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November 3, 2009
Senate Climate Work Delayed
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held
hearings last week on the S. 1733 the Clean Energy Jobs
and American Power Act prior to beginning work on any
changes to the climate legislation. Opening statements
began today as the Committee starts to review legislation.
However, legislative work was postponed due to ongoing
disagreements between majority and minority committee
members. NACD expects additional legislative proposals
regarding agriculture, forestry and climate to be
introduced shortly. We will continue to provide updates
as the debate over climate change policy continues.
President Signs Interior Bill, FLAME Act Provisions
Enacted
Late last week, President Obama signed into law the fiscal
year 2010 (FY10) Interior and Environment Appropriations
bill. The bill contains significant funding increases for
State and Private Forestry Programs and continues funding
for 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grants. Included in the
bill approved by Congress is language from the FLAME Act
regarding wildfire contingency funds. The FLAME Act
language provides a legislative means to end the need for
agencies of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the
Department of the Interior (DOI) to fund wildfire
suppression from other agency programs. Funding for FY10
was set at $61 million for DOI and $413 million for USDA.
You can see more regarding NACD’s involvement in the
Interior bill and the FLAME Act at http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/input/letters/.
NACD Files CSP Comments
Last week NACD submitted comments to NRCS regarding the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
CSP is being operated under an interim final rule which
allowed for the recent application period in fiscal year
2009 that ended on September 30, 2009 and the continuing
application period now underway. In the comments, NACD
addresses eligibility for the program, inclusion of forested
lands and outreach to small acreage farms and traditionally
underserved program customers. NRCS will review comments
and issue a revised regulation in the future, but the
program will continue to be operated under the current
interim final regulation in place today. CSP applications
that were submitted before October 1 are currently under
review, and contracts will likely be signed later this
month.
NACD Represented at World Forestry Congress
The 13th World Forestry Congress recently met in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, where the meeting theme was Forests in
Development – A Vital Balance. The World Forestry Congress
convenes approximately every six years, bringing
representatives from governments, universities,
non-governmental organizations and private forest owners
together to share interest and knowledge on forests on a
global scale. This year, Charles Holmes, NACD board
member (AL), chair of the NACD forestry resource policy
group and member of the national Joint Forestry Team,
represented NACD at this important global meeting.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) assists the Congress and compiles
declarations brought forward from the Congress. FAO may
endorse outcomes, thus the Congress acts in an advisory
position. To learn more about the 13th World Forestry
Congress, visit http://www.wfc2009.org/en/index.asp.
Computer Assistance Available for Districts
Last week, NACD received notification that NRCS has
determined how seat costs will be handled for conservation
districts that are connected to the USDA system throughout
the country. The equivalent of one computer for each
district will be covered nationally, with state
conservationists having latitude within their budgets to
go beyond one per district as appropriate. Conservation
district officials should consult with NRCS staff and
their respective state conservationists for arrangements
applicable to their location. These arrangements will
allow conservation district employees to continue helping
serve farmers and ranchers, especially where access to
information on and access to USDA programs is needed.
NACD Live Auction Donations Off to Great Start
The call for items for the NACD Annual Live Auction at the
2010 Annual Meeting in Orlando has gone out and many states
have already answered. Old favorites like the rhythm clock
and the custom spurs will be back along with some new items
including an elk hunt and a case of wine. We can’t wait to
see what exciting new items are still to come.
The Auction Committee is working to bring some exciting
new changes to the Auction to make 2010 even bigger and
better than 2009. The Auction has continued to grow each
year, but this is only possible through your support by
either donations or by raising your hand high and often
the night of the auction.
The deadline for submitting our auction donation form is
December 18. Proceeds from the event go to support NACD’s
legislative activities. Get involved with the Live Auction
and help make the 2010 Auction the best one yet. Further
details are available at http://nacdnet.org/events/annualmeeting/activities/auction/.
AG CONNECT Expo Offering Cutting-Edge Education
Those with a personal interest in the future of
agriculture, agribusiness and innovative technologies that
move products from farm to fork can register now for
education programs at the AG CONNECT Expo 2010. The AG
CONNECT Expo 2010 will be held January 13-15, 2010 at the
Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Registered attendees will gain valuable education and
insight from the involvement of various groups who are
sponsoring the 34 education sessions at the show. The
education sessions will include six specialized tracks
focusing on Renewable Energy; Technology; Farm Management;
Family Business Management; Risk Management; High Yield;
and a Plan for Success workshop. Sessions are sponsored by
Successful Farming, Farm Journal Media, 25 x ’25, American
Agri-Women, Precision Ag, Informa Economics,
DTN/Progressive Farmer and the Agricultural Safety &
Health Council of America. NACD will also participate in
the Expo, which is the cornerstone of the event.
For more information, visit the AG CONNECT Expo website.
EPA 319 Database
The Environmental Protection Agency recently added new
tools to the Grants Reporting and Tracking System database
to enable the public to search for information about NPS
pollution control projects. New features include a
searchable database of projects and an interactive map
that enables browsing for project information by watershed.
The database is available on the EPA website.
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