USDA Announces New National Water Quality Initiative

Includes 62 Mississippi River Basin - Coastal Louisiana Watersheds

Yesterday (May 8) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the launch of the agency's new National Water Quality Initiative; a program that USDA describes as an effort to improve between one and seven "impaired watersheds in every U.S. state and territory." Under the Initiative, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will make at least $33 million in financial assistance available to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners during the current (2012) Fiscal Year to implement conservation practices that help improve water quality in targetted watersheds. The funding that will defer part of the landowner's cost of the conservation practices will be made available through NRCS's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a Farm Bill Conservation Title program.

Nationally, a total of 157 watersheds in 44 states have been selected by USDA for the grant money under the Iniative. USDA noted that the watersheds were selected in partnership with state agencies, NRCS State Technical Committees and others. Sixty-two watersheds are located within the Mississippi River Basin and Coastal Louisiana region.  A listing of those 62 watersheds follows this article.  A map of all 157 selected watersheds is available here (NOTE-a large file) and a complete list of watersheds can be found here. Both are PDF files. The Initiative will  focus on watersheds sized between 10,000 and 40,000 acres, since those are the watersheds where NRCS believes conservation efforts can result in measurable improvements to water quality.

Applications for the grant moneys under the Initiative will be accepted by USDA starting on May 18.  Although NRCS will accept Initiative grant applications on a continuous basis throughout the year, to be considered for this (2012) fiscal year's funding opportunity, applications must be submitted by June 15.

You can read the entire USDA press release concerning the National Water Quality Initiative here, and can find more details regarding the Initiative and how to submit a grant application on the program web site, here.

Mississippi River - Coastal Louisiana Watersheds Included in USDA's National Water Quality Initiative

State	Name of 8-Digit HUC	Name of 12-Digit HUC	Number 12-Digit HUC
AR	Bayou Bartholomew	Jacks Bayou	80402050302
AR	Bayou Bartholomew	Upper Deep Bayou	80402050303
AR	Bayou Bartholomew	Lower Deep Bayou	80402050304
CO	Arkansas Headwaters	Deweese Reservoir	110200011213
IA	Upper Chariton	Lower South Fork CharitonRiver	102802010108
IA	North Raccoon	Wall Lake Inlet	71000060401
IA	Lake Red Rock	Badger Creek	71000080402
IL	Vermilion	Lake Vermillion-North Fork Vermilion River	51201090806
IL	Lower Wabash	Crooked Creek-Bonpas Creek	51201130403
IL	Lower Kaskaskia	Douglas Creek	71402040603
IN	Eel	Silver Creek	051201040501
IN	Patoka	Ell Creek	051202090405
IN	Upper White	Eagle Creek Reservoir-Eagle Creek	051202011108
KS	Big	Big Creek	102600070305
KS	Little Arkansas	Emma Creek	110300120402
KS	Delaware	Grasshopper Creek	102701030202
KY	Lower Cumberland	Bennettstown-Little River	051302050505
KY	Lower Kentucky	Clarks Run	051002050505
KY	South Fork Licking	Headwaters Hinkston Creek	051001020302
LA	Mermentau	Indian Bayou	80802020101
LA	Lower Ouachita	Lake Louis	80402070303
LA	Tangipahoa	East Fork Big Creek	80702050202
LA	Tangipahoa	Big Creek	80702050203
MN	Blue Earth	*Elm Creek	070200090907
MN	Middle Minnesota	Sevenmile Creek	070200071103
MN	Chippewa	Chippewa River	070200051105
MO	Spring	Kyle Creek- North Fork Spring River	110702070202
MO	Lower Grand	Lower Little Medicine Creek	102801030103
MO	South Fabius River	Upper Troublesome Creek	71100030202
MS	Tippah River	North Tippah Creek	80302010502
MT	Upper Yellowstone Big Lake	Limestone Creek	100700050202
MT	Upper Yellowstone Big Lake	Rosebud	100700050406
NE	Salt	Holmes Creek	102002030301
NE	Salt	Cottonwood Creek	102002030701
NE	Middle Big Blue	Upper Cub Creek	102702020302
NE	Middle Big Blue	Outlet Big Indian Creek	102702020506
ND	Spring Creek		101302010908
ND	Spring Creek		101302010909
NY	Conewango	Ball Creek-Chautauqua Lake	050100020204
NY	Conewango	Bemus Creek-ChautauquaLake	050100020206
NY	Conewango	Chadakoin River-Chautauqua Lake	050100020207
OH	Sugar Creek	East Branch South Fork Sugar Creek	50400011002
OH	Tuscarawas	Tommy Run-Chippewa	50400010205
OK	Black Bear - Red Rock	Panther Creek - Red Rock Creek	110600060503
OK	Black Bear - Red Rock	Oak Creek - Black Bear Creek	110600060502
OK	Lower Cimarron-Skeleton	Sand Creek	110500020408
OK	Lower Cimarron-Skeleton	0409 - Turkey Creek	110500020409
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Colton Creek	101702031002
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Buffalo Creek	101702030802
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Jensen Creek	101702031003
SD	Lower Big Sioux	Willow Creek	101702031103
TN	Duck River Watershed	Caney Creek	60400020704
TN	Lower Kentucky Reservoir	Holly Fork Creek	60400050603
TN	Little Tennessee River Basin	Fork Creek	60102040504
WI	Sugar River	Ward Creek - Little Sugar River	70900040402
WI	Buffalo-Whitewater	Waumaundee Creek	70400030405
WV	Greenbrier	Knapps Creek	050500030201
WV	Greenbrier	Knapps Creek	050500030202
WV	Greenbrier	Knapps Creek	050500030203
WY	Lower Wind	Pavilion	100800050202
WY	Lower Wind	Five Mile Creek - Ocean Drain	100800050107
WY	Lower Wind	Pilot Butte Reservoir	100800050201

Key Congressional Hearings and Meetings for the Upcoming Week

Here are the key U.S. Congressional hearings and meetings scheduled for the week that have a significant bearing on Mississippi River Basin water resource issues:

• On Monday, the House Budget Committee will consider (and almost assuredly pass) a politically partisan "Sequestration Replacement Act" designed to negate the need for mandatory across-the-board discretionary spending cuts in 2013 that are required by last summer's deal to raise the debt ceiling (most House Democrats have assailed the GOP attempt to roll back last year’s budget deal mandate). Hearing at 2 PM EDT; room 210 Cannon House Office Building
• Tuesday's House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture hearing will center on "Specialty Crop and Nutrition Programs," as the Committee continues with a series of hearings focused on the formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: May 8, 11 AM EDT; room 1300 Longworth House Office Building 
• Wednesday's Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee's Economic Policy Subcommittee hearing will focus on the reauthorization and reform of the debt-laden National Flood Insurance Program; May 9, 10 AM EDT; room 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building 

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Your Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

This week's edition is jam-packed with links to over 85 articles across a broad spectrum of water resource-related issues (and I don't mean the lousy kind of jam with just a few berries, but the really good, densely-packed, super-chewy, tasty kind of jam!).  Taking top-billing are the passage and reactions to the Senate Agriculture Committee's version of a 2102 Farm Bill, along with analyses of Farm Bill prospects in the House.

Here and There: This Week and Next
This week, the halls and offices in both the U.S. House and Senate were relatively quiet, as both chambers observed scheduled recesses. Senators and House Members will return in full force next week, reconvening at 2 PM on Monday, when we can expect River Basin-related activities to ramp up in the:

• House Appropriations Committee as its subcommittees continue their work on the Fiscal Year 2013 spending bills (the  Energy and Water spending bill having already been voted out of Committee);
• House Agriculture Committee, as it continues with an ongoing series of Farm Bill hearings, in anticipation of eventually marking up its own version of the bill; 
• House Budget Committee, as it considers (and passes) a politically partisan "Sequestration Replacement Act" designed to negate the need for mandatory across-the-board discretionary spending cuts in 2013 that are required by last summer's deal to raise the debt ceiling (most House Democrats have assailed the GOP attempt to roll back last year’s budget deal mandate); and 
• Senate, where behind the scenes action will play out, as Senate Agriculture Committee Farm Bill proponents work to get the bill time  to be considered  on the Senate floor (and as others craft and lobby for possible amendments to the Committee bill once it does reach the floor).  The bill could conceivably receive floor consideration before the Senate recesses again - starting on May 26 - for Memorial Day week. 

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Farm Bill-

Senate Committee Bill and Senate Passage Prospects

• Senate Agriculture Committee votes its farm bill version out of committee by 16-5 vote http://bit.ly/KdLTfh
• Senate Agriculture Committee's 2012 Senate Farm Bill summary page (updated as needed) http://bit.ly/JIddVS
• Senate's Farm BIll: corn and soybeans the big winners in what would be historic shift away from direct payments http://bit.ly/KorLqE
• Senate Majority Leader Reid: farm bill is on list of major legislation he would like to get done http://bit.ly/IGh5tA
• Chances for Senate farm bill success on floor could hinge largely on safety net prospects for southern rice & peanuts http://bit.ly/J0Slsc

Reaction to Senate Bill

• Senate Ag Committee Ranking Member Roberts (R-KS): can talk Senate Leader Reid into putting Farm Bill on floor http://bit.ly/Jwfyno (audio)
• House Agriculture Committee Chair Lucas statement on Senate Committee's passed Farm Bill http://1.usa.gov/JDbvqU
• House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Peterson statement on Senate Committee's passed Farm Bill http://bit.ly/IAbsvJ
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition comments on Senate Farm Bill markup and passage http://bit.ly/JWxdo1
• Environmental Working Group statement on Senate Ag Committee's passed Farm Bill http://bit.ly/IobTdq
• US Rep. Kind (D-WI): farm bill needs reform but Senate's proposed deep cuts to conservation programs are not the answer http://bit.ly/KmBU7g
• National Wildlife Federation reaction to Senate Farm Bill http://bit.ly/K3zYXn
• NY Times summarizes Senate agriculture committee Farm Bill insurance proposal and reactions to it http://nyti.ms/JJoWBY
• Washington Post editorial: Senate farm bill's “federal crop insurance overprotects" http://wapo.st/IBhaNX
• Regional battles open over major Farm Bill provisions as south alleges unfair Senate Bill tilt toward Farm Belt states http://politi.co/J59Aro
• Wisconsin State Journal editorial: "Better farm bill not good enough" http://bit.ly/IGgF6x
• BloombergView editorial: Senate Definition of Reform? Give Rich Farmers More Aid http://bloom.bg/JVRLid

House Prospects

• House Agriculture subcommittee witnesses ask lawmakers to maintain conservation programs; testimony here: http://1.usa.gov/IGV3jH
• Agri-Pulse: Senate Ag Committee's Farm Bill Faces Uncertain Future in House http://bit.ly/J55IGU
• Southern agriculture leaders expect House farm bill to be friendlier to region than Senate's is http://bit.ly/KohcnA
• Vilsack: House GOP call for deep food stamp cuts is obstacle for new farm bill passage by Sept when current law expires http://bit.ly/IGgqZf

Other Farm Bill News

• Senate Farm Bill proposal http://bit.ly/Jt6NtJ cuts $23 B over next decade; House Farm Bill budget http://1.usa.gov/InNwMY cuts $33.2 B
• USDA Secretary: Congress risks slowing or stopping rural US economic growth if it fails to pass farm bill this year http://usat.ly/KjtHBv

Water Quality -

• Marten Law News story: Pending environmental groups' lawsuit seeks to force EPA to establish numeric nutrient criteria for US waters http://bit.ly/Ipt7mn
• New House bill would prohibit EPA and Army Corps from using Clean Water Act guidance document to enforce act http://1.usa.gov/InON6C
• Appropriation bill rider would keep Army Corps from implementing water jurisdiction guidance http://1.usa.gov/KquNva
• Sporting orgs blast reemergence of Clean Water Act policy restriction rider http://bit.ly/IGVA5a  http://bit.ly/IGVFGd  http://bit.ly/IGVTwZ
• EPA updates web version of Water Quality Standards Handbook to make "more user-friendly and improve transparency" http://1.usa.gov/JJn0JB
• KY Supreme Court: environmental groups can intervene in proposed state-coal company water quality settlement http://apne.ws/Ihog5a
• EPA misses yet another (fifth) deadline to propose stormwater rule; EPA and lawsuit plaintiff negotiating 6th deadline http://bit.ly/Kon28z
• EPA Blog Spotlight: "Giving New Life To The Dead Zone" looks at Miss Basin farm efforts to reduce nutrient loading http://1.usa.gov/K3BxEE
• EPA to work with water systems on 30 unregulated contaminants under final Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule http://1.usa.gov/IEcI2b
• Fort Wayne, IN to test facility to disinfect wastewater otherwise impacting rivers during sewer system overflows http://bit.ly/KZb5v6

Agriculture -

• U of IA Dept of Geoscience Professor's op-ed: Does farmland tiling prevent or contribute to flooding? http://bit.ly/IT4Shg
• Study: near term hotter, drier conditions more likely to destabilize corn prices than energy policy or market forces http://bit.ly/IEtfmN
• Farmers Market Coalition toolkit is guide to communicating about farmers markets to legislators http://bit.ly/JJpibI
• Bad weather and strong demand in China combine to tighten supplies and trigger global food inflation fears http://on.ft.com/KohMlc
• Global Food Policy Report gives comprehensive overview of major 2011 ag-related food, fuel, environment policy changes http://bit.ly/K3AMM3
• Nature magazine article: Some organic farms can yield almost as much as conventional farms but most cannot http://bit.ly/JE06a8
• LA Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry comments on recent EPA & environmental group clean water activities http://bit.ly/ImMBrC
• Natural Resources Conservation Service will come up with solution for wetland determination backlogs by September http://bit.ly/IGhf4e
• Op-ed: "The folly of big agriculture: Why Nature Always Wins" http://bit.ly/J0UOTt

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

• Bill would prevent EPA & Army Corps from using Clean Water Act guidance document to make wetlands determinations http://bit.ly/InOAQQ
• Farmers: Corps of Engineers Missouri RIver practices are contributing to erosion and threatening cropland http://bit.ly/K3vqjZ
• Op-ed: reconstruction of old, misaligned Missouri River levees and Army Corps' navigation channel a mistake http://bit.ly/K3w0xW
• House Appropriations Committee report includes state-by-state funding tables of Corps project & study funding http://1.usa.gov/IqyzU6 (PDF)
• Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY-1) calls for roundtable discussion on the maintenance needs of inland waterways http://bit.ly/K9Dhw8 (see PDF page 16)
• EPA Improves public access to online GIS tools; including flood zones, wetlands, H2O monitoring, water features http://bit.ly/IGFL1S
• LA Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry comments on recent EPA & environmental group clean water activities http://bit.ly/ImMBrC

In the States -

• Invasive-species boating bill advances in Minnesota legislature bit.ly/ICc8fL

Forestry -

• New report explores history of discussion and challenges re: certifying National Forest System lands for sustainability http://bit.ly/JJozqY

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• 2011 flooding Missouri and Mississippi rivers launched invasive species into lakes where they had not been before http://on.msnbc.com/JssyJm
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funding to help control invasive plant species; preproposal deadline: May 18 http://bit.ly/JlQNGj
• Another invasive Bighead Asian carp found at St. Croix River mouth (where it flows into the Mississippi; WI and MN) http://bit.ly/KmRiAB
• Organizations partnering to reintroduce up to 600 captive-born endangered American burying beetles into the wild in MO http://bit.ly/JjWibf
• Army Corps releases report on valuation of Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi River & Ohio River basin commercial fisheries http://bit.ly/IncStG

Gulf Coastal Area-

• LA State Senate approves 2012 state Coastal Master Plan http://bit.ly/IDb11b  & Coastal Protection & Restoration Plan http://bit.ly/IDbEHX
• Study re: sediment & water flow through Mississippi River-implications for channel dredging; sediment diversions plans http://bit.ly/IDcrZB

Resource Extraction -

• Study concludes shale fracking could reduce groundwater contaminant transport time by orders of magnitude http://bit.ly/IEsQ3A

Federal Budget -

• House Budget Committee Chair Ryan introduces bill to replace mandatory across-the-board 2013 discretionary spending cut http://bit.ly/IVJQyp
• Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee approves $33.4 B FY 2013 spending bill ($373 M below 2012 enacted) http://bit.ly/IA5fji
• Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee approves $20.8 B FY 2013 discretionary USDA & FDA spending bill http://bit.ly/IA5ACE
• OMB to Congress: Until House abides by 2011 budget deficit agreement, President will not sign any appropriations bills http://1.usa.gov/I0ZVSS (PDF)
• House Budget Committee to meet next Monday to put final touches on politicized $300+ billion 10-year budget package http://bit.ly/J0Tz6I
• House returns next week to start process of passing FY 2013 appropriations bills, starting with Commerce-Science cuts http://bit.ly/J0TUGl

Events-

• Save the dates: America's Great Watershed Initiative Summit (MIssissippi basin) Sept 26-27, St Louis, MO; more on AGWI: http://www.agwi.org/
• EPA Webinar: Responding to Climate Change through Coastal Habitat Restoration; May 15, 3:00-4:30 ET http://bit.ly/JsmGQk
• EcoSummit 2012 - Ecological Sustainability; Restoring the Planet’s Ecosystem Services; 9/30-10/5; Columbus OH http://bit.ly/ePkpLF
• NRC meeting: Levees and National Flood Insurance Program: Improving Policies and Practices; May 10-11; Sugar Land, TX http://bit.ly/IuUBte
• 10th Annual Wisconsin Association for Floodplain, Stormwater and Coastal Management; Madison; Oct 10-12 http://bit.ly/IZlTor
• Urban Water Sustainability Leadership Conference; October 15-17; Cincinnati, Ohio http://conta.cc/KZ4j8F
• Free EPA Webcast: "USDA’s NIFA-CEAP Watershed Synthesis: Lessons Learned” May 15, 1-3 PM EDT http://1.usa.gov/dCcmO0
• May 10:   Central Appalachian Women's Climate Justice Tribunal; Charleston, WV http://bit.ly/JiXIC4

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• National Water Quality Monitoring Council's "National Water Monitoring News" is published http://1.usa.gov/JsvDcq (PDF file)
• The Spring 2012 Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee newsletter is out http://bit.ly/IEwML6 (PDF file)
• American Farmland Trust's April E-newsletter http://bit.ly/KmPjwf
• National Great Rivers Research and Education Center monthly (Mississippi River basin-focused) enewsletter: http://bit.ly/KMp2fR
• EDF's latest issue of Delta Dispatches is out, with news on Louisiana Delta coastal restoration issues http://bit.ly/IDavQQ
• Water Environment Federation monthly stormwater enewsletter http://bit.ly/JiXxqB

Other news-

• Organizations launch "The Big River Works: Building Cooperation to Sustain the Mississippi River System" http://bit.ly/KmB4ax (PDF file)
• Walk Score Ranks 25 US cities by Transit-Friendliness : Major Mississippi River basin cities don't rank or low; DC 3rd http://bit.ly/IwbZun
• EPA names Glenn Paulson as its new Science Advisor http://bit.ly/Koogk5 and http://bit.ly/Koo980
• AP story: At 40 years of age, political pressures have replaced pollution as EPA's top foe http://bit.ly/JkkMCO
• American Queen riverboat resumes nostalgic cruises on Mississippi & Ohio Rivers for first time since 2008 http://bit.ly/Kuym3y

Political Scene -

• Political scientists: Congressional polarization has profound implications for governance and "it's going to get worse" http://bit.ly/JL5DIu
• Federal lawmakers grow anxious of packed lame duck session and talk of punting big issues into 2013 http://bit.ly/Jf9AD5
• Wisconsin Democrats divided over who to best oust Gov. Walker (R) in recall election http://wapo.st/JXpNDI
• Polls differ on who leads in KY 6th district US House race: incumbent Rep. Chandler (D) or attorney Andy Barr (R) http://bit.ly/IGPCVv
• USDA Secretary could soon hit campaign trail on behalf wife Christie Vilsack (running vs. Rep. King (R-IA-4)) http://bit.ly/IGhv33

Last Word
"They only want safety nets, not hammocks."  - Director of National Affairs for Florida Farm Bureau, Adam Basford, speaking of farmer's wishes regarding a 2012 Farm Bill, while expressing a belief that farmers aren’t asking for unreasonable risk management provisions.

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