Schrier, Newhouse Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Washington Farmers, Conservation Efforts

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) and Congressman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) introduced the Eliminating Needless Administrative Barriers Lessening Efficiency for Conservation Act (ENABLE Conservation Act), to allow more farmers to participate in voluntary conservation programs. The legislation will help support Washington state's Conservation Reserve Program's (CRP) State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.

"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," said Congresswoman Schrier. "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."

"Many farmers across Central Washington work hard to protect habitats for vulnerable species, and this legislation ensures those who wish to participate in conservation programs like SAFE and CRP can do so without the burden of acreage caps," said Congressman Newhouse. "I am glad to join Rep. Schrier in this important effort as we work to create new opportunities for farmers in Central Washington."

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.

Specifically, the ENABLE Conservation Act would benefit farmers and eliminate barriers to accessing CRP by:

• Simplifying the waiver process to allow counties to enroll land beyond the 25% cap if the associated project meets the county and USDA's shared goals.
• Allowing for the continuous enrollment of land under the SAFE initiative.

"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."