No Farm Bill Vote and No Immediate Repercussions - History Repeating Itself

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced this morning that there won’t be a Farm Bill vote in the House this month, killing prospects of working out an agreement with the Senate and its already-passed version of a new Farm Bill.  House Republican leadership has not moved away from its resistance to holding what would undoubtedly be a contentious vote before the November election.

An attempt by a bipartisan coalition of House Members to force the measure onto the floor through a "discharge petition" process won’t have nearly enough time before the pre-election recess starting next week to gather the 218 signatures required to force the bill's consideration (58 House Members signed the petition through September 19 - an updated list of petition signers can be seen here).

The consequence of the Congressional stalemate (an expired 2008 Farm Bill at midnight, September 30) won't become immediately evident before the November 6 national election, or even before the end of this calendar year. That added buffer providing more time for Congress to act exists because (although the effective dates of the current law match those of the Federal fiscal year) the 2008 Farm Bill covers all of this calendar year's (2012) crops.  Additionally, Congressional appropriations can be utilized to fund many of the major Farm Bill provisions, whether they are authorized or not.

A July 25, 2012 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report entitled, “Possible Extension or Expiration of the 2008 Farm Bill” explains the authority and funding provisions this way.  First, “(t)he last year of support under the 2008 farm bill’s commodity programs is the 2012 crop year. This makes the effective deadline for enacting a new farm bill the time the first commodity is harvested in 2013, not the fiscal year. Exceptions include dairy programs that expire with the fiscal year or on December 31, 2012."  Second, the CRS report goes on to explain,"(m)any of the farm bill’s nutrition programs rely on annual appropriations regardless of whether they use mandatory or discretionary funds. Thus, a regular appropriation could be sufficient to continue most of the major programs’ operations if the 2008 farm bill expires. Exceptions include a farmers’ market nutrition program for seniors, and a few pilot or other small nutrition programs.”(emphasis added). 

The Continuing Resolution (CR) passed by the House last week (and that the Senate is currently considering and will pass by the end of the week) will keep the Federal government running through March 27, 2013, and continue to fund many of the Farm Bill's key nutrition, farm support and conservation programs, even absent the authority of a Farm Bill.  From a Farm Bill conservation perspective, the CR would allow no new acreage sign-ups for the mandatory-funded Conservation Stewardship Program and Wetlands Reserve, Grassland Reserve, and Chesapeake Bay Conservation programs, the last three of which will lack spending authority after September 30. 

The CR also will also cut $350 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, $35 million from the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and $50 million cut from the Farmland Protection Program, thus reducing the Farm Bill Conservation Title budget baseline under a future bill.

Explaining the Farm Bill provision time shift phenomenon described in the July CRS report, Mary Kay Thatcher, director of congressional affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, told National Public Radio earlier this week, “We actually have until about January 1 before we run into a lot of administrative problems with this bill reverting to some very high prices."

If you think this has all happened before, you're correct. On September 30, 2007, the 2002 Farm Bill expired, and an extension of the law wasn't passed until December 26, 2007.  The 2002 law was extended five more times before a new, 2008 Farm Bill was signed into law on June 18 (see the timeline, below). 

2008 Farm Bill Enactment Time Line
Click to Enlarge

Some farm and conservation organizations see the potential for good coming out of the Congressional indecision, allowing them the added time to apply political pressure on Congress to reach agreement on a comprehensive, five-year Farm Bill during the lame duck session starting in mid-November. But it is just as likely that a short-term (three-month to one-year) extension of the current law will be agreed upon during the lame duck; just in time to avoid the repercussions from a reversion in January to the enormously high crop subsidy levels of the 1940s.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Mississippi River City Mayors Kick Off New River-Focused Organization

Source:   KMOX/Brett Blume

At a two-day meeting this week in St. Louis, Missouri, the mayors of dozens of Mississippi River cities and towns from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico formally launched their new Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative ("MRCTI") to help create a strong and influential voice for the Mississippi River by organizing around matters of mutual concern (see regional news coverage of the event here, here and here). One of MRCTI's primary objectives is to dramatically increase demand throughout the River Basin and in Washington, DC for effective River protection, restoration and management by articulating and helping to drive multi-stakeholder solutions to nagging federal and state policy problems that currently impede such solutions. Questions or suggestions regarding the Initiative can be directed to Colin Wellenkamp at the Northeast-Midwest Institute (telephone at 202-464-4008 or email at cwellenkamp@nemw.org).

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Drought-

                                                                      Status

• Worst drought conditions in the lower 48 U.S. states expands for the third week in a row http://bloom.bg/RQM5Ev



Click Map for a Larger Version

• Here are the the U.S. Drought Monitor report and map: http://bit.ly/rak0SU (September 11)

                                         Impacts

• Drought; rising temperatures force water managers to produce same power amount from hydroelectric grid with less water http://wapo.st/QeHfSS
• Blistered by drought, Wisconsin farmers face decisions this fall, including whether to remain in business or quit http://bit.ly/QeRBCo
• After worst Midwest drought in 76 years, soybean reserves will be their lowest since 1973 by March http://bloom.bg/RPwvgJ
• Weather service warns of fire danger in Central Minnesota region and rest of state http://on.sctimes.com/QCSEQN
• Isaac's rain helped some stressed trees in the Midwest, but was too late for some http://bit.ly/QaW0c0
• 2012 Drought Effect on Corn Yield on one Indiana farm http://bit.ly/PiFHpZ
• Update on Mississippi River shipping - openings/slow-downs - due to hurricane and drought. http://t.co/m02ihKt2
• Continuation of summer's hot, dry weather patterns could next shrink global supply of wheat http://on.wsj.com/QHR1it

Federal Policy

• 13 farm groups ask Senate leaders to "refrain from supporting" the House-passed agriculture disaster bill http://bit.ly/QeRrL6
• 30 organizations send letter to Congress rejecting farm conservation cutting to pay for short-term disaster assistance http://bit.ly/No0Q5t
• Thousands of farmers filing insurance claims after drought and heat burned up crops across U.S. Corn Belt http://abcn.ws/RQLSkX

Farm Bill-

• Hopes for 5-year farm bill in near future fade as Congress to act on other bills that emphasize political agendas http://nyti.ms/QeQN0a
• Congress headed toward short-term extension of existing Farm Bill programs and passage of limited drought-relief bill http://bit.ly/RQKkaq
• Six-month stopgap spending bill could be vehicle for extension of federal farm programs set to expire September 30 bit.ly/QeQgeQ
• Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA-1) files discharge petition on 2012 farm bill after procedural hurdles overcome http://bit.ly/Nqyuri
• Complete, periodically updated list of lawmakers who have signed Rep Braley's Farm Bill discharge petition available http://1.usa.gov/PeoqA0
• Divisions continue among House Republicans over their leadership’s decision to block five-year farm bill action http://bit.ly/NnZV52
• Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Stabenow plans no move on interim disaster aid until House moves on Farm Bill http://bit.ly/No0cVL
• Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Stabenow: one-year extension of current farm bill "unacceptable" http://bit.ly/No0nAr
• House leaders seem to have dropped the idea of passing farm bill this year in favor of one-year extension http://bit.ly/No0AU6
• Good turnout for Farm Bill Now rally ow.ly/i/VBDe (photo - via @DonEWG)
• Frustration high at farm bill rally in a "last, bittersweet attempt to sway Boehner" http://politi.co/QHOh4O
• Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN-7) Addresses Farm Bill Now Rally: http://bit.ly/RRX1pV (audio link)
• Congressional agreement on a stalled farm bill seems increasingly out of reach http://nyti.ms/RNYSaM

Agriculture -

• European Union will impose limit on the use of crop-based biofuels fearing food competition and climate impacts http://trib.in/RPwGc4
• Do Plant-Derived Agrofuels Create More Problems Than They Solve? http://bit.ly/RIkY4j
• Biofuels supporters buoyed after meetings with lawmakers http://bit.ly/RO0AsP

Water Quality -

• DTN Progressive Farmer: Stopping the Nitrogen Flow-Drought Reduces Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone at Least for a Year http://bit.ly/Nqcmxl
• USDA official: Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force taking actions to address nutrient runoff; other hypoxia contributors http://bit.ly/Nq9qR9
• Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force announces plan to monitor nutrient reductions throughout basin http://1.usa.gov/UKGiVf
• No easy fixes seen for Minnesota River erosion, pollution http://bit.ly/NgbZ8w
• EPA releases enhanced AQUATOX model-predicts fate of nutrients/organics in water; direct and indirect biotic effects http://1.usa.gov/Qj39Ez
• Topeka city crews monitor pollution levels in Kansas River after sewer main overflows http://bit.ly/PbpQef
• Des Moines, Iowa, Selected for Green Infrastructure Design Assistance by EPA http://1.usa.gov/RNYvx5
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources assisting in Mississippi River Regional Ambient Fish Tissue monitoring http://bit.ly/RWtfQT
• "States Implement Innovative Approaches to Combat Nutrient Pollution" http://bit.ly/Nqc2yB (V&E Environmental Law Update)

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

• Think smaller: Mega-dams and massive government-run irrigation projects are not key to meeting world’s water needs http://bit.ly/NqdxwN

In the States -

• Industries pay farmers to curb nutrient laden runoff under new Wisconsin regulatory regimen http://bit.ly/QaVDhB
• MO DNR drafts plans to address bacterial pollution from sewer overflows and urban runoff; cities object to expense http://bit.ly/Pbp54V
• MO DNR: Cleanup of St. Louis-area creeks will take time http://bit.ly/RWsHue
• EPA awards Oklahoma $2,059,773 to control nonpoint source pollution and protect water quality http://1.usa.gov/RWs04g

Forestry -

• Conditions across Minnesota are ripe for wildfires http://ow.ly/dCwWb

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• Sen. Tester (D-MT) introduces bill package to improve public land hunting/angling access; promote wildlife conservation http://bit.ly/NnYeVm
• TransCanada submits second revision of Nebraska portion of route for its controversial Keystone XL pipeline http://wapo.st/NgaZBb
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service video teaches how to identify invasive Asian (bighead and silver) carps http://youtu.be/B49OWrCRs38
• Native species can cause ecological / economic impacts that rivaling invasives by spreading within historical range http://bit.ly/PhROHj
• New research: Drought alters the structure and functioning of complex food webs (J. Nature Climate Change) http://bit.ly/QeN3fc
• Great Lakes-Mississippi basin separation for invasives control would require multi billion $ replumbing of Chicago http://bit.ly/QeTpLy
• Barge & tour boat operators concerned about proposals to permanently separate Great Lakes from Mississippi River system http://bit.ly/S8UeF1
• Phragmites: the "worst" aquatic invasive plant http://bit.ly/RPvkOn
• EcoMyth or Fact?: Asian carp's destructive impact on an ecosystem http://bit.ly/RPvO7a
• 100 most endangered species: priceless or worthless? – in pictures http://bit.ly/ODdvPk (via @guardianeco)
• Reuters: Experts plea for protection of obscure but at risk plants and animals http://reut.rs/NnYZgV

Gulf Coastal Region-

• Hurricane Isaac turned Mississippi River delta cattle country into brackish floodwater stretching for miles http://abcn.ws/No19gz
• Louisiana AG says proposed settlement relating to 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is insufficient for spill victims http://bit.ly/Pbpowx
• Obama signs Executive Order to get RESTORE funds flowing to Gulf Coast: http://bit.ly/Opwelq

Resource Extraction -

• India $7 billion coal deal with Kentucky may be in jeopardy according to Indian news source; KY officials disagree http://cjky.it/Sqdnsj
• America’s Wetland Foundation: Gulf of Mexico coastal restoration needs investment of billions of dollars http://bit.ly/RM0BO0
• Ohio activists push for local government control of oil and gas well fracking http://bit.ly/QeSElK
• West Virginia groups urge Gov. Tomblin to temporarily stop issuing new Marcellus Shale formation drilling permits http://bit.ly/PboD6I

Federal Budget -

• House passes pass six-month Continuing Resolution after GOP and Dems play blame game bit.ly/RQI9DH (news coverage)
• US House passes H.J.Res. 117 - Continuing Appropriations Resolution, for fiscal year 2013 http://1.usa.gov/QJjUrl (PDF of bill)
• US Congress poised to kick difficult Federal spending decisions down the road . . . again http://politi.co/UEdRbz
• Fiscal cliff: no deal-making going on; none of top Congressional leaders or their aides in serious negotiations http://politi.co/PZ6ubw

Events-

• White House CEQ and USEPA to host September 20 green infrastructure conference http://bit.ly/NqcUmF  and http://1.usa.gov/NqcVXN
• Tennessee Oil and Gas Board hearing on proposed hydrofracking regulations; September 28; Nashville TN http://1.usa.gov/UxKxU8
• Appalachian Public Interest Environmental Law Conference; October 26-28, Knoxville, TN http://bit.ly/UxKOGM
• Planners' Workshop: Planning Flood-Resilient Communities; October 10,  Kansas City, MO http://bit.ly/QeMq5n (Register: http://bit.ly/QeMsds)
• 32nd International Symposium of the North American Lake Management Society; November 7-9; Madison, Wisconsin http://bit.ly/QeOUR6
• Wisconsin Wetlands Association's 18th Annual Wetlands Conference; Sheboygan, WI, February 12-14, 2013; details here soon: http://bit.ly/PZ2SpX
• 9/12 Presidential Forum on Agriculture; Iowa Public Television, http://www.iptv.org repeats 9/16 1 PM and 9/19 8 PM CDT
• 'State of the River' Launch (re: Mississippi River health); September 27,  Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN) http://bit.ly/PZaJUw
• EPA webinar: revised Section 319 Nonpoint Source Program; Grants Guidelines for States & Territories; Sept 20, 2 pm EDT http://bit.ly/PZbsVA
• 2012 Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference–early bird registration ends Sept 14; La Crosse, WI; Oct 29-31 www.umisc2012.org
• 4th annual Upper Midwest Stream Restoration Symposium; La Crosse, WI; Feb 24-27, 2013 (oral abstract deadline 9/28) http://bit.ly/Pbna0n
• Assoc. of State Flooplain Managers Annual National Conference, June 9 -14, 2013, Hartford, CT - call for presentations http://bit.ly/RQO5g1

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• Tennessee Clean Water Network's September 7 e-newsletter is out bit.ly/UxK4kW
• Latest bimonthly edition of Association of State Floodplain Managers "News and Views" http://bit.ly/QeJdTs
• Association of State Floodplain Managers Foundation Summer 2012 newsletter released (with Nebraska focus) http://bit.ly/d8Jugl (note: not the same as above ASFPM "News and Notes")
• America's Waterway September River Currents Newsletter is out with Mississippi River news highlights and summary http://bit.ly/PZadps
• New Growing Blue blog broaches various subjects illustrating importance of water to economic and social growth http://bit.ly/Nqde56

Other news-

• Vote before 9/19 on Chase Community Giving page & support Clean Water Network's efforts to protect U.S. water resources http://bit.ly/QeHJZp
• Submission period open through Oct. 15 for MGA video contest, "America's Smartland" re: unique Midwestern qualities http://bit.ly/Nf7WWZ
• Op-ed: Growth fallacies: continuous economic growth could in theory, and probably has in fact, become uneconomic http://bit.ly/PZ7dtp
• St. Louis gathering of River mayors marks beginning of plan to bring national attention to Mississippi River’s problems http://bit.ly/No1obH
• Mississippi River Cities  and Towns Initiative meeting has goal of focusing national attention back on the River http://cbsloc.al/RQMMhl
• Researchers find Tennessee will be hard hit by climate change without an adaptation plan http://bit.ly/Nq8Ov1

Political Scene -

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) suggests Senate won’t be in Washington too long this fall bit.ly/RPw9Hc
• Todd Akin not quitting MO Senate race; believes once Sept. 25 deadline passes, more money will pour into his race http://politi.co/TNd8FE
• House Budget Chair Ryan (R-WI-1) running for House seat re-election even as he simultaneously campaigns for VP http://bit.ly/NnWnja

Last Word -
“For a long time now, words like compromise have been considered to be dirty words. And there are people on the right and the left who think that if you compromise you’re a coward, you’re a facilitator, you’re an appeaser.” - Steven LaTourette (R-OH-14), a prominent moderate Republican House Member; said in announcing that he will not seek a tenth term.

Federal Spending Bill Begins Quick Trip Through Congress

Last evening the House Rules Committee posted a 29-page "Continuing Resolution," (or "CR") on its website with the expectation that the measure could come to a House floor vote as early as Thursday, and move on to the Senate for quick passage next week.   Here is a link to the final version of the bill.  The measure would keep the Federal government running through March 27, 2013, assuming it passes the House and Senate before the existing funding authority expires at the end of September.  The House Rules Committee will consider the bill tomorrow, (at 3 p.m. EDT in U.S. Capitol room H-313), when it will likely adopt a "closed rule" barring amendments and setting aside an hour of debate on the bill on the House floor on Thursday.

The CR raises current spending levels by $8 billion under a formula that will raise most appropriations accounts by about 0.6 percent to meet the $1.047 trillion spending target set for the new fiscal year that begins October 1.  The $1.047 trillion cap was actually agreed upon under terms of last year's Budget Control Act, the deal that Congressional lawmakers and the Obama Administration reached to raise the debt ceiling.  The 0.6 percent increases would be distributed evenly across discretionary spending accounts.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised that the Senate will not attempt to add policy riders onto this bill.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

USDA Awards Nearly $11 Million for 26 Mississippi River Basin Conservation Projects

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced its 2012 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) awards, with more than $26 million in funding awarded to 59 agriculture and conservation institutions, foundations and businesses in 47 states (see this media release). The grant awards included nearly $11 million in funding for 26 projects focusing on the Mississippi River Basin, as detailed in a Mississippi River Basin-specific award list available as a PDF file here.

USDA Conservation Effects Survey to Have Des Moines River Basin Focus

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2012 National Resources Inventory (NRI) – Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) survey will focus on a Mississippi River Basin nutrient loading "hot spot," collecting information from agricultural producers in the Des Moines River Basin (Iowa and Minnesota) about farming and conservation practices on cultivated cropland (it also collected information in the Western Lake Erie Basin). The Des Moines River Basin effort will specifically look at the Basin's Boone River and Raccoon River subwatersheds, which were identified as particularly problematic from a nutrient loading standpoint in a July 2012 Upper Mississippi River Basin report. National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) representatives will visit 956 farms in the Des Moines River Basin (with a Boone and Raccoon watershed focus), from August 2012 through January 2013, to collect information about on-farm conservation practices. The information from the project will be used by the USDA to obtain a "current accounting of the environmental impacts of conservation practices in these areas," according tho the NASS. For more on the NRI CEAP project, see this USDA web site.

USDA Offering Conservation Innovation Grant Drought Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering Fiscal Year 2013 targeted Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) "drought" funding for projects that might demonstrate or enhance agricultural system resilience to the effects of drought, and evaluate and demonstrate agricultural practices that help farmers and ranchers adapt to drought. The proposal application deadline is October 15, 2012. To see more details regarding funding availability, see this Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) media release or this PDF file.

Fiscal Uncertainty
Fiscal cliffhanger news, now! When U.S. Congressional members return next week to Capitol Hill, all indications are that they will start crafting a Continuing Resolution (or "CR") designed to keep the Federal government running during the first half of the 2013 fiscal year starting on October 1. Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders agreed before beginning the August recess to the six-month CR approach, and will be reticent to change that or to add any special spending line items or policy riders to the bill they come up with. That being said, there may be some impetus to add some form of natural disaster relief authority and money to the CR in light of the ongoing drought and recent Hurricane Isaac damage. Although the CR is expected to come up either next week or the week after, Congress may pass a shorter stop-gap bill and not actually vote for a full six-month extension until the lame-duck session of Congress following the November general election, in order to give negotiators more time to reach a budget deal.

Looming over the fiscal year 2013 debate is the matter of $1.2 trillion in across-the-board Federal spending cuts that are automatically scheduled to begin on January 1, 2013 under provisions of the Budget Control Act of 2011, passed by Congress and signed into law in August 2011. Known as "sequestration," these mandatory cuts kick in if Congress fails to enact a deficit-reduction bill containing at least $1.2 trillion in cuts (which Congress has failed to do). So, there are those who are arguing against the long-term extension approach, contending that the CR would simply give lawmakers a false sense of security regarding the impending sequestration "fiscal cliff," and increase the ever-present temptation to avoid dealing with the issue head-on.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Drought-

Status

Click figure to see a larger version

• Despite Isaac's rain, record-breaking drought grew worse in Great Plains and spread across U.S. as a whole last week http://bit.ly/IEtOun
• Drought lingers despite Isaac, while Federal forecasters warn that the worst drought in decades could persist for months http://yhoo.it/OsB6BY
• National Wildlife Federation report blames climate change for summer's heat and drought http://bit.ly/OKM3Qn
• Hurricane Isaac remnant dumps more than a foot of rain on the parched Midwest, with mix of hope and anxiety http://nyti.ms/RCBfGD
• Rain from remnants of Isaac brings relief to dry AR, MO, IL, IN and OH but not drought-hit KS, NE, OK, CO and IA http://on.wsj.com/RCDxpe

Impacts

• Three days of Isaac's rain soaked Midwest parched fields and softened cracked soil; offers hope for next corn season http://nyti.ms/RCBBgm
• Isaac gives drought-stricken farmers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri brief respite http://bit.ly/OUWPE3
• As expected, Hurricane Isaac rainfall does little to change Mississippi River barge problems caused by drought; low water http://lat.ms/RCBQYW
• Isaac arrival over middle Mississippi Valley is welcome relief for drought-stricken farmers http://lat.ms/RCH4nf
• Drought means millions of migrating waterfowl will find fewer rest stops on way south this fall http://usat.ly/RCHMB6
• Drought diminishes monarch butterfly migration through middle US http://bit.ly/OUVVan
• Drought hits crops worldwide: U.S. corn and soybeans, Russian and Australian wheat; Brazilian and Argentinian soybeans http://nyti.ms/Sjpw25

Federal Policy

• USDA Emergency Forest Restoration Program funds available to restore natural disaster-damaged private lands http://1.usa.gov/NRDlNS
• USDA offers FY 2013 CIG project drought funding to demonstrate/enhance system resilience; proposal deadline 10/15 http://1.usa.gov/Od5i8C

Farm Bill-

• "I’m not sure which day. I’m not sure which month. But there will be a new farm bill."-House Agriculture Committee Chair Lucas (R-OK) http://bit.ly/RCCTI8
• Senate Agriculture Committee member Charles Grassley (R-IA) - likely a new farm bill won't be forthcoming soon http://bit.ly/SjnVcI
• Farm groups http://bit.ly/O5BMw0 plan September 12  rally at Capitol in DC to demand a new farm bill be passed http://bit.ly/Sjowet

Agriculture -

• Sustainable America blog editor: 2012 drought highlights "dependency on industrial agriculture system" http://bit.ly/NRtuaA
• U.S. Department of Agriculture research: No-till farming helps capture snow, soil water http://bit.ly/Od6skq
• MN farmlands being drain-tiled at "breakneck pace," prompting debate concerning crop yields and water quality http://bit.ly/Od6FnJ
• USDA releases update to its 2010 Upper Mississippi River Basin conservation effects assessment report http://1.usa.gov/Od92qB (PDF file)
• USDA Awards Nearly $11 Million for 26 Mississippi River Basin Conservation Innovation Grant Projects http://bit.ly/OpIheh

Water Quality -

• How Food Production Impacts Water Quality http://bit.ly/Sjqz22
• EPA educates confined animal feeding operators, while allowing Iowa to remain in charge of CAFO Clean Water Program http://bit.ly/RCEmOB
• Nashville, TN: A Case Study of How Green Infrastructure is Helping Manage Urban Stormwater Challenges http://bit.ly/OUXuVV (PDF file)
• Commercial fish harvest part of project to remove Black Hawk Lake (Iowa) from state’s Impaired Waters List http://bit.ly/NRAiFf

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

• Louisiana flooding in wake of Isaac hits those upstream of New Orleans and others outside protection of levee system http://bit.ly/PCT2tG
• Hurricane Isaac caused serious flooding in 10 Louisiana parishes and damaged more than 13,000 homes http://lat.ms/NRu5ZT
• Army Corps cost-benefit analysis results mean some do not get benefits of levee-protection in Louisiana http://bit.ly/OUVj4M

In the States -

• TN Dept of Environment and Conservation offering $350,000 in green infrastructure grants to local governments http://1.usa.gov/OsztEA
• Minnesota's Conservation Partners Legacy Grant Program Fall Funding Cycle Closes Sept. 26 http://bit.ly/NRC35e

Forestry -

• Minnesota timber industry continues to struggle bit.ly/OcY2JS (via @MyMNwoods)

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• Canadian firm proposes new Nebraska oil pipeline route to avoid environmentally sensitive areas http://bit.ly/NOyNNW
• Mississippi River's Pool 8 habitat restoration and enhancement project complete after nearly 30 years and $500 million http://bit.ly/NRzznv
• 'Spineless' animals under threat of extinction http://alturl.com/cjsgc [nearly 20% world's invertebrate species at risk]
• The world's extinct and endangered species – an interactive map (The Guardian) http://bit.ly/RCqd3Z
• Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee releases new Asian carp footage to media and public http://bit.ly/NRF85B  (requires registration)
• Op-Ed: Coming attractions in Aquatic Invasive Species for Minneapolis area lakes http://bit.ly/OcXSSE
• State Fair visitors learn about invasive species finding their way to Minnesota http://ow.ly/1OunMr

Gulf Coastal Region-

• Dramatic "Storm Season" photo essay follows changes in Louisiana's Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary from 2006 to 2011 http://bit.ly/QcdVk9
• Funding for 2012 cycle of Gulf of Mexico Foundation's Community-based Restoration Partnership now available http://bit.ly/NRCrkr
• NPR:  In Isaac's aftermath, did New Orleans pass the test? http://n.pr/RCHWsg
• "Local Louisiana" Exhibit To Reveal Residents' Reasons for Coastal Louisiana Restoration http://bit.ly/NRxZC1
• US Geological Survey scientists reveal “Science of Storms” and impact of hurricanes on Gulf Coast http://go.usa.gov/rPZk
• EPA awards nearly $1.2 million to assist in restoration of disappearing coastal habitats along Gulf of Mexico Coast http://1.usa.gov/OUhE42
• Coast Guard investigates 90 reports of oil, chemical leaks following Hurricane Isaac http://bit.ly/NRsB1W

Federal Budget -

• Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN): Congress will use lame duck session to kick the Federal budget crisis can into 2013 http://bit.ly/RCDVUz
• Conversations going on now between Dems and GOP over ways to avoid Federal fiscal cliff http://bit.ly/ROLEuQ

Events-

• Panel discussion: Clean Water Act -- 40 Years Later, September 13, Washington DC, details and register here: http://bit.ly/ROH1Rt
• Conference: Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the 21st Century.  Lisle, Illinois; Sept. 13-14 http://bit.ly/NRAPXU
• 6th Annual Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration; Oct. 20-24; Tampa, FL http://bit.ly/LgdhA0
• 5th World Conference on Ecological Restoration; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; October 6-11, 2013 http://bit.ly/NRBvwh
• September 26-28 Upper Mississippi River Conference early-bird registration ends September 7 http://bit.ly/NE8aGW
• America's Great Watershed Initiative Summit, Sept. 26-27; St. Louis, MOhttp://bit.ly/Oj1SLj

Other news-

• Mississippi River mayors urged to join forces for the sake of their towns and the River http://bit.ly/ROIR4H
• Researchers: Global temperatures may exceed safe levels without any more carbon reduction pledges (Are we there yet?) http://bloom.bg/OOD4gZ
• Tips for great trout fishing in the Driftless area of WI, IL, MN and IA http://bit.ly/AAbLvA
• Nine-state Midwest region economy fails to grow in consecutive months for first time since July 2009 http://bit.ly/SjpYxg
• New research: Policies encouraging sustainable coastal ecosystem management could significantly reduce carbon emissions http://bit.ly/NQkWH0

Political Scene -

• Congressional Rural Caucus "committed to representing interests of rural Americans regardless of party or geography" http://1.usa.gov/ROKRtX

Last Word

“We had a good life, and now it’s gone forever." - third generation landowner Donny Nelson, describing the degradation of habitat, environmental quality, and rural lifestyle following oil development on his family's 8,000 acre cattle ranch and throughout the North Dakota oil region, the site of the biggest U.S. oil rush in decades.

 And now for an audio exclamation point to Mr. Nelson's lament:

USDA Awards Nearly $11 Million for 26 Mississippi River Basin Conservation Projects

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced the 2012 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) awards, with more than $26 million in funding awarded to 59 agriculture and conservation institutions, foundations and businesses in 47 states (see this media release). The grant awards included nearly $11 million in funding for 26 projects in or related to the Mississippi River Basin, as detailed in the table below (the Mississippi River Basin-specific award list is also available as a PDF file here).

Click on the Image or on the Link Below to View a Larger Version
http://www.nemw.org/images/MRB2012CIGAwards.pdf

USDA Offering Conservation Innovation Grant Drought Funding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering Fiscal Year 2013 targeted Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) "drought" funding for projects that might demonstrate or enhance agricultural system resilience to the effects of drought, and evaluate and demonstrate agricultural practices that help farmers and ranchers adapt to drought. The proposal application deadline is October 15, 2012. To find more details regarding funding availability, see this Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) media release or this PDF file of the CIG funding Federal Register announcement.

USDA Conservation Effects Survey to Have Des Moines River Basin Focus

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2012 National Resources Inventory (NRI) – Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) survey will focus on a Mississippi River Basin nutrient loading "hot spot," collecting information from agricultural producers in the Des Moines River Basin (Iowa and Minnesota) about farming and conservation practices on cultivated cropland (it also collected information in the Western Lake Erie Basin). The Des Moines River Basin effort will specifically look at the Basin's Boone River and Raccoon River subwatersheds, which were identified as particularly problematic from a nutrient loading standpoint in a July 2012 Upper Mississippi River Basin report. National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) representatives will visit 956 farms in the Des Moines River Basin (with a Boone and Raccoon watershed focus), from August 2012 through January 2013, to collect information about on-farm conservation practices. The information from the project will be used by the USDA to obtain a "current accounting of the environmental impacts of conservation practices in these areas," according to the NASS.

For more on the NRI CEAP project, see this USDA web site.