$200 MILLION FOR NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM Release No. 0079.97 Jim Petterson (202) 720-4623 Diana Morse (202) 720-4772 GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES $200 MILLION FOR NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM FOR AGRICULTURE RALEIGH, N.C., March 10, 1997--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced preliminary state funding allocations for USDA's new $200 million Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) that will help farmers and ranchers address agriculture's priority natural resource and environmental problems. "The new EQIP program is part of the Clinton Administration's commitment to providing farmers and ranchers with flexible, effective and voluntary conservation programs," Glickman said. "The EQIP will be one of our key tools to help producers protect natural resources and ensure the sustainability of our food supply." Producers will be able to sign EQIP contracts when the final rules and regulations for the program are published in the Federal Register, expected in April. In the meantime, producers may contact local USDA Service Centers and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for information on possible eligibility for EQIP. Producers also can work with NRCS to develop their own conservation plans which are required for any EQIP contract. EQIP will be delivered primarily to state priority areas. Under EQIP, state priority areas are watersheds, or geographic regions with special environmental sensitivity or significant soil, water, or related natural resource concerns. Each state's priority areas were locally-determined by the NRCS state conservationist, in conjunction with state technical committees and USDA Farm Service Agency personnel. To determine state funding allocations, another USDA team developed an objective rating system based on 26 national environmental factors. These factors addressed a wide range of natural resource conditions, such as soil erosion and deposition, water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat, wetlands, grazing lands, and other concerns. Under EQIP, USDA can provide cost-share assistance to family-sized farms and ranches for up to 75 percent of the costs of certain environmental protection practices, such as grassed waterways, filter strips, manure management facilities, capping abandoned wells, and wildlife habitat enhancement. USDA also may provide incentive payments to encourage producers to apply such land management practices as nutrient, manure, irrigation water, wildlife, and integrated pest management. Approximately $170 million is involved in today's announcement. The remaining $30 million will be allocated to the states when their final needs for technical, financial, and educational assistance are determined. In some cases, only technical assistance may be needed because financial assistance is already available through state programs. EQIP is a new USDA program under the 1996 Farm Bill. It provides technical, financial, and educational assistance to farmers and ranchers to address significant natural resource concerns and objectives. EQIP replaces four previous programs: the Agricultural Conservation Program, Water Quality Incentives Program, Great Plains Conservation Program, and the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. EQIP will be unveiled in conjunction with the Department's other conservation programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, the Wetlands Reserve Program, and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, to provide complete solutions to agriculture's environmental challenges. Initial state funding levels for EQIP program assistance announced by the Secretary are as follows: Environmental Quality Incentives Program Initial Fiscal Year 1997 Funds Distribution State Initial Amount Alabama $3,700,000 Alaska 150,000 Arizona 2,000,000 Arkansas 5,200,000 California 4,950,000 Colorado 5,650,000 Connecticut 500,000 Delaware 650,000 Florida 3,250,000 Georgia 4,050,000 Hawaii 500,000 Idaho 2,900,000 Illinois 4,850,000 Indiana 2,550,000 Iowa 4,850,000 Kansas 6,650,000 Kentucky 3,100,000 Louisiana 4,850,000 Maine 2,400,000 Maryland 1,350,000 Massachusetts 450,000 Michigan 4,200,000 Minnesota 5,850,000 Mississippi 4,300,000 Missouri 5,100,000 Montana 6,350,000 Nebraska 5,250,000 Nevada 900,000 New Hampshire 500,000 New Jersey 600,000 New Mexico 2,650,000 New York 3,450,000 North Carolina 3,900,000 North Dakota 4,200,000 Ohio 3,050,000 Oklahoma 4,300,000 Oregon 3,550,000 Pennsylvania 3,400,000 Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands 350,000 Rhode Island 250,000 South Carolina 2,550,000 South Dakota 4,100,000 Tennessee 2,750,000 Texas 13,700,000 Utah 3,150,000 Vermont 1,100,000 Virginia 3,000,000 Washington 3,550,000 West Virginia 1,700,000 Wisconsin 4,200,000 Wyoming 2,750,000 Pacific Basin 200,000 US Total Distributed $169,450,000 Not Yet Distributed 1/ 30,550,000 EQIP US Total $200,000,000 1/ Note: The funds will be allocated to the states when their final needs for technical, financial, and educational assistance are determined. # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. 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