Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I appreciate what my colleagues are trying to do. Clearly there is a problem.
When we passed the farm bill, we made an unprecedented investment in conservation.
First as chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee with jurisdiction over conservation, then as the ranking member of the subcommittee, I worked closely with my colleagues on both sides to increase funding for EQIP and WHIP and the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program and to create the Grasslands Reserve Program and increase the acreage for CRP and WRP.
Unfortunately, I am unable to support this amendment, because while it attempts to correct an injustice, it does not fix the problem.
This amendment, if enacted into law, would stop the CRP program in its tracks.
The Conservation Reserve Program is one of the most successful conservation programs in agriculture. It is a win-win for agriculture and the environment. It benefits landowners and wildlife. In fact, it has been proved to be the most effective federal program for production of waterfowl in the United States.
In Idaho, we had more than 55,000 acres recently accepted into the program. If this amendment were enacted, those acres could not be enrolled because of lack of technical assistance funding.
Likewise, I have been a strong proponent for the Continuous CRP program. This important program provides tremendous benefits for the environment and maintains working lands. I have continually encouraged USDA to enroll more CRP acreage in this important part of the CRP program. However, this program would come to a screeching halt without technical assistance funding.
I share my colleagues' concerns and interest in finding a solution, but this is not a full solution. I cannot support an amendment that would have such a disastrous effect on the CRP program.
As chairman of the subcommittee, I am committed to working with Agriculture Committee Chairman Cochran and Ranking Member Harkin and other interested members to find a solution.
I urge my colleagues to seek a workable solution that protects all of our conservation programs.