[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 94 (Friday, June 9, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

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                            HON. DAVID MINGE

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 8, 1995
  Mr. MINGE. Mr. Speaker, actions of public officials are always 
scrutinized for conflicts of interest and self-benefit--and they should 
be. As public officials, we are trustees of the people we represent in 
the Nation. We should not benefit from the programs upon which we 
deliberate unless we do so on the same basis as the rest of the 
population, or unless the benefit is fully disclosed and subject to 
review. The goal is not just to avoid impropriety but also the 
appearance of impropriety. If we do not observe these principles, it 
undermines our role in this democratic institution.
  In 1991, before I even considered becoming a candidate for the U.S. 
Congress, my wife and I purchased 106 acres of land adjoining the farm 
building site where we live. These 106 acres were once the fields and 
pastures, which together with our home site, comprised a single farm. 
Approximately 55 acres of our purchased land and had been enrolled in 
Conservation Reserve Program [CRP] by the seller. As a part of the 
sale, we made an agreement with the seller to abide by the CRP 
contract. However, our contract and the current CRP program will expire 
in 1996.
  The U.S. Congress is now considering the renewal of CRP. Since I sit 
on the House Agriculture Committee and the subcommittees which have 
jurisdiction over this legislation, my wife and I have applied to 
withdraw all our land from CRP effective September 30, 1995. We expect 
that this will be approved except for a 2.7 acre tract on which the 
prior owner planted trees. This is a wind break/wildlife habitat and 
will stay in CRP for 1 more year. We have developed a conservation plan 
for the highly erodible land that has been in CRP.
  I hope this will clearly avoid any appearance of any self-interest in 
my work as a Member of Congress, on the Agriculture Committee, in 
promoting the continuation of CRP. I feel this is an important program 
and deserves disinterested analysis and review by Congress. I look 
forward to being a part of that process.
  I appreciate the benefits of CRP for highly erodible land in this 
country. We must minimize top soil loss, protect ground water, and 
continue to reduce the fertilizer and chemical runoff to our lakes and 
streams. When this can be done in such a way that we provide wildlife 
habitat, and advance the farm program, it is a win-win situation. With 
such a tight budget this will be a challenge.


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