Key Messages for Earth Day

From Mark Rey, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment and Bruce Knight, Chief Natural Resources Conservation Service

The Federal Role in Protecting the Environment
As President Bush said last year on Earth Day, “Earth Day encourages and celebrates countless acts of stewardship by individuals that improve the quality of our communities, parks, rivers, lakes, and private and public lands.

“The government also has an important role to play in protecting our environment.
“Three decades after the first Earth Day, our air is cleaner, our water is purer, and our lands and natural resources are better protected.”

Today, the Federal government – including the USDA and its two agencies devoted to natural resource and environment – is building on these accomplishments through new and innovative policies.

Our focus under the leadership of President Bush – is on results.

• Our initiatives are designed to make our air, water, and land cleaner.

• We are using the best science and data in making our environmental decisions.

• We are encouraging innovation and the development of new, cleaner technologies.

• We are building on America’s ethic of stewardship and personal responsibility through education and volunteer opportunities, and in our daily lives.

That means that we in the Federal government are working closely with States, tribes, local communities, and individuals – as it says in the NRCS mission – to conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.

Farm and Ranch Accomplishments
America's farmers and ranchers collaborating with government and other private groups have made great strides in helping to improve our Nation’s environment.
• Through USDA programs, they have reduced soil erosion on cropland and pasture by 1.2 billion tons from 1982 to 1997.

• They have protected more than 900 farms and ranches through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

• They have reduced the loss of wetlands caused by agriculture to only 10,000 acres per year, down from 400,000 acres per year in the '50s, '60s, and '70s.

• They have restored nearly one million acres of wetlands since 1991 under the Wetlands Reserve Program.

• They have planted millions of trees and shrubs – 261 million last year alone.

• They have applied nutrient management on more than five million acres of land used in animal feeding operations since 1999.
The President continues to build on our Nation’s overall environmental success.

• His 2005 budget request includes record funding for environment and natural resources programs across government, and it will have a continued improved emphasis on measuring performance and effectiveness.

• Across the departments of Agriculture and Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency, the President’s 2005 budget proposal provides $46.9 billion, which is a $1.4 billion increase over what the president put forward in the 2004 budget.

2002 Farm Bill

President Bush supported and signed into law the 2002 Farm Bill.

• The bill enhances conservation and environmental stewardship.

• Under this Administration, funding has nearly doubled for these effective conservation programs.

• The Farm Bill conservation programs are providing up to $38 billion over a decade to restore millions of acres of wetlands, protect habitats, conserve water, and improve streams and rivers near working farms and ranches.

18 Percent Cut in Greenhouse Gas Intensity

President Bush has committed America to meeting the challenge of long-term global climate change by reducing the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions to economic output by 18 percent by 2012 compared to 2002.

• USDA is helping farmers and ranchers do their part through programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Healthy Forests Initiative

Late last year, the President signed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, which implements key provisions of his Healthy Forests Initiative.

This initiative

• Helps restore the health and vitality of forests and rangelands, and helping reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires.

• Benefits communities and wildlife habitats.

Last month, the departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Commerce announced they have signed agreements to implement new regulations announced in December that will expedite fuels reduction and other forest health projects while ensuring the protection of threatened and endangered species.

Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy

The President has called for tax incentives totaling $4.1 billion through 2009 to spur the use of clean, renewable energy, and energy-efficient technologies, including biofuels.


Wetlands

Earth day comes just a week before the start of National Wetlands month, so we are particularly interested in what the Federal government and its partners are doing to restore, enhance, improve, and protect our nation’s wetlands.

Wetlands have many benefits. They

• Are biologically diverse and dynamic ecosystems that support diverse populations of wildlife, plants, and fish.

• Provide habitat for many of the nation’s endangered and threatened species.

• Help protect water quality by filtering out pollutants,

• Provide natural flood control by absorbing excess water,

• Buffer coastal areas from erosion and

• Offer aesthetic and recreational opportunities.

Wetland losses due to agriculture dramatically declined over the past 50 years.

• About 400,000 acres of wetlands were lost annually due to agriculture from 1954 to 1974.

• Only about 150,000 acres were lost annually from 1974 to 1983.

• By the 1992-1997 time period, wetland losses due to agriculture slowed dramatically to about 27,000 acres annually.

• We will be announcing new figures for the 1997-2002 period in the near future.

These gains in wetlands are the result of years of wetland conservation by landowners, conservation groups, States and Federal agencies.

• Working with these partners, Federal agencies adopted policies that focused on fair, flexible, voluntary approaches to wetlands conservation and stewardship for more than a decade.

• These agencies also invested much time in educating the public about wetland values, benefits, and the sustainable use of wetland resources.

• These polices have helped slow down wetland losses while voluntarily increasing wetland protection and enhancement.

Working together on wetlands, we are moving in the right direction.

Conclusion

As Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman said last year on Earth Day,

“Earth Day reminds us that we all have a common interest in conservation, and it demonstrates that individual actions can make a real difference, thus preserving land, air, and water for the future generations.”

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