[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 49 (Thursday, April 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WETLANDS RESERVE PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                   HON. CHARLES W. ``CHIP'' PICKERING

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 4, 2001

  Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to introduce the 
Wetlands Reserve Program Enhancement Act of 2001 in order to extend 
authority for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) authorized under the 
Farm Bill of 1996. The WRP is just the kind of non-regulatory, 
voluntary approach to conservation that works best for environmental 
protection and wildlife enhancement.
  Since its inception in 1996, the Wetlands Reserve Program has 
restored over one million acres of former wetlands to the benefit of 
waterfowl and other wildlife species while providing financial relief 
to struggling farm families. The program has been so successful, in 
fact, that for every five farmers that wish to enroll in the WRP, only 
one is accepted. This clearly shows how popular the program is with 
farmers and wildlife enthusiasts.
  In my home state of Mississippi, the WRP has proven to be extremely 
popular with private landowners, and for good reason. With commodity 
prices being as low as they are, the program is a great benefit to 
Mississippi farmers who could not otherwise afford to stay on their 
land or pass it on to future generations.
  Across the country, thousands of landowners have discovered that the 
WRP is an attractive alternative to farming high-risk and high-cost 
crop land that is frequently at risk of flooding. The WRP provides the 
necessary, voluntary incentives to restore such areas to wetlands. The 
landowner, in turn, is free to use his or her WRP incentive payment to 
refinance debt, upgrade machinery, or to buy additional land to make 
their farming operations more profitable.
  This additional land enrolled in the program not only benefits 
farmers, but also wildlife and wildlife habitat. In the Mississippi 
Delta states, most WRP land is planted in high-quality hardwood trees 
that flood in the winter and provide critical habitat for waterfowl and 
other species. In fact, the WRP has become one of the largest and most 
successful wetland restoration programs ever attempted on private 
lands.
  The program is also restoring waterfowl breeding habitat in states 
like South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to name a few. It is 
restoring migration habitat across the United States including 
Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, and New York. Most of all, the WRP is restoring 
wintering habitat in such diverse states as California, Texas, 
Arkansas, and Louisiana.
  As the Co-Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus and a 
lifelong supporter of Ducks Unlimited, I recognize another wonderful 
benefit of the Wetlands Reserve Program. Like many states, the Great 
State of Mississippi honors a proud waterfowling tradition. Every day 
the WRP helps improve waterfowl populations and enhance wetlands 
habitat to create new opportunities for sportsmen and women to 
participate in the time-honored tradition of duck hunting. As the 
father of five young boys, I am blessed with the opportunity to pass 
the family tradition of waterfowling down to them. I savor the memories 
of early morning duck hunts that I had with my father and grandfather 
as a young boy. These opportunities taught me a deep respect for the 
outdoors and helped me to develop a deep appreciation for nature and 
wildlife. These are opportunities and values that I am passing down to 
my own sons, and providing waterfowl habitat through programs like the 
WRP help make it all possible.
  Mr. Speaker, my legislation authorizes up to 250,000 acres of 
marginal farm land to be enrolled in the WRP through 2005. It is 
exactly the kind of non-regulatory conservation program that landowners 
want and wildlife need as we begin our entrance into the next century. 
I urge my colleagues to join with me and the original cosponsors of the 
Wetlands Reserve Program Enhancement Act to ensure that this program 
remains a viable option to farmers, wildlife, and the environment.

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