Agricultural News
Conservation Groups Write Senate- Ask Lawmakers to Not Cut Conservation Programs Deeper Than Other Programs
Wed, 02 Mar 2011 5:27:59 CST
In a letter sent to members of the Senate on Tuesday, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and other conservation groups urged lawmakers to support fair and reasonable funding levels for rural America, agriculture and agricultural conservation within the 2011 appropriations legislation.
"We understand the critical need to right America's fiscal ship, but spending cuts must be done in a tempered and equitable way," stated the letter. "Rural America's contribution to deficit reduction should not be larger than other sectors, and within agriculture, conservation's contribution should likewise be proportional."
The House-passed FY2011 appropriations bill, H.R. 1, singles out funding for agriculture and rural America for a disproportionately high cut. The bill includes a $51 million cut to Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA), $20 million cut from the Watershed Rehabilitation Program and eliminates the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operation completely.
"We're calling on the Senate to oppose disproportionate cuts to conservation programs," said NACD President Gene Schmidt. "While we're facing a high workload for conservation programs, technical assistance funding is at a critically low level. This assistance is vital in ensuring critical, locally-led conservation initiatives, which not only help our communities maintain clean air, clean water and productive soils, but also help decrease energy-use and reduce damage from severe weather and other natural disasters. These important conservation benefits ultimately provide considerable economical savings to individuals and our communities."
H.R. 1 also targets mandatory 2008 Farm Bill spending, specifically making cuts to many important conservation programs, including the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), as well as renewable energy programs which passed both the House and Senate with broad bipartisan support.
"Ensuring that cuts are minimized today will give Congress the latitude to address these crucial issues in the upcoming farm bill debate," the letter continued. "With increased pressures on working lands to produce food, feed, fuel and fiber for our nation and the world, both farm bill conservation programs and discretionary funding for technical assistance are needed now more than ever. These conservation programs are crucial to the health and viability of agriculture and rural America."
Click here to read the full letter sent to the US Senate by the NACD
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
