EESI Joins Push for Strong Conservation Title

Strong conservation programs are critical to conserving and restoring soils, water quality, wildlife habitat, biological diversity, and the amount of carbon stored in plants and soils. They are vital to making the production of food, feed, fiber, and biomass for energy more sustainable. At a hearing last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee received a letter signed by 643 organizations calling for a strong conservation title in the next Farm Bill.

Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chair of the Committee, expressed appreciation for the letter and submitted it into the Congressional Record. You can read it here .

Link to the video of the hearing and written testimonies here .

The Senate is expected to draft the 2012 Farm Bill reauthorization this spring. Senate hearings will continue in March. The House Agriculture Committee has scheduled field hearings on the Farm Bill this spring.

Last fall, House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders proposed cuts of $23 billion over the next ten years for Farm Bill food and agriculture programs, including significant cuts to the conservation title. The Obama administration has proposed even deeper cuts of $32 billion. Future reductions in conservation programs would follow significant cuts made in FY12 and FY11.