Number: 1989-11
WHEREAS, the wetland conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985 (“Swampbuster provisions”) remove certain incentives for persons to produce agricultural commodities on converted wetlands; and
WHEREAS, wetlands are of immense value to the economic and environmental health of the Nation; and
WHEREAS, protecting the Nation’s wetlands is a priority of the new Administration and is a longstanding priority of the conservation community; and
WHEREAS, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) has the principal responsibility for implementing the Swampbuster provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985; and
WHEREAS, the ASCS has traditionally worked closely with the agricultural community and is, therefore, frequently reluctant to enforce Swampbuster; and
WHEREAS, Swampbuster implementation to date by the ASCS has been inadequate; and
WHEREAS, Swampbuster’s effectiveness has been further diminished by the requirement that a producer plant a converted wetland before he can be found in violation of the legislation; and
WHEREAS, present administrative procedures deny non-producers the right to appeal erroneous Swampbuster decisions administratively;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1989, in Arlington, Virginia urges the U.S. Congress to exercise its authority to amend the wetland conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985 to:
- Transfer the principal responsibility for enforcing Swampbuster to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Withhold farm subsidies from producers who convert wetlands, regardless of whether commodity crops are subsequently planted.
- Facilitate the participation of environmental organizations and concerned citizens through a formal citizen appeals process for non-producers and a uniform method of reporting potential Swampbuster violations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the ASCS to act immediately to correct erroneous Swampbuster decisions, to identify those states and counties which are not fulfilling the requirements of the Swampbuster provisions of the Act, and to direct those states and counties to properly implement Swampbuster; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the Federal government to institute immediately an independent nationwide Swampbuster compliance monitoring system and insure that the results of such monitoring are made immediately and freely available to the public.