USDA Invests $33 Million to Improve Water Quality in High-Priority Watersheds

Release No. 0256.16 Contact: Office of Communications (202) 720-4623 press@oc.usda.gov USDA Invests $33 Million to Improve Water Quality in High-Priority Watersheds WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2016 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced an investment of more than $33 million in 197 high-priority watersheds across the country to help landowners improve water quality through the Natural Resource Conservation Service's (NRCS) National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI). The NWQI helps farmers and ranchers implement voluntary conservation practices, such as nutrient management, cover crops, conservation cropping systems, filter strips, terraces and buffers, which protect and improve water quality where it is needed most. Conservation practices enhance agricultural productivity and profitability while also improving water quality by enhancing soil health and optimizing the use of agricultural inputs. "USDA is committed to working hand-in-hand with farmers, ranchers, and landowners to address water quality issues and provide the tools necessary to ensure clean, safe water for communities and wildlife," Vilsack said. "This latest investment is yet another example of how voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs are benefitting both producers and our natural resources." This year, NRCS added 42 new watersheds to the NWQI and selected 21 watersheds for new assessment projects. These assessment watershed projects span 17 states and include a variety of land uses and water quality issues. NRCS will provide resources for these assessment projects to leverage existing plans, data, and information, and fill gaps needed to complete watershed assessments and develop outreach plans. Experience and data gained from several studies, including the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), have shown that improvements in water quality are more likely to be detected when conservation systems are placed in the most vulnerable areas of a watershed. The goal of the NWQI is to implement conservation practices within a local area to protect water bodies within priority watersheds. NRCS works closely with conservation partners and State water quality agencies to select watersheds where on-farm conservation can deliver the greatest benefits for clean water. State water quality agencies also work to align U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding with these priority watersheds. This targeted approach to improve water quality is working across the country. Conservation work on seven watersheds in Texas contributed to positive results and improving trends in water quality in Chambers Creek. With continued conservation efforts, Chambers Creek will not be added to the State's Clean Water Act list of impaired waterbodies due to agricultural impacts. Since 2012, conservation systems have been placed on almost 600,000 acres in priority watersheds through NWQI, supported by approximately $125 million in USDA investments. Now in its sixth year, NWQI has expanded to include more small watersheds across the nation, and it builds on efforts to deliver high-impact conservation in areas such as the Mississippi River basin, Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes. Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with as many as 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect over 400 million acres nationwide, boosting soil and air quality, cleaning and conserving water and enhancing wildlife habitat. For an interactive look at USDA's work in conservation and forestry over the course of this Administration, visit http://medium.com/usda-results. #

Robust Technical Analysis Supports Leaving Carbon Pollution Standards for Cars and Light Trucks in Place Through 2025, EPA Administrator Finds

Robust Technical Analysis Supports Leaving Carbon Pollution Standards for Cars and Light Trucks in Place Through 2025, EPA Administrator Finds Automakers on track to meet standards at lower than expected cost WASHINGTON — Based on extensive technical analysis that shows automakers are well positioned to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for model years 2022-2025, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy today proposed leaving the standards in place, so the program that was established in 2012 will stay on track to nearly double fuel economy, dramatically cut carbon pollution, maintain regulatory certainty for a global industry, and save American drivers billions of dollars at the pump. “Given the auto industry’s importance to American jobs and communities and the industry’s need for certainty well into the future, EPA has reanalyzed these clean car standards and sought further input,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “It’s clear from the extensive technical record that this program will remain affordable and effective. This proposed decision reconfirms our confidence in the auto industry’s capacity to drive innovation and strengthen the American economy while saving drivers money at the pump and safeguarding our health, climate and environment.” Today’s proposed determination is based on years of technical work, including an exhaustive technical report released earlier this year, and the agency’s thorough review and consideration of comments received on that report. This extensive body of analysis shows that manufacturers can meet the standards at similar or even a lower cost than what was anticipated in the 2012 rulemaking, and that the standards will deliver significant fuel savings for American consumers, as well as benefits to public health and welfare from reducing the pollution that contributes to climate change. Full implementation of the standards will cut about 6 billion metric tons of GHG emissions over the lifetimes of the vehicles sold in model years 2012-2025. Cars and light trucks are the largest source of GHG emissions in the U.S. transportation sector. Although EPA’s technical analysis indicates that the standards could be strengthened for model years 2022-2025, proposing to leave the current standards in place provides greater certainty to the auto industry for product planning and engineering. This will enable long-term planning in the auto industry, while also benefiting consumers and the environment. Today’s announcement builds on years of success under EPA’s vehicle emission standards. Auto manufacturers are innovating and adopting fuel economy technologies at unprecedented rates. Car makers have developed more technologies to reduce GHG emissions, and these technologies are entering the fleet faster than expected. These technologies include gasoline direct injection, more sophisticated transmissions, and stop-start systems that reduce idling fuel consumption. At the end of 2015, all large automakers were in compliance with the standards. In fact, automakers on average out-performed the model year 2015 standards by seven grams per mile. These gains are happening at a time when the car industry is thriving, and domestic vehicle sales have increased for six consecutive years, while maintaining consumer choice across a full range of vehicle sizes and types. As part of the rulemaking establishing the model year 2017-2025 light-duty vehicle GHG standards, EPA committed to conduct a Midterm Evaluation of standards for model years 2022-2025. The public comment period for this action begins today and will end on December 30, 2016. After the comment period has ended and consideration of the input, the Administrator will decide whether she has enough information to make a final determination on the model year 2022-2025 standards. For more information on today’s announcement, go to: https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/midterm-evaluation-light-duty-vehicle-greenhouse-gas-ghg. To provide comment on today’s proposed determination, go to Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0827 at www.regulations.gov. R184

Meeting Fri at 10:00 NMSU Plant Science Center

REMEMBER 2 DECEMBER this Friday at 10:00 am at the NMSU Plant Science Center 64 4 dinkus road Arteia. I thought they were going to e-mail us for review before this past monday but I have not seen it yet. It is on their web page at: http://www.ose.state.nm.us/Planning/RWP/region_10.php

TOWARD A MORE RELEVANT STATE WATER PLAN

TOWARD A MORE RELEVANT STATE WATER PLAN Online registration is now open for the New Mexico Water Dialogue's 23rd Annual Statewide Meeting, to be held on January 12, 2017 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. To register please visit the Dialogue's website or Click Here to Register for this Event The issue of ensuring a reliable water supply for New Mexico has been the focus of water planning for over 30 years. In 2003, the legislature enacted provisions for “a comprehensive state water plan.” A skeletal state water plan was adopted that same year. Finally this year, the Interstate Stream Commission began the process of working toward a comprehensive state water plan. It is not clear what that means, but it will be substantially different than the one adopted in 2003. In 1987 the New Mexico Legislature had mandated regional water planning to demonstrate that all of New Mexico’s unappropriated water was needed within the state and was therefore not available for appropriation by out-of-state entities. From then until 2008, broadly representative groups in 16 distinct planning areas developed regional water plans. Since 2013, the ISC has supervised a process to “update” these plans and align them better with future efforts at statewide water planning, just getting underway.. The threat of unappropriated water in New Mexico being taken by out-of-state entities has not been a significant issue for some time. But ensuring a reliable water supply for many parts of our state has continued to be a major focus of water planning for over 30 years. There are clearly overarching jurisdictional issues affecting the entire state, requiring uniform statewide policies to ensure legal sufficiency and fairness in protecting and appropriating the state’s water resources. Other statewide issues require regional input to respond to the many different physical realities, cultures and economies of our diverse state. Finally there are issues that need to be left to local communities to resolve through voluntary planning coordination among them. Join us on January 12th to discuss these important issues, and register early to help us plan (and to save a few bucks)! If you have questions or problems with registering, please call or send us an email. Joaquin Baca (505) 377-7549

Next Meetin 2 December 2016

Reminder next meeting is 2 December 2016. I will get you a copy of the proposed water plan update next Monday or so (Laila Sturgis). The meeting to present to the ISC has been moved from Roswell to Albuquerque on 112 December 2016. I think this is real important that we get this correct and it will be used by the OSE to administer our water.

Weekly Water and Climate Update

Weekly Water and Climate Update November 3, 2016 The Natural Resources Conservation Service produces this weekly report using data and products from the National Water and Climate Center and other agencies. The report focuses on seasonal snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and drought conditions in the U.S. High-elevation snowpack has begun to accumulate in the mountains of the West. The map of the western U.S. modeled snow depth is from the National Weather Service, National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. The northern Cascades and northern Rocky Mountains have over two feet of snow in the higher elevations, whereas the Sierra Nevada snowpack is over one foot at the highest peaks. The central and southern Rockies have been warm and dry and are reporting a few inches of snow depth in the south to nearly two feet farther north in the Teton Mountains of western Wyoming. http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/drought/dmrpt-20161103.pdf

Next Meeting

Well it was a tie so I am going to go with the one close to our "normal" meeting date. The next meeting will be December 2, 2016 in the conference room of the NMSU Plant Science Center 67 four Dinkus Road starting at 10:00 am and ending at or before 12:00 noon. Thank you for participating in the doodle poll.