[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 164 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S14814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JOHNSON (for himself, Mr. Kerrey, and Mr. Wellstone):
  S. 1961. A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to expand the 
number of acres authorized for inclusion in the conservation reserve; 
to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.


         the conservation reserve program acreage expansion act

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce 
legislation which would increase the acreage cap currently in place for 
the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) under the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  CRP continues to be a popular alternative for landowners who wish to 
take a portion of their land out of production for conservation 
purposes. While the program serves a multitude of beneficial purposes, 
there are items of the program that we must continue to work on in 
Congress. As a start, I am introducing companion legislation to 
Congressman Collin Peterson's (D-MN) bill in the House to increase the 
acreage allotted in CRP up to 45 million acres.
  CRP has undergone significant changes as a result of the 1996 Farm 
Bill. Wildlife benefits provided by certain grass species and 
conservation practices are now heavily emphasized in the Environmental 
Benefits Index (EBI) which sets forth eligibility into the program. 
While many of these changes have been welcomed because of the favorable 
effect they have on conservation and the environment, I have some 
concerns with certain requirements farmers face in relation to the EBI 
requirements.
  First, producers with existing CRP contracts that have tracts of land 
accepted for re-enrollment into CRP have indicated that in certain 
cases, they were required to plow under at least half of the existing 
grass stand on those tracts in order to plant new grass seeds to meet 
the EBI criteria. Those participants are concerned this may lead to 
soil erosion instead of soil conservation on tracts that are already 
highly erodible because plowing up half of grass stand exposes that 
land to the unpredictable forces of weather. Moreover, it often 
requires more than one growing season for new grass species to take 
root and establish adequate cover in order to protect habitat. That 
said, both producers and conservationists have expressed concern to me 
that this requirement may place habitat protection in a precarious 
position in some instances. Finally, the costs of seed varieties called 
for in the EBI, especially for native grass species, have skyrocketed 
to a point here it is oftentimes cost-prohibitive for producers to meet 
the requirements of establishing a new grass stand. These and other 
matters I plan to address with the input of all interested parties as 
we proceed with the legislation.
  However, on the whole CRP remains a very popular program in my home 
state of South Dakota and across the country. During the twelve signups 
held between 1986 and 1992, 36.4 million acres were enrolled in CRP. 
USDA estimates that the average erosion rate on enrolled acres was 
reduced from 21 to less than 2 tons per acre per year. Retiring these 
lands also expanded wildlife habitat, enhanced water quality, and 
restored soil. The annual value of these benefits has been estimated 
from less than $1 billion to more than $1.5 billion; some estimates of 
these benefits approach or exceed annual costs, especially in areas of 
heavy participation. While major changes cannot occur to CRP until we 
undertake a renewed effort to change the Farm Bill, I am hopeful that 
Congress reconsider the current Farm Bill in 2000.
  In addition to supporting CRP, I have co-sponsored S. 1426, the 
Conservation Security Act of 1999. This bill creates a voluntary 
incentive program to encourage conservation activities by landowners. 
This bill includes a variety of solid conservation practices that 
landowners may choose from in order to qualify for certain incentives. 
Some of the conservation practices include conservation tillage, runoff 
control, buffer strips, wetland restoration, and wildlife management.
  I believe the Conservation Security Act is a strong piece of 
legislation that would benefit agriculture producers, wildlife, and the 
environment. I will continue to support and work with Senator Harkin in 
seeing this legislation move forward.
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