from Defenders Rural Updates!

This week, the Natural Resources Conservation Service announced
opportunities for public comment on two of the biggest
conservation programs in the farm bill.  On February 10, the agency
released the proposed rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program.  This rule describes how the agency intends to administer
the program, which received a huge funding boost in the 2002 farm
bill, but also lost many of the restrictions that kept the bulk of the
money out of the hands of the largest and most polluting livestock
operations.  Also on February 10, the NRCS released an "advance
notice of proposed rulemaking" for the Conservation Security
Program.  This notice is a solicitation of publiccomment on issues
on issues related to the implementation of the CSP, and comments
are intended to help the agency move forward with developing the
rule. Comments on both programs are due March 10.  Stay tuned to
Rural Updates! for details on how you can comment on, and
hopefully help improve, the administration of EQIP and the CSP. 
You can access the new EQIP rule and related documents at:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/ The CSP advanced
notice of proposed rulemaking is available at:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/rules/csp030110.
html




Erin E. Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
[log in to unmask]
www.iowa.sierraclub.org

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