army corps

Thursday, several members of the House of Representatives, including Washington’s Dan Newhouse, Illinois’ Mike Bost, North Carolina’s David Rouzer, and Iowa’s Mariannette Miller-Meeks led 192 other House Republicans in a letter blasting the Administration for its "premature and reckless WOTUS final rule".  The Members demand th...

The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers published the revised WOTUS rule in the Federal Register this week.  The publication means the revised rule will go into effect on March 20th.   EPA and the Army Corps announced the rule at the end of 2022, which will replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule from the Trump Administration.  At the ...

Oregon State University is part of a U.S. Department of Energy effort to improve the country’s hydro-electric system, which contains many dams around 100 years old.  OSU Professor of Electrical Engineering Ted Brekken said his work is focused on making hydro-power more efficient, now that wind and solar power are also part of the grid. “Takin...

By a 93-1 vote, the Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act Thursday.  The legislation looks to permanently adjust the cost-share ratio for Inland Waterways Trust Fund projects from the current 65% general revenues-35% IWTF funds to 75% general revenue-25% IWTF. ...

After Washington Governor Jay Inslee and senior Senator Patty Murray released a draft report on breaching the four lower Snake River Dams, Idaho Senator Jim Risch announced his opposition. “Not even two years ago, the federal government completed a comprehensive and scientific multi-year study of the lower Snake River dams. The ...

On Wednesday, Washington Representative Kim Schrier announced $220 million in federal infrastructure funding for downstream fish passage at the Howard Hanson Dam. Representative Schrier has been pushing for this funding since taking office and led a delegation letter in November urging that this project be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ...

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army are calling on communities to propose roundtables to provide input on the implications of the new “WOTUS” rule. The regional roundtables will engage stakeholders representing many perspectives in important conversations designed to help the agency work to develop an enduring definition of the “Waters of the U.S. Rule” that sup ...

Last week, the EPA held the first listening session on rewriting the Waters of the U.S. Rule, better known as WOTUS. Lauren Lurkins, Director of Environmental Policy at Illinois Farm Bureau, said this provides the farming community an opportunity to be heard ...

On Wednesday, President Biden is scheduled to travel to Pittsburgh to pitch the first part of his $3 trillion effort fix the nation’s roads, bridges, and water systems, many, key for agriculture. Biden’s ambitious push on the heels of his nearly $2 trillion virus relief package, already faces stiff headwinds from Republicans and some Democrats over its size and tax hikes needed to fund it. Yet t

An independent report says a lack of funding for infrastructure improvements could put more than $72 billion in additional GDP and 77,000 new jobs at risk.  The report by Agribusiness Intelligence was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service.   T...