Schrier, Newhouse Roll Out Legislation Promoting Conservation

Last week, Washington representatives Kim Schrier and Dan Newhouse introduced the Eliminating Needless Administrative Barriers Lessening Efficiency for Conservation Act, better known as the ENABLE Conservation Act. They say this bi-partisan legislation will allow more farmers to participate in voluntary conservation programs.

“It incentivizes farmers in methods of conservation," noted Newhouse. "It changes some things that were restricting the ability of farmers to take advantage of conservation programs. So this removes some of the caps or limits on the amount of acreage for land that they can put into conservation programs.”

This Legislation Will Help Farmers Take Care Of Their Land

The two lawmakers added the legislation will help support Washington state’s CRP State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative, or SAFE Initiative. Newhouse added ENABLE Conservation Act will make it easier for farmers to do the right thing when it comes to conservation measures.

“I've always said that farmers are the original conservationists," Newhouse added. "It's in our nature because we depend on the land and the water for our livelihoods, and stewardship is not just a feel-good thing, it's a necessary thing that we do in order to impact our bottom line for this year and for generations to come.”

Newhouse and Schrier said the ENABLE Conservation Act will permanently establish the SAFE initiative under the Conservation Reserve Program to ensure that farmers who would like to participate in this program are able to do so. Currently, there is a cap on how much land can be included in the Conservation Reserve Program, making it difficult for all farmers who want to participate to do so. This bill reverts to a previous policy enacted under the 2014 Farm Bill to allow for SAFE and other important conservation programs to be waived from the county cap if it meets USDA and the county’s shared goals.

“Farmers and landowners are eager to participate in the SAFE initiative, which pays farmers to allow some of their land to return to its natural state, preserves vital habitat for threatened species, and has protected thousands of acres in Washington state,” Schrier said. “I’m glad to work alongside my Washington Delegation colleague, Congressman Newhouse, on this important legislation that will allow more to take part in the program.”

Reaction To ENABLE Conservation Act Very Positive

“The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a critical private lands conservation tool that enables producers to create and restore wildlife habitat and improve soil health on working lands.” said Aviva Glaser, senior director of agriculture policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “This legislation will make commonsense improvements to CRP to make the program easier to access for farmers and landowners while improving the benefits for wildlife like the sage grouse and sharp tailed grouse. We look forward to working with Representatives Schrier and Newhouse and the House Agriculture Committee to ensure that these changes are included in a final Farm Bill.”

“With shared benefits for wildlife and farmers, this legislation is key to advancing conservation efforts for at-risk species,” said Kelly Susewind, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Director. “Failure to move this bill forward would hinder conservation efforts on thousands of acres of farmland in agricultural communities across Washington state."

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