U.S. House of Representatives Passes Farm Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Agricultural Act of 2014 (H.R. 2642), which includes key provisions to strengthen the links between working agricultural lands and the quality of our Nation’s waters.

“Nutrient runoff is the greatest water quality challenge facing this country today,” said National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Executive Director Ken Kirk. “The policies in this Farm Bill will help foster new and innovative collaborations between agriculture and clean water agencies to more effectively reduce nutrient run-off and help us meet the nation’s water quality goals. I am pleased to see the Farm Bill pass in the House and am hopeful the Senate will follow suit.”

NACWA, as part of the Healthy Waters Coalition (HWC), a group of water, wastewater, conservation, agricultural, environmental, and state organizations, distributed a letter to Capitol Hill urging all Members of Congress to vote in favor of the bill.

As the letter states, H.R. 2642 makes significant strides toward helping farmers manage nutrients on their lands to ensure better stewardship of our water quality. Specifically, provisions contained within the newly established Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) include encouraging partnerships between agricultural producers and municipal entities like wastewater utilities to help farmers manage nutrients more effectively, provide stable five-year funding for nutrient management practices, prioritize nutrient management activities in critical watersheds, and prioritize conservation investments that result in overall water quality gains. 

Read the full text of the bill. 

Source: National Assn. of Clean Water Agencies