Capitol Hill This Week - What to Watch That Could Effect Water Resources

Here are the activities scheduled this week in the U.S. House and Senate that could have a significant impact on the Mississippi River Basin's water and natural resources.  Where available, links are provided to the relevant Committee and legislation pages on the Internet.  Many of the proceedings are webcast live (follow the appropriate link).

Tuesday, March 12

• On Tuesday, the House will meet for legislative business, when it is scheduled to consider H.R. 1035, a bill sponsored by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI-4) of the Financial Services Committee, to require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to undertake a study of voluntary community-based flood insurance options and how such options might be incorporated into the national flood insurance program.  
• The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to hold a March 13 hearing on National Forest Management Impacts on Rural Economies; Communities.  The meeting will be held at 10 AM (Eastern) in room 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building, and stream live over the Internet. The only witness currently scheduled to testify is U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell.

Wednesday, March 13

• The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will hold a 9:30 AM hearing on water infrastructure financing (room B-308, Rayburn House Office Building).  Witnesses currently scheduled to testify include Mike Shapiro, U.S. EPA deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Water; Alfredo Gomez, director of natural resources at the Government Accountability Office; Aurel Arndt, general manager of the Lehigh County Authority (Pennsylvania); Ben Grumbles, president of the U.S. Water Alliance; Howard Neukrug, commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department; Jeff Sterba, president of American Water; and Thad Wilson, vice president of M3 Capital Partners LLC.

Wednesday, March 13 and Thursday, March 14

Budget Resolutions

• House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) is set to release his Fiscal Year 2014 budget plan on Tuesday, and the Budget Committee may consider the Budget Resolution as early as Wednesday, March 13.  The proposed resolution would set tax and spending targets for the entire federal government for the next Fiscal Year (starting October 1, 2013). While the House has been somewhat diligent in passing annual Budget Resolutions in the past several years, the Senate has not.  Collectively, however, the House and Senate Budget Committee leaders have committed themselves to moving Congress back toward its more traditional role of passing a Budget Resolution each year, rather than relying upon the stopgap funding measures that have characterized the recent past.
• The Senate Budget Committee is expected to debate its own Fiscal Year 2014 budget resolution on Thursday.

Generally Speaking

• Senate Democrats will also move forward this week with their plan to fund the government from March 27 through the end of the fiscal year in September.   The House passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution (H R 933) last week, sending it on to the Senate for its consideration.  Senate Democrats are expected to modify the House bill by providing more federal agencies added flexibility in setting their budgets under the terms of sequestration by altering the base from which the cuts are made.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Mississippi River Basin Asian Carp Management is Focus of Capitol Hill Symposium; Recent Legislation

Asian carp management in the Mississippi River Basin was the topic of discussion at a March 6, Capitol Hill "Asian Carp Awareness Symposium" in conjunction with National Invasive Species Awareness Week and Great Lakes Days.  The Symposium focused on  Federal, state, local, nonprofit and private coordinating efforts and responses to combat invasive Asian carp in the Ohio River, Upper Mississippi River, Lower Mississippi River, Missouri River and Great Lakes basins.  Legislation that has been recently introduced in the U.S. House and Senate was also addressed by several Symposium speakers, including two sponsors of one of those bills, who stressed that the legislation would assist Asian carp control efforts.  To read more details on this issue, the Symposium and the pending legislation, see here.

Who Are the Federal Agency Sequestration "Winners" and "Losers?" - To Be Determined

Based upon the "no shutdown" rhetoric coming out of last Friday's White House meeting among Congressional leaders and the President, the potential for an end-of-March, Federal government shutdown is practically nil (especially since the President has also told Democratic leaders in the Senate not to threaten a shutdown). The main question remaining, then, is whether the inevitable spending bill, or Continuing Resolution, will replace the sequestration cuts (that went into effect late last week) with some other budget numbers, for what amounts and for which agencies. Some Federal agencies may end up with more money to spend through the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, and some less. Picking the "winners" and "losers" will be the crux of the congressional debate between now and March 27: the last date for any spending legislation before the current spending authority lapses. In reality, since March 22 is the last date that Congress is scheduled to be in session prior to a two-week-long spring recess, the next spending deal will likely be hashed out by then.  You can read more detailed news on this issue under the "Federal Budget" heading, below.

Dubuque Brings It's Mississippi River-Focused Agenda to Washington, DC

Representatives of City of Dubuque, Iowa and the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism visited Washington, DC this week for their annual trip to bring the Mississippi River city's and region's business "voice . . . to Iowa's federal legislative delegation in Washington."  The Chamber's message to federal lawmakers, as well as the strategic policy recommendations underlying that message, reflect on the city's Mississippi River heritage, and was one advocating for federal policies that assist with economic development while assuring long-term sustainability.  To read more of Dubuque's legislative agenda and River-based sustainability approach, see this article.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Water Quality -

• Environmental Science & Technology paper: Aging US sewer systems release considerable nitrogen into urban watersheds http://bit.ly/WWvpFr
• Wetland management reduces sediment; nutrient loading to Upper Mississippi River;  Journal of Environmental Quality http://bit.ly/100H7M2 (abstract)
• Researchers tracking the amount of saline runoff into Minnehaha Creek (MN) http://bit.ly/168Xt9T (Mississippi River tributary)
• Farm Press Blog editorial : "Louisiana ag braces for new hypoxia challenge"-agriculture is "convenient whipping boy" http://bit.ly/Yb7uvI

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

• KS and MO landowners with 2011 flood-damaged property viewing Supreme Court ruling as opening to sue US government http://bit.ly/13Dab0U
• Congressional Research Service: National Flood Insurance Program: Status and Remaining Issues for Congress http://bit.ly/ZgSyhz (PDF file)
• Brookings policy proposal: how National Flood Insurance and other federal disaster relief programs could be reformed http://bit.ly/Z303aA
• Mississippi River breaks through banks in Louisiana, reconnecting itself with old canal and its wetlands http://bit.ly/12odkSE
• U.S. Army Corps:  Mississippi River rock removal project near Thebes and Grand Tower, IL completed http://reut.rs/Z2ilsG
• Mississippi River water levels on the rise going into spring; barges are carrying full loads again http://bit.ly/Z2ic8p
• Low Mississippi River water levels are hurting Jefferson County, Missouri towns http://bit.ly/12okSVF
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee begin series of Water Resources Development Act listening sessions http://bit.ly/XSDyZ5
• Federal judge continues a 2005 injunction that prohibits transfer of Missouri River water into Hudson Bay watershed http://bit.ly/14uVyZx
• With likely second year of drought ahead, Army Corps to soon start Missouri River sandbar vegetation control work http://bit.ly/WWRpjF

Drought-

March 5 Drought Monitor Map
(click to enlarge)

• Little change in Plains and Midwest drought conditions as water remains locked in snow or out of frozen ground http://bit.ly/rak0SU
• Drought-stricken Plains farmers 'giddy' over heavy snow http://n.pr/ZY3thg
• USDA and Iowa State Climatologist: just 13 % of Iowa’s soils report adequate moisture despite snows http://dmreg.co/165Er4c

Farm Bill-

• New Congressional Budget Office estimate: 2012 Farm Bill drafts save $9-10 Billion less than originally thought http://1.usa.gov/12oczch
• Writing new farm bill just got harder with Congressional Budget Office's downgrading of promised Farm Bill savings http://bit.ly/12oheLm
• Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: Farmer support for extending Conservation Compliance beyond soil erosion http://bit.ly/ZgVfSE

Agriculture -

• Crop insurance is now on the verge of becoming the primary means of supporting farm income http://bit.ly/12ohuu0
• Hamburger or Hummus? Free online course on food system sustainability buff.ly/15T4YBs
• House Ag Committee questions USDA Secretary Vilsack on plans to implement the sequester http://1.usa.gov/167UCOv (testimony; webcast)
• Farm Foundation Forum highlights new report: “Developing a New Vision for US Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation” http://bit.ly/W9TgOZ
• Dept. of Agriculture should benefit from Senate changes to House's fiscal 2013 spending bill http://bit.ly/W9V0Yy
• 173-acre Illinois farm sells for $15,375 per acre in a transaction billed as a new record for the area http://bit.ly/W9VopW

In the Cities -

• Dubuque, Iowa representatives bring their Mississippi River-focused agenda and history to Washington, DC http://bit.ly/WWNByE (story above)

Forestry -

• House Ag Committee to hold March 13 hearing on National Forest Management Impacts on Rural Economies; Communities http://1.usa.gov/WWWKHq

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• Unprecedented confluence of myriad environmental issues threatens Minnesota's natural resources and heritage http://bit.ly/12okmH9
• Songbird use of floodplain and upland forests along the Upper Mississippi River corridor during spring migration http://on.doi.gov/100I1IA (abstract)
• National Invasive Species Awareness Week recognized in U.S. House  http://bit.ly/W9SUYS

Gulf Coastal Region-

• U.S. Senators Landrieu (D-LA) and Shelby (R-AL) urge 'robust' Clean Water Act fines for 2010 BP spill http://bit.ly/Xfg299
• Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority head: "NOAA folks are just misinformed” on sea level rise http://bit.ly/Xfgkg9

Resource Extraction -

• Wisconsin study will examine the impact of frac sand mines on water http://bit.ly/12okF4E
• Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing our Environment hosts event to focus on hydraulic fracturing in the region http://bit.ly/ZW2gXV
• North Dakota's economy won't buckle under sequestration cuts, thanks in large part to state's oil and gas boom http://bit.ly/ZW5JFO

Federal Budget -

• National Journal details how two years of deep cuts to the EPA budget have handicapped the agency http://bit.ly/ZW3sud
• White House: Sequestration means 100s of millions of dollars in cuts to environmental, energy and land-use agencies http://1.usa.gov/YI6em3
• Obama looks to make long-term federal deficit deal with GOP http://wapo.st/WMSoNB

Fiscal Year 2013

• House passes legislation that would provide Federal government with discretionary funds for rest of Fiscal Year 2013 http://bit.ly/VGDf4c
• GOP six-month spending bill attempts to shift money around to alter sequester effects http://politi.co/100F1Mb
• Senate Appropriations Committee Chair plans to substantially expand on House GOP six-month, stopgap spending bill http://bit.ly/167Wc2Q
• Candidates for separate appropriations in Senate’s fiscal 2013 spending bill: Commerce-Justice-Science; Agriculture http://bit.ly/WWsc91
• Senate Democrats unveil their changes to the House bill funding government through September http://bit.ly/W9UoCq

Fiscal Year 2014

• In the next weeks, Chairs of Senate and House Budget Committees will roll out competing fiscal year 2104 budgets http://wapo.st/WWt7pK
• The Hill reports that the President’s delayed budget for FY 2014 is now expected to be delivered on Monday, March 25 http://bit.ly/ZgU3fT

Events -  Information on all past and future events listed here can be viewed in the on-line calendar on this Blog page   and here as a stand-alone calendar

• 2013 Society of Wetland Scientist International conference will be held in Duluth, Minnesota, June 2-6 http://bit.ly/14kGk9u
• 14th Annual St. Croix Basin Conference; April 8, University of Wisconsin River Falls; March 27 registration deadline http://bit.ly/Z35Ro6

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• Association of State Floodplain Managers bi-monthly "News & Views" http://bit.ly/ZgRtGH (PDF file)
• Tennessee Clean Water Network March 3, 2013 e-newsletter http://bit.ly/ZgRMBl
• Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water  Weekly Newsletter: "Water Headlines" http://bit.ly/13DdEws
• U.S. Water Alliance March e-newsletter NewsWaves here: http://conta.cc/XWaFum

Other news-

• National Park Service Report: St. Croix River Tourism brings $8.8 million to region http://bit.ly/Z2i1u2
• St. Croix River Association seeks nominations for the 2013 St. Croix Watershed Stewardship Award http://bit.ly/Z35dXz
• Upper Mississippi River Basin Association seeks to fill Executive Director position opening http://bit.ly/100Gm5I (PDF file)
• Ceres: Few insurers address climate change effects on their business; some leaders emerging http://bit.ly/ZtRHKC and http://bit.ly/XZqxw5

Political Scene -

• Obama names his three nominees for lead jobs at EPA, Budget Office and the Energy Department http://n.pr/VuHyj0

Last Word -

"I hope not." - House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH-8), when asked Saturday about the Farm Bill and if it would take another year to pass (at the 22nd Annual Farm Forum at Edison State Community College, Greenville, Ohio).

"I have a bad feeling about this." - Various characters; Star Wars episodes I, II, III, IV, V and VI.

Mississippi River Basin Asian Carp Management is Focus of Capitol Hill Symposium

Asian carp management in the Mississippi River Basin was the main topic of discussion at a March 6, Capitol Hill "Asian Carp Awareness Symposium" held during National Invasive Species Awareness Week and Great Lakes Days.  The Symposium focused on  Federal, state, local, nonprofit and private coordinating efforts and responses to combat invasive Asian carp in the Ohio River, Upper Mississippi River, Lower Mississippi River, Missouri River and Great Lakes basins.  Legislation that has been recently introduced in the U.S. House and Senate was also addressed by several Symposium speakers, including two sponsors of one of those bills, who stressed that the legislation would assist Asian carp control efforts.

Speakers from the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association (or ""MICRA") represented and highlighted the extent of Asian carp infiltration in each of the above Mississippi River subwatersheds.  Each MICRA speaker also provided an overview of coordinated efforts to manage that infiltration, emphasizing the current management blueprint of combining various technologies and approaches in an attempt to hold the Asian carp advance at bay.  This attempt to forestall Asian carp upstream movement is designed to provide time for ongoing research to develop new techniques that might more ably control the quickly-spreading carp.  The primary mode of  Asian carp management that Symposium speakers indicated might prove to be fruitful in the short-term is commercial fishing, and its potential - yet untested on a large scale - to manage carp population sizes at the leading edge of their advance up the various Basin streams.

U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA-3) and Betty  McCollum (D-MN-4) addressed Symposium attendees regarding the recently reintroduced Strategic Response to Asian Carp Invasion Act (H.R.358), and stressed its importance in marshaling a collaborative and efficient Federal effort to combat the spread of Asian carp nationally, and in particular in the Mississippi River Basin.  That bill would direct to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to lead and coordinate with the Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, and U.S. Geological Survey in a multiagency effort to slow the spread of Asian carp in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River basins.  The House bill has eleven original co-sponsors (including Kelly and McCollum), and a total of 14 sponsors.  A companion bill (S. 125) has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).  That measure currently counts six sponsors, including Brown.  The two bills have been respectively referred to the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Background

Asian Carp

Large numbers of several species of non-native, Asian carp have been progressively making their way upstream in the Mississippi River Basin for decades, since their release in the 1970s into the Lower Mississippi River from fish farming operations. Since then, bighead, silver and grass carp (and less extensively  black carp) have been captured throughout much of the Mississippi River watershed from Louisiana to South Dakota, Minnesota and Ohio.

Aquatic Nuisance Species

Each year the number of introduced nonnative aquatic plant and animal species invading the Mississippi River increases.  Once established, these invasive species (“aquatic nuisance species” or “ANS”) are nearly impossible to control, and then only at great expense.  They threaten the sustainability and very existence of the River Valley’s built and natural resources.  Adverse economic, social and environmental impacts include reduced game fish, and native plant and animal populations, ruined boat engines and steering equipment, rivers and lakes made unusable to boaters and swimmers, dramatically increased costs of operating drinking water and power plants, locks, dams and industrial processes, degraded ecosystems, compromised human health and lowered property values.  All of these impacts collectively significantly distress the economy of the region’s many River-dependent communities. The Mississippi River and its principal tributaries provide a highway for ANS to travel from areas as geographically remote as the Gulf Coast and the Great Lakes to the interior of the North American continent.  Because of the ability of many nonnative fish species, such as Asian carp, to compete with and displace native species, invasive fish will remain a principal threat to native biodiversity and the economy into the foreseeable future in the Mississippi River drainage.

Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association

Mississippi River Basin Congressional Districts
(click to enlarge)

Started in 1991, MICRA is an organization of 28 state natural resource departments that cooperate to improve fish and other aquatic resource management in the Mississippi River Basin among the member states. MICRA seeks to accomplish that goal through the development of  regional partnerships; one focused on each of the River Basin's subbasins. MICRA's mission is "to improve the conservation, management, development and utilization of interjurisdictional fishery resources  in the Mississippi River Basin through improved coordination and communication among the responsible management entities."

MICRA has developed an "Action Plan to Minimize Ecological Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species in the Mississippi River Basin," including within the plan, the goal of implementating a "well structured and funded integrated management program (IPM) for AIS in the Basin," "(i)ncluding, and especially, implementation of the Management and Control Plan for Bighead, Black, Grass, and Silver Carps in the United States (Asian Carp Working Group 2007)."

Dubuque Brings It's Mississippi River-Focused Agenda to Washington, DC

Representatives of City of Dubuque, Iowa and the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism visited Washington, DC this week for their annual trip to bring the Mississippi River city's and region's business "voice . . . to Iowa's federal legislative delegation in Washington."  The Chamber's message to federal lawmakers, as well as the strategic policy recommendations underlying that message, reflect on the city's Mississippi River heritage, and was one advocating for federal policies that assist with economic development while assuring long-term sustainability.

Each year, the Chamber develops its legislative agenda; one that typically includes a notable list of priorities focused on environmental sustainability and the importance of the region's Mississippi River-based economy.     Historically, those agendas have been supportive of local, state and federal initiatives that provide the basis for environmentally responsible development.  The 2013 Legislative Agenda (see it here as a PDF file), for example, includes the following high-profile Chamber concerns:

• Providing adequate funding for the Clean Water Act, and the Drinking Water Act
• Developing incentive programs and tax credits for environmentally responsible development practices
• Assisting in the development of water transportation systems, such as a water taxis and ferry boats to promote tourism
• Adequately funding hiking and biking trails
• Promoting the tourism potential of the natural-resources-rich Driftless region
• Creating a funding mechanism for the federal Superfund cleanup program

At the state level, the Chamber advocates for adequate funding for the Iowa Grayfield and Brownfield Redevelopment Program, and for the River Enhancement Community Attraction Tourism (RECAT) grant, a program that supports projects to promote and enhance recreational opportunities on and near rivers or lakes within Iowa's cities.

Dubuque has developed its riverfront with the history and natural resources of the Mississippi River in mind.  The city's riverfront is home to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, William Woodward Mississippi River Center, Diamond Jo National River Center, the National Rivers Hall of Fame and the Fred W. Woodward Riverboat Museum

Dubuque Mayor Roy Buol is one of the initial group of Mississippi River mayors who recently launched the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, designed to create an influential voice on behalf the Mississippi River and its cities and towns, and to increase demand for effective River protection, restoration and management in Washington, DC. 

Who Are the Federal Agency Sequestration "Winners" and "Losers?" - To Be Determined

Based upon the "no shutdown" rhetoric coming out of last Friday's White House meeting among Congressional leaders and the President, the potential for an end-of-March, Federal government shutdown is practically nil (especially since the President has also told Democratic leaders in the Senate not to threaten a shutdown). The main question remaining, then, is whether the inevitable spending bill, or Continuing Resolution, will replace the sequestration cuts (that went into effect late last week) with some other budget numbers, for what amounts and for which agencies. Some Federal agencies may end up with more money to spend through the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, and some less. Picking the "winners" and "losers" will be the crux of the congressional debate between now and March 27: the last date for any spending legislation before the current spending authority lapses. In reality, since March 22 is the last date that Congress is scheduled to be in session prior to a two-week-long spring recess, the next spending deal will likely be hashed out by then.

Earlier today, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled a GOP spending bill to extend the current Continuing Resolution through September 30 for all Federal agencies except those covered by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs appropriations subcommittees (a copy of the bill can be viewed here as a PDF file). The Defense and Veterans Affairs spending bills were previously drafted, negotiated and agreed upon among House and Senate appropriators last year, and have been included in whole along with the new Continuing Resolution language. Rep. Eric Cantor (in his House Leader’s weekly schedule) has scheduled the new Continuing Resolution and the two agreed-upon appropriations' bills (“Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Subject to a Rule)”) for consideration by the full House this Wednesday and Thursday.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource News for the Week

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

Sequester Crisis Exits Stage Left; Appropriations Deadline Takes Center Stage
Congress and the Obama Administration failed to resolve their differences, and come to a deal on any plan to avert the across-the-board Federal discretionary program cuts that start today.  And although the cuts are assured for now, no one is really sure specifically where within each agency the sequestration ax will fall (see coverage below).  In the meantime, the current Federal budget continuing resolution expires on March 27. Without an appropriations bill(s) or a new continuing resolution, the Federal government risks a shutdown after that date. The House Appropriations Committee is reportedly drafting a spending bill to extend the current continuing resolution through September 30 for all Federal agencies except those covered by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs appropriations subcommittees.  The bill would directly incorporate the text of the draft Defense and Veterans Affairs spending bills already negotiated and agreed to between the House and Senate Appropriations Committees last year.  The continuing resolution may be introduced in the Appropriations Committee as early as next week.

Groups Urge Appropriators to Oppose Further Farm Bill Conservation Cuts
Two dozen environmental, conservation, agriculture and other organizations yesterday urged members of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees to oppose cuts to mandatory farm bill agricultural conservation programs and discretionary conservation technical assistance in any remaining fiscal year 2013 agriculture appropriations legislation that the committees consider.  In a letter addressed to Senate and House Appropriations Committees' Chairs and Ranking Members, the organizations noted that conservation title programs in the Farm Bill had already been "disproportionately targeted for severe cuts in appropriations bills" over recent years through "backdoor 'changes in mandatory program spending' (CHIMPS)," and that the moves, rather than being a money-saving move, were implemented "to offset funding for discretionary programs." In arguing for protection of USDA technical assistance funding, the letter stated that "appropriations bills have cut $60 million from discretionary Conservation Operations spending since 2010."  The full letter can be read here (PDF file).

New EPA Senior Agricultural Adviser Named

Sarah Bittleman has moved from a senior role at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she will serve as that agency's Senior Agricultural Counselor.  Bittleman replaces Larry Elworth, who recently retired.  She will advise EPA on how environmental issues that the agency addresses affect farmers and ranchers, according to an EPA statement, which also noted that  “EPA is dedicated to an open and constructive working relationship with the agriculture community, as with all stakeholders.  Sarah’s work will continue to ensure that the overlaps among environmental and agricultural issues and the concerns of rural communities are carefully considered in every action EPA takes."  Bittleman had been serving as senior adviser to USDA Secretary Vilsack, specializing in energy and the EPA. Before joining USDA, she worked at the Department of Interior, and before that as a Senate and House staffer, specializing in agriculture, energy, natural resources, Native Americans and climate change.

Notable @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week  

Water Quality -

• Groups look for voluntary, non-regulatory path to reduce wastewater treatment plant nutrient discharges http://bit.ly/ZuEWQJ
• Great Plains and Midwest communities finding innovative road salt substitutes; with possible soil and water benefits http://usat.ly/ZEytq1
• Drinking toilet water: The science (and psychology) of wastewater recycling http://bit.ly/ZJf8E8
• Oklahoma and Arkansas Attorneys General sign Illinois River water quality assessment agreement http://bit.ly/YB9Mbq
• 2,264 barrels of brine wastewater leak from storage pit into Big Wheeling Creek tributary (Ohio River Basin) http://bit.ly/XmwwKX
• New GAO report finds that EPA could be doing more to address damage to U.S. water bodies caused by airborne pollutants http://bit.ly/XJiZv6

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

• Mississippi River water levels are likely to limit barge traffic in 2013 based on NOAA projections http://bit.ly/VTHdYC
• Mississippi River shippers return to hauling full loads after storms and rock-clearing deepen the waterway http://bit.ly/12dhtJ4
• Dispute between Missouri and Illinois over Mississippi River St. John’s Bayou-New Madrid Floodway project could revive http://bit.ly/X1OR1l
• Senators and Federal officials meet on Southeastern Missouri, Mississippi River levee issues http://cbsloc.al/12dgbhr
• Minnesotans water supplies are draining, as supply can’t keep up with demand and disputes rise  http://bit.ly/VG0wSF
• Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force posts plan to promote and encourage effective floodplain management http://1.usa.gov/VIvedL (PDF file)
• Wisconsin power plants, municipalities, large farmers and other industries use >2 trillion gallons of water a year http://bit.ly/XBHKJy
• Mississippi River water levels on the rise going into spring http://bit.ly/Y1Oq5Q
• Watershed Resources Registry online mapping tool characterizes; prioritizes natural resource management options http://bit.ly/12dd4pC

Drought-

February 26 Drought Monitor Map
National Drought Mitigation Center
(click to enlarge)

• National Drought Mitigation Center: week's snow brought some drought relief; full impact will be seen as snow melts http://bit.ly/rak0SU
• Drought Update: Moderate to exceptional drought covers 54.17% of contiguous US; down from 55.8% prior week http://1.usa.gov/VSj565 (PDF file)
• Missouri and upper Mississippi rivers have good chance of returning to drought-depleted levels in 2013 http://bloom.bg/YufmfG
• Thin mountain snowpack signals Plains' summer drought; climatologist: “We’re worse off than we were a year ago” http://nyti.ms/X03v7F
• Snow can't pull Iowa out of drought http://dmreg.co/XmyX0h
• Heavy Midwest snows were not a drought-buster, but definitely brought relief http://bit.ly/XmBW8O
• Study links climate change with recent droughts, heat waves and other extreme weather http://bit.ly/ZJ0Vr4
• Drought leaves the Missouri River "shrinking," and regional restaurants are feeling the effects http://bit.ly/X8rGm7
• Second major snowstorm in a week for southern Great Plains delivering needed moisture to U.S. wheat crops http://bloom.bg/Xz1HnB
• Years of drought are reshaping U.S. beef industry with feedlots and major meatpacking plant closing http://abcn.ws/Xz1pNj

Farm Bill-

• Great Lakes Environmental Law Center Op-ed: Make conservation compliance part of Farm Bill crop insurance http://on.freep.com/XBHjyZ
• Op-ed by House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas: Congress Should Pass a Cost-Saving Farm Bill http://bit.ly/ZJeMxx
• Former USDA Deputy Secretary Moseley: Time to bring ‘truth to the table' on conservation compliance http://bit.ly/13R7LYh
• Former USDA Deputy Secretary's report "reveals success of conservation compliance in protecting soils and wetlands http://bit.ly/XDTKdv
• Illinois Stewardship Alliance-hosted webinar on the Farm Bill available to view here: http://youtu.be/wCjc_6f3iYQ (YouTube)
• National Corn Growers Association Remains Opposed to Tying Conservation Compliance and Insurance in the Farm Bill http://bit.ly/VSi9id

Agriculture -

• Politico: Agriculture has slipped from D.C.'s radar screen http://bit.ly/XX7zps
• Rush for biofuels in United States has seen farmers converting prairie lands to farms at Dust Bowl rates http://bit.ly/Yum2dK
• Despite 2012 drought there’s been no uprising from nation’s crop farmers calling for supplemental aid beyond insurance http://bit.ly/Xz0uwj
• Despite withered crops, sun-baked soil and wildfire damage, some think farming is in midst of another golden age http://econ.st/Y1QN8M
• New EPA Senior Agricultural Advisor Named http://bit.ly/YB8cX5
• House Agriculture Committee adopts committee's budget recommendations for USDA programs for fiscal year 2014.  Copy of recommendation's letter here: http://1.usa.gov/X8wckx
• House Ag Committee Chair and Ranking Member concerned USDA report will shift Federal resources away from rural areas http://1.usa.gov/Xz26q5

In the States -

• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency updating general permit regulating storm water discharges at construction sites http://bit.ly/15kKrVq
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to hold March 8 public meeting on draft general permit for construction stormwater http://bit.ly/YDbabD
• Iowa Senate subcommittee endorses sales tax increase to raise money for outdoor recreation; conservation http://dmreg.co/VMZ8xt
• Nebraska state senator proposes that state study how to adapt Nebraska's agriculture to climate change http://bit.ly/Z2e3Bu

In the Cities -

• Louisville, Kentucky sustainability plan gets a public response: Speakers want plan strengthened http://cjky.it/XuygzV

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• Army Corps seeks comment on new aquatic pathway assessment reports (Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study) http://1.usa.gov/Xuw1fQ
• Minnesota Governor new Chair of Midwestern Governors Association; will focus on invasive species response coordination http://bit.ly/ZuEdyY
• Federal officials face 2nd lawsuit over Louisiana "critical habitat" designation for endangered dusky gopher frog http://bit.ly/ZJe1Es
• Toledo Blade editorial: Time to speak out on Army Corps' Mississippi River-Great Lakes invasive-species plans for Ohio http://bit.ly/WdG12r
• Missouri Department of Conservation: southeastern Missouri angler catches record gizzard shad in Black River http://bit.ly/XdAwNV
• Both good news and bad news for anglers on the Missouri River system this season http://bit.ly/XJkxoW

Gulf Coastal Region-

• New data not yet publicly released shows Louisiana is losing its battle with rising seas more quickly than thought http://bit.ly/Xuxp21
• NOAA: Gulf waters along Louisiana's coast are set to rise at a faster rate than previously thought http://bit.ly/157EZFj
• New data analysis shows that Louisiana coast faces highest rate of sea-level rise worldwide http://bit.ly/WnQDWV
• Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority head refutes dire coastal warning; insists coast can be saved http://bit.ly/YGpt0V
• As restoration  meetings continue, activists say BP should pay $25bn on top of likely fines for Gulf spill http://bit.ly/X1OFzf
• Various phases of the Gulf Coast BP oil spill trial explained http://bit.ly/Yun5ug
• More than 300 volunteers to mobilize over 2 days to restore beach on historic Grand Terre Island (coastal Louisiana) http://bit.ly/Wpy58w
• Audubon Nature Institute announces Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries initiative with goal of sustainable fisheries http://bit.ly/XmAuU2
• Coastal Innovation Partnership Program accepting applications in support of Gulf Coastal Master Plan http://bit.ly/YDdnDT (3/22 deadline)

Resource Extraction -

• Frac sand firm agrees to voluntary environmental reviews for proposed Southeastern Minnesota mines http://bit.ly/XuwMpg
• Illinois proposed 'fracking' regulation sees rare cooperation among factions http://bit.ly/XuxFhB
• Red Wing, Minnesota mayor resigns in face of pressure over his frac sand industry role http://bit.ly/Yuk9hg
• Minnesota sand storm brewing as rally urges halt to new silica sand mining operations http://bit.ly/YumusB
• State and U.S. legislators call for fracking in Illinois http://bit.ly/Y3qMFZ
• White House review of federal rules for oil and gas "fracking" drawing interest of energy companies; green groups http://bit.ly/Xz4Un4
• Minnesota frac sand mining bill seeks taxes and minimum standards for regulation http://bit.ly/12dgBnL

Federal Budget -

Fiscal Year 2013 Appropriations

• Congress must pass continuing resolution by the end of March to keep funding government operations http://on.wsj.com/YuhW5i
• Republican Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution bill expected to be brought to House floor as soon as next week http://bit.ly/Y1Q4nX
• Key House conservatives would support GOP leadership six-month continuing resolution plan to avoid government shutdown after March 27 http://bit.ly/Y3kZjL

Sequestration

• The state-by-state impacts of Federal budget sequestration http://wapo.st/YRVKPs
• Washington Post: The Sequester: Absolutely everything you could possibly need to know, in one FAQ http://wapo.st/YDVODp
• Washington Post: When the sequester "hits" no one really knows how bad things are likely to get http://wapo.st/15kIiJ8
• Office of Management and Budget releases detailed memo about how Federal agency heads should address sequestration http://1.usa.gov/Z3oA0E (PDF file of memo)
• Senate rejects rival proposals to stop sequester, ensuring $85 billion in automatic spending cuts begin on Friday http://bit.ly/XJjcyt
• Congress heads out as the sequester blows in http://wapo.st/VSgpFw

Events -  Information on all past and future events listed here can be viewed in the on-line calendar on this Blog page and here as a stand-alone calendar

• March 6, Washington, DC Asian Carp Symposium to Be Held During National Invasive Species Awareness Week http://bit.ly/13osabb
• EPA Webcast: Water Quality Exchange: A Tool to Share Water Quality Data; March 6, 1-3 PM EST http://1.usa.gov/GB3KhT
• U.S. House Agriculture Committee Hearing on the state of the rural economy; March 5 http://1.usa.gov/Xz0dJS
• Next week's Mississippi River Basin 2013 Clean and Green Sustainability Conference events focus on stormwater; Low Impact Development http://bit.ly/15kLhBA  (Omaha, NE, Des Moines, IA, Kansas City, MO, St. Louis, MO)

e-Newsletters, Publications and Journals -

• 1 Mississippi Campaign's February monthly newsletter: "The Importance of Muddy Waters" http://bit.ly/XdGY7I
• The Horinko Group "Sustainabulletin" Newsletter: February 2013 http://bit.ly/ZEyLxa
• February 18 Waterways Newsletter from the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy available here http://bit.ly/XX9wSS
• EPA's Watershed News for February 2013: http://1.usa.gov/12djx3R (water quality spotlight on Dragoon Creek watershed, Kansas)
• America's Waterway March 2013 "River Currents Newsletter" http://bit.ly/XJkbyq

Other news-

• Poll: most Americans believe population growth could be environmentally disastrous http://thebea.st/15kIDvy
• Best available regional data compiled on green infrastructure in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana http://bit.ly/12ddRqL (online mapping tool)

Political Scene -

• Congressional Mississippi River Caucus forms, with leadership made up of six House co-chairs http://1.usa.gov/Yuga4c
• Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) joins Senate's Mississippi River Caucus, joining Sens. Harkin (D-IA) and Blunt (R-MO) http://1.usa.gov/Yugwb6
• Top Kentucky Democrat predicts Ashley Judd will run for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R) seat in 2014 http://wapo.st/XBIr5F
• Robin Kelly wins Democratic primary to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL-2) http://bit.ly/YYj8Mr
• Congressional "Water Caucus" launched to address "water issues such as supply, storage and quality" http://bit.ly/XDWlUT
• Iowa Rep. Tom Latham announces he will not run for Republican US Senate nomination, clearing way for Rep. Steve King http://bit.ly/15kJXyx

Last Word -

Daniel Day-Lewis, as Abraham Lincoln

"I wish He had chosen an instrument more wieldy than the House of Representatives." - Daniel Day-Lewis, playing Abraham Lincoln in the movie "Lincoln" (the "He" referring to God in this case). Day-Lewis won the Academy Award for Best Actor in that role.

Groups Urge Congressional Appropriators to Oppose Further Farm Bill Conservation Cuts

Two dozen environmental, conservation, agriculture and other organizations yesterday urged members of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees to oppose cuts to mandatory farm bill agricultural conservation programs and discretionary conservation technical assistance in any remaining fiscal year 2013 agriculture appropriations legislation that the committees consider.

In a letter addressed to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL), and House Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY-5) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY-18), the organizations noted that conservation title programs in the Farm Bill had already been "disproportionately targeted for severe cuts in appropriations bills" over recent years through "backdoor 'changes in mandatory program spending' (CHIMPS)," and that the moves, rather than being a money-saving move, were implemented "to offset funding for discretionary programs." In arguing for protection of USDA technical assistance funding, the letter stated that "appropriations bills have cut $60 million from discretionary Conservation Operations spending since 2010," limiting "USDA’s ability to provide the technical assistance necessary to ensure effective delivery of conservation programs to farmers and ranchers."

The current Federal budget continuing resolution expires on March 27. Without an appropriations bill(s) or a new continuing resolution, the Federal government risks a shutdown after that date. The House Appropriations Committee is reportedly drafting a spending bill to extend the current continuing resolution through September 30 for all Federal agencies except those covered by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs appropriations subcommittees. The bill would directly incorporate the text of the draft Defense and Veterans Affairs spending bills already negotiated and agreed to between the House and Senate Appropriations Committees last year. The continuing resolution may be introduced in the House Appropriations Committee as early as next week.

The full letter can be read here (PDF file).  Copies of the letter were also sent to the each of the other House and Senate committee members.  The organizations signing the letter were:

• American Farmland Trust
• American Society of Agronomy
• Association of State Floodplain Managers
• Crop Science Society of America
• Defenders of Wildlife
• Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
• Environmental and Energy Study Institute
• Environmental Defense Fund
• Land Trust Alliance
• National Association of Clean Water Agencies
• National Association of Conservation Districts
• National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils
• National Association of State Conservation Agencies
• National Farmers Union
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
• National Wildlife Federation
• Partners for Sustainable Pollination
• Pollinator Partnership
• Soil and Water Conservation Society
• Soil Science Society of America
• The Izaak Walton League of America
• The Nature Conservancy
• The Trust for Public Land
• Water Environment Federation