From: Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310 515-277-8868 [log in to unmask] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2001 CONTACT: Ed Hopkins, 202-675-7908 Brett Hulsey, 608-257-4994 HARKIN FARM BILL MOVES IN RIGHT DIRECTION FOR FAMILY FARMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT Washington, DC- The Sierra Club welcomed Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) proposal as a major improvement over the House version of the farm bill and current law. Senator Harkin's bill would provide more money to help farmers safeguard clean water, protect wetlands, and prevent suburban sprawl. Senator Harkin's legislation would increase funding for conservation programs that the House Farm Bill sorely neglected and would hold corporate factory farms responsible for their pollution. "The House turned its back on family farms and clean water but we are grateful that Senator Harkin is working to protect them," said Ed Hopkins, Director of the Sierra Club's Environmental Quality Program. Senator Harkin's bill would increase wetlands protected by the Wetlands Reserve Program to 250,000 acres per year, 100,000 acres per year more than the House-passed bill. Wetlands act as a filter to clean polluted water, protect against flooding and provide wildlife habitat. Senator Harkin's proposal would increase funding to protect farmland from suburban sprawl, boosting it to $250 million annually by the end of the five-year period. The House bill authorizes only $50 million per year. In addition, the bill incorporates a new provision, the Conservation Security Act, which rewards farmers who protect water, air, soil and wildlife. Senator Harkin's bill also makes major improvements over the House's provision concerning animal waste. Manure runoff from fields and leaky storage pits is a major source of water pollution. The House bill would provide potentially billions of dollars in federal subsidies to large, industrial-scale livestock operations controlled by major corporations. In contrast, Senator Harkin's bill dedicates this money to smaller, family-sized livestock farmers, to help them stop pollution by building manure management systems. "Taxpayers do not and should not pay auto factories, chemical manufacturers and other businesses to comply with the Clean Water Act, and we should not subsidize industrial livestock operations to obey the law either," Hopkins said. Shifting funds away from supporting overproduction of commodities and toward meeting conservation needs would benefit the environment and improve the health of the agricultural economy. Although this bill makes improvements over current law and the House Farm Bill, it continues to subsidize overproduction of commodities, which limits conservation funding. More money is still needed for conservation programs. "We urge the Senate to help farmers take fragile land out of production, create buffer strips and take other steps to protect clean water and set aside areas for wildlife habitat," continued Hopkins. "Many farmers want to participate in voluntary conservation programs but simply can't afford to do so." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]