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National Tree Day Planet Ark Home
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White House wants to cap USDA 'green' payment plan |
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| USA: February 4, 2003 | ||
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WASHINGTON - The new federal Conservation Security Program, created to reward farmers for soil, water and wildlife stewardship, would be limited to $2 billion over the next decade under a Bush administration proposal released yesterday.
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Budget documents issued by the U.S. Agriculture Department said legislation would be offered to "cap spending on this program at $2 billion over 10 years, 2003 through 2012." Hailed as a way to funnel "green" payments to growers, the Conservation Security Program has faced a difficult birth, although it was part of the 2002 farm subsidy law. Some lawmakers have tried to limit it to a one-state pilot this year rather than a nationwide program. The cost of the program initially was estimated at $2 billion through 2011, most coming after the 2007 expiration of the farm law. But more recent estimates put the cost at $9 billion, if the Conservation Security Program is considered an entitlement, like crop subsidies. A cap would hold spending at the initially estimated level, but also could constrain the size of the program. Backers foresaw a system of increasingly larger payments to growers based on how much work they did to make soil, water and wildlife preservation a part of their operations. Maximum payment would be $50,000 a year to a farmer.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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