[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 20 (Tuesday, March 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: March 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM DUE TO EXPIRE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter] is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts soon, millions of
acres of grassland and tree cover protecting our soil, streams, and
wildlife will be plowed and converted to cropland and an important
investment in our environment will be lost.
For 8 years, our Nation's natural resources have been protected by
the Conservation Reserve Program. This Federal program provides the
necessary incentive for farmers to convert land unfit for crops into
grasslands and tree cover. Grasslands and trees, in turn, prevent
topsoil erosion, improve water quality, and provide essential cover and
nesting for wildlife.
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Conservation Reserve Program expires
in 1995. Currently, 36.5 million acres are enrolled in the program and
rapidly declining conservation funds will force nearly all land out of
the program by the year 2001. Many of those concerned about protecting
our natural resources are asking what will happen upon the program's
expiration. If history repeats itself and current surveys are accurate,
these grasslands and trees will be converted to cropland and our water,
soil, and wildlife will be placed, once again, at risk.
Mr. Speaker, in the 1970's, Congress neglected the expiration of
another Conservation Program, the soil bank. Predictably, when the
incentives for that Conservation Program expired, precious grasslands
were converted to cropland and an investment in our soil, water, and
wildlife was lost.
Therefore, last week, this Member introduced legislation to extend
and significantly modify the Conservation Reserve Program. By
permitting the Secretary of Agriculture and, most importantly, farmers,
a greater role in determining which land to protect, this legislation
saves taxpayer dollars by better focusing precious conservation funds
on our Nation's most environmentally sensitive lands.
Mr. Speaker, this Member's legislation accomplishes this important
dual task by, first and foremost, permitting the early withdrawal of
certain lands from the Conservation Reserve Program. Critics of the CRP
have rightly criticized this generally excellent program because it did
not focus sufficiently on the most environmentally sensitive land, for
example, the most highly erodible land. Nationally, 24 percent of the
land enrolled in the CRP is not even classified as highly erodible.
Therefore, this Member believes it is first necessary to stop spending
precious conservation funds on land which merely requires good
stewardship for production.
Second, this legislation would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to
work with farmers to modify current CRP contracts. Critics of the
program have shown that many incentive payments are excessive.
Therefore, this legislation would enable the Secretary of Agriculture
to reduce incentive payments on certain lands while permitting farmers
greater flexibility to use certain lands. In many circumstances, and
with sensitivity to other economic interests which may be affected, CRP
land can be devoted to economically productive uses such as haying,
grazing, and the production of grass for alternative fuels without any
negative environmental effect.
Third, this legislation would permit the Secretary of Agriculture and
farmers to work together to choose those parts of fields and
agricultural lands which will best protect our groundwater, streams,
and wildlife. Often, entire fields have been enrolled in the
Conservation Reserve Program when partial fields would suffice.
Sometimes, a narrow strip of land along a waterway will filter
agricultural chemical runoff while protecting the water quality of the
waterway. Most importantly, by allowing partial fields to be enrolled
in the program, precious conservation funds can be saved and reinvested
in other, more environmentally sensitive lands.
Fourth, this legislation would permit farmers to harmonize field
boundaries with each other, and if desirable, transfer cropland base
acres from conservation reserve program land to other producers to use
on nonhighly erodible land provided that they remain enrolled in the
program. This increased flexibility and elimination of restraints on
the transfer of cropland base will serve as an incentive for farmers to
keep environmentally sensitive land in the program by making it easier
for adjacent landowners to farm productive land while protecting
environmentally sensitive land.
Finally, this legislation places a cap on the Secretary of
Agriculture's incentive payments on CRP land. This specified 80 percent
cap of previous payment incentives reflects various surveys which
indicate that many farmers are willing to keep their land in the
program even if incentive payments are reduced. Also, this legislation
seeks to further promote conservation compliance requirements by
requiring, in limited circumstances, that established soil erosion
limits are required if a farmer wishes to remain in the CRP.
Mr. Speaker, our precious natural resources are in danger if Congress
fails to address the expiration of the Conservation Reserve Program. It
is not a simple task to protect our Nation's soil, waterways, and
wildlife, yet the Conservation Reserve Program has admirably met its
objectives. In Nebraska alone, this program annually saves an estimated
32 million tons of soil from being washed away and carried into our
Nation's waterways.
Nevertheless, this Member acknowledges that changes are needed if the
CRP program is to meet the environmental and budgetary challenges of
the future. Therefore, this Member asked Mr. Jim Barr, my district
office manager who is also a local farmer, to begin a real grassroots
legislative drafting effort. He and this Member did so by meeting with
farmers, soil conservationists, and local natural resources experts to
gather information and ideas for improving the CRP from lessons learned
in past conservation efforts. Together, these individuals have produced
for my review and modification what I believe to be innovative and
sensible grassroots legislation. This Member strongly believes the
revision prepared will save taxpayer dollars by better focusing
precious conservation funds on our Nation's most environmentally
sensitive lands. This Member would like to thank Jim Barr,
my agricultural and trade legislative assistant, Mr. Dan Martz, my
environment legislative assistant, Mr. Alan Feyerherm, and the many
farmers and experts who contributed to this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, the challenge is now before the Congress. We cannot
ignore the expiration of this important conservation program. We must
reauthorize and reform this program well before the current
authorization expires. If my fellow colleagues wish to avoid the
disastrous mistakes of our past efforts--the destruction of expensive
conservation structures and practices--we must ensure that the CRP
continues as a reformed and improved program. If we act now and act
quickly we can maintain and preserve the millions of acres of grassland
and tree cover which protect our soil, streams, and wildlife. Most
importantly, we can enable our Nation's farmers to continue to produce
the necessary cheap supply of food which all American's enjoy while
still adequately preserving our Nation's precious soil and water
resources for future generations of Americans.
In conclusion, this Member urges his colleagues to examine and
cosponsor, H.R. 3894, the CRP Reform and Reauthorization Act which was
introduced last Thursday. It is this Member's hope that our
congressional agricultural committees may thus incorporate the
provisions of this legislative proposal in a timely reauthorization of
the Conservation Reserve Program.
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