The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program has announced the availability of a new online, interactive, sediment data portal that was developed by NAWQA to improve the utility and accessibility of USGS suspended-sediment data collected from more than 4,900 stream sites across the Nation.

The portal is intended to provide easy access to high quality, suspended sediment data, along with ancillary information on streamflow condition, sediment grain size, sampling method, and landscape conditions.

Suspended sediment is a basic and fundamental characteristic related to the quality of streams. Excessive stream sediments can affect aquatic biota, limit reservoir storage capacity, and transport nutrients and some potentially toxic contaminants. In some instances, too little suspended sediment can also be harmful; resulting in the loss of critical wetlands, for example.

USGS is soliciting feedback on and suggested improvements that might be made to the portal. Comments, suggestions and questions can be sent to Bill Wilber, Chief of the USGS NAWQA Program at wgwilber@usgs.gov or 703-648-6878.

For more information, please contact Mark Gorman, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

For more information, contact Elin Betanzo, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

On January 13, the nine Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced their plan to reduce the carbon emission cap to 91 million pounds for 2014, 45 percent lower than the previous level. The RGGI will build further on these efforts by reducing the cap level by 2.5 percent each year from 2015 to 2020, at which time power plant carbon emissions are projected to be half of 2005 levels in all nine RGGI states. In 2013 all nine RGGI states achieved lower emissions than the cap level.

The RGGI is a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the region. The nine states currently participating include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, and Maryland. New Jersey had participated until withdrawing in 2011. Recent news indicates the legislature is considering ways to rejoin the RGGI.

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director, Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.