Remarks as prepared for delivery: Thank you, Chairwoman Spanberger. I appreciate you holding this hearing and the opportunity to discuss the 2018 Farm Bill’s Conservation Title. Title II conservation programs are voluntary and incentive-based, providing direct benefits to producers, their operations, and the land alike. The delivery of the farm bill’s conservation programs is a proven model that w... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Ranking Member Mike Conaway of Texas announced the rosters for the six subcommittees of the House Agriculture Committee today in Washington. Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Democratic members include: Chairman David Scott, Georgia Jeff Van Drew, New Jersey Filemon Vela, Texas Stacey Plaskett, U.S. Virg... Read more »
The Hill By Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11) and Zippy Duvall, president American Farm Bureau Federation In 2015 the Obama administration created a “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule that was so broad and vague that almost any spot where rainwater flows or pools might be tagged as a federally protected body of water. With the stroke of a pen, farmers and ranchers across the heartland suddenly did not know... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed Clean Water Rule, which will review and revise the definition of ‘waters of the United States’ (WOTUS) to ensure it is consistent with President Trump’s February 2017 executive order. Following the announcement Chairman Conaw... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill to expedite and improve forest management activities by cutting the red tape for the Forest Service. Following the vote, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11), Vice-Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-5) and Conservation and Forestry S... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning. Thank you all for being here today as we consider five straightforward bills. H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017, gives the Forest Service more authority and much needed flexibility to improve and expedite forest management activities in federal forests. The past two fire seasons were among the most expensive on record, and this yea... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) praised the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement today it is repealing the Obama administration’s waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and called on other agencies to revise and re-evaluate their enforcement of this onerous provision. Following the EPA’s announcement, Chairman Conaway made the below remar... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry held a hearing to examine efforts to address small watershed infrastructure. Subcommittee Chairman Frank Lucas (OK-3) and members heard from two panels of witnesses who underscored the importance of technical and financial assistance to maintain these watershed structures. “For nearly 70 years, rural communit... Read more »
Remarks as prepared for delivery: Good morning and welcome to today's hearing. Nearly 70 years ago, my predecessors exhibited exceptional foresight through their investment in watershed infrastructure projects. The lasting benefits of those investments through the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program—also commonly known as P.L. 566—have allowed NRCS to partner with local communities t... Read more »
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) welcomed newly-confirmed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Sec. Sonny Perdue to Capitol Hill to testify on the “State of the Rural Economy.” Following the hearing, Chairman Conaway made the below statement: “Against the backdrop of a four-year, 50-percent decline in net farm income, Sec. Perdue’s comments... Read more »
