[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4105-S4106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, the Conservation Reserve Program, a 
program vitally important to my State and many others, has recently 
been threatened on many fronts. I would like to make clear my 
intentions and views on several matters relating to the CRP.
  Last week Congressman Bob Smith was successful in passing H.R. 1342, 
legislation requiring USDA to reenroll winter crop land not accepted in 
the new CRP for one year. For the record, H.R. 1342 has received strong 
support from producers in my State and like Chairman Smith, I, too, am 
very concerned for winter crop producers throughout the country. 
Unfortunately, we have received a loud message from the President that 
he strongly objects to the bill and would veto the measure if passed by 
Congress.
  Knowing the President would veto H.R. 1342, I felt it necessary, at 
the very least, to send a letter to Secretary Glickman requesting that 
he permit producers to begin preparing CRP ground immediately for fall 
planting. I would like producers in my State to know that I will 
continue to work with Secretary Glickman to see that he addresses this 
problem. Further, let it be known, that I will oppose any attempt to 
cap or earmark enrollments to the Conservation Reserve Program.
  Yesterday, 13 Senators joined me in sending a letter to Secretary 
Glickman outlining 3 critical issues concerning the Conservation 
Reserve Program. Let me now outline the issues raised in the letter.
  First, producers throughout the country are currently faced with 
serious uncertainty as to whether or not their bids to enroll land in 
the CRP will be accepted. I believe it is very important for Secretary 
Glickman to notify producers this month whether their offers are 
accepted. I understand that Secretary Glickman is sympathetic to this 
problem and has announced he will notify all producers by late May. I 
have expressed my concern to Secretary Glickman and have encouraged him 
to allow producers to immediately begin preparing their land for fall 
planting of winter crops without penalty. This will allow producers to 
begin ground preparation in the event they are not accepted into the 
program. Producers in my State are concerned they will not have enough 
time nor enough moisture in the ground to grow winter crops if they do 
not begin preparing their land immediately. Simply put, time is running 
out for producers in my State. I understand that Secretary Glickman is 
willing to help solve this problem and I am hopeful that he will 
address this situation in a timely fashion.
  Second, the House Appropriations Committee has placed a provision in 
the Emergency Disaster Supplemental bill capping CRP enrollments at 14 
million acres. Many Senators, including myself, believe that this cap 
threatens the environmental commitment we made when we passed, and the 
President enacted, the 1996 Farm Bill. As a member of the Senate 
Appropriations Committee, I will work hard to see that this provision 
is omitted during the Emergency Disaster Supplemental Conference.
  Third, the President has proposed reducing CRP enrollments by 2 
million acres to pay for the development rights of Crown Butte, Inc. I 
believe, as do many other Senators, that any cap or reduction in CRP 
enrollments would jeopardize the commitment Congress made to improve 
water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce wind and soil 
erosion.
  In closing, I thank my colleagues for their support. The CRP is a 
vitally important program and I look forward to working with my 
colleagues and Secretary Glickman as we address these concerns.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous connsent that our letter to Secretary 
Glickman be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                                      U.S. Senate,


            Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry,

                                      Washington, DC, May 6, 1997.
     Hon. Dan Glickman,
     Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Secretary: We are writing to bring to your 
     attention three matters of concern regarding the Conservation 
     Reserve Program (CRP).
       First, it is critically important that you fulfill the 
     pledge you made in your April 29 letter to House Agriculture 
     Committee Chairman Bob Smith that producers will be notified 
     by late May of whether their offers to enroll land in the CRP 
     have been accepted. As you are well aware, growers whose 
     offers are not accepted into the program will not have enough 
     time, nor the appropriate weather conditions, to prepare 
     their current CRP acreage for fall planting. We understand 
     that you are sympathetic to this unfortunate predicament and 
     ask that you rectify this situation immediately. We seek your 
     prompt approval of ground preparation practices necessary for 
     fall planting of winter crops on all expiring CRP acreage 
     without loss of payments. Specifically, we request that 
     producers be permitted to remove cover crops without penalty 
     beginning immediately.
       Second, we applaud your opposition to any effort that would 
     cap or earmark CRP enrollments. Like you, we believe the 
     provision by the House Appropriations Committee to cap CRP 
     enrollments at 14 million acres would jeopardize USDA's 
     efforts to improve water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, 
     reduce wind and soil erosion, and enroll additional acres 
     under the Department's continuous signup initiative. We will 
     be working hard to see that this provision, or any similar 
     effort, is struck during the Emergency Supplemental 
     Appropriations Conference. We welcome your support in this 
     effort.
       Third, we do not support President Clinton's proposal to 
     reduce CRP enrollment by 2 million acres to pay for the 
     development rights of Crown Butte Mines, Inc. We believe that 
     limiting CRP enrollments would threaten the substantial 
     environmental commitment we made when Congress passed and the 
     President enacted the Federal Agriculture Improvement and 
     Reform Act of 1996.
       We strongly encourage you to address the time sensitive 
     nature of our request. Winter crop producers throughout the 
     country are in serious jeopardy and if they so choose, should 
     be allowed to prepare their land for fall planting 
     immediately.
       We look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your 
     support for an extremely important program.
           Sincerely,
     Richard G. Lugar.

[[Page S4106]]

     Slade Gorton.
     Gordon Smith.
     Dirk Kempthorne.
     Patty Murray.
     Sam Brownback.
     Chuck Hagel.
     Tom Harkin.
     Larry E. Craig.
     Conrad Burns.
     Ron Wyden.
     Pat Roberts.
     Max Baucus.
     Michael B. Enzi.

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