Congressman Case Cointroduces National Legislation to
Save Farmland and Boost Ag-Based Renewable Energy
Washington,
DC – Environmental Defense and Hawaii farmers and
ranchers today praised the introduction of landmark
legislation, co-introduced by U.S. Congressman Ed Case,
to promote energy development on farms, ranches and
forest lands; to expand healthy food choices; to protect
farmland from development; and to reward good
stewardship of farms and forest lands. The bipartisan
legislation also would double conservation spending to
provide cleaner air, water and wildlife habitat and help
stabilize global warming over the life of the next farm
bill.
The bill, "The Healthy
Farms, Foods and Fuels Act of 2006," is sponsored by
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and has 26 cosponsors,
including two members of the House Agriculture
Committee, U.S. Reps. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Ben
Chandler (D-Ky.); the chairman of the House Science
Committee, U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R- N.Y.); and
the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce
Committee, U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). The other
cosponsors are: U.S. Reps. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), Jim
Kolbe (R-Ariz.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Marcy Kaptur
(D-Ohio), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.),
Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Jeb Bradley (R-N.H.), James
T. Walsh (R-N.Y.), Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), Betty
McCollum (D-Minn.), Rush Holt (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen
(D-Md.), Sam Farr (D-Ca.), Rob Andrews (D-N.J.), Grace
Napolitano (D-Ca.), Ellen Tauscher (D-Ca.), Tom Allen
(D-Maine), Charles Bass (R- N.H.), Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.),
Sue Kelly (R-N.Y.) and James Oberstar (D-Mich.).
"Renewable energy,
strengthening agriculture, and good stewardship and
preservation of agricultural have long been high
priorities of mine," said Congressman Case, a member of
the House Agriculture Committee. "Expanding
conservation incentives will ensure that farm policy
helps all farmers and ranchers regardless of how much
land they farm, whether they grow traditional or
specialty crops, or where they live," said Case. "All
rural communities will share in the environmental
benefits the programs in this bill make available. I
especially welcome the assistance this bill provides in
helping communities that are facing tremendous
development pressures to protect prime agricultural land
from urban encroachment, thereby maintaining a rural
quality of life and open spaces."
A letter to Case from J.
Scott Meidell of Haleakala Ranch Company, Franz Weber of
the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association, Stephanie Whalen
of the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Amber Starr
of Hana Ranch, and private consultant Kimberly Uyehara
said: “This bill would provide more assistance to help
farmers manage working lands, expand funding for
easements to protect ranchland and farmland, expand
support to get more local produce into schools, and
promote greater use and production of renewable energy
on Hawaii farms and ranches. The bill waives an income
limitation that has prevented many Hawaii
farmers and ranchers from participating in conservation
programs. It also expands the minimum conservation
funding Hawaii would receive from $12 million to $20
million.”
Currently, the lion's
share of federal support for American farmers flows to
less than 10 percent of the nation's agricultural
producers. Farmers in 25 out of 435 congressional
districts collected half of all farm spending during the
last decade.
The Healthy Farms, Foods
and Fuels Act will:
-
Increase from $200
million to $2 billion annual loan guarantees for
renewable energy development on farms and forest
lands.
·
Expand programs that provide
local, healthy food choices to our school children and
dramatically expand coupon programs that allow elderly
and low income Americans to shop at farmer’s markets.
-
Double incentives to $2
billion a year for farmers, ranchers and forest land
owners to protect drinking water supplies and make
other environmental improvements.
-
Provide funding to
restore nearly 3 million acres of wetlands.
-
Provide funding to
protect 6 million acres of farm and ranch land from
sprawl.
“Energy, health and the
environment should be the central focus of our federal
farm and food policies when Congress renews federal farm
and food legislation next year,” said Scott Faber, farm
policy campaign director of Environmental Defense, a
national environmental organization. “Congressman Case
is seizing the opportunity to boost energy production on
our farms, to give consumers more healthy food choices,
and to reward more farmers and forest landowners when
they take steps to meet our environmental challenges.”
Three former chiefs of the
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) also
praised the introduction today of the first major
agriculture bill introduced prior to the 2007 expiration
of the current farm bill because it will help farmers
address the nation's energy crisis by boosting funding
for renewable energy development on farms, ranches, and
forest lands.
"The Healthy Farms bill is
the most ambitious conservation bill in American
history," said Norm Berg, NRCS Chief from 1979 to 1982
and a long-time advisor to the Soil and Water
Conservation Society who was raised on a family farm in
Pine County, Minnesota. "This bill builds
upon a long tradition of voluntary, incentive-based
programs and provides a rare opportunity to expand and
improve programs that help farmers when they help meet
our environmental challenges."
"In the past, most farm
spending has flowed to large producers of select crops,"
said Pearlie Reed, NRCS chief from 1998 to 2002 and
former State Conservationist for Maryland
and California. "When we renew federal farm and food
policies next year, Congress has a chance to ensure that
more farm spending is linked to rising levels of
environmental stewardship -- helping more farmers and
the environment."
"Farmers produce far more
than food, fuel and fiber," said Paul Johnson, NRCS
chief from 1993 to 1997, an Iowa farmer
and former director of the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources from 1999 to 2000. "Farmers can also produce
clean water, clean air, and habitat for wildlife. The
Healthy Farms bill introduced today will help reward
farmers when they take steps to protect and restore the
foundations of our environment."
Contact:
Anne
Stewart 202-225-4906
(Washington, D.C.)
Esther
Kiaaina, 808-541-1986
(Honolulu)
Release
Number: 2006-35 |
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