| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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Mississippi River Cities and Towns Meeting this Week in St. Louis
| Mayors from cities and towns along the entire Mississippi River will meet together for the first time as part of the NEMWI Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, a project funded by the Walton Foundation to help launch a stand-alone organization. Mayors from the following cities are planning to attend: St. Louis, MO; Vicksburg, MS; Davenport, IA; Dubuque, IA; Clarksville, MO; Cairo, IL; St. Cloud, MN; Memphis, TN; Savanna, IL; Ste. Genevieve, MO; Clinton, IA; Muscatine, IA; Chester, IL; Vidalia, LA; Osceola, AR; Alton, IL; Grafton, IL; and East St. Louis, IL. The agenda includes engagement from six Federal Agencies, ten organizations, and 16 speakers. FEMA, USDA, EPA, DRA, NRCS, and the U.S. Army Corps will interface with more than 20 mayors through work sessions to build a platform for managing the Mississippi. Mayors will also sign a pledge solidifying their commitment to this effort at a level not seen before involving municipal executives along the waterway. There will be a press briefing to discuss the mayoral-led effort to bring national attention to the Mississippi River and spearhead a new level of regional cooperation to make it more sustainable. The drought--the worst in 50 years--has severely impacted the towns, cities and people who live and make a living along the river, the ecological linchpin to the 37-state Mississippi River Basin. Now, Hurricane Isaac has further threatened many river towns.
For more information, contact Colin Wellenkamp, Director, Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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U.S. and Canada Sign Updated Water Quality Agreement
| Last week, the U.S. and Canada signed an amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) to continue the binational commitment to maintaining and protecting the health of the Great Lakes. First signed in 1972 and last revised in 1987, the amended executive agreement contains new provisions to expand the range of coordinated issues to include aquatic invasive species, habitat degradation, and the effects of climate change. The parties (U.S. and Canada) renegotiated the Agreement over three years, drawing feedback and strong interest from numerous stakeholders, including Members of Congress. The signing helps launch a series of co-timed and co-located region-based annual conferences (termed Great Lakes Week) this year in Cleveland, OH, from September 10-13. The meetings will attract a diverse group of Great Lakes stakeholders and close to 700 attendees.
For more information, contact Kate Ostrander, Legislative Director of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition.
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USDA Survey to Focus on Des Moines River Basin Nutrient Loading
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2012 National Resources Inventory (NRI) - Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) survey will focus on an Upper 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. The 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 River Basin (with a Boone and Raccoon watershed focus) through January 2013 to collect information about farm conservation practices. The project information 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 information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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USDA Offering Conservation Innovation Grant Drought Funding
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering Fiscal Year 2013 targeted Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) "drought" funding for projects that 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 CIG funding availability, see this Natural Resources Conservation Service media release or this Federal Register announcement.
For more information, contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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Webinar on Stormwater Retrofitting and Nutrient Accounting in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
| The Chesapeake Stormwater Network (CSN) and Mid-Atlantic Water Program are presenting a free 90-minute webinar on "Stormwater Retrofitting and Nutrient Accounting in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed" on September 20 from 12 pm-1:30 pm (EST). The webinar will highlight several important regulatory drivers such as local MS-4 permits, local TMDLs and the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. It will profile CSN's and the Chesapeake Bay Program's soon-to-be-released recommendations on Retrofitting for Nutrient Reduction in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The webinar is for anyone who would like a better understanding of the newly developed retrofit crediting process. To register, sign up via this online form.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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