[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 26 (Thursday, March 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF BILL ON CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that volunteer 
nonprofit organizations that rent land from a State entity are 
precluded from entering land into the Conservation Reserve Program. I 
am introducing legislation today to allow nonprofit organizations who 
rent or lease land from a State or political subdivision to participate 
in the Conservation Reserve Program.
  The 1996 farm bill established a new Conservation Reserve Program, 
and its

[[Page H1116]]

purpose was to increase its emphasis on preserving and enhancing our 
natural resources, moving away from the old land idling purposes of the 
early 1980s.
  My bill would further this effort by encouraging volunteer nonprofit 
organizations to use the tools of the Conservation Reserve Program to 
preserve and enhance the upkeep of environmentally sensitive lands in 
rural communities that might otherwise be neglected. Such organizations 
would be responsible for complying with all other aspects of the new 
Conservation Reserve Program and my proposed legislation makes no 
changes to the eligibility of land allowed to be entered into the CRP.
  I am hopeful that my colleagues can join me in moving this 
legislation forward and allow rural communities to better preserve 
wildlife and water quality in rural areas.

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