[Pollinator] Pollinating Farm Bill--Conference Update & Resources

[R. Thomas Van Arsdall]

This is more of an 'FYI' than an action request--to give interested
pollinator supports an update and a sense of the dynamics involved.
Pollinators have been pretty well recognized and treated by both the House
and Senate. In fact, a representative and ally from another major
conservation group was gently 'complaining' at a meeting on Monday, asking
did we realize that pollinators under the Senate bill would be treated on an
equal basis with wildlife under the Conservation Reserve Program?  Our
response--of course, that's as it should be, given the importance of habitat
to both wild and managed pollinators and the importance of pollinators to
agriculture.  The pollinator cause has come a long way, and we won't
apologize!  

However, work remains to be done.  Efforts are underway to protect funding
for conservation programs, as described below.  We have recommended
launching a group effort.  Watch for a possible action alert in the near
future, including an opportunity to sign on to a group statement in support
of conservation funding. 

You can find the following information about the Farm Bill Conference and
pollinator-beneficial provisions posted at
http://www.pollinator.org/farm_bill.htm:
* January 14 CoE Letter re Pollinator Provisions to Farm Bill Conferees. 
* Side-by-Side Analysis & Coe Recommendations re Pollinator Provisions in
the House and Senate Farm Bills.  	+ This was attached to the January
14 Letter.
* Analysis of pollinator language in the Senate-passed Farm Bill, including
page references.
	+ Link to GPO version of the full text of the Senate-passed Farm
Bill [over 1,876 pages].
* Analysis of pollinator language in the House-passed Farm Bill, including
page references.
	+ Link to GPO version of the full text of the House-passed Farm Bill
[860 pages].

Status/Prognosis re Farm Bill Conference, in Brief:
* Conferees have not yet been named, but the Chair and Ranking members of
the House and Senate Ag Committees met recently and agreed on general
procedures.  The House came back into session this week, and the Senate will
be back in session next week.
* Staff have been holding preliminary meetings, including on the
conservation and research titles, but more about procedures than any
substantive negotiations toward reconciling differences.
* The current Farm Bill was extended to March 15 as part of the omnibus
reconciliation bill just before Christmas.  So reauthorization of the Farm
Bill will have to be complete by that date, or Congress will face a decision
on another extension.
* The major obstacle to final passage of the Farm Bill is $$$. There are new
taxes, particularly on the House side, to help pay for increased
conservation, research et al funding; and these 'pay for' revenue measures
have drawn a veto threat from the Administration.  Assuming that is
ultimately resolved, the end result may be less funding for conservation and
research--meaning our challenges in competing for funding and attention in
such programs will be greater. 
* CoE is collaborating with others in the conservation community to try to
protect funding for conservation programs.  For example, one option being
considered that could hurt conservation funding is the application of
payment limitations or adjusted gross income limits to conservation program
payments, like the Conservation Reserve Program, a major habitat tool.  This
would mean incentives would not be available as a tool to encourage more
prosperous producers to provide pollinator and other habitat, and any money
saved would likely be lost to conservation programs.
* If the Farm Bill is reauthorized, the prognosis for a robust set of
pollinator-beneficial provisions in the final product is excellent.
However, the real work will lie in (a) the appropriations process, and (b)
realizing the potential of pollinator provisions in the conservation and
research programs and competing for funds in those programs.

R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative for Coevolution
Institute/Pollinator Partnership/NAPPC
For More Information, http://www.pollinator.org 
   Van Arsdall & Associates
        P.O. Box 8512
   Fredericksburg, VA  22404-8512
   (703) 509-4746
        tom at vanarsdall.com