Charles W. Stenholm: “I rise today to express some concerns about H.R. 3039. My first concern is the role of the Department of Agriculture in…”

“I rise today to express some concerns about H.R. 3039. My first concern is the role of the Department of Agriculture in this effort. A great deal of the focus and efforts involved in getting to a cleaner and healthier Chesapeake Bay are on its upstream tributaries, and a great deal of farmland is included in these watersheds. I am particularly concerned that it appears neither the Committee on Agriculture nor the USDA were consulted in regard to this reauthorization. We have heard how this bill simply puts into statute what is already taking place. I believe as it is part of a reauthorization, a thorough discussion should take place regarding the best ways to accomplish the goals of the program and whether the current structure is accomplishing that. That leads to my questions about why current authorized programs are not being utilized or modified, if necessary, to accomplish the outlined goals, as opposed to putting forward a new program or authority. This has led to a number of programs out there, and in the case of conservation and environmental protection, a number of authorities that are not interconnected and do not have adequate resources to meet the demands for assistance.”