Press Releases

Today, the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a hearing to highlight how voluntary conservation practices have improved the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Witnesses explained how the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working with farmers and local conservation districts to successfully improve water quality, habitat, and key aquatic species in the Bay area. 

“The increased health of the Chesapeake Bay area is a prime example of how voluntary conservation efforts work. Our farmers, ranchers, and local communities, with the help of NRCS, are voluntarily helping restore and protect the complex ecosystem of the Bay and the important habitats that live there. Some government agencies and activist groups are ignoring these conservation efforts, but from today’s discussion we can clearly see these efforts are making great strides toward protecting one of America’s most cherished natural resources,” said Subcommittee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson.

“America’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters are continually working to preserve and improve the land from which they make their living. The voluntary conservation practices we are seeing agriculture producers engage in are far more effective than a government one-size-fits-all agenda. This committee will continue to advocate for voluntary conservation practices and push back against over-burdensome regulations that hinder those efforts,” said Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway.

Written testimony provided by the witnesses from today’s hearing is linked below. Click here for more information, including Chairman Thompson's opening statement and the archived webcast.

Witness List:
Panel I
The Honorable Jason Weller, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation· Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC

The Honorable Russell Redding, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg, PA