Rep. Jahana Hayes has introduced the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Improvement Act.
EQIP is overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service and helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners voluntarily integrate conservation into working lands. The maximum size of a five-year EQIP contract is $450,000, but Hayes noted the average annual grant size is just $30,000.
Last year, Hayes, added, there was an estimated $2 billion backlog of unfunded grant applications, with the USDA turning away approximately two out of every three farmers. Hayes”™ legislation reduces the maximum grant size from $450,000 to $150,000, thus enabling the USDA to provide grants to more farmers, and it ends the requirement that 50% of EQIP funds go to livestock operators while decreasing the maximum cost sharing for projects that are not directly beneficial to the environment ”“ such as road construction and land clearing ”“ from 75 to 40%.
“Fifth District farmers are eager to explore or boost conservation efforts but are blocked because of financial constraints,” said Hayes, referring to her Connecticut congressional district. “The Environmental Quality Incentives Program Improvement Act would strategically reframe the scope of the EQIP program and reduce barriers to create more opportunities for farmers. The Department of Agriculture is one of the only agencies that aids small farmers and currently the program is failing two out of every three applicants.”
A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Lee (R-UT).
