VENEMAN MARKS EARTH DAY BY ANNOUNCING FUNDS FOR CONSERVATION AND WATER DEVELOPMENT

Announces CRP Sign-Up to Begin May 5
$1.9 Billion Available in Conservation Assistance for Farmers and Ranchers

ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 22, 2003 -- Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced several conservation programs to assist farmers and ranchers to conserve natural resources.

“The President has said many times that if you are an owner of the land, every day is Earth Day,” said Veneman. “America’s farmers and ranchers have made great strides to improve the environment and this administration is committed to assisting their ongoing stewardship efforts to enhance soil, water and air.”

During an Earth Day celebration at the Rossback family’s Locust Farm, Veneman announced that sign-up will begin May 5 for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a program designed to stop soil erosion in the United States. In addition, Veneman announced that USDA is releasing more than $1.8 billion for conservation assistance on working lands, including $18.5 million for the state of Maryland. She also said that $105 million in funding for rural water and wastewater infrastructure projects has been distributed to 29 states, including nearly $1.7 million to Maryland.

Joining Veneman at the event were Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Maryland Agriculture Secretary Lewis R. Riley, area farmers, other state and local officials and members of the Anne Arundel County 4-H clubs.

Additionally, USDA officials are participating in Earth Day events across the country including remarks by USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey at the “Clean Water, Livable Cities—Models that Work” conference in St. Louis; speeches in San Francisco and Berkeley by Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth; grant award presentations by Rural Development officials in local communities coast to coast; and the Bio-based and Renewable Energy Product Showcase at USDA headquarters in Washington

“Today’s announcements highlight the importance that President Bush places on a strong environmental policy that is compatible with a growing, healthy economy,” Veneman said. “His 2004 budget includes a record $3.9 billion for conservation on our nation’s farmlands, which is more than double the funding level from when he came into office.”

Conservation Reserve Program

CRP protects millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to improve the nation’s natural resources base. Participants voluntarily remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production by entering into long-term contracts for 10 to 15 years. In exchange, participants receive annual rental payments and a payment of up to 50 percent of the cost of establishing conservation practices.

By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP also protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increases in wildlife populations in many parts of the country.

The CRP general sign-up will be held from May 5 through May 30. Producers can sign up at local USDA service centers across the nation. The 2002 Farm Bill authorized USDA to maintain CRP enrollment up to 39.2 million acres.

Aside from the general sign-up, CRP’s continuous sign-up program will be ongoing. USDA has reserved two million acres for the continuous sign-up program, which represents the most environmentally desirable and sensitive land. USDA is making a special effort to help enhance wildlife habitats and air quality by setting aside 500,000 acres for bottomland hardwood tree planting. Continuous sign-up for hardwood planting will start after the general sign-up.

Current participants with contracts expiring this fall--about 1.5 million--can make new contract offers. Contracts awarded under this sign-up will become effective either at the beginning of the next fiscal year, Oct. 1, 2003, or the following year, Oct. 1, 2004, whichever the producer chooses. One other general sign-up will be offered through 2007.

The Farm Service Agency will evaluate and rank eligible CRP offers using the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) for environmental benefits to be gained from enrolling the land in CRP. Decisions on the EBI cutoff will be made after the sign-up ends and after analyzing the EBI numbers of all the offers. Those who would have met previous sign-up EBI thresholds are not guaranteed a contract under this sign-up.

For more information, visit http://www.usda.gov .

USDA, Partners and Landowners Invest in Working Lands

Veneman said the more than $1.8 billion in funding, released through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, will help producers with conservation planning and voluntary conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Wetlands Reserve Program. Special emphasis has been placed on conservation practices and programs to help landowners recover from the drought.

In addition to the federal dollars, conservation on private land is supported by contributions from state and local sources, tribes, conservation districts and nongovernmental organizations as well as from landowners themselves who implement conservation practices and resource management systems.

Typically, landowners pay 50 percent of the costs of conservation out of their own pockets. This year, landowners’ contribution should be about $1.2 billion, based on current cost-share rates.

Last year, contributions from the state and local levels of the conservation partnership totaled $713 million for financial assistance, technical assistance and the fair market value of equipment and materials. This year, partnership contributions are expected to be $771 million.

These funds will bring the total conservation investment to $3.8 billion. A state-by-state list of 2003 NRCS conservation funding is attached.

Water and Wastewater Funding

Veneman also announced the selection of 45 rural water and wastewater community infrastructure projects in 29 states to receive investment funding totaling over $105 million. The fund assists rural communities address health and environmental issues and promotes business development.

Funding for the projects is comprised of $37.2 million in loans and $68.3 in grants that will build and improve rural water and sewage systems enabling rural communities to benefit through cleaner water, recreation and wildlife resources. Included in the funding are Technical Assistance and Training (TAT) Grants and Solid Waste Management Grants. TAT grants go to nonprofit organizations to provide technical assistance and training to associations on a wide range of issues relating to the delivery of water and waste disposal services. Solid Waste Management grants are made to public and private nonprofit organizations for providing technical assistance and training to associations to reduce or eliminate pollution of water resources and improve planning and management of solid waste facilities.

A complete list of the selected loan and grant recipients and projects can be found at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/newsroom/news.htm

Last week, the Bush Administration launched EarthDay.gov , a Web site that provides Americans a comprehensive guide to environmental service opportunities and Earth Day events sponsored by the federal government, including events hosted by USDA agencies. The site is the first interagency effort to create a comprehensive federal resource for citizens who want to participate in Earth Day and other year-round environmental activities. The Web site includes links to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Earth Team Volunteer program and the NRCS Backyard Conservation campaign, as well as Forest Service Volunteer programs.

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State-by-State list of 2003 Natural Resources Conservation Service
Conservation Funding