Mississippi River Basin Blog: Mississippi River Basin Water Resource Weekly News

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

"Waters of the U.S." Debate Continues

On May 12, the U.S. House passed a bill that would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw a controversial proposed "Waters of the United States" (or "WOTUS") rule, and then consult with state and local officials on how to address the Clean Water Act jurisdiction issue while preparing a new rule. The “Regulatory Integrity Protection Act” (H.R. 1732) passed easily on a 261 – 155 roll call vote that was largely along party lines. Twenty-four Democrats joined with all of the Republican members in voting for the measure. Mississippi River state Democrats supporting the bill included Reps. Cheri Bustos (IL), Jim Cooper (TN), Robin Kelly (IL), Collin Peterson (MN), Cedric Richmond (LA) and Tim Walz (MN). The 261-vote total for passage would not be enough to overcome a threatened White House veto, should the House bill be passed by the Senate. However, its fate in the Senate is less than certain, since the Senate’s own WOTUS bill (S. 1140) differs considerably from the House measure, and Senate leaders may not wish to complicate debate on its bill by considering the House bill on its own merits.

The final version of the proposed WOTUS rule was sent by the EPA and Army Corps for review by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on April 6. The OMB review is typically the last step before final rule publication. Normally, the OMB review process would take 90 days at the most to complete, with reviews generally completed sometime between 40 and 60 days.

Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Water Quality -

The Hill: House votes to overturn an Obama administration water jurisdiction rule http://ow.ly/MTEUy
Iowa farmers ponder effects of Des Moines Water Works water quality lawsuit

Photo: Dan Charles/NPR

http://ow.ly/MNn5U
State continues to monitor water quality near North Dakota train derailment site http://ow.ly/MNGWs
Pipeline spill of 63,000 gallons of highly concentrated saltwater is more bad news for North Dakota’s oil industry http://ow.ly/MOPC5
Washington state pollution settlement called "important precedent holding mega-dairy factories responsible for the environmental and human health impacts of their waste" http://ow.ly/MRyHD (link to court settlement here: http://ow.ly/MRzdn and see related op-ed immediately below)
Op-ed: Coming federal court action likely to be large regulatory intrusion, as "Minnesota faces looming nitrate wars" http://ow.ly/MTHwr
Study looks at toxicity of chemical released into West Virginia streams during January 2104 Freedom Industries spill http://ow.ly/MTDhG
Wetlands created 20 years ago between tile-drained agricultural fields and the Embarras River continue to remove nitrate from water http://ow.ly/MUINH
New water quality and weather monitoring buoys being deployed in Upper Mississippi River Navigation Pool 8 http://ow.ly/MX9lU

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

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial: How long will it be before drought-stricken stretches of the United States come looking for our water? http://ow.ly/MOmiQ
USDA Press Release: Ogallala aquifer "is being depleted at an unsustainable rate"- USDA Invests $6.5 Million to Help Conserve Water, Improve Water Quality in Ogallala Aquifer Region http://ow.ly/MWZpF (also see this news article: http://ow.ly/MXsAE)
White House Federal Flood Risk Management Standard for new government-funded projects generates controversy http://ow.ly/MNwGf (link to FEMA's Standard web site: http://ow.ly/MNwUR)
New Orleans considers joining 2005 St. Bernard Parish lawsuit over damages blamed on Mississippi River Gulf Outlet http://ow.ly/MH27S
Construction of BNSF Railway line through La Crosse River marsh could be largely completed before lawsuit is decided http://ow.ly/MH2uM
Drought expected to persist in upper Missouri River basin into foreseeable future; flood control remains Army Corps' "primary consideration" http://ow.ly/MH49x
USDA: flood control structures built in three Nebraska counties helped prevent over $3 million in flooding damages http://ow.ly/MNFLM
Complaint alleges improper Army Corps' Marseilles lock, dam, and pool management, resulting in severe Marseilles, Illinois area flooding (Illinois River) http://ow.ly/MOOvT
Army Corps to investigate deepening, maintaining Mississippi River Ship Channel from Gulf of Mexico to Baton Rouge from 45 to up to 50 feet deep; announces open houses, public scoping meetings http://ow.ly/MTyX7

Photo: Benjamin Krain

Flooding

South Platte River flooding persists after weekend storms http://ow.ly/MRMLn
Illinois River at Watts, Oklahoma sets an all time record flood stage at 28 feet following five days of heavy precipitation http://ow.ly/MRMbN
Arkansas River high and fast; three locks closed, barges held up http://ow.ly/MWnFx

Agriculture -

Ongoing cuts in USDA conservation funding are putting success of voluntary conservation strategy at risk http://ow.ly/MWkNf
Number of Wisconsin dairy farm operations falls below 10,000, while number of milking cows

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

reaches a record high http://ow.ly/MGZKX
USDA: South Dakota is defying a downward national farm trend to become an "agricultural powerhouse" http://ow.ly/MNfrs
FAA gives U.S. farmers approval to spray crops from drones http://ow.ly/MNpgt
Grist editorial: to avoid future wars over phosphorus and potassium, we need to stop "flushing those elements down the drain" http://ow.ly/MTwbl
The Week: America is running out of soil http://ow.ly/MWhZJ

Climate and Weather -

U.S. Drought Update: Rain and snows improved conditions in northwest Iowa, western Minnesota, South Dakota, Oklahoma and much of Kansas; slight improvement in Nebraska http://ow.ly/MWrQM
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Harden encourages greater collaboration between farmers and policy makers to deal with climate change http://ow.ly/MGX9U
Montana Governor’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee is looking for May rain to turn unusually dry spring around http://ow.ly/MOP42
Kansas-based research study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests global warming will cut U.S. wheat yields http://ow.ly/MQBYR (Washington Post article: http://ow.ly/MQCcm)

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

Missouri Department of Conservation lake sturgeon program aims to re-establish giant fish

Photo: Dave Tunge/Dakota Aerials

http://ow.ly/MH3Jw
Invasive species began appearing in Minnesota's lakes and rivers about 150 years; they're still a problem today http://ow.ly/MOlNu
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources efforts to save walleye pay off in all but one of the 10 large lakes with historically big populations http://ow.ly/MOslx
Army Corps Missouri River scientists use computer flow models to explore cost-effective ways to build sandbar bird habitat http://ow.ly/MOQU8
Army Corps hopes to provide better understanding of and appreciation for Mississippi River land management challenges and opportunities at Alton, Illinois meeting http://ow.ly/MWDiN (for historical background, see: “'Slumlord' of the Flood Plain Cabins on Public Land Are Hard to Dislodge;" St. Louis Post Dispatch, 1994 http://ow.ly/MXcmX)
Tennessee Valley Authority agrees to pay some costs of running three federal fish hatcheries, representing a "permanent funding fix" http://ow.ly/MQrV0
Fish and Wildlife Service will contribute $3.8 million to 27 North and South America migratory bird conservation projects http://ow.ly/MQsYk
New South Dakota fishing and boating rules in effect to help slow the spread of aquatic invasive species in state water bodies http://ow.ly/MRP4e
U.S. beekeepers report that 42 percent of the honeybees they managed last year died, the second-highest percentage since USDA surveying began http://ow.ly/MTUtz (also see this related E and E article: http://ow.ly/MUy01)
House Agriculture subcommittee holds hearing on the federal coordination and response regarding pollinator health http://ow.ly/MUOoe
Over 2,000 pounds of caviar from paddlefish are harvested in North Dakota each year in the waters where the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers meet http://ow.ly/MUz1m
Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing multi-year plan for evaluating need to protect about 650 plants and animals under Endangered Species Act http://ow.ly/MWhk5
Proposed House Defense authorization bill amendment "reverses and prohibits the further listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken as a threatened or endangered species until 2021" http://ow.ly/MXgni (amendment #119). House scheduled to finish debate on the bill and vote on that amendment this morning (Friday).

In the Cities -

Op-ed: Feel-good stories are nice, but there's a role for academia in bringing scientific rigor to changes in local government performance http://ow.ly/MQDHX

In the States-

Pennsylvania Builders Association unhappy with the way DEP is implementing 2014

States in the news this week

amendments to state's Clean Streams Law with respect to riparian buffers http://ow.ly/MUvlS
Inspector General: No evidence Ohio Gov. Kasich unduly influenced coal permits or pushed out staffer at Ohio EPA http://ow.ly/MH0TK
Five Indiana counties to address sediment and logjam issues in lakes and rivers with $320,900 in state DNR grant funding http://ow.ly/MGXJI
Minnesota House passes omnibus agriculture policy bill that promotes agritourism; increases Best Management Practices Loan Program maximum http://ow.ly/MQqAa
Minnesota Senate passes omnibus agriculture bill language scaling back bee protection legislation passed last year http://ow.ly/MZkHv
Biggest discrepancy between Minnesota Senate and House legacy bills is in Clean Water Fund appropriations http://ow.ly/MTBow
Joint Wisconsin House-Senate Committee agrees to continue to support matching grant, farmer-led watershed initiative http://ow.ly/MUKd4
Wisconsin could lose as many as 80 County Extension agents under Governor's proposed $300 million University of Wisconsin system cut http://ow.ly/MWhHR
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency refers May 2, South Fork River train spill enforcement action to state Attorney General http://ow.ly/MNCdN
Iowa Department of Agriculture statewide cost-share available for farming water quality conservation practices http://ow.ly/MUIb2
Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to report 725 impaired water bodies to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this summer http://ow.ly/MZkkp
Kentucky Division of Water opens 60-day comment period (through July 13) on draft 2014 list of impaired waters http://ow.ly/MRO7i
Missouri House passes bill that "changes the definition of 'waters of the state'" on a 118-32 vote, eliminating a reference to "waters of the United States lying within the state" http://ow.ly/MZiog
Drive gains momentum for vote to overturn North Dakota Legislature's decision to loosen state's ban against corporate farming http://ow.ly/MZjZQ
Kansas River and Missouri River regional differences and similarities are topics of Kansas Water Vision Team meetings http://ow.ly/MGYcM
$1 billion more is needed to make Louisiana's state budget work http://ow.ly/MNdxx
Many states expect to meet, exceed revenue forecasts for the current fiscal year, due to unexpected April tax windfalls http://ow.ly/MU6Q4
22 states are projecting budget shortfalls based on information compiled by Associated Press including Illinois (FY2016), $6 billion; Kansas (FY2016), $800 million; Louisiana (FY2016), $1.6 billion; Oklahoma (FY2016), $611 million; Pennsylvania (FY2016), $2 billion; West Virginia (FY2016), $195 million; Wisconsin (FY2016 and FY2017), $650 million combined from Mississippi River Basin; article: http://ow.ly/MOlli and list: http://ow.ly/MN7A3
Data on state legislature elections show incumbents winning at record rates (96.5 percent in 2014) http://ow.ly/MNe1E

Gulf Coastal Region-

Ducks Unlimited has been awarded five grants to restore more than 21,800 acres of coastal prairies and marshes in Texas and Louisiana http://ow.ly/MORcT
Center for Data Innovation calls on Congress to create a robust national coastal mapping information platform to allow for coordination among federal agencies http://ow.ly/MRdZP (see page 6)
As part of RESTORE Act Science Program final plan, NOAA announces 10 long-term Gulf of Mexico research priorities http://ow.ly/MTyie

Forestry -

Ruffed Grouse Society petitions Forest Service to intensively log more eastern and southern forestland (Regions 8 and 9) for habitat creation http://ow.ly/MOqLC
Government Accountability Office report: Restoring forests on a landscape scale has both benefits and challenges http://ow.ly/MQnye

Resource Development -

Poll: environmental degradation and water contamination are most prevalent reasons for people to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline http://ow.ly/MQELu
Resistance to pipeline bigger than Keystone XL thwarts Enbridge, Inc. plans in Wisconsin http://ow.ly/MTIB2
Landowners near Nebraska site of proposed oil field waste injection well file lawsuit in attempt to stop the project http://ow.ly/MWxVh

Federal Budget -

House Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee approves by voice vote Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill that cuts National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by $274 million, increases National Science Foundation by $50 million http://ow.ly/MXrh2
Over 130 farm, conservation and wildlife organizations urge Congressional appropriators in letter to support Farm Bill conservation program funding http://ow.ly/MNdb4

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)

Free National Conference of State Legislatures webinar: The Guests That Won't Leave: How States Are Dealing with Invasive Species; 1 PM ET, May 15 http://ow.ly/MR62T
Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District public meeting re: cottage site leases, May 18, 6 PM CT, Alton, Illinois http://ow.ly/MUkCK (see here for definition of "cottage site" http://ow.ly/MUlbe)
Association of State Wetland Managers Webinar: Prairie Pothole Wetland Restoration; 3 PM ET, May 19 http://ow.ly/MRIuI
Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar: Minnesota GIS driven “Restorable Wetland Prioritization Tool” May 20, 3:00 PM ET http://ow.ly/MZmJe
Water Resources in the United States: Science Briefing, May 21, 10:30 AM-1 PM ET, US Capitol Visitors Center http://ow.ly/MUN5f
South Dakota Kayak Challenge, 72 miles on Missouri River between Yankton, S.D. and South Sioux City, Neb., May 23-24 http://ow.ly/MWp68
Quad Cities Pollinator Conference, June 10-11, Jumer’s Casino and Hotel, Rock Island, IL http://ow.ly/MWeuk
USDA NRCS State Technical Committee meeting, June 30, 8:30 AM-Noon, University of Missouri Bradford Research and Extension Center http://ow.ly/MUJ5U
May 19 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizens’ Board meeting canceled; next scheduled Board meeting is June 23 http://ow.ly/MH64Z

e-Newsletters, Publications, Journals, Multimedia -

National Water Quality Monitoring Council's "National Water Monitoring News" Spring 2015 e-newsletter (Volume 10) http://ow.ly/MGVB8
America's Watershed Initiative May 2015 "America's Watershed Update" http://ow.ly/MNeyu
Green Lands Blue Waters May 8 update, highlighting Mississippi River Basin Continuous Living Cover efforts http://ow.ly/MNvtW
Montana Watershed Coordination Council's May 8 Watershed News http://ow.ly/MNvUf
Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy's May 13 TUWaterWays e-newsletter http://ow.ly/MUdSu

Other news-

New federal rail safety rules may make it harder for the public to know about Bakken oil trains moving through their cities http://ow.ly/MNfYK
The Nature Conservancy’s Missouri Chapter seeks to fill “Watershed Restoration Specialist” position http://ow.ly/MNyJF
Wilson State Park Switchgrass Trail named "Most Popular Mountain Bike Trail" in Kansas http://ow.ly/MNEHH (full U.S. list here, by state http://ow.ly/MNETp)
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is accepting applications for 2015 "Growing Greener Plus" Watershed Protection and Restoration Grants http://ow.ly/MOp0N
Several states' positions change in League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly State ranking: Minnesota maintains second place; Wisconsin drops six spots; Illinois down three; Pennsylvania moves up seven http://ow.ly/MOt71; National group blames Wisconsin slide on Governor Walker's cuts http://ow.ly/MTWqk
Brookings Institution: Three U.S. infrastructure bad habits that need correcting: overemphasized federal role; fiscal austerity and political gridlock; funding-driven prioritization http://ow.ly/MQwmf

Politics and People-

Guardian investigation: FBI breached own internal rules when it spied on campaigners against

the Keystone XL pipeline http://ow.ly/MQE8N
President to nominate former US EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks as EPA's Assistant Administrator for Administration and Resources Management http://ow.ly/MWOaD
Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D) announces intent to challenge Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in 2016 Senate race http://ow.ly/MWOYo
Stymied by Washington, DC gridlock, the lobbying industry expands rapidly in the states http://ow.ly/MR4KN
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) has emerged as one of the most disliked members among his Senate peers http://ow.ly/MQuwR
Billionaire coal mine owner James Justice announces he is running for West Virginia governor as a Democrat http://ow.ly/MQmjz
None of 13 candidates win special election outright for open U.S. House seat in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District; resulting in a June 2 runoff http://ow.ly/MTxnE
First Republican presidential debate (and traditional end to election-time Congressional productivity) on track for August 6 http://ow.ly/MQv1G
Wisconsin State Sen. Tom Tiffany admits he asked Governor for DNR scientist job cuts, due to excessive focus on climate change http://ow.ly/MQD1A
Nearly 200 Iowa scientists and academics want presidential hopefuls coming to state to answer climate change questions http://ow.ly/MQFnB