $26.2M state flood mitigation grant awarded to Burlington, Iowa for flood walls, other barriers along Mississippi River http://ow.ly/LIcqP
- Infusion of state funds and Ohio River bank stabilization will catalyze Owensboro, Kentucky Riverfront redevelopment http://ow.ly/Lx5Lx
- Chicago city officials: Chicago River plume not sewage - likely a mix of rust, dirt flushed by stormwater runoff surge http://ow.ly/Ly61i
- St. Paul, Minnesota gets EPA grant to plan West Side Flats cleanup (120-acre Mississippi Riverfront site) http://ow.ly/LAZFp
- Saint Cloud Times: St. Cloud's neglected riverfront needs upgrade http://ow.ly/LB03r
- EPA to host free April 21 webinar on sustainable solutions for Alexandria and Pineville, Louisiana (both bordering the Red River) http://ow.ly/LEZlK
- Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District is closing in on a major wastewater mitigation milestone http://ow.ly/LJUhO
- Minnesota state House hearings begin on omnibus agriculture finance bill http://ow.ly/LAhye
- Work begins on $787 million Minnesota omnibus environment finance bill-contains several
States in the news controversial provisions http://ow.ly/LDjcX - In Minnesota, buffer strips are a rallying cry for cleaner water http://ow.ly/LAtOS
- Wisconsin state lawmakers to consider bill that would ban microbeads-plastic exfoliant in personal care products http://ow.ly/LBhyM (link to Wisconsin Assembly bill version: http://ow.ly/LBhZe)
- WISC editorial: "Banning state employees from talking about climate change is embarrassment" (Wisconsin) http://ow.ly/LwQbo
- Chicago Tribune: Mum's the word on global warming at Wisconsin land agency http://ow.ly/LAu89
- Missouri Supreme Court upholds limits to damages that property owners can recover in nuisance lawsuits against agricultural operations http://ow.ly/LGHVL (ruling overview/summary http://ow.ly/LGHy2; link to opinion: http://ow.ly/LGHBQ)
- Kentucky Division of Water public listening sessions in May will help define any revisions to state's water quality standards http://ow.ly/LI71L
- Louisiana House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment to take up bill next week approving the 2015-2016 annual plan for integrated coastal protection and restoration (link to plan: http://ow.ly/LGwBD) House bill: http://ow.ly/LGxg8
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection plans three public hearings on proposed changes to regulations governing oil and gas extraction http://ow.ly/LHOsl
- Indiana DNR Division of Forestry releases Strategic Plan for 2015-2019 http://ow.ly/LJVA2
- North Dakota lawmakers pass bill to create pilot project aimed treating and recycling oil drilling waste http://ow.ly/LEa7q
- Landowners claim new Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission water supply and building drilling setback requirement favors energy industry http://ow.ly/LDQku
Gulf Coastal Region-
- Study: chemical dispersant used in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon accident is more toxic to coral than oil http://ow.ly/LrWSH
- Documentary film trailer released: “Dispatches from the Gulf” - about scientific research to improve ability to understand, respond to, and mitigate the impacts of oil pollution on marine and coastal ecosystems http://ow.ly/LBiLT
- National Geographic News: Is Gulf oil spill's damage over or still unfolding? http://ow.ly/LE9AQ
- EPA vows to address the ongoing uncertainty surrounding ethanol and the renewable fuel
standard http://ow.ly/Lx0wQ
Click to enlarge - $2.6 billion Sandpiper oil pipeline project remains under administrative review in Minnesota as sides debate its necessity http://ow.ly/Lx1YC (see subsequent update below)
- Minnesota administrative law judge finds that Enbridge Inc.'s 610-mile Sandpiper project warrants state-issued "certificate of need" http://ow.ly/LDNDM
- Natural gas, solar and wind industry job increases have not occurred in West Virginia and Kentucky, where there were significant coal industry job losses http://ow.ly/Ly4F0
- House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee approves spending bill setting FY 2016 Army Corps' budget at $5.6 billion ($865 million more than the White House requested); news story: http://ow.ly/LGCRT; subcommittee meeting web page: http://ow.ly/LGCLs; spending bill text: http://ow.ly/LBGku
- House GOP and Democratic leaders nominate their eight Budget Committee members (5 Republicans and 3 Democrats) http://ow.ly/LDiEi
- Senate appoints entire Budget Committee roster as conferees to negotiate budget resolution compromise with House http://ow.ly/LGyq4
- Third Minnesota River Congress to be held Thursday, April 16, at Turner Halle in New Ulm http://ow.ly/LAZ0H
- EPA’s Second Water Quality Modeling Webinar: “Brick by Brick : How Water Quality Models are Developed” April 23 1:00 PM ET http://ow.ly/LDlSg
- Climate Change and Human Health Symposium; George Washington University, Washington, DC (and online), April 24 http://ow.ly/Ls0is
- Spring 2015 Mississippi River-Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force Meeting; May 20, Crowne Plaza, Columbus, Ohio and via webcast http://ow.ly/LBDGV
- Ohio River Paddlefest Weekend; June 18-20, Cincinnati, Ohio http://ow.ly/Lx9Rv
- Volunteers sought to clean up, learn about and explore 65 miles of the Wapsipinicon River (Iowa); July 11-16 http://ow.ly/LAPyl
- Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 284, April 10 http://ow.ly/Lrpyp
- Lower Mississippi River Dispatch No. 285, April 15 http://ow.ly/LEvjc
- April 14 Green Lands Blue Waters update highlighting Continuous Living Cover on Mississippi River Basin agricultural land http://ow.ly/LADVB
- Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy April 15 TU Waterways e-newsletter http://ow.ly/LQnF7
- New University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute podcast series "demystifies" aquifers and watersheds http://ow.ly/LENCx
- Spring edition of the Army Corps of Engineers “Our Mississippi” magazine http://ow.ly/LHTbt http://ow.ly/LHT8h
- Knoxville News Sentinel editorial: Tennessee River organizations set example for care of rivers, streams http://ow.ly/LJTuR
- U.S. EPA's first national standards for coal combustion waste disposal became official today (Friday) with their Federal Register publication http://ow.ly/LJD8k - the rules become effective in 180 days, and will apply to new and existing coal combustion residuals landfills, surface impoundments and lateral expansions, and require the closure of any landfill or surface impoundment that cannot meet applicable performance criteria
- House Energy and Commerce Committee approves H.R.1734 - Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act - bill to modify the U.S. EPA's coal ash rule; link to bill http://ow.ly/LESGY; links to Committee meeting page http://ow.ly/LET1s and press release: http://ow.ly/LETno
- House Judiciary Committee passes "Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act" - No major regulations would go into effect without congressional approval under the bill http://ow.ly/LGzKy
- Some top Mississippi River Basin state exports for 2014 (based on Washington Post article and Obama Administration report http://ow.ly/LrGwX
- EPA official: House proposal to reform US toxic chemical laws could “delay evaluations for some of the most dangerous chemicals indefinitely” http://bit.ly/1DfLgjU
- U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization: Over-consumption, climate change threaten food security, water supply in many regions http://ow.ly/LEoN2
- Illinois State Senator Darin LaHood says he will "fight in Washington to keep river traffic a priority" as U.S. representative http://ow.ly/LB1cf
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D) signals stronger interest in 2016 West Virginia governor run http://ow.ly/LE0tW
- National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) names Jeremy Peters as its new Chief Executive Officer http://ow.ly/Ls6HV
- Center for American Progress: over 30 percent of 2014 Congressional roll call votes have been energy- and environment-related, most of those in the House have been aimed at blocking climate change efforts http://ow.ly/LE3o0
- Gallup poll: 48% of U.S. adults think government is doing too little when it comes to safeguarding the environment http://ow.ly/LrXR4
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| Image credit: Geneco |
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