AIA-Laacarter Fanetag, Saturday,Ttbraary 27,1982
SCSA calls for nat’l commitment to soil and water conservation
ANKENY, 10. - A renewed,
national commitment to soil and
water conservation programs is a
must, according to Robert C.
Baum, president of the Soil Con
servation Society of America.
Baum made the declaration in a
formal response-to the revised
draft of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s 1961 RCA Program
Report and environmental Impace
Statement. That report, released
by Secretary of Agriculture John
Block on Oct. 28, 1961, lays out
USDA’s preferred program for soil
and water conservation as
required by the Soil and Water
Resources Conservation Act of
1977.
In his statement to Block on
behalf of the Society, Baum
pointed out that the RCA process at
the state and local levels provided
a timely challenge and a limited
but valuable financial incentive
for the nation’s conservative
districts and state conservation
agencies to review the status of soil
and water resources.
“The conservation district and
state summaries (in the RCA
process) indicate that a new
vironmental commitment is
necessary nationally, “Baum said.
“This commitment requires
continuing leadership on the part
of USDA in soil and water con
servation, with increased funding
to help maintain and where
necessary restore the productive
capacity of our soil and water
resources.”
“While it appears that with
continued encouragement there
will be increased funding from the
state and local levels for con
servation programs,“Baum said,
“we stress that this support should
be offered at the state and local
levels with the intention that it
supplement USDA’s leadership
and contributions. In no way
should it serve as a subsitute for a
reduced federal effort.
“We believe that it is imperative
that USDA continue to offer an
adequate base level of national
leadership in soil and water con
servation,“Baum said. “We are
concerned that the preferred
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program, with reductions in the
base toward targeting, block
grants, and other areas, would
result in inadequate technical and
financial assistance in areas
outside of targeted areas and in
states where the block grant
matching funds were not
available, for whatever reasons.”
Other points in Baum’s
statement include:
—Opposition to the proposal for
new local and state conservation
coordinating boards.
“New boards are not needed.
There presently exists a local ad
ministrative system that has pro
ven successful for many years,”
Baum emphasized.
—Opposition to the proposed
block grants to states if the funding
for those grants is to be taken from
existing programs.
“We emphasize that exciting
programs are not now adequately
supported. New funding must be
made available if this effort (block
grants) is to be successful. Ad
ditional reductions will severiy
limit the present, valuable national
soil and water conservation ef
fort,“Baum commented.
—Targeting of conservation
programs to areas of critical
concern is supported only if new
funding is available.
“National targeting should not
be limited to the few preferred
program objectives. State
priorities should also be con
sidered in some instances,“Baum
stressed.
—Funding for conservation
programs needs to be increased.
“We again reiterate that we
must have a greater federal
commitment for the conservation
of our basic natural resources. The
current federal expenditure of less
than |5 par American per year
on USDA’s soil and water con
servation programs is inadequate.
The expenditure of $l. for con
servation programs out of each
$7OO expended by the federal
government is shortsighted and
will result in increased food costs
in the future,’ ‘Baum said.
In his statement, Baum also
called for greater coordination
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among USDA agencies, the use of
tax incentives as a means of en
couraging conservation fanning,
and expanded research and
educational programs.
Baum suggested to Secretary
Block that USDA’s credibility was
on the line in the RCA process.
“The priority objectives set forth
in the preferred program do not
fairly represent the objectives
identified by the public in its
earlier review of RCA documents.
If the program submitted to
Congress following this review
does not more adequately reflect
the public feedback, then USDA’s
responsiveness to public concerns
will be seriously questioned,
“Baum said.
Baum concluded his statement
by saying that the RCA process has
great possibilities if major
changes are made in the preferred
program by USDA before it is
submitted to Congress or, if not, by
Congress itself. The two most
needed changes, Baum said, are a
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national conservation ‘ com- problems, and the results of these
mitment and a new, higher level of solutions requested by Congress.'
funding. This was the purpose, of the
“It is unfortunate,” he said,, resource studies and the state and
“that the political process has local priorities prepared under the
resulted in the preparation of a - RCA process. Congress could then
program that is limited to a determine the - level of national
predetermined budget level. effort that would be supported by
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