water quality
Two House committee chairs call for dismissal of wetlands lawsuit
California farmer John Duarte, the poster boy for farm groups complaining of federal over-regulation of wetlands, has high-powered supporters in Congress who are appealing for the government to drop its long-running case against him. The Republican chairmen of the House Agriculture and Judiciary committees wrote Attorney General Jeff Sessions to argue that the case against Duarte is unfounded.
Four states take Interior, BLM to court over coal
California, New Mexico, New York and Washington State have sued the Interior Department and the Bureau of Land Management in an attempt to stop new coal leases on public lands.
Molasses, just the thing for sticking salt to the road
The United States uses four times as much road salt as it did 40 years ago, says Stateline, which covers policy at the state level. For financial and environmental reasons, states are trying to reduce salt use with approaches that include adding a bit of sugarcane molasses, cheese brine or dregs from beer-making to liquid salt brine.
Virginia’s most important waterway is heavily polluted with livestock feces
Excrement from industrial livestock operations is poisoning Virginia’s Shenandoah River and putting people at risk for E. coli poisoning, says a report by the Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Des Moines Water Works won’t appeal, asks Legislature to stop pollution
Voluntary action will not clean up Iowa waterways, so the state Legislature must "create bold laws that address water pollution," said Bill Stowe, chief executive of the Des Moines Water Works. The utility's board of trustees decided to seek a legislative solution to high nitrate levels in the Raccoon River rather than appeal the dismissal of their lawsuit against drainage districts in three counties in northwestern Iowa.
Supreme Court won’t let go of WOTUS case
Although President Trump has signed an executive order to roll back the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, the Supreme Court decided that it will continue hearing a legal challenge of the 2015 EPA rule. Justices denied a Justice Department request to halt work on the case while the administration decides whether to rewrite or rescind the rule, said E&E News.
In the Central Valley, separating salt from agriculture
The four-year drought in California has heightened attention to a long-running problem for irrigated agriculture in the Central Valley: the salt that accumulates in the soil over the years from the crop-sustaining water, says Environmental Health News. Options range from draining away briny subsoil water to retiring land altogether because crops can no longer grow on it.
Congress kills rule protecting 6,000 miles of streams
Congress took its first punch at the Obama administration’s environmental legacy by repealing the Stream Protection Rule, which would have tightened protections on more than 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests.
‘Fracking’ can taint drinking water supply, says EPA study
The technique of hydraulic fracturing by the oil and gas industry "can impact drinking water resources in the United States under some circumstances," the EPA says in a new report. "Impacts cited in the report generally occurred near hydraulic fractured oil and gas production wells and ranged in severity from temporary changes in water quality to contamination that made private drinking water wells unusable."
Trump victory throws cold water on expanded farm stewardship
The election of Donald Trump means that environmentalists can forget about new, broader rules on land and water stewardship by farmers, said a prominent Republican farm leader. "Those new regulations are not going to happen," said Chuck Conner, who added that the 2018 farm bill would continue the system of incentives for voluntary action against erosion and polluted runoff.
Right-to-farm campaign rolls up funds in Oklahoma; opposition in biggest city
Oklahomans will decide on Nov. 8 whether to become the third state with a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to farm and ranch, a campaign whose chief target is animal-rights groups. Proponents have a 3-to-1 advantage in fundraising, says StateImpact Oklahoma, adding, "The issue has attracted more direct donations than any other ballot question, suggesting right-to-farm is high-stakes Oklahoma politics."
USDA allots $328 million for Gulf-area agricultural lands
A variety of USDA programs will be tapped to provide $328 million in technical and financial assistance to improve water quality and restore coastal ecosystems over three years on agricultural land in the Gulf of Mexico area, said USDA. The strategy calls for conservation improvements on 3.2 million acres of high-priority land in 200 counties and parishes.
The Everglades struggles, sugar industry thrives
Fifteen years after an agreement by Florida and federal officials to revive the Everglades, "billions of dollars have been spent but not much marsh has recovered," says the Miami Herald. "But a review of the key decision points by Florida policymakers over the last two decades shows that one key player in the fate of the Everglades has grown healthier and stronger: Big Sugar."
Iowa counties spend $1.1 million in Des Moines water lawsuit
Three counties in northwest Iowa have spent $1.1 million on attorney fees to defend themselves against a lawsuit by the Des Moines Water Works that blames the counties for high nitrate levels in river water, said the Des Moines Register.
USDA offers $20 million for conservation innovation
As part of a White House meeting on environmental conservation, the USDA announced the availability of $20 million through the Conservation Innovation Grants program.
Chesapeake Bay will stay on ‘pollution diet’
The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the EPA's "pollution diet" for Chesapeake Bay, which is intended to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff, reports the Baltimore Sun.
Des Moines Water Works will divert nitrates from Raccoon River
In Iowa, the Des Moines Water Works announced plans to voluntarily stop releasing excess nitrates into the Raccoon River -- a key water source for the city's 500,000 people -- even though state law permits the utility to do so, reports KCCI Des Moines.
Iowa grapples with water quality challenges
A day after the Des Moines Water Works reported record daily use of its nitrate-removal equipment, the Agriculture Department offered to pay annual rent to landowners to enroll up to 85,000 acres of farmland in programs to reduce runoff.