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June 23, 2009
Negotiations Continue on Climate Legislation
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN)
has been engaged in negotiations with House Energy and
Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy
and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) on
provisions of the American Clean Energy and Security Act
(ACES). Chairman Peterson has been discussing the potential
role for USDA in the development of a carbon offset program
that would work for agricultural producers and grasslands
and forestland owners as well as provisions impacting rural
America. Discussions have focused on responsibilities of
USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
NACD supports a leadership role for USDA in developing
methodologies and practice standards given the Department’s
extensive work with agriculture and forestry, knowledge of
soil science, and conservation leadership. The ACES
legislation may come up for a vote in the House of
Representatives later this week. NACD will continue to
provide updates as more information on the negotiations
becomes available.
Congress Moves Appropriations Bills
Work continues in Congress on fiscal year 2010 (FY10)
appropriations. Last week, the House Appropriations
Committee approved both the Agriculture appropriations and
the Interior and Environment appropriations bills.
Committee-passed spending includes $869 million for the
Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation
Operations account, $308 million for Forest Service State
and Private Forestry Programs, and $201 million for
Environmental Protection Agency 319 Nonpoint Source
Pollution Grants. Also maintained in the Agriculture
appropriations was restored funding for Farm Bill
Conservation Programs.
Today, the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations
Subcommittee met to mark-up their bill. Specific details
regarding State and Private Forestry and 319 Nonpoint Source
Grant funding have yet to be released. A key feature that
was announced by the subcommittee is the inclusion of
$3.56 billion for wildfire fighting and fire risk reduction
programs, an over $500 million increase from fiscal year
2009. The Interior and Environment bill is scheduled to go
before the full Committee on Thursday. A schedule for Senate
action on Agriculture Appropriations has not been released.
Northern Plains State Leaders Meet in Bismarck
NACD members and their partners held their annual leaders'
meeting in Bismarck, North Dakota last week. The meeting
focused on current regional issues and opportunities,
including federal Missouri River initiatives, soil health
and district and state association funding. The event is
designed to encourage interaction and information exchange
among state-level leaders and regional partners. There were
44 participants representing NACD, state associations,
state employee associations, state conservation agencies,
NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and the Missouri Sediment Action Council. The
North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts
sponsored a conservation tour showcasing outstanding
research and practical efforts by a district supervisor,
conservation districts and USDA Agricultural Research
Service on soil health.
The meeting also hosted the first Resources Conservation
Act Listening Session, where leaders from five states and
representatives from other agencies and organizations in
North Dakota provided feedback to USDA on future resource
needs and program opportunities.
Clean Water Restoration Act Passes in Senate Committee
Last Thursday, the Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA) passed
in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by a
vote of 12-7. The CWRA removes the term "navigable waters"
from the Clean Water Act and replaces it with "waters of the
U.S." NACD joined thirty other agricultural and conservation
organizations in signing a letter to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works
(EPW) Committee in opposition to the Act. The legislation
will now move to the full Senate for a vote.
U.S. Forest Service Appoints New Chief
Last week Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack
announced that Tom Tidwell will replace Gail Kimbell as
Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Tidwell has served
32 years as a USFS career employee. In early 2007, he was
named as Regional Forester for the Forest Service’s Northern
Region, which includes Montana, North Dakota and portions
of South Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming.
Tidwell is known for his ability to bring people of
different opinion together and reach consensus by working to
build relationships. One of his first priorities will be to
act quickly to move federal stimulus funding to the field.
NACD looks forward to working with Chief Tidwell on forestry
issues of interest to conservation districts and their
customers.
Tidwell’s new assignment as USFS Chief is not subject to
Senate confirmation. Click here to read the USDA news
release.
Legislative Conference Deadlines Near
NACD’s 2009 Legislative Conference is less than a month
away; have you made plans to attend? Don’t miss your
opportunity to be a part of important natural resource
conservation debates that are currently underway. From
Climate Change to Clean Water Act amendments to economic
stimulus implementation to annual conservation funding--all
of these policy issues are moving in Washington, D.C.
Conference attendees will have the opportunity to hear from
key leaders within the Administration including Secretary
Tom Vilsack, U.S. Department of Agriculture (invited);
Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle,
U.S. Department of the Interior (invited); as well as
officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
the U.S. Forest Service and the USDA Office of Global
Change.
Register before Friday, June 26 to receive discounted
rates. The deadline for early registration is this Friday,
June 26. As an added bonus, NACD has also arranged an
extended reservation period through Friday, June 26 for the
special discounted hotel rate. Act now to receive discounted
pre-registration rates. A detailed program, as well as
registration and hotel information is available on the
conference website.
Court Stays EPA Pesticide Application Permitting
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently granted a motion
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stay an
earlier mandate from the court requiring pesticide
application permitting. The court action postpones any EPA
action until April 9, 2011, providing the agency with the
opportunity to solicit public input in formulating pesticide
permitting requirements. As a result of the ruling, anyone
who applies a pesticide in, over or near waters of the
United States will need to be covered by a permit issued
under the Clean Water Act after the 2011 effective date.
Earlier this year, the court vacated an EPA final rule in
the case National Cotton Council v. EPA that exempted
pesticide applications. The court found that discharge of
pesticides is a point source of pollution and thus subject
to the NPDES permitting program under the Clean Water Act.
More information is available from EPA.
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