Trouble Downstream: Upgrading Conservation Compliance By ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUPOctober 2007For the full report please go to:http://www.ewg.org/reports/compliance KEY FINDINGS 1.                           1. Due to lax standards and implementation problems, the conservation compliance program is missing cost-effective opportunities to make further, substantial reductions in soil erosion on U.S. cropland. 2.                           2. Without corrections to policy design constraints and [...]

Instant poll: Is there an urgent need to protect the Mississippi River?StarTribune Minneapolis St. Paul, MN; October 2007 # of votes % of votes Yes 355 83 % Only in the South 28 7 % No 44 10 % Total Votes 427   Editor's note: Instant polls are intended as entertainment. They are not considered [...]

Editorial: Neglect on the MississippiStarTribune Minneapolis St. Paul, MN; October 21, 2007http://www.startribune.com/561/story/1496356.html "The EPA has failed to use its authorities under the Clean Water Act to provide adequate interstate coordination and oversight of state water quality activities along the Mississippi River." An Oct. 16 report published by the National Academy of Sciences. "The EPA is [...]

Government must do more to protect Mississippi River, study says By Associated PressStarTribune Minneapolis St. Paul, MN; October 16, 2007http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1487597.html A study says that states along the northern part of the Mississippi River basin are promoting cooperative water-quality studies and other initiatives. But there is no similar organization for the lower-river states — Kentucky, Tennessee, [...]

From Bad to Thirst By Elizabeth RoyteGRIST, Environmental News and Commentary; Oct 16, 2007http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/10/16/mississippi/index.htmlIn late September, the corn and soybean fields of the lower Missouri River floodplain are a lovely dull brown, nearly ready for harvest. The row crops sprawl as far as the eye can see, their regimental march broken only by levees, gravel [...]

Decoding the Mysteries of the Gulf Dead Zone Environmental News Service; October 18, 2007http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2007/2007-10-18-096.asp AUSTIN, Texas, October 18, 2007 (ENS) - Off the coast of Louisiana and Texas this summer, an area of deep water covering 7,900 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico was declared hypoxic. This area of low oxygen water called the [...]

Ethanol Incentives Contribute to Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone By Clayton Bodie CornellGreen Options; October 20, 2007http://greenoptions.com/2007/10/19/ethanol_incentives_contribute_to_gulf_of_mexico_dead_zone It looks like ethanol subsidies may impede efforts to reduce the size of the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. A draft report from the EPA Science Advisory Board says that ethanol subsidies could lead to a [...]

NOAA report finds most coastal areas suffer from excess nutrients By Karl BlankenshipChesapeake Bay Journal, October 2007http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=3173 The vast majority of the nation's estuarine waters suffer from excess nutrients, and most are predicted to worsen by 2020 as populations in coastal areas continue to swell, according to a recent report. The report from the National [...]

Report: Divisions muddy rivers quality By Amy WoldThe Advocate; Baton Rouge October 17, 2007http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/10592152.html?showAll=y&c=yThe state-by-state approach  used to monitor and address water quality in the Mississippi River needs to be changed, The National Academies recommends in a new report. The report says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should take the lead in organizing data collection [...]

Report: EPA fails to protect river By Chris KirkhamTimes Picayune; October 17, 2007http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1192603482244350.xml&coll=1 The Environmental Protection Agency and states along the Mississippi River must be more vigilant in controlling the flow of pollutants in the river, many of which come from fertilizers used on farms upstream and eventually contribute to the annual "dead zone" that [...]