Today, President Bush visited the Katzenmeyer Farm in Le Sueur,
Minnesota, to highlight his continued commitment to improving the
environment and the strong conservation ethic of America's farmers
and sportsmen - by announcing three important new conservation
initiatives that will help protect wildlife, water, and precious
land resources.
These new conservation efforts will further support the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) largest conservation program on
private lands, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is a
successful, 20-year old, voluntary program that works with farmers
and sportsmen to conserve environmentally sensitive land and
provide habitat for waterfowl and birds.
Background on Today's Presidential Action
Originally authorized under the 1985 Farm Bill, CRP is a voluntary
program sponsored by USDA that provides incentives to landowners to
remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and
instead establish protective vegetative cover of grass, trees, or
wildlife habitat. Since its inception in 1986, this program has helped
reduce soil erosion by more than 40 percent and restored 1.8 million
acres of critical wetlands. Since President Bush signed the historic
2002 Farm Bill, CRP has increased enrollment by 2.6 million acres,
conserving a total of 34.8 million acres of environmentally sensitive
land for wildlife habitat, riparian buffers, and soil protection. The
2002 Farm Bill provides more than $40 billion over a decade to restore
millions of acres of wetlands, protect habitats, conserve water, and
improve streams and rivers near working farms and ranches. Today,
President Bush announced three new efforts to strengthen conservation
under CRP:
Strengthening the Environment by Expanding and Extending the Conservation Reserve Program:
Early Re-Enrollment and Extensions of CRP Contracts to Improve
Environmental Benefits. The President announced that USDA will
offer early re-enrollment and contract extensions in order to
improve the environmental benefits of the existing CRP
acreage. The President directed the Secretary of Agriculture
to initiate a plan for maintaining and expanding the benefits
of the Conservation Reserve Program in the future, working
closely with farmers, sportsmen, wildlife groups, conservation
leaders, communities, and other interested individuals.
At present, 16 million acres under CRP contract are scheduled
to expire in 2007. Another 6 million acres would follow in
2008, 4 million in 2009, and 2 million in 2010. Today's action
by the President will make sure these farmlands stay
protected. A request for public comment on various aspects of
CRP will be published in the Federal Register in early August
2004. This action underscores the Bush Administration's
commitment to full enrollment of CRP up to 39.2 million acres
and to strong conservation on working farms.
CRP General Sign-Up to Help America's Farmers. The President
also announced a general sign-up of 800,000 acres under CRP.
The sign-up will occur from Aug. 30 through Sept. 24, 2004, at
local USDA/FSA offices. Today's announcement further
demonstrates President Bush's commitment to helping our
Nation's farmers maintain a strong agricultural economy while
meeting their commitments to the environment. Under the 2002
Farm Bill, signed by President Bush in May 2002, USDA is
authorized to enroll up to 39.2 million acres of farmland in
CRP. Many of the lands protected under CRP serve as stopping
points for waterfowl during their migration.
Northern Bobwhite Quail Habitat Initiative to Strengthen Wildlife
Habitats. The President today announced a new initiative to
increase the population of the northern bobwhite quail by 750,000
birds annually. The CRP Northern Bobwhite Quail Habitat
Initiative creates automatic enrollment of 250,000 additional
acres of grass buffers on farms. CRP has already strengthened
wildlife habitat that has increased populations of birds, fish,
and many other wildlife species. In fact, studies show that the
increase of the duck population by 2.1 million each year is
attributable to CRP. Pheasant populations are at or near record
high levels in many Midwestern states.
Non-Floodplain Wetlands Restoration Initiative for Critical
Environmental Benefits. Today, the President announced the
Non-Floodplain Wetland Restoration Initiative to encourage
landowners to enroll 250,000 acres of large wetland complexes and
playa lakes located outside the 100-year floodplain. Restoring
these wetlands will provide critical environmental benefits
including:
Provide vital habitat for many wildlife species, such as ducks,
pheasants, and sandhill cranes;
Filter runoff, recharge groundwater supplies, and protect drinking water; and
Reduce downstream flooding.
Other Highlights of the President's Conservation Agenda
Improving Wetlands. On Earth Day 2004, the President announced
an aggressive new national goal - moving beyond a policy of
"no-net-loss" of wetlands - to restore, improve, and protect at
least 3 million wetland acres over the next 5 years in order to
increase overall wetland acres and quality. To meet this goal,
the President called on Congress to pass his FY 2005 Budget
request, which includes $4.4 billion for conservation
programs. In December 2002, President Bush signed legislation
reauthorizing the North American Wetlands Conservation Act
(NAWCA) for five years.
Healthy Forests Initiative. On December 3, 2003, President
Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his
Healthy Forests Initiative. The President's Healthy Forests
Initiative is helping restore the health and vitality of
forests and rangelands. The Initiative also helps reduce the
threat of catastrophic wildfires, which benefits communities
and wildlife habitats.
Great Lakes Restoration. In May 2004, President Bush
established the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force to address
environmental and natural resource issues of national concern
and better coordinate the region's sustainable development and
restoration. The President's FY 2005 budget includes an
unprecedented $45 million for the Great Lakes Legacy Program,
almost five times the 2004 level of funding. These additional
funds will allow EPA, in conjunction with its community
partners, to begin remediating contaminated sediments at six
sites. Sediment remediation will help keep toxics such as
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals from entering
the food chain, where they could cause adverse effects on human
health and the environment.