April 1, 2008
index to previous eNotes
- Congress Returns to Washington
- Countdown to Stewardship Week Continues
- NACD Participates in Joint Forestry Team Meeting
- EPA Seeks Public Comment on Water Strategy to Respond to Climate Change
- Army Corps and EPA Release Wetland and Stream Mitigation Rule
- New Guide Available for Districts Working with Ethanol Plants
- NACD Calendar of Events
1. Congress Returns to Washington
Members of Congress have returned to Washington following a two week recess. This week is filled with Farm Bill negotiations and appropriations hearings. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) was before the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee today to discuss the President’s budget. Witnesses received specific questions on wildfire suppression spending, State and Private Forestry allocations and future funding for Secure Rural Schools. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will appear before the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee on Thursday. The Appropriations Subcommittees will develop their recommended funding levels for each agency and program after they complete a series of hearings.
Farm Bill negotiations are continuing with House and Senate Agriculture Committee staff meeting to finalize details. Under the proposal they are creating, an additional $10 billion in Farm Bill spending would be provided of which conservation programs are expected to receive about $4 billion, according to the latest drafts. However, they have yet to identify a source of those funds—a requirement under Congressional budget rules. Members and staff continue to work against the April 18 deadline.
2. Countdown to Stewardship Week Continues
Stewardship Week is around the corner, and NACD President John Redding wants to make sure you’re prepared for the big event! In this month’s issue of America’s Voice, John speaks to the history of the week, the importance of the theme “Water is Life” and the need for conservation districts to reach out to their communities throughout the year. To listen to John’s brief address, click here.
Stewardship Week is one of the largest national annual programs to promote conservation and stewardship. NACD started the observance in 1955. This year, Stewardship Week will be celebrated April 27 to May 4. More information is available at http://www.nacdnet.org/stewardship/.
3. NACD Participates in Joint Forestry Team Meeting
Representatives from NACD, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Forest Service (USFS) and the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) were in Washington, D.C. last week for the Spring meeting of the Joint Forestry Team. The Team is a collaborative effort to facilitate interagency communication and improve forestry-related conservation assistance to private landowners.
At the meeting, executives from each organization, including NACD CEO Krysta Harden, met with the Team to discuss improving cooperation between the involved parties; overcoming barriers to providing forestry-related assistance; and finalizing the Memorandum of Understanding between the four organizations. The following day, members traveled to Maryland’s Eastern Shore to see two farms with successful integration of forestry and farming conservation practices and to talk with local NRCS and USFS employees about their work.
NACD is represented on the Joint Forestry Team by Oregon Board Member Johnny Sundstrom, Alabama Board Member Charles Holmes and Consulting Forester Doug Williams. Nebraska Board Member Orval Gigstad also represents NACD on the Team but was unable to attend the meeting.
4. EPA Seeks Public Comment on Water Strategy to Respond to Climate Change
The EPA issued a draft strategy last week titled “National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change.” According to the strategy, climate change has the potential to impact water resources in the United States, potentially causing problems that may include increases in water pollution, changes in supplies of drinking water and rising sea levels in coastal areas. Based on these potential impacts, the draft strategy outlines actions that EPA can take to respond, and actions needed to ensure that water program professionals have adequate information about the impacts of climate change, including ways that water programs can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA is currently seeking public comment on the draft National Water Program Strategy. To review the draft of the report or submit comments, visit http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange. The deadline for submitting comments is May 27, 2008.
5. Army Corps and EPA Release Wetland and Stream Mitigation Rule
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA recently released a new rule regarding compensatory mitigation activities for wetlands and streams.
Current regulations provide for mitigation efforts to replace wetlands and streams that are impacted by permitted projects under the Clean Water Act. Permitted projects must first seek to avoid or minimize impacts to local water resources before proposing mitigation to offset impacts.
The new rule will provide landowners the ability to utilize innovative practices in protecting and restoring the ecological benefits of water resources impacted by land use decisions. It seeks to establish ecological performance standards, establish equivalency standards for various types of mitigation and encourage use of watershed planning information. The new rule also seeks to encourage the use of market-based mitigation banking and to strengthen public participation in decision making to restore and protect water resources.
More information on the new mitigation rule is available on the EPA website at
http://www.epa.gov/wetlandsmitigation.
6. New Guide Available for Districts Working with Ethanol Plants
Is there an existing or proposed ethanol plant in your area? If so, you might be interested in a new resource developed by the EPA to help ensure that new ethanol facilities meet federal environmental regulations. The report, “Environmental Laws Applicable to Construction and Operation of Ethanol Plants,” details how laws such as the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Protection Act apply to both construction and operation of ethanol plants. Click here to read the full report.
7. NACD Calendar of Events
May 14-17, 2008 Executive Directors’ Conference, Saratoga, WY
June 8-10, NACD Northern Plains Region Leaders Meeting, Nebraska City, NE
July 18-23, NACD Summer Board Meeting and Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C.
August 3-5, Northeast Region Meeting, Portsmouth, NH
August 10-12, Southeast Region Meeting, Biloxi, MS
August 21-23, South Central Region Meeting, Hot Springs, AR
To subscribe to eNotes, simply send a email with the word "subscribe" in the subject field to enotes-request@email.nacdnet.org.
For queries about this newsletter or if you are unable to automatically subscribe, contact editor Lisa Lerwick, NACD Director of Communications, at Lisa-Lerwick@nacdnet.org or 202-547-6223.