Capitol Hill Next Week - What to Watch For

The U.S. House and Senate both return next week from an eleven-day, July Fourth Holiday recess. Congress is then scheduled to be in session for four consecutive weeks, before recessing for the entire month of August, and the first week of September.

One of the major pieces of legislation on the full Senate's calendar for the week is its consideration of the "Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014" (S. 2363); a bill designed to "to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes." That legislation is a package of 12 bills that include reauthorizations of federal programs to conserve wetlands for waterfowl and that would allow federal agencies to use revenues from land sales to acquire lands of higher conservation value.

Below are the other U.S. House and Senate activities currently scheduled for next week that relate to Mississippi River Basin water resources.  Links are provided to the relevant committee web pages, and, where appropriate, to pieces of legislation. Many Congressional proceedings are webcast live, and these should be, as well (follow the appropriate link).  All times are Eastern.

Wednesday:

• House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture hearing to consider the societal benefits of biotechnology; 10:00 AM; room 1300 Longworth House Office Building
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Legislative Hearing on two bills, including ​​H.R. 3994 -  Federal Lands Invasive Species Control, Prevention, and Management Act: "to improve the control and management of invasive species that threaten and harm Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, and for other purposes;" 10:00 AM; room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
• House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing - "Navigating the Clean Water Act: Is Water Wet?" 10:00 AM, room 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.

Thursday:

• House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management hearing on "Implementing the Agricultural Act of 2014: Commodity Policy and Crop Insurance;" 9:30 AM; room 1300 Longworth House Office Building.

Friday:

• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy hearing on "Constitutional Considerations: States vs. Federal Environmental Policy Implementation;" 9:15 AM; room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.

What We Learned This Week - Floods, Drought, Body Doubles and Jumping Frogs

Near-record rains caused extensive flooding last week in parts of Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas, swamping farmland and forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to close several Mississippi River locks.  The June rains throughout much of the Midwest, and continued wet weather expected in July mean that the drought will continue to fade into memory throughout much of the River Basin, except in Oklahoma and northeastern Tennessee.  The U.N. World Meteorological Organization is "expecting about the same (global temperature) levels" during this year's upcoming El Niño episode as there were during the last (2009-2010) - the hottest year on record. The Missouri Public Service Commission unanimously approved Ameren Missouri’s plan to build coal ash landfill in the Missouri River floodplain.  The Clean Water Act jurisdiction rule proposed by the Obama Administration will "enable litigious environmental groups to jeopardize fireworks displays throughout the country," according to a group of GOP senators. That statement may be one reason why the U.S. Environmental Agency's Administrator Gina McCarthy will be "barnstorming" the Midwest in coming weeks, "setting the record straight" on the proposal.  Appalachian waterways affected by mountaintop removal coal mining have fewer fish and less aquatic diversity. In other "loss" news, the Prairie Pothole region has suffered an "alarming" rate of wetland acreage loss over recent years, while scientists fear they've lost a protracted battle against the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that is killing off ash trees across North America.  Congress quietly deleted a key Congressional ethics requirement requiring disclosure of free trips lawmakers take, and who pays for them.  A conservative group is suing in an attempt to overturn Sen. Thad Cochran's defeat of Chris McDaniel by a 6,700-vote margin in the June 24 Mississippi runoff for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination.  Elsewhere in the Mississippi River political scene, Conservative Louisiana Rep. Vance McAllister (R) recanted his April pledge to retire.  Nine-term incumbent Frank Lucas, congress-member from Oklahoma was murdered in Ukraine in 2011 and replaced with a robot body double, according to a recent primary election losing candidate for the congressman's seat.  But the weej's political news doesn't mean that one should classify Oklahoman, Louisiana or Mississippi as "red." According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, U.S. political views are more complicated and subtle than that. If you want to see what the governors of Oklahoma, Mississippi or Louisiana (or any other state) think about climate change, check out this handy, interactive map. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editors suggest that one message to those governors on climate change might be, “Global warming: Take it seriously or your beer will suck.” That's important, since the number of U.S. breweries more than doubled (to 869 from 398) between 2007 and 2012 according to the U.S. Census Bureau  - and they all use a lot of water. And last but not least, if "litigious environmental groups" have quashed your local fireworks displays, you can still celebrate the July Fourth holiday in water-friendly style by running over to the "National Tom Sawyer Days" in Hannibal, Missouri on Saturday to watch their annual frog jumping contest.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource Weekly News

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

This Week and Next

The U.S. House and Senate are both off next week, as they break for the July Fourth holiday.  But this week, Congress's halls were filled with several water-relevant hearings.  Notably, witnesses testifying before a House Subcommittee, along with Subcommittee members, expressed reservations regarding the clarity of the Obama Administration's proposed "Waters of the United States" rule, as that proposal continued to make headlines in the River region and in Washington, DC.  One particular water of the U.S. - that above the Louisiana and Texas continental shelf - will exhibit a hypoxic or "dead" zone this summer roughly the size of Connecticut, if things go as predicted earlier this week.   A series of political party primaries and a convention this past week chose candidates - mostly establishment candidates - for the upcoming, November mid-term election. There was widespread flooding in Iowa and Minnesota during the week.  And we also discovered that Minneapolis is a much less-stressful Mississippi River city to live in than New Orleans.  In this one, concise paragraph, we've summarized what else we learned over the past week (spoiler - bipartisanship looks awkward).

In Two Weeks
When the Senate returns on July 7, it is planning to begin consideration of the "Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014" (S. 2363), "to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes." That bill is a package of 12 bills that include reauthorizations of federal programs to conserve wetlands for waterfowl and that would allow federal agencies to use revenues from land sales to acquire lands of higher conservation value. This Field and Stream article summarizes some of the key features of the bill, along with each of the section's current sponsors.

Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Water Quality -

• Fears of EPA ‘land grab’ create groundswell against water rule http://ow.ly/ykEnu
• Witnesses testifying before House Subcommittee raise concerns that proposed water rule will be misinterpreted ow.ly/yqu9K
• Cedar Rapids Gazette editorial: Who’s watching our waterways: Opinions differ on impact of Clean Water Act clarification http://ow.ly/ynT30
• Colorado brewery that makes the Fat Tire beer supports EPA effort to redefine bodies of water under its jurisdiction ow.ly/yqvpN
• Federal Register: EPA and Army Corps officially extend "Waters of the U.S." proposed rule comment period until October 20 http://ow.ly/ynSF4
• Archived USEPA Webinar Now Available on Waters of the U.S. Proposed Rule http://ow.ly/ytnrm
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency seeks proposals for projects to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the state ow.ly/ygnUc
• After reported dog death, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency advises dog owners to keep pets out of algae-laden waters http://ow.ly/yuffH

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

• Federal government denies that Army Corps of Engineers caused major Missouri River flooding

  

  Flooding at St. Paul, Minnesota,
  where the Mississippi River crested at
  the sixth highest recorded level

  affecting five states regularly since 2006 http://ow.ly/yoiTc 
• After massive fire, water-stressed Fritch, Tex. reels economically as lake dwindles (Arkansas River watershed) http://ow.ly/ygCOE
• Federal survey of water managers: respondents indicate that nearly every U.S. state will experience freshwater shortages within the next decade http://ow.ly/yohxp
• Vast Stretches of Minnesota Are Flooded as Swollen Rivers Overflow ow.ly/yqTMt
• President Obama pledges federal government recovery aid after massive flooding hits many parts of Minnesota http://ow.ly/yw2UU
• Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District provides technical, direct aid to communities following historic rain http://ow.ly/yw3QQ
• Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting: Aging water infrastructure ‘nearing the end of its useful life’ ow.ly/yqSyw

Agriculture -

• International team of scientists concludes regulation of pesticides has failed to prevent poisoning of nearly all habitats http://ow.ly/ynMJr
• The first of a new generation of genetically modified crops is poised to win U.S. government approval ow.ly/yqxoS
• Deciphering Key Provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014: Conservation and the Farm Bill http://ow.ly/ykHtS
• Soil Renaissance Strategic Plan released at World Congress of Conservation Agriculture: strategies to advance soil health ow.ly/yqyg8
• U.S. farm income is expected to plummet 27 percent this year, driven largely by lower cash receipts from crops http://ow.ly/yvYn6

Climate and Weather -

• Average May land and ocean surface temperature was highest ever; 2014 shaping up as potentially
  
  hottest yet http://ow.ly/ynMuw
• NWS Climate Prediction Center: Drought to expand eastward into eastern Texas, western Louisiana by end of September http://ow.ly/ykIt9
• El Niño could direct much-needed rainfall back to parched western states, including Mississippi River Basin's Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas http://ow.ly/ynU7S
• Severe storms wreak havoc in northern part of Midwest, leaving livestock, crop operations in poor condition http://ow.ly/ykI3z
• NOAA drought update: Moderate to heavy rainfall reduced or eradicated Midwest and northern, central Oklahoma drought http://ow.ly/ytw3U
• NOAA Survey: Coastal Managers Concerned About Climate Change http://ow.ly/yp6mG
• Storms over the past week damaged thousands of crop acres in northwest Iowa, as farmers consider 
• replanting options http://ow.ly/ynVSl
• Democratic and Republican Senators seek to find common ground in the climate change debate ow.ly/yqQua

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• 20th-century Mississippi River re-engineering devastated a once-abundant populations of native river
  

  

  River shrimp,
  Macrobrachium ohione

  shrimp ow.ly/yqTsD
• White House announces federal strategy to reverse a rapid decline in the number of honey bees and other pollinators http://ow.ly/ykHPp
• Widespread impacts of neonicotinoids "conclusive" and "impossible to deny" http://ow.ly/yogMi
• Many plants marketed as beneficial to bees have been treated with insecticide some scientists believe to be harmful to bee colonies http://ow.ly/ytpGH
• Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee releases 014 Asian carp control strategy framework ow.ly/yqz14 
• Obama administration to extend comment period for three proposals to clarify how it designates and protects threatened and endangered species critical habitat http://ow.ly/ygPE2 
• Palmer amaranth weed in five Iowa counties on the state’s border has the power to choke state’s economy, environment http://ow.ly/ykIIB
• Fish and Wildlife Service delays disputed proposed protections for wide-ranging Eastern bat afflicted by fungus ow.ly/yrGgk
• "How To Talk To Fish" http://ow.ly/yw0II (including a catfish section!)

In the Cities -

• U.S. Conference of Mayors approve resolution urging Congress to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund http://ow.ly/ynZec (Conference of Mayors' 82nd Annual Meeting web site: http://ow.ly/ynZHj)

In the States-

• Environmental Law and Policy Center launches website to showcase Minnesota water conservation challenges, successes http://ow.ly/yw4sD
• Kentucky proposes new permitting coal mine rules aimed at resolving federal concerns; strengthening stream protection http://ow.ly/yoeLQ
• Environment Illinois: 6.1 million pounds of toxic releases occurred into Illinois' streams in 2012 http://ow.ly/ygXoj

Connecticut

Louisiana Coastal Region-

• LUMCON media release: 2014 Hypoxic (Dead Zone) Predicted To Be Nearly the Size of Connecticut  http://ow.ly/yvXcx
• Scientists predict that the Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone" will end up being about its average size this year ow.ly/yqPfA
• Houma Today editorial: Gulf dead zone another reminder of threats upstream http://ow.ly/yw3zA

Forestry -

• U.S. Forest Service report: Climate change has left mark on Minnesota's forests, prompting need for forest management practice changes http://ow.ly/ylgzX
• University of Tennessee receives $200,322 USDA grant to investigate the benefit and health of urban trees in green infrastructure installations http://ow.ly/yulot

Resource Development -

• White House threatens to veto cross-border energy infrastructure project streamlining bill (H.R. 3301) http://ow.ly/yp5yC -also see below
• House passes H.R. 3301 - bill to replace permits for border-crossing energy infrastructure projects (i.e., Keystone XL pipeline) ow.ly/yqr8V
• Government has failed to conduct key inspections on 1,401 new oil and gas wells on federal and Native American land http://ow.ly/yofX7 (see figure to the right)
• Over 2,600 oil and natural gas wells were completed in Oklahoma last year; boom fueled by horizontal drilling http://ow.ly/yojG8
• Minnesota appeals court upholds county decision that no environmental impact statement is needed for controversial frac sand mine http://ow.ly/yoikM

Federal Budget -

• Coalition of outdoor and conservation groups urges robust funding for wildlife refuges ow.ly/yqOMH

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

• Natural Areas Association's 41st Annual Natural Areas Conference, re: Natural areas in North America; Dayton, Ohio; October 15-17 http://ow.ly/ypgxd

e-Newsletters, Publications, Journals, Multimedia  -

• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency River Connections for June 2014 http://ow.ly/ygDct
• Bi-weekly Green Lands Blue Waters update, highlighting continuous living cover on Mississippi River Basin agricultural land http://ow.ly/ygRTx
• Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy's June 24 TUWaterWays e-newsletter ow.ly/yrDwv (PDF file)

Other news-

• House Science, Space and Technology Committee approves "Secret Science Reform Act" bill; Committee release: http://ow.ly/yp4cV (bill page: http://ow.ly/yp4qZ)
• House Agriculture Subcommittee holds public hearing to review credit availability in rural America  http://ow.ly/ytikc
• CNNMoney’s ranking of most (and least) stressed out U.S. cities finds New Orleans, Memphis near top; Minneapolis less-stressed http://ow.ly/yuvkv

Politics and People-

• Former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (R-Tenn.) dies at 88 n.pr/1mydQ8V
• Oklahoma Third District Congressman and Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas cruises to easy GOP primary victory ow.ly/yquDm
• Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) wins Oklahoma Senate primary, making him the odds-on November favorite ow.ly/yqpLH
• Former Rep. Bob Beauprez clinches the GOP nomination for Colorado governor in Tuesday primary ow.ly/yqpj5
• Incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) orchestrates stunning comeback over primary challenger Chris McDaniel (R) ow.ly/yqoz9
• "The Bizarro World Of Iowa’s GOP Convention" ow.ly/ynM3x 
• David Young, former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, is surprise victor in GOP Iowa 3rd District primary race http://ow.ly/ykFRp

Last Word -

At least 90 percent water

“Beer is, after all, at least 90 percent water.” - Andrew Lemley, government affairs representative for the New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado, testifying in support of the Obama Administration's proposed “Waters of the United States” rule, at a Tuesday hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power.  Lemley added, “We depend on clean water for our success.”

What We Learned This Week - Bipartisanship Looks Awkward

Des Moines Art Center - The Scene of the Crime

Opinions continue to differ widely on the impact of the Obama Administration's proposed and contentious Clean Water Act clarification rule.  Many Republicans and some industry officials portray it as a federal government "land grab."  Other industry representatives think the rule is essential for economic success.  The Administration doesn't believe that the actions of the Army Corps of Engineers caused major Missouri River flooding in recent years. Scientists predict that the northern Gulf of Mexico's summer "dead zone" will end up being about average-sized this year. Speaking of average, May's global temperature was the most above-average "average" ever measured.  So farmland will likely continue to shift northward, as global warming impacts agriculture.  The silver lining is that the agricultural industry, while clearly affected by climate change, is also very well equipped to manage those risks.  Herbicide-resistant weeds are on the rise - first reported in the 1950s, soon after farmers began using major synthetic herbicides. Regulation of chemicals used, in part, to control those weeds, has failed to prevent the contamination of nearly every habitat worldwide. The first of the next generation of genetically modified crops has arrived - along with controversy.  Mothers exposed to farm pesticides during pregnancy are more likely to have children with autism-related disorders and developmental delays.  The widespread adverse ecological impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides are now "conclusive" and  "impossible to deny."  Many plants being marketed as beneficial to bees have been treated with neonicotinoids.  Vast stretches of Minnesota are under water from river and stream flooding. Recent summer storms flooded thousands of acres in northwestern Iowa - turning soy and corn fields into jet ski centers - as farmers consider replanting options.  In the longer term, weather conditions are expected to benefit crops.  After a long, sweltering Saturday session, an Iowa Republican convention chose the least popular candidate as their Congressional nominee. Tuesday night's primary vote results were generally good for the GOP establishment and great for incumbents, like Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran.   Congressional bipartisanship may not be totally dead after all, as Democratic and Republican Senators seek to find common ground in the climate change debate - but holding hands and singing certainly look awkward.  Want to be less-stressed?  Live in Minneapolis - not New Orleans.  And last but not least, the Des Moines, Iowa Police Department doesn't have enough tiny handcuffs.

Capitol Hill This Week - What to Watch For

The House is expected to vote this week on H.R. 3301, a bill that would replace the current system of open-ended executive branch permits for border-crossing energy infrastructure (such as the Keystone XL pipeline) with "certificates of crossing" issued within 120 days.  H.R. 3301 would streamline the approval process for the construction, connection, operation or maintenance of oil pipelines, natural gas pipelines, and electric transmission lines at the national boundary of the United States (Including exempting the cross-border decision from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review).  The Senate may vote as early as this week on S. 2363 ("to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting, and for other purposes"), a package of 12 bills that include reauthorizations of federal programs to conserve wetlands for waterfowl and that would allow federal agencies to use revenues from land sales to acquire lands of higher conservation value.

Below are the other U.S. House and Senate activities currently scheduled for the week that relate to Mississippi River Basin water resources.  Links are provided to the relevant committee pages on the Internet, and, where appropriate, to pieces of legislation. Many Congressional proceedings are webcast live, and these should be, as well (follow the appropriate link).  All times are Eastern.  This page will be updated as warranted.

Monday

• House Rules Committee meeting to set the rules for full House debate on H.R. 3301 (see description, above); 5:00 PM, room H-313 The Capitol.

Tuesday

• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security mark-up of  Fiscal Year 2015 Homeland Security Appropriations bill (includes FEMA funding); 10:00 AM, room SD-138 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. 
• House Science, Space and Technology Committee mark-up of H.R. 4012, "Secret Science Reform Act of 2014," a bill to "prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible;" 10:00 AM, room 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power Oversight hearing on “New Federal Schemes to Soak Up Water Authority: Impacts on States, Water Users, Recreation, and Jobs;” 10:00 AM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
• Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold an executive session to consider S. 2444, the Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016; 2:30 PM, room 253 Russell Senate Office Building.
• House Rules Committee meeting to set the rules for full House debate on H.R. 4923—Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015; 3:00 PM, room H-313 The Capitol.

Wednesday

• House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit hearing on credit availability in rural America; 10:00 AM, room 1300 Longworth House Office Building. 
• Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management, Intergovernmental Relations, and the District of Columbia hearing on The Path to Efficiency: Making FEMA More Effective for Streamlined Disaster Operations; 2:30 PM, room SD-342, Dirksen Senate Office Building.
• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Water and Power Subcommittee hearing on S.1971, the "Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Act of 2014;" 2:30 PM, room 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation oversight hearing on "Increasing Carbon Soil Sequestration on Public Lands;" 2:00 PM, room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

Mississippi River Basin Water Resource Weekly News

~Virtual Newspaper for an Aquatic World~

This Week and Next

Here is the link to a one-paragraph summary of what we learned this past week; a week in which an algal bloom research bill passed Congress, but also one when partisanship, a veto threat and specious amendments stalled an already moribund Federal appropriations process (also see below, under "Federal Budget").  And here a link to next week's Mississippi River Basin-related Congressional schedule, one packed relatively full with hearings and bill mark-ups, including a bill to "prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible," and a hearing on “new Federal schemes to soak up water authority."  (It's not that we're counting, but there are 136 days until the U.S. mid-term elections, and only about 32 of those days will be active legislative days on the House calendar).

Noteworthy @UpperMiss Twitter Postings for the Week

Water Quality -

• LEAD STORY: House Ag Committee members challenge USDA role in proposed Clean Water Act rule as Senators draft bill to block it http://ow.ly/yfVkM
• LEAD STORY: Senate Republicans introduce bill to block EPA's proposed clarification of the Clean Water Act jurisdiction http://ow.ly/yfTRY (bill link: http://ow.ly/yfTX1)
• LEAD STORY: USDA finds little support for Clean Water Act agricultural practices interpretive rule on either side of the aisle http://ow.ly/yej7r
• House Agriculture Subcommittee Examines Impact of EPA Water Rule on Agricultural Producers (Committee release and links to testimony) http://ow.ly/yewcv
• Senate unanimously passes legislation to study and combat algae blooms, sends it to President for signature http://ow.ly/ydreF
• EPA's April 7 webinar on the Waters of the U.S. proposed rule has been posted online http://ow.ly/ydqqm
• MPR News: Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program rewards farmers who keep pollutants from waterways http://ow.ly/xZmIX
• New USGS report on elevated surface water dissolved solids concentrations; dominant sources contributing to high TDS http://ow.ly/y7Ql9 (see related webinar under "Events")
• House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.): EPA Waters of the United States rule will “drown” farmers in regulations http://ow.ly/y7SMS
• Los Angeles Times editorial board calls proposed "Waters of the U.S." Clean Water Act jurisdiction rule "sensible" http://ow.ly/ydwME
• New study identifies five Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota metro lakes in need of restoration or protection http://ow.ly/y7VXX
• Cities like Des Moines often send nitrate downstream after removing it from drinking water through treatment http://ow.ly/y8IhJ
• WildEarth Guardians lawsuit charges Western Sugar with polluting the South Platte River http://ow.ly/yaTf7
• Missouri Attorney General files suit against Tyson Foods over state costs, natural resource damages from fish kill http://ow.ly/yb1ig (also see: http://ow.ly/yb1Dc)
• Blue-Green Algae Blooms Appearing in Southern Wisconsin Lakes, Will Continue Northward http://t.co/HKYgVPVYu3
• Harmful algal blooms making "comeback" in Kentucky waters http://ow.ly/ydEQu
• Spring 2014 Hypoxia Task Force Public Meeting website has been updated with presentations from the meeting http://ow.ly/ygVvY

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

• Interested parties can access community-specific FEMA Preliminary Flood Hazard Data at this site: http://ow.ly/yfSsz
• Minnesota River keeps on rising; expected to crest at 27.5 feet by next Monday in Jordan http://ow.ly/y8HsR
• Army Corps reduces releases from Gavins Point Dam following heavy rain across parts of the Missouri River Basin http://ow.ly/yaQOH
• Department of Energy report: Problems with water scarcity and uncertainty are becoming more prominent http://ow.ly/ydqPC

Agriculture -

• USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service: Agricultural Land Values Final Estimates 2009-13 http://ow.ly/yfW4R
• Weekly USDA Column: Local Markets, Local Growth http://ow.ly/xZjOD focuses on work to boost local food economies http://ow.ly/xZkeG
• World Resources Institute's second and third papers in  3-part series on better targeting of U.S. farm conservation funds http://ow.ly/y7U3o (Related webinar on Thursday, June 26,  noon to 1:30 pm EDT http://ow.ly/y7UnI)
• USDA Natural Resource Conservation to begin accepting applications to re-enroll in the Conservation Stewardship Program on July 11 http://ow.ly/y82oJ
• Application for nearly 2,500-head hog confinement feeding operation in Iowa stirs up opposition http://ow.ly/y85Bv
• Senate Agriculture Committee hosts hearing showcasing homegrown biobased products and companies that make them http://ow.ly/yaHVh
• EPA likely will not issue final 2014 Renewable Fuels Standard volume requirements this week as the agency had planned http://ow.ly/yfWrL

Climate and Weather -

• NOAA National Drought Summary: Great Plains conditions unchanged; significant Midwest drought  improvement, although long-term precipitation deficits linger in west-central Iowa http://ow.ly/wmTdv
• EPA officially publishes Obama administration's climate rule in Federal Register, kicking off 120-day comment period http://ow.ly/ydp1K

Biodiversity, Wildlife and Invasives -

• American burying beetles in Missouri may be "digging" their way off the endangered species list http://ow.ly/y83Mg



An adult male of the fish-eating Ancylometes genus

• Environmental groups file lawsuit challenging Interior Department listing of lesser prairie chicken as "threatened" instead of "endangered" http://ow.ly/yaP9i
• Western Illinois University faculty researching ways to mitigate Asian carp in the upper Mississippi River basin http://ow.ly/yaRoN
• Wisconsin DNR expects that Upper Mississippi River habitat restoration project will wrap up by September http://ow.ly/yaSrd
• Fish-eating spiders reported worldwide (except Antarctica), including hatchery rearing ponds in Oklahoma and Tennessee http://ow.ly/ye5rm (direct link to journal article: http://ow.ly/ye5Ak)

In the Cities -

• Kansas City, MO http://ow.ly/yaDuR Springfield, IL http://ow.ly/yaDyj Louisville, KY http://ow.ly/yaDAw make livability.com list of top ten green cities
• Chattanooga leaders want to accelerate adoption of new stormwater standards to improve green infrastructure practices http://ow.ly/yaEac
• Movement hopes to transform New Orleans from a city that recoils from water to one that embraces it http://ow.ly/yaEvI

Louisiana Coastal Region-

• Louisiana: one of the fastest disappearing land masses on earth: "a landscape and a way of life on  borrowed time" http://ow.ly/y8H2w
• Op-ed: Louisiana shrimp season threatened by dead zone fueled by US ethanol policy  http://ow.ly/y8HTX
• Here's a "drone's eye view" of New Orleans, Louisiana http://ow.ly/y7TDI (go here for interactive worldwide drone video map: http://ow.ly/y7THM)
• Scientists to release 4 torpedo-like, remote-controlled gliders into northern Gulf of Mexico to measure oxygen levels http://ow.ly/ydEqN

Federal Budget -

• Senate deadlocks over  three-bill appropriations package (including USDA and NOAA funding) after Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) insists that amendments clear a 60-vote threshold http://ow.ly/yfTq6
• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development advances Army Corps' FY 2015 spending bill http://ow.ly/y8W1M - includes  $5.134 billion: increase of $601 million above President's budget request (subsequently, the full Committee markup scheduled for Thursday was cancelled)
• Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski delays action on key water and energy appropriations bill in the face of partisanship http://ow.ly/yfQYU
• White House veto threat led Senate Democratic appropriators to put energy-water spending bill on hold http://ow.ly/yeiCp
• House Appropriations Committee passes $34 billion spending bill for Army Corps of Engineers, Dept of Energy, other agencies http://ow.ly/ydrHX

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

• Webinar: Analyzing the Water-Energy Nexus: Case Studies that Examine Connection; June 30, 2-3:30 PM EDT http://ow.ly/y7S5R
• USGS Webinar: Human Actions Increase Salt Content in many of the Nation's Streams; July 22, 1-2:30 PM EDT register: http://ow.ly/y7QCu
• 2014 Water Education Summit: Think Globally - Act Locally; September 8-10, Asheville, NC www.h2osummit.org/

e-Newsletters, Publications, Journals, Multimedia  -

• 1 Mississippi campaign June Newsletter – Neighborhood Water Watch http://ow.ly/yfUqj
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Waterfront Bulletin for June 2014  http://ow.ly/xZlV1
• Montana Watershed Coordination Council's June 12 http://ow.ly/xZkNQ and June 19  http://ow.ly/yfT6k Watershed News 
• The Horinko Group's June 2014 "Sustainabulletin" http://ow.ly/ydtz8
• Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy June 17 "TUWaterWays" e-newsletter http://ow.ly/ydG98
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Watershed Network News - June 19 http://ow.ly/ydNEI

Other news-

• Scroll down this eleven-foot, 1866 Mississippi River map: http://ow.ly/y8ITP
• In U.S. and Canada, trains hauling crude oil from production hot spots like North Dakota’s Bakken region are spilling in record numbers http://ow.ly/yaCnN
• Newly published global Nielsen data indicate that significant percentage of consumers care about company social responsibility http://ow.ly/ydxpa
• America’s Waterway Blog: "Imagining the Internet & the Mississippi River" http://ow.ly/yewBG

Politics and People-

• Over a nine-day House Whip race, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.-1) cashed in on years of network building to win leadership position http://ow.ly/yfS0I and http://ow.ly/yfQ7U
• Six Republicans will face off next Tuesday after struggling to break through in primary race for open Oklahoma 5th District U.S. House seat http://ow.ly/yfUQb
• Businessperson Zach Dasher (R) announces he will run for Louisiana’s 5th District U.S. House seat http://ow.ly/y7PQ9
• Congressional job approval at 16%, on pace to be lowest in midterm election year since Gallup first measured in 1974 http://goo.gl/jE5YSU
• Control of U.S. Senate might not be decided until a Saturday three weeks before Christmas - in Louisiana runoff vote http://ow.ly/ydqjr
• GOP candidates for Iowa’s 3rd U.S. House District scramble for 513 delegates who vote Saturday for party’s nominee http://ow.ly/yg9NT

Last Word -

Photo (circa 1920) of a Mountaineer: Courtesy Kenneth
King West Virginia and Regional History Collection

"Montani semper liberi" (Mountaineers are always free) - the West Virginia state motto.  On June 20 in 1863 West Virginia (the "Mountain State") became the 35th state in the United States.

What We Learned This Week - Oh Canada!

The summer's warming weather has ushered in the return of blue-green algal blooms in the Midwest, in areas like Southern Wisconsin and Kentucky.   Just in time for that algal reprise, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation to study and combat algae blooms, sending it to President for his signature.   Partisanship and amendments bogged down progress on Federal appropriations bills.  Which may explain why the current U.S. congressional job approval rating of 16 percent is on pace to be lowest in any midterm election year since Gallup first began measuring the approval in 1974.  U.S. House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves of Missouri believes that the Obama Administration's Waters of the United States proposed rule would “drown” farmers in regulations.   Senate Republicans agree, and introduced legislation to block the Obama administration's proposed clarification of the Clean Water Act's jurisdiction.  But the Los Angeles Times editorial board disagrees with the Senators, calling the proposed Clean Water Act jurisdiction rule "sensible."    American burying beetles in Rep. Grave's home state may be  "digging" their way off the endangered species list.  Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise cashed in on his extensive network to win the vaunted House Whip leadership position, but it was really only a tryout for the next GOP House leadership vote, which will be held after the November midterm election.  Scalise's Louisiana First District will be a bit smaller by then, being one of the fastest disappearing land masses on the Earth.  Midwestern cities like Des Moines, Iowa often remove nitrates from their drinking water sources, only to discharge them into the same water sources, sending them downstream. Western Illinois University faculty are studying ways to slow the inevitable spread of invasive Asian carp in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. There are fish-eating spiders in every continent that is not named "Antarctica," and they have been found in hatchery rearing ponds in Oklahoma and Tennessee. Chattanooga, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana are trying to green themselves by managing stormwater more wisely, but Kansas City, Missouri, Springfield, Illinois, and Louisville, Kentucky are very green already.  Trains hauling crude oil from production hot spots like North Dakota’s Bakken and the Alberta, Canada tar sands regions are spilling their contents at record rates.  And - speaking of Canada - last but not least, the United States has no plans to invade its neighbor to the north - it's official.