Be a part of this National Effort!

Quad Cities, USA - Living Lands & Waters (LL&W) has expanded its total number of participating cities from 22 to 27 for The Great Mississippi River Cleanup on Saturday, June 19th. The following cities are participating in this cleanup: St. Paul, MN, Red Wing, MN, Wabasha, MN, Alma, WI, Buffalo City, WI, Weaver, MN, Fountain City, WI, Winona, MN, LaMoille, MN, Cassville, WI, Dubuque, IA, Sabula, IA, Cordova, IL, Buffalo, IA , Andalusia, IL, Muscatine, IA, New Boston, IL, Oquawka, IL, Fort Madison, IA, Keokuk, IA, Nauvoo, IL, Quincy, IL, Louisiana, MO, Grafton, IL, Alton, IL and St. Louis, MO.

Around 800-1200 volunteers from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri will take part in a first-ever, multi-state clean-up of the upper Mississippi River. The Great Mississippi River Cleanup will remove debris; such as tires, barrels, propane tanks, appliances, plastic bottles and more. Volunteers will assist in debris collection on the day of the cleanup, from 9:00AM to 1:00PM. We still need volunteers and boaters to assist with transporting  participants  to cleanup locations. If possible, LL&W is also looking for people who are willing to haul debris in their boats to the boat launch where roll-off dumpsters or other disposal facilities will be in place. For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please visit www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

LL&W has removed more than six million pounds of trash through cleanup efforts along the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Potomac rivers since its launch over 12 years ago. LL&W also coordinated flood relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and the historic floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Lake Delton, Wisconsin in 2008.  LL&W Founder and President Chad Pregracke says, "We've been able to host over 440 community cleanups over the years and this is the biggest effort we've ever put together."  Pregracke adds, "This kind of cleanup has been needed for a long time.  So, we're very excited to be able to coordinate an event of this size and importance."

Living Lands & Waters is a 501(c) (3) environmental organization established in 1998 and headquartered in East Moline, Illinois. Beyond Community River Cleanups such as the "Great Mississippi River Cleanup", LL&W conducts Big River Educational Workshops, the MillionTrees Project, the Riverbottom Forest Restoration and the Adopt-a-River Mile program on both the Mississippi River and the Illinois River.

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WASHINGTON - Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - Senator Chuck Grassley has asked government regulators and industry for information related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Grassley has asked for an accounting of how the federal Minerals Management Service responded to previous critical reports from the agency's Inspector General; conflicts of interest on the Interior Department board charged with examining safety procedures for offshore drilling; the government's handling of the regulation that requires written certification that blowout preventers are capable of shearing drill pipes in emergency situations; communications between BP and Transocean that may shed light on why the oil rig exploded; and how operating under the flag of foreign governments may shield industry from regulation.

"I'm asking some of the countless questions about what's behind the Gulf Coast oil spill on behalf of the public and taxpayers," Grassley said.  "It's a matter of accountability and understanding how the system works, or doesn't, going forward, especially with regard to the regulators' cozy relationship with industry."

Grassley said he's conducting his review as part of his constitutional responsibility for oversight and as Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over the oil-spill liability trust fund and tax incentives for deep water drilling.

Click here to read Grassley's letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Click here to read Grassley's letter to BP Chairman and President Lamar McKay.

Click here to read Grassley's letter to Transocean, Ltd. President and CEO Steven Newman.

Click here to read Grassley's letter to Halliburton Co. Chairman, President and CEO David Lesar.

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Iowa's farmers and landowners have a deep connection, commitment and respect for our state's land, water and resources.  To help them meet the challenges of conserving Iowa's rich natural heritage for future generations, I have long believed that our U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs should reward agricultural producers not just for what they grow, but for how they grow it.

That is why as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I worked so hard to author the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in the 2002 farm bill and then to improve and strengthen it in the current farm bill, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.  In order to protect the environment and conserve productive farm land for years to come, CSP provides financial incentives to farmers and ranchers who maintain and adopt sound conservation practices.  Earlier this week, USDA announced that the signup period for CSP will begin June 11, 2010 and I encourage producers in Iowa - and across the country - to consider applying for this program.

What is CSP?

CSP is a voluntary program delivered by the USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) that financially rewards producers who conserve resources in a comprehensive manner by:

•    Adopting and carrying out new, additional conservation activities; and
•    Improving, maintaining and managing existing conservation activities.

The program is designed to recognize and reward producers for adopting and maintaining sound stewardship on their land and to provide financial incentives for increasing conservation efforts.

CSP is offered to support conservation on private and tribal agricultural land and non-industrial private forest land in all 50 states and the Caribbean and Pacific Islands areas.  The program provides equitable access to all producers, regardless of operation size, crops produced or geographic location.

What are the basic features of CSP?

CSP offers participants five-year contracts that provide annual payments to producers who install and adopt additional conservation activities and improve, maintain and manage existing conservation activities as specified in the CSP contract and conservation stewardship plan.

How do I apply for CSP?

Potential applicants are encouraged to use the CSP self-screening checklist to determine if the new program is suitable for their operation.  The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, contract obligations and potential payments.  It is available from local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offices or on the NRCS web site at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html.

If the program seems right for you and your operation, download and fill out the Conservation Stewardship Program Application  (available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/special_pdfs/Blank_CSP_CCC1200.pdf), and deliver it in to your local NRCS office.  To find your nearest office please visit http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.

For more information on enrolling in CSP please visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html.

Washington, DC - Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) voted today for legislation that will provide incentives for American-made, energy-saving products. Braley co-sponsored the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, which has also been called "Cash for Caulkers". The bill passed in the House today by a vote of 246-161.

"This is common-sense legislation that will create jobs and save energy," Braley said. "My 'Cash for Clunkers' program was wildly successful and put middle-class Americans back to work. This program will do the same, while cutting back families' energy bills and reducing our nation's dependence on foreign oil."

The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act creates a two-year, short-term jobs program that will provide rebates to families who purchase energy-efficient products. The Act will also do the following:

• Create nearly 170,000 clean-energy, American jobs
• Save American families $9 billion over the next 10 years
• Reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil

The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act has received bipartisan support, and has been endorsed by a broad range of business, labor, environmental, and consumer groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Home Builders.

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