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Sen. Yaw Plans To Introduce Bill To Fund On-Farm Conservation Measures Thru State Conservation Commission, Conservation Districts

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), Majority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, last week announced plans to introduce legislation funding on-farm conservation measures through a program administered by the State Conservation Commission.

The proposed Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program is modeled after the successful Dirt and Gravel Roads Program also administered by the Commission and implemented by county conservation districts.

"(A)lmost one-third of our Commonwealth’s streams do not meet standards for drinking, fishing or recreation, and agriculture remains one of the largest sources of impairment."

"(A)gricultural practices are some of the most cost-effective ways to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution, and they have the double-benefit of improving soil health, nutrient efficiency, and the long-term viability of farm operations."

"This legislation is modeled after the successful Dirt and Gravel Roads program, administered by the State Conservation Commission. Funding is apportioned to local conservation districts based on a formula that considers relative volumes of dirt roads and impaired streams in each district.

“The Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program would apply similar criteria in driving targeted dollars to areas with the highest need for improvement. Districts would work with participating farmers and landowners to determine the best management practices that will work best for their area.

“This legislation was developed by a collaborative effort of governmental and non-governmental representatives, including the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

“Given the challenges of meeting a 2025 deadline to have all practices in place to meet the Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan, now is the time for Pennsylvania to enact legislation that will provide a roadmap for meeting those goals.”

Last year, Sen. Yaw promoted legislation as part of the PA Farm Bill that was signed into law creating the Conservation Excellence Grant Program targeted to the Pennsylvania portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

This new-- statewide-- program would be a companion to that effort.

Click Here for a sponsor summary of the proposal.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

DEP’s Interactive Report Viewer allows you to zoom in on your own stream or watershed to find out how clean your stream is or if it has impaired water quality using the latest information in the draft 2020 Water Quality Report.

[Note: Another farm conservation funding program-- the Resource Enhancement & Protection Program Tax Credit-- tentatively plans to start accepting FY 2020 applications in August. Click Here for more information.]

Related Articles This Week:

-- CBF Calls For Greater Investments To Reduce Water Pollution As Number Of Impaired Streams Increases In PA

-- EPA Provides $3.84 Million For Pennsylvania Efforts To Reduce Ag-Related Pollution In Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- DCNR Seeking 10,000 Landowners For Buffer My Stream Initiative In Adams, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lancaster, York Counties

-- Stroud Water Research Center: Working With Farmers To Protect Your Investment Webinar Series

-- Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan Team Virtual Meeting July 20

-- NRCS-PA Invites Public To PA State Technical Committee Virtual Meeting July 22

Related Articles - Water:

-- DEP Draft 2020 Water Quality Report Found 25,468 Miles Of Streams Have Impaired Water Quality

-- Analysis: 2020 Is A Make Or Break Year For Environmental Funding

-- House Speaker Cutler: Republicans Will First Raid Dedicated Funds To Balance Budget In November

-- Analysis: Why Everyone Else Says There Are No Unused Monies In Dedicated Environmental Fund