The Leopold Center is under ISU, but it is largely funded through a tax on
herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizer.  I believe the Republicans are
killing it as a favor to a number of special interests, especially the
ag-chem dealers and their lobbyist, Mona Bond.  (They sliced off the funding
for ICASH at the U of I last year, without explanation--but the
beneficiaries are the same.)

Governor Vilsack indicated that he is going to approve the revised FY 03
budget that the Republicans will jam down our throats next Tuesday.  That
will mean a 80 percent cut to REAP, 66 percent cut to NRCS cost-share, and
so on.  Those programs will suffer mightily, but they can be revived.  But
the Leopold Center, once strangled, will not recover. I urged him to
line-item veto the Leopold Center cut, since he will be authorized to draw
down additional funds as needed from the cash reserve account.

Bill Witt

-----Original Message-----
From:   Iowa Discussion, Alerts and Announcements
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Charles Winterwood
Sent:   Thursday, May 23, 2002 3:12 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: Fwd: Action Alert- Budget Cuts Threaten Iowa Environmental
Programs

iS THE lEOPOLD cENTER UNDER THE isu BUDGET OR THE
dEPT. OF aG BUDGET OR ITS OWN BUDGET?

c
CHARLIE

--- Peggy Murdock <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Someone should write up a report on the tax breaks
> that are given to CAFOs,
> naming names, and relate this directly to the budget
> shortfall.  I
>
> Peggy Murdock
>
> At 12:09 PM 5/22/2002 -0400, you wrote:
> >ACTION ALERT from the Iowa Environmental Council:
> >BUDGET CUTS COULD CLOSE THE LEOPOLD CENTER
> >
> >The Governor will convene a special session of the
> Legislature next
> >Tuesday, May 28 to deal with the state's deepening
> budget crises.  More
> >cuts need to be made to the coming fiscal year
> (FY03) budget in light of
> >reduced revenue projections.
> >
> >In the proposed Republican budget-released
> yesterday-environmental funding
> >takes a disproportionately large cut.
> >
> >Environmental programs currently get only 1.2% of
> general fund and
> >infrastructure appropriations, but 9% of the
> proposed cuts comes on the
> >back of environmental programs.  Iowa already is
> last in the nation in per
> >capita spending on the environment, and the
> proposed cuts put us even
> >farther behind.  If the cuts take effect, Iowa will
> spend only 0.7% of the
> >state budget on environmental protection.
> >
> >The tragedy of these cuts and anemic funding is
> that these environmental
> >programs are proactive, preventative solutions to
> problems.  Iowa's
> >environmental initiatives are some of the most
> cost-effective public
> >expenditures, when we consider the cost of clean up
> or restoration after
> >damage has already occurred.   They're in line with
> a core Iowa value-"An
> >ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
> Today's costs for these
> >programs are minuscule compared to the benefits
> Iowa receives for the
> >tomorrows to come.
> >
> >You need to contact Legislators and the Governor
> before Tuesday and tell
> >them to protect Iowa's environmental spending in
> the Environment First
> >Fund, and particularly the Leopold Center for
> Sustainable Agriculture.
> >
> >***************************************
> >ENVIRONMENT FIRST FUND
> >
> >The Council is shocked at the proposed cuts to the
> Environment First
> >Fund.  This fund was created just two years ago and
> was hailed as a great
> >step forward in Iowa's commitment to the
> environment.  The proposed budget
> >cuts this fund by 53%-to less than $12.4 million
> out.
> >
> >The Environment First Fund includes appropriations
> for the following
> >programs, among others:
> >
> >Farm Demonstration Program
> >REAP
> >Ag Drainage Well closure
> >Soil Conservation Cost Sharing
> >Brownfield Redevelopment
> >Geographic Information System Development
> >Wetland Incentive Program
> >Watershed Protection Plan
> >Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
> >Water Quality Monitoring
> >Volunteer Water Monitoring (IOWATER)
> >Water Quality Protection
> >Air Quality Monitoring Program
> >Lake Dredging
> >
> >While not all of these programs suffer cuts,
> several programs are
> >completely eliminated in the Republican's
> budget-such as Brownfield
> >Redevelopment and Farm Demonstration.  Others are
> severely cut.  REAP
> >suffers an 80% cut, from $10 million to $2
> million-ending many local
> >community improvement projects.
> >
> >
> >*************************************
> >LEOPOLD CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
> >
> >Of particular concern to the Council is the drastic
> cut to the Leopold
> >Center for Sustainable Agriculture.  On the table
> is a cut of $1 million,
> >reducing the Center's budget by 86%.  The budget
> cut from $1.16 million
> >last year to less than $200,000 effectively ends
> this nationally
> >recognized, innovative program supporting
> sustainable agricultural
> >development.
> >
> >Losing the Leopold Center would be a catastrophe.
> The Center serves as an
> >incubator for sustainable agricultural practices
> that will pay significant
> >dividends down the road-in cleaner water, less soil
> erosion, and greater
> >agricultural vitality.  These budget cuts to the
> Leopold Center today
> >sacrifice significant economic and environmental
> benefits tomorrow.
> >
> >The Leopold Center has helped advance such
> promising innovations as:
> >
> >… The buffer strip/watershed reconstruction
> project at Bear Creek-which
> >has been designated as a National Demonstration
> Watershed.  Expanding use
> >of the practices learned in Bear Creek drastically
> reduces soil erosion,
> >improves water quality, and expands wildlife
> habitat.
> >… Hoop house hog confinement systems-which are
> environmentally and
> >animal friendly.
> >… Early support for Iowa's grape and wine
> industry-which has the
> >potential to impact agricultural diversity, value
> added production, and
> >tourism.
> >… Sole support of long-term research by ISU's
> only organic crop
> >specialist-which provides a key component in Iowa's
> growing organic
> >production sector (from 13,000 acres in 1995 to
> 150,000 in 1999).
> >… Facilitation of local food systems-which paved
> the way for creation of
> >Iowa's Local Food Task Force and the Governor's
> Food Policy Council.  This
> >trend promises to reunite rural producers and urban
> consumers in a vibrant
> >food production and distribution model.
> >
> >The proposed Republican budget cuts to the Leopold
> Center for Sustainable
> >Agriculture are shortsighted.  Such a loss would
> have detrimental
> >long-term impacts on the viability of Iowa's
> agricultural economic
> >base.  The cuts sacrifice one of the most
> innovation and beneficial
> >long-term investment we can make with public money.
> >
> >If farmers are to meet the challenge of better
> environmental stewardship,
> >we must not stop developing new methods and better
> tools for them to
> >use.  And if we truly seek means to help keep
> family farms viable and
> >prosperous, we cannot allow these cuts to the
> Leopold Center-one of the
> >most innovative resources supporting family
> farmers.
> >
> >
> >PLEASE CONTACT THE GOVERNOR AND YOUR LEGISLATOR
> THIS WEEK AND OVER THE
> >HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO PRESERVE THE
> LEOPOLD CENTER, TO NOT
> >THROW AWAY WHAT WE'VE WORKED SO HARD TO BUILD.
> >
> >***********************************
> >CONTACT INFORMATION
> >
> >Please contact the following:
> >
> >1. Your own state representative.  Home and office
> contact information can
> >be found at the Iowa General Assembly website at
> ><http://www.legis.state.is.us>.  Or call the House
> switchboard at
> >515.281.3221.
> >
> >2. Your own state senator. Home and office contact
> information can be
>
=== message truncated ===


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