Will the Missouri River be the Next Colorado River?

The Bureau of Reclamation and the seven states that are part of the Colorado River Compact (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) announced a proposal for a pipeline to carry water from the Missouri River to the western states.  The very preliminary proposal suggests a pipeline beginning near Leavenworth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado.  It would take 30 year to build at a price of more than $11 billion, not to mention the energy bills for pumping the water and the constant operational and maintenance costs.

Infrastructure Watch does not abound with opinions as much as do some other blogs, but since we are based in Missouri, you would be right to guess we have an opinion on this.  The states and communities along the Missouri River have enough water resources problems of their own.  They’ve already been battling over use of the river, and the aquifers that have made the Midwest a great producer of grain are already showing signs of overuse.  If we’re teetering on the edge of a water crisis, we don’t have the resources to bail out the West.  Because the lower Mississippi River gets a significant amount of flow from the Missouri River, those states may have a few things to say about it, too.

We don’t mind seeing the west grow.  We just don’t want to be the Owens Valley to their Los Angeles.  If the Bureau of Reclamation has the vision to imagine a spectacular pipeline, maybe they should envision the problems it will cause and its eventual failure.  We need to get real about the water we have, when and where we have it, wherever we are.

Related posts and articles

Book Review: Blue Revolution by Cynthia Barnett (Infrastructure Watch, Nov. 1, 2012)

Drought revives old water wars among states that depend on Missouri, Mississippi rivers (Washington Post [Associated Press], Dec. 6, 2012)

Missouri Comes Out Swinging Over River Diversion Plan (Infrastructure Watch, Oct. 31, 2009)

Missouri, Manitoba Force Bureau of Reclamation to Take “Hard Look” at Project (Infrastructure Watch, Mar. 11, 2010)

Missouri River News Bulletin (Infrastructure Watch, Aug. 20, 2009)

Missouri River pipeline mulled to ease Front Range's water woes (Finley, B., Denver Post, Dec. 5, 2012)

Missouri River Priorities Contested (Infrastructure Watch, Nov. 14, 2011)

More on Missouri River in North Dakota (Infrastructure Watch, Mar. 23, 2010)

Plan for aiding arid West includes idea for major water pipeline from nation’s midsection (Washington Post [Associated Press], Dec. 10, 2012)

Water Piped to Denver Could Ease Stress on River (Berringer, F., New York Times, Dec. 9, 2012)

Water Roundup

Appropriations Bill Includes Money for Levee Improvements at St. Joseph, MO
The energy and water appropriations bill included funds for levee improvement projects in Kansas and Missouri in the St. Joseph area.

More information:
St. Joseph included in water resources bill
St. Joe included in water resources bill

Drinking Water and Wastewater Funding Included in Agriculture Bill
The agriculture appropriations bill that passed Congress in October included $568.7 million for the water and waste program that provides grants and loans for drinking water, wastewater and solid waste projects in rural areas.

More information:
Farm Bill Includes Environmental Funding
Rural water appropriations pass both houses
Water Legislation — recycling, research, efficiency

EPA Calls for Missouri to Revise Mississippi R. Standards Near St. Louis
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 7 has requested that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) revise water quality standards for a 28.6-mile section of the Missouri River upstream of its confluence with the Meramec River. The change is intended to protect the river for use for whole body contact recreation, though a MoDNR proposal to implement the standard was previously rejected by the state Clean Water Commission.

More information:
EPA Calls on State of Missouri to Set New Water Quality Standards for St. Louis Segment of Mississippi River
EPA Calls on State of Missouri to Set New Water Quality Standards for St. Louis Segment of Mississippi River (EPA news release)

Missouri Comes Out Swinging Over River Diversion Plan
Missouri politicians at both the state and are opposing a Bureau of Reclamation plan to divert water from the Missouri River for irrigation purposes in North Dakota. This is recent flare up in the longstanding fight for water among the states along the river that predates the act from 2000 that established North Dakota’s allotment of water from the river.

More information:
Governor Objects to Missouri River Water Diversion to Red River Valley
McCaskill wants Interior Secretary out of long-running Missouri River ruckus
Missouri Governor Encourages U.S. Secretary of Interior to Reject Diversion of Missouri River Water to Red River Valley
Missourians oppose river diversion by North Dakota Water war revival
Missourians Oppose River Diversion by North Dakota Water War Revival

Revisit: Colorado River, Missouri River

Colorado River

I complained that the new Bureau of Reclamation plan for the Colorado River hinted the remote possibility of bringing water in from the Missouri River, which is insane.  Others are looking at the plan, too.  Here are some links.

HIGH GOOD, LOW BAD: MEAD IN DECEMBER 2012 (Green, M., Chance of Rain, Dec. 30, 2012)

Major Federal Study Sets Foundation for Colorado River Basin’s Future (Walton, B., Circle of Blue, Dec. 14, 2012)

The Water Gap: Interior Department Warns Of Water Shortages In The Colorado River Basin Due To Climate Change (Valentine, K., Think Progress, Dec. 17, 2012)

Las Vegas' New Waterboarding Game: Pipe Dreams and Other Fantasies! (Campana, M. E., WaterWired, Jan. 2, 2013)

Will the Missouri River be the Next Colorado River? (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 14, 2012)

Missouri River

Back in December, we posted about the low levels in the Mississippi River and how it threatens barge traffic.  Here are some links to more articles about this issue.

As Water Level Falls, Concerns About Mississippi River's Barge Traffic Rise(Memmot, M., NPR, The Two-Way, Dec. 28, 2012)

Barge Traffic Threatened on Missouri & Mississippi Rivers (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 21, 2012)

Low water may halt Mississippi River transport next week (Polansek, T., Reuters, Dec. 27, 2012)

Mississippi river faces shipping freeze as water levels drop (Goldenberg, S., Guardian, Dec. 14, 2012)

Barge Traffic Threatened on Missouri & Mississippi Rivers

Levels on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers continue to drop.  One of the consequences of low river levels is the dangers it poses to navigation, especially to barge traffic.  Low levels have exposed rocks and sand bars on both rivers.

Barges on these rivers transport a lot of goods, especially commodities.  This is a significant part of the economy of states along these rivers, especially those on the lower Mississippi River.  For instance, in Missouri the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center estimated that nearly $3 billion in Missouri commodities, mostly agricultural products, are shipped on water.  Water freight generates an estimated $388 million annually in gross state product (GSP) in Missouri.

To some degree, flow in these rivers is controlled by dams operated by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.  Officials and businesses along the Mississippi River have asked the Corp to release more water.  The Corp agreed, and on December 15 began releasing water Carlyle Lake (a little more than 50 miles east of St. Louis) on the Kaskaskia River, which flows into the Mississippi River a few a few miles downstream of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

The Corp has tried to tame these rivers for more than a century, managing them for navigation, flood control, and other purposes.  It may not get any easier.  Many are predicting that climate change will result in more droughts and flooding along with more frequent extreme high and low levels of water in the rivers.

A couple of days ago, IW was quick to draw knives on a proposal to pump water from the Missouri River to the Colorado River through a pipeline that would run from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado.  Recently Interior Secretary Ken Salazar admitted that this was not a practicable plan and that western states need to seek solutions elsewhere.

Related articles and posts

Climate Change Pits Sioux Against Barges for Scarce Water (Bjerga, A., Bloomberg, Dec. 17, 2012)

Drought expands, concerns mount about wheat and rivers (Gillam, C., Reuters, Dec. 6, 2012)

Four stories to keep an eye on in 2013 (Miller, M., Southeast Missourian, Dec. 18, 2012)

In Two Weeks, the Mississippi River Could Shut Down (Goldenberg, S., The Atlantic, Dec. 14, 2012)

Officials meet to tackle drought-ravaged Mississippi River, shipping concerns (Currier, J., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dec. 17, 2012)

Pump water from Leavenworth to Denver? Highly unlikely, U.S. concludes (Helling, D., Kansas City Star, Dec. 13, 2012)

Will the Missouri River be the Next Colorado River? (Infrastructure Watch, Dec. 14, 2012)

Missouri River News Bulletin

• The Corps of Engineers has been holding a series of public meetings to discuss concerns about the Missouri River and plans to modify its management to better protect fish and wildlife.
  More on this:
  Corps sets Missouri River study meetings
  Feds plan Missouri River meetings
  Input is sought
  NCGA: Waterway Meetings Provide Opportunity For Grower Input
  Planning For River Future

• The Senate version of a funding bill for the Corps of Engineers includes $25 million for a Missouri River study. Proponents say its time for a new look at the uses of the rivers while opponents say it’s a waste after the Corps completed a $35 million study in 2004.
  More on this:Study for river gets initial OK

Water News

Water Resources Resiliency Bill Introduced

Rep. Lois Capps (CA) has introduced the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2011 (H.R. 2738). The bill would make grants available from the Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose of helping water systems respond to ongoing or forecasted changes in their hydrologic environment. The term “water system” is used more broadly here than some are used to, and it includes community (drinking) water systems, wastewater treatment works and municipal storm water systems, decentralized domestic wastewater treatment, groundwater storage and replenishment, irrigation and conservation water conveyances, and floodwater controls. The bill would authorize $50 million a year for the program for fiscal years 2012 through 2016.

Governors Call for Focus on Flood Control on Missouri River
Seven governors of states along the Missouri River signed a letter to the Corps of Engineers to make flood control the top priority on the river. This letter was prompted by flooding on the lower Missouri River this year.

States on the upper and lower parts of the river have traditionally disagreed on priorities for the river. Upper reach states have generally been interested in recreational uses and related natural resources protection. Montana’s governor was a notable holdout from the letter on the ground of protecting recreational uses. Lower reach states have typically called for an emphasis on flood control and transportation. In recent years, the Corps has emphasized wildlife protection under pressure from environmental and conservation groups.

Related posts and articles:
7 Missouri River Governors Ask for Better Flood Control
Governors Meet to Avert Another Round of Flooding

Corps of Engineers Begins New Missouri River Plan

The U.S. Corps of Engineers has started a new round of planning for its management of the Missouri River with public hearings in Missouri. The new 5-year study begins on the heels of a recently completed 15-year Corps study, which passed last year in spite of the objection of the Missouri’s entire congressional delegation.

Related posts and articles:
Corps collects river recommendations
Meetings about the future of Missouri River to be held
Missouri River News Bulletin

Work to Keep Mississippi River Open Continues

The Corp of Engineers has been removing rocks from the Mississippi River to keep it open to barges.  The river level has dropped because of a hard drought in the central part of the country.  January is generally the month with the lowest rainfall in the region, and officials are hoping for the assistance of rains next month.

The Corp has released water from Carlyle Reservoir to help bring up water levels.  Reservoirs on the Missouri River, the major tributary of the Mississippi, are legally off limits without special action by the president or Congress.  This would likely be an unpopular move with many Missouri River states, which seem to be gearing up for more battles over competing uses.

Related posts and articles

Army Corps' Options Dwindle Along With Mississippi River (McCleland, J., NPR, Jan. 13, 2013)

Drought Points Up Critical Role of Waterways (Schwartz, J., New York Times Green blog, Jan. 18, 2013)

Keeping the Boats Moving Along a Mississippi Dwindled by Drought (Schwartz, J., New York Times, Jan. 17, 2013)

Mississippi River May Soon Be Unnavigable, Despite Army Geoengineers' Best Efforts (Dillow, C., Popular Science, Jan. 14, 2013)

Missouri Needs to Solve Water Wars in 2013 (Browning, W., Yahoo!, Jan. 22, 2013)

Rain and melting snow boosts Mississippi water level (Wuerz, S., Belleville News-Democrat, Jan. 10, 2013)

Water battles loom in wake of shortage on Midwest rivers (McMichael, S., McLeansboro Times-Leader, Jan. 10, 2013)

Energy, Transportation, Water & Missouri News

ENERGY

U.S. Military Agency Seeks to Protect Grid

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has announced plans to develop systems for the protection of critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks. You can find out more in this article or the DARPA Web site. If you’d like to find out more about the vulnerabilities of the U.S. electric grid, you may be interested in Lights Out by Ted Koppel.

TRANSPORTATION

Could You Pay to Name a Missouri Road?

A bill introduced into the Missouri House of Representatives, HB 728, would allow the state Highways and Transportation Commission to sell naming rights to roads and bridges. You can find more about the bill here.

Hyperloop Considers Missouri

Missouri is one of the semifinalists for consideration for the construction of a Hyperloop, a high-speed transportation system that could go from Kansas City to St. Louis in 23 minutes. The Missouri Department of Transportation conceives of it as part of a reconstructed Interstate 70 corridor—the segment of I-70 that crosses Missouri is considered the first completed portion of the interstate system. You can find more about this proposal, about which there remain many questions, here or here.

Missouri Bill: Move Over for Utility Vehicles

A bill recently passed in the Missouri House, HB 85, that would require drivers to pull over or slow down when driving by a utility vehicle that is flashing lights. A similar requirement exists for emergency response vehicles such as fire and police. The bill will move on to the Senate. You can find more here.

Missouri and Illinois Rivers Could be Part of Trump Infrastructure Plan

Though President Donald Trump’s proposed infrastructure plan is not final, locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers could make the list. Seven locks, five on the Upper Mississippi River and two on the Illinois River, aid barge transportation to Chicago and Minneapolis. A proposal to improve the seven locks and undertake related stream and habitat restoration projects was taken up by Congress in 2007, but never received an appropriation. If the project is supported by the Trump administration, it is not certain that the president would support the environmental aspect of the program, which would likely undermine the support it has received from major environmental groups. You can read more about this here.

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WATER

Trump Order Could Roll Back Federal Regulation of Streams

President Trump issued an executive order that lead to rescinding the 2015 Clean Water Rule. It is not clear what rule may replace it, but some suspect it will limit or eliminate federal regulation of intermittent streams.

The 2015 rule, promulgated under the administration of President Barrack Obama, clarified federal jurisdiction over certain waters. Opponents sued claiming that the rule actually extended federal jurisdiction. A federal court ordered federal agencies to not implement while it considered the case.

You can find more about this issue here.

Infrastructure News

ENERGY

Missouri DOT Explores Solar Roads

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Maps of U.S. Infrastructure

The Washington Post has an online article that includes six informative maps about U.S. infrastructure. We encourage readers to check it out.

TRANSPORTATION

Missouri Gets F for Road Safety

That National Safety Council gave Missouri an F for road safety in its recent State of Safety: A State-by-State Report. Missouri’s low score is a result of the lack of laws relating to child passenger protection, texting while driving, seat belts and other transportation safety issues.

The state received and overall grade of F and was ranked lowest in the country (ranked 51^st out of all states and the District of Columbia and ranked 49^th for road safety) . In addition to road safety, the report considers safety issues in workplaces, homes and communities. You can find the Missouri scorecard here, as well as NSC’s scoring methodology.

Missouri Still Contender for Hyperloop

We previously noted that a Kansas City to St. Louis route was entered into a competition for Hyperloop One as it considers routes for a high-speed, tube magnetic levitation system. Apparently the 240 mile route across Missouri to connect the two Midwestern metropolises is still in the running. You can find more here.

Here is a link to another articles on a potential hyperloop in Missouri:

Proposed Missouri hyperloop would forge 25-minute connection across the state

Missouri Transportation Improvements Stalled

The Columbia Missourian recent published an evaluation of Missouri Governor Eric Greitens’ campaign promise to improve state transportation infrastructure. Though the governor recommended supplemental appropriations for the transportation agency in his fiscal year 2018 budget, he has not proposed new or increased funding sources and generally has opposed increased taxes. Recent bills in the state General Assembly that would increase fuel taxes have also failed to pass.

Here are some additional articles on Missouri’s transportation funding.

Missouri House Strikes Down Proposed Gas Tax Hike

Task force seeks consensus on new source of road funding

Transportation task force considers fuels tax increase

Texting Lanes Coming to Miami

Apparently it is hard for some people to put down their cellular phones and pay attention to something else. The Miami Dade Express Authority has decided it is easier to change the roads than change behavior. It is planning to install to install bumpers on one lane of a highway and designate it for texting use.

Infrastructure Watch usually passes on thing like this without comment, but this seems like a bad idea. It may keep texters from wandering into other lanes, but it seem like they can still get into a lot of other troubles. In addition, it does nothing to address texting while driving in other lanes or on other roads. IW believes there is a role for technology in addressing this issue and that we have to be realistic about human behavior, but on the whole this does not seem like a very expensive way to address just a small part of the problem.

For all of you texters who won’t be driving Florida’s bumpered, baby lanes: STOP IT!

At any rate, you can read more about this here.

Incidentally, Florida got a F for road safety in the NSC State of Safety report, where it ranked 44^th. It’s overall grade was a D, with a rank of 40^th. You can see the Florida scorecard here.

WATER

Philadelphia Unearths Wooden Water Pipe

Recently a construction crew digging in Philadelphia came across segments of wooden water pipe that were probably installed in 1812. Fortunately, Philadelphia is not still using these pipes. When they were installed, they would have carried water from the Schuylkill River that was pumped up by steam engine.  You can read more about it here.

The Poop Engineer: Wastewater Blog

IW welcomes another engineering and environment blog to the web, The Poop Engineer. IW is not associated with The Poop Engineer, though the author worked at the same company for a while. Good luck, Andy.

Water Weirdness

Apparently some UK utilities uses dowsing rods to find water pipes.  IW does not recommend this, but it’s interesting that people cling to it. Here are links to articles on the practice.

Are Indians Turning To The 'Supernatural' In Subterranean Search For Water?

British water utilities admit they use divining rods to find leaks

In 2017, UK water companies still rely on “magic”

Testing Dowsing: The Failure of the Munich Experiments

U.K. Water Companies Sometimes Use Dowsing Rods To Find Pipes

UK water firms admit using divining rods to find leaks and pipes

Water Dowsing

Water firms backtrack on admissions that they use divining rods

Government Accountability Office Summarizes Shipments on the Missouri River

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report (GAO-09-224R) to members of Congress summarizing the shipments of materials on the Missouri River in the four states that are served by barges and other vessels on it. Most of the shipments were in Missouri (83 percent) and were of sand and gravel (84 percent). Of the sand and gravel shipments, most (54 percent) were transported 1 mile or less.

All the data used in the report are based on tonnage. It does not address the value of materials (which include chemicals, farm products and manufactured goods) or the economic impacts of shipping and barge traffic on the river.

Missouri Host Meeting on Kansas-City Area Rivers, TMDLs

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will hold a public meeting Monday, Oct. 29, to discuss draft plans to improve water quality in Blue River and Indian Creek in Jackson County. 

The plans are part of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) study, which describes pollutant reductions needed to improve water quality in four segments of Blue River extending from the Kansas state line to its confluence with the Missouri River, and Indian Creek from the Kansas state line to its confluence with Blue River. Both waterways are on the state’s list of impaired waters.

The meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the department’s Kansas City Regional Office, 500 NE Colbern Road, Lee’s Summit, MO.

Links to the studies and supporting documents are available online at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/tmdl.

You can read the complete, original news release here→.

Water News

Rolling in the Deep

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got egg on its face when it sent letters to Missouri landowners seeking to by land in the Missouri River for rebuilding of wildlife habitat. Many landowner, especially farmers, didn’t welcome the letter because their land and crops were underwater at least in part because of the Corps’s management of the river. (More here)

This and other flood-related things are big news in Missouri right now. The St. Louis Post Dispatch has a long editorial on river management issues (read it here).

Waited Soy Long
The American Soybean Association is calling on Congress to include the Corps of Engineers’ capital development plan for the upper Mississippi River in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill or the Water Resources Development Act. (More here)

Infrastructure & Environment Roudup

Drinking Water Supplies Threatened by Dry Weather

The Associated Press put together a nice, short summary the problem of shrinking water supplies.  You can read it at the NBC News site and see video of a related story.

Earthquake Preparedness: The Great Shakeout

February 7 will be the Great Central U.S. Shakeout.  If you’re a fellow Missourian, find more information at the Missouri Division of Geology.  If you live elsewhere in the central United States, check out the Shakeout Web site (participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Tennessee).

Highway Trust Fund Out of Money by 2015

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released projections of funds available in the Highway Trust Fund.  They expect it to have insufficient funds to meet obligations by fiscal year 2015.

The Highway Trust Fund is the primary source of money for the federal-aid highway system.  Revenues to the fund come primarily from the federal gas tax.

You can see the CBO projections here→.

Related posts and articles

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 9, 2012)

Hydropower Bill Reported Out of Committee

The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (H.R. 267) was reported out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The bill would expand hydropower development.

Mississippi River Affected by Drought

We’ve been following stories about the effects of the prolonged drought on the Mississippi River.  Our posts have mostly related to barge traffic and the effort to keep the river open downstream of St. Louis.

NPR has posted an article about the effects at the mouth of the river.  One of the issues is salt water intrusion, which as the potential to change the water quality in that part of the river and has already reached the intake of one drinking water system in Louisiana.  Of course, barge traffic is an issue for New Orleans, too, because the port there is where goods move from river barges to ocean-going vessels.

Recently, barge traffic has been back up by an oil spill on the river, too.  Cleanup of the spill near Vicksburg, Mississippi, continues.

Related posts and articles

Mississippi River barge backup shrinks, oil cleanup continues (Plume, K., Reuters, Feb. 1, 2013)

Rock clearing on drought-hit Mississippi River nears completion (Plume, K., Reuters, Jan. 29, 2013)

Work to Keep Mississippi River Open Continues (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 29, 2013)

New Staff Leader Announced for Senate Environment & Public Works Committee

Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced that Jeremy Symons will join the committee staff as Deputy Staff Director. He will focus on environmental issues, including clean water, air quality, wildlife, and climate change.  Symons currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Previously, he was Executive Director of NWF's Climate Change Campaign, held positions in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation, and served in Sen. Ron Wyden's (OR) office.

You can read the original news release here→.

Secretary Chu Leaving Energy

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced he will be resigning his post.  Other officials who announced their resignation include Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Related posts and articles

Outgoing Energy Secretary Warns Of Dangers Of Climate Change (Shogren, E., NPR, Feb. 1, 2013)

Infrastructure & Environment Review

ENERGY

Ameren Missouri Efficiency Program Ends

Unable to resolve differences with state regulators, Ameren Missouri has let its energy efficiency rebate program lapse. Staff of the Missouri Public Service Commission and the state’s Office of Public Counsel believed that Ameren customer overpaid the cost of the program, and opposed a three-year extension. A proposal from Kansas City Power & Light has been approved, and it might serve as a model for a compromise between the state and Ameren. You can read more about this issue here.

TRANSPORTATION

Bans on Texting While Driving Introduced in Missouri

Bills that would prohibit or greatly restrict texting while driving have been prefiled in the Missouri General Assembly session that started January 6: HB1542 and SB821. Currently, texting while driving is banned for drivers younger than 21 and for drivers of commercial vehicles. You can find more about these bills here.

Bill Would Add Missouri Highway Commissioners

HB1446 would increase the size of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission from six members to eight. Each of the seven Transportation Department districts would be represented by a commissioner, and an eighth commissioner would be appointed without regard to district residence.

Missouri Legislators Propose Fuel Tax Increase

Two proposals have been floated by Missouri state legislators. One would increase the tax on gasoline by 1.5 cents and diesel by 3.5 cents. Another would increase all fuel taxes by 2 cents. You can find more about these proposals here or here.

As an alternative to the fuel tax, SB645 would redirect 3 percent of automobile sales tax revenues from state general revenue to the road fund.

WATER

Flooded Wastewater Plants Release Sewage in St. Louis Area

Wastewater treatment plants operated by the Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis have released millions of gallons of sewage into rivers. The Grand Glaize and Fenton plants were inundated by the recent floods in Missouri. The two plants, which combined treat and average of 20 million gallons of wastewater per day, discharge into the Meramec River.

White House Announces Water Strategy

The White House announced a strategy to the sustainability of U.S. water supplies and systems. The cynic in me suspects that these strategies, programs, and actions were things that were mostly in the works anyway, but someone cobbled them together into a seemingly unified program (you can can get the details here). Even so, we need to take a serious look at our water resources, policies and practices. Good policy that addresses today’s water situation is needed, but sustainable water for our nation will come when we have a culture that values water for the many roles it plays in our environment, industry, health, recreation and almost every other aspect of human life.

Missouri, Manitoba Force Bureau of Reclamation to Take “Hard Look” at Project

Missouri and the Canadian province of Manitoba sued to prevent the transfer of water from Lake Sakakawea of the Missouri River to Minot, ND. They claim that this interbasin transfer would introduce alien species to the waterways effected by the project.

This is the second time Judge Rosemary Collyer (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) has ordered the Bureau of Reclamation to take a “hard look” at the project and its environmental effects. Collyer found that the Bureau’s environmental review was too narrow, considering only the anticipated change in lake levels as a result of the transfer.

Portions of the pipeline that is part of the Northwest Area Water Supply Project have already been constructed. The project ran into trouble in 2002 when Manitoba first filed suit.

Relate posts and articles:
Missouri Comes Out Swingin Over River Divserion Plan
Judge Orders Interior to Re-examine Water Pipeline Plan

Transportation and Engineering News

TRANSPORTATION

Missouri Governor Proposes Funding Increase for Amtrak

The budget proposal submitted by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon included an additional $500,000 for Amtrak, for a total of $10.2 million. Amtrak claims it will need $18 million from the state to install positive train control, as mandated by Congress, on the Missouri River Runner line, with a total cost of $30 million. You can find more about this issue here.

Missouri Legislator Suggests Punt to Counties

Missouri State Representative Bryan Spencer proposed to make counties responsible for the upkeep of certain roads that are currently maintained by the state (these are generally rural, two-lane highways). This would reduce the amount of state-maintained roads by 19,000 miles. The roads in question have been state-maintained since 1952, when they were shifted away from county maintenance. To implement the proposal, the state constitution must be amended. You can find more about this proposal here and here. Most proposals to improve Missouri’s road funding problem involve raising the fuel tax.

WOMEN IN STEM

Women Take Lead at Engineering Organization

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has nominated two women to the ballot for its president-elect.  Robin Kemper and Kristina Swallow are both professional engineers, and one will be ASCE’s president-elect and eventually president. Kemper provides expertise on construction and professional liability issues at Zurich Services Corporation. Swallow leads a team of public works engineers in Las Vegas. ASCE’s current president-elect, Norma Jean Mattei, will step up to the office of president, meaning the top two offices in the organization will be held by women for the first time in the 164 years it has existed. You can find more here.

In Congress

Congress rolls on, after its fashion, even when a blog pauses. Here is a summary of what our senators and representatives have been up to over the last few weeks.

Acronym Mongers Active in Legislature
The Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act (H.R. 3158) would set limitations for rules the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) might implement to control spills at animal feeding operations. Another bill would constrain EPA (S. 1702) would limit the agency’s regulation of emissions from stationary internal combustion engines used for electric power generation or water pumping, though it doesn’t have a clever name.

The Resources and Economic Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Act of 2011 (H.R. 3096) would create a Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to be funded from penalties from the Deepwater Horizon incident. The fund would support restoration efforts in the coastal states on the Gulf of Mexico. The bill would also create five centers for excellence for the study of effects of the spill and the restoration of the Gulf.

Agency Potentially Under the Ax

The EDA Elimination Act of 2011 (H.R. 3090) would repeal the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, which created the Economic Development Agency. The bill has been referred to various committees.

American Jobs Act
The American Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 12) rolls together a lot proposals into an omnibus, dare it be spoken, stimulus bill. A significant portion of the bill deals with employment tax relief, other tax reform and supporting education jobs and facilities. Only part of the bill deals with the kind of infrastructure we normally cover at Infrastructure Watch.

-Transportation appropriations. The bill would appropriate $39 billion to air, rail, port and highway transportation programs. In most cases, normal matching requirements would be waived.

-Infrastructure Bank. The bill incorporates the BUILD Act, the main purpose being the creation of a national infrastructure bank.

-Redevelopment. The bill appropriates $15 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to make grants for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed properties.

A version of this bill was also introduced in the Senate (S. 1660). There are several other bills intended to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

The Jobs Through Growth Act (S. 1720) would, among other things, limit EPA’s rulemaking authority and ease the way for energy exploration in the continental shelf. The Rebuild America Jobs Act (S. 1769) would fund transportation projects and create an infrastructure bank, and increase taxes on people with incomes of $500,000 or more (I wish I had that kind of problem).

Appropriations
Appropriations acts, the only thing Congress really has to do every year, are making their way through the process.

-The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (H.R. 2608) passed both houses.
-The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (S. 1596) was introduced to the Senate.

Bill Would Suspend Requirements for Highway Projects
Rep. Randy Forbes (VA) has introduced the 414 Plan Act of 2011 (H.R. 2924). The bill would suspend several federal requirements for federal-aid highway projects and highway safety construction. The suspension would last for five years. It would also repeal several laws relating to biking and pedestrian traffic.

Coal Combustion Product Regulation
The House of Representatives passed the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273). This bill would put regulation of coal combustion products under Subpart D of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, essentially putting regulation in the hands of the states and heading off a potential determination from EPA that may have brought it under a federal regulatory program.

Congress Passes Bill to Extend Transportation Programs
Both houses have Congress have passed a bill (H.R. 2887) to extend several surface and air transportation programs through March 31, 2012. Long-term reauthorization is underway (S. 1786).

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Energy Bill Has Unusual Name, Other Energy Proposals
In spite of its name, the Rebuild American Roads Act (H.R. 2983), would expedite plans for energy resource exploration and drilling in the continental shelf, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. The bills was introduced by Rep. Shelly Moore Capito (WV). The POWER Act (H.R. 2360) would make U.S. laws applicable on energy structures on the outer continental shelf.

The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 2842) would smooth the way for the development of hydropower generation projects in Reclamation water conveyances. The Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011 (S. 1775) would establish means to permit solar and wind energy projects on public lands and extend existing geothermal development programs.

Missouri River Priorities Contested
Rep. Sam Graves (MO) has introduced a bill (H.R. 2993) that would strike wildlife protection as priority for the Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River management plan and make flood control the top priority. S. 1795 would direct the Corps to address flood control specifically by increasing storage.

National Infrastructure Bank Bill
Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) has introduced the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2011 (S. 1550). The bank would be board-governed and make loans and loan guarantees of up to half the project cost to public sponsors of a variety of infrastructure projects. The bill would authorize appropriations of up to $5 billion annually through 2015 to capitalize the bank.

The American Jobs Act of 2011 (S. 1549) also includes an infrastructure bank proposal. That bill would establish the American Infrastructure Finance Authority to make loans and loan guarantees for transportation, water and energy infrastructure projects. This provision appears to be very similar to the BUILD Act.

A version of this bill was also introduced into the House of Representatives (H.R. 3259).

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Water Resources Infrastructure Bill Hits Senate
The Senate version of the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2011 (S. 1669) has been introduced. A similar bill was previously introduced in the House.

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