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October 7, 2008
Continuing Resolution Includes Conservation, Disaster
Funding
In the final days of this Congressional session,
legislators approved a continuing resolution (CR) that
continues funding for the federal government through
March 6, 2009. The President signed the CR into law on
September 30, 2008.
Included in the CR is nearly $1.3 billion for Farm Bill
conservation programs, $115 million for the Emergency
Conservation Program and $100 million for the Emergency
Watershed Protection Program. The CR’s forestry-related
provisions include more than $600 million designated for
wildfire suppression, $125 million for state and private
lands fuels reduction and $50 million for fuels reduction
on federal lands. Additionally, $100 million has been
allocated for rehabilitation of fire-damaged lands.
The CR also continues at FY08 levels the Conservation
Operations account at $840 million (which includes
Conservation Technical Assistance), State and Private
Forestry at $262 million and 319 Nonpoint Source Grants at
$200 million.
Under the CR, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
contribution agreements with districts and state
associations may continue during the next six months, but
they will depend upon the specific agreements and the needs
within each state. CR funding devoted to wildfire activity
replaces those “fire-borrowing” funds which had earlier
been transferred by USDA-Forest Service to fund wildfire
suppression, as reported in past issues of eNotes. Click here to read more about NACD’s September 15, 2008 joint letter to
Congress regarding wildfire suppression funding.
NACD Submits Comments on AWEP
This week NACD submitted comments to the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) regarding the new Agricultural
Water Enhancement Program (AWEP). The AWEP was established
in the 2008 Farm Bill and is a component of the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Under the
program, eligible participants can seek financial assistance
for water quality and water quantity improvement projects
through individual or group applications. NACD is seeking
to ensure that conservation districts can participate as
partners in the AWEP program to coordinate applications in
a local area or regions. NACD’s comments can be reviewed at
http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/input/comments/awep_10-06-08.pdf.
Congress Extends Funding for Rural Counties
The expired Secure Rural Schools and Community
Self-Determination Act (SRS) was recently reauthorized by
Congress through a provision in the Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act of 2008. Reauthorization of SRS carries
$3.3 billion to help pay for services such as schools and
infrastructure in rural municipalities affected by the loss
of revenue from timber sales on national forests. The
original SRS expired in 2006, and Congress approved a
one-year extension in 2007. The current SRS extension
provides annual payments to over 750 rural counties and
over 4,000 school districts in 42 states, but with
provisions for phasing down funding over time. Also
included in the Act was four years of mandatory funding for
the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which also
provides funding to counties with nontaxable federal lands.
NACD is supportive of the funding provided to rural areas
through both programs.
NACD Participates in White House Wildlife Conference
NACD joined members of hunting, fishing and other
conservation interest groups in Reno, Nev., last week for
the White House Conference on North American Wildlife
Policy. Part of the purpose of the conference was to
provide comment on the development of a 10-year
Recreational Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Plan for
North American wildlife and habitat.
NACD Second Vice President Bob Cordova and NACD Board
Members Mike Macauley (AZ) and Johnny Sundstrom (OR)
represented NACD among the over 500 others in attendance,
participating in discussions focused on how federal
agencies are working with state and local governments, and
non-profit conservation groups. Over the next several
months, drafts of the Plan will be made available. More
information on the White House Conference is available at
http://www.doi.gov.
USDA Makes Announcements on CRP, WRP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made
announcements regarding two of its conservation programs at
the White House Conference on North American Wildlife
Policy last week in Reno, Nev.
First, USDA announced completion of a study on the benefits
in the Prairie Pothole Region of two conservation programs:
the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wetlands
Reserve Program (WRP). The report measures how the
establishment and management of prairie wetlands and
associated grasslands through the CRP and WRP have
positively influenced ecosystem services. To view the
study, visit the U.S. Geological Survey website at
http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1745/.
USDA also announced plans to offer incentives for public
access to land in CRP for hunting, fishing, bird watching
and other recreational activities. The public access
incentive will pay $3 an acre per year during the life of
the CRP contract and will be limited to CRP participants in
the 21 states that already have public access programs:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky,
Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,
Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. USDA will
announce a sign-up date after environmental compliance
requirements are complete. Click here for more information on CRP.
Nebraska Districts Talk Water
Water issues were front and center when 250 conservation
leaders gathered last week for the Nebraska Association of
Resource Districts’ Annual Meeting in Kearney, Neb.
Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy opened the
conference talking about the effectiveness of the state’s
natural resource districts and the importance of the work
that they do. The group also heard from Jim Goeke, a
hydrologist from the University of Nebraska, who
demonstrated the importance and use of surface and
groundwater resources in the state. Meeting goers
participated in breakout sessions focused on using
technology for water resource management, district success
stories, the 2008 Farm Bill, the emerald ash borer,
district operations issues and more.
NACD was represented at the conference by Communications
Director Lisa Lerwick, who updated the group on recent
NACD activity and stressed the importance of two-way
communications between districts and NACD. Lerwick also
recognized Nebraska’s natural resource districts for their
consistent success and encouraged them to share their
successes on a national level.
EPA Releases Climate Change Strategy on Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
released its final "National Water Program Strategy:
Response to Climate Change." The strategy reflects input
provided during a public comment period earlier this year
and focuses on potential impacts of climate change on water
resources. Specific impacts outlined in the strategy
include increases in certain water pollution problems,
changes in availability of drinking water supplies and
collective impacts on coastal areas. EPA’s National Water
Program is a cooperative effort by Federal, State, Tribal
and local governments to protect and improve the quality of
the nation’s waters.
More information on the strategy can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange.
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