From the National Association of Conservation Districts:
WASHINGTON, D.C.– February 25, 2015–In letters to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees, National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) President Lee McDaniel outlined NACD’s appropriations priorities for critical conservation programs, including Conservation Technical Assistance, Farm Bill conservation programs, Watershed Operations and Watershed Rehabilitation.
NACD supports re-approval of the Fiscal Year 2015 funding budget of $846 million as a base for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Operations (CO) account in the Fiscal Year 2016 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program, part of the CO account administered by NRCS, supports critical, voluntary conservation practices to ensure quality water, productive land and other vital environmental benefits.
NACD supports maintaining all mandatory conservation program funding for Fiscal Year 2016 as allocated in the Agriculture Act of 2014.
“Farm Bill conservation programs are important resources to all producers and landowners,” said NACD President Lee McDaniel. “Continued cuts to these programs would set a dangerous precedent at a time when voluntary, incentive-based conservation of our nation’s natural resources is of upmost importance.”
NACD supports full mandatory and discretionary funding for the Watershed Rehabilitation Program which is $85 million for Fiscal Year 2016. Dually important to preserving the nation’s water quality and quantity is the Watershed Operations account’s discretionary funding. The President’s budget made a positive step by requesting $200 million for Fiscal Year 2016. NACD supports a funding level of $300 million for the Watershed Operations account.
NACD also supports Interior Subcommittee Appropriations requests in the President’s 2015 budget, including $164.9 million for the Clean Water Act Section 319 program, a grant program to assist in mitigating nonpoint source pollution, as well as the President’s 2016 request of $237 million for State and Private Forestry programs administered by the USDA Forest Service.
NACD members will be discussing these and other conservation priorities with Members of Congress at the upcoming Spring Fly-in, March 18 in Washington, D.C.