VIEW THIS ON THE AMERICAN RIVERS WEBPAGE American Rivers WITH DIRECT LINKS TO THE ACTUAL BILLS!! http://www.amrivers.org/policynew.html
American Rivers Policy Update For the week of November 30, 1998
With Congress out of session until January, action on the legislative front will be slow. We will use this window of opportunity to bring you related river conservation information - news, science, and resource tools.
Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New The deadline for nominating rivers for American Rivers' 10 Most Endangered Rivers Report of 1999 is December 1. If you want to nominate a river, complete the nomination package found on our webpage at http://www.amrivers.org/99nominate.html and return it to American Rivers post marked no later than December 1, 1998. Read the directions carefully to ensure your nomination package is complete. If you have questions, contact Suzy McDowell, Outreach Coordinator, at (202) 347-7550 x3040 or smcdowell@amrivers.org. To learn more about our Endangered Rivers Report, check out our webpage at www.amrivers.org/endanger.html. Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New On November 20, House Republican leaders announced members' committee assignments for the 106th Congress. Some assignments that could affect environmental legislation include: Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New In a move toward the center of a decades-long battle between family hog farmers and multibillion-dollar agricultural companies, South Dakota voters have approved a constitutional amendment to severely limit almost all forms of corporate involvement in agriculture. Industry groups such as the National Pork Producers Council worry that the restrictions, described as the strictest in the nation, will set a precedent that will spread to other states. As of now, Nebraska is the only other state that has an anti-corporate farming provision in its constitution. Seven other states have time-limited restrictions on corporate involvement in agriculture. Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New Last week, a number of Maryland poultry growers and environmentalists called for a moratorium for three years on creating or expanding large chicken and hog farms in the state to provide lawmakers and regulators time to better address the issue of non-point source pollution from animal manure. State officials expressed doubt that the effort would be successful in the legislature. They claimed that a measure passed last session by the General Assembly to limit agricultural runoff, along with its pollution-monitoring requirement on farmers, was enough. Environmentalists are pushing for the moratorium largely because the new regulations do not take effect until 2005. Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New Ending an 8-month legal struggle, the US Fish & Wildlife Service agreed on November 23 to list the Arkansas River shiner as a threatened species in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Last March, Southwest Center and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club filed suit against the Fish & Wildlife Service to list the shiner, a fish that was formerly found in abundance along 3,000 miles of the Arkansas River Basin. Due to water pumping and degradation, the shiner population has declined precipitously, and is now found in only 20% of its historic range. Today, populations survive only in portions of the Canadian and Cimarron Rivers. An introduced population in the Pecos River, outside the shiner's historic range, was not listed under the ESA. Hoping to avoid listing the shiner and the major reforms in water policy that would follow, the agency initially responded to the lawsuit by drafting a "conservation agreement" with the states of Texas and Oklahoma. The agreement proved too weak, however, to justify not listing the imperiled fish. Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New In response to a flurry of criticism, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has postponed issuing permits to Pacific Gas & Electric Company that would allow the utility to move ahead with its two Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta power plants. The proposed 15-year permits for the PG&E plants near Pittsburgh and Antioch would have given the company license to kill endangered species in exchange for reducing the amount of water the plants take in for their cooling equipment. Representatives of affected water districts and farming interests opposed the proposal, claiming that it would reverse efforts in other areas to restore threatened smelt and salmon runs. The USFWS has agreed to delay the permits until it can better respond to the demands for more reliable data and better analysis of whether the plants will hinder other species recovery efforts. Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New Last week, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality granted permission to Stillwater Mining Company to expand its operation near Nye. With the new permit in hand, Stillwater can build a large tailings impoundment in the Stillwater River Valley, allowing the company to expand its production from 2,000 to 5,000 tons per day. Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New Despite strong support for a November ballot measure to bar new or expanded cyanide leach mines in Montana, the McDonald gold mine may rear its head yet again. Arguing that its McDonald mine near the headwaters of the Blackfoot River would create nearly 400 new jobs and give the state $10 million in royalties annually, Colorado-based Canyon Resources continues to lobby hard to move ahead with its plans for the mine. The mining industry has filed suit to nullify Initiative 137, and mining supporters in the legislature have promised to introduce a measure to repeal the ballot measure. Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New The Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA has done an interesting job of describing agricultural pesticide/nutrient conditions by using statistical information and modeling at a watershed scale (U.S.). They have put their work on the Internet. This is a useful site, especially if you are interested agricultural pesticide/nutrient run-off/leaching matters. The webpage has information on agriculture and the environment, NRCS national conservation priorities, maps/facts/figures, analysis tools, and conservation partners and programs. http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/index/publication.html Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New The Oregon State University Extension Service has developed a new educational tool that will be useful in educational programs in your state. "Watershed Stewardship: A Learning Guide" is a valuable resource for watershed group members, landowners, land managers, workers, and volunteers. The 22-chapter guide is an easy-to-use resource that provides information on forming effective partnerships, identifying the parts of their watersheds and how they fit together, understanding assessments of watershed conditions, developing strategies for enhancing watershed resources, and implementing effective enhancement projects. Each chapter contains a self review, exercises, and a list of resources for further information and training. A description of this guide and other educational materials are available on the Extension and Experiment Station Communications wepage at eesc.orst.edu. To order, request publication EM 8714, and send a check, purchase order, or money order for $32.00 per copy (payable to Oregon State University) to: Publication Orders-WS1, Extension & Station Communications, Oregon State University, 422 Kerr Administration, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119, FAX: 541-737-0817, e-mail: puborders@orst.edu Back to top or back to home page or back to Whats New On November 22, a number of environmental groups, including the Defenders of Wildlife and Trout Unlimited, filed suit against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for accepting what they viewed as an inadequate conservation plan for Atlantic Salmon in Maine. The plan, devised by Maine fishers and officials, looks to biologists and landowners to participate in a cooperative conservation effort to protect the fish. The environmental groups oppose the plan, claiming increased federal enforcement of conservation efforts is critical if the fish is to be protected. The groups also argued that Atlantic salmon in Maine should be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. CHECK OUT OUR HOMEPAGE!! http://www.amrivers.org Back to top or
MOST ENDANGERED RIVER NOMINATIONS
CONGRESS
GOP House Panel Assignments Announced
AGRICULTURE
SD Amendment Could Set National Trend on Agricultural Waste:
Debate Over Moratorium on Large Farms in Maryland:
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Arkansas River Shiner Protected Under the Endangered Species Act:
USF&WS Delays CA Water Permits:
MINING
Permit Granted to Expand Montana Mine:
Questions Over New Cyanide Leach Mines in Montana:
WEBPAGES AND PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST
Natural Resources Conservation Service:
New Watershed Learning Guide
COURT CASES:
USF&WS and NMFS Sued Over Atlantic Salmon Conservation Plan
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