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[IN PROGRESS]
MR RILEY: " And
we have Steve Connelly, who's the state director of the FSA, Farm
Service Agency.
[Applause.]
MR. RILEY: " I
knew Steve would be here with his boss being here. Right,
Madam Secretary? Thank you. Thank you so much.
It's a delight to have you here. We welcome you and we just
thank you again for joining us.
" You
know, in agriculture, every day is Earth Day, and we hope the examples
that you see here on this farm today will make that obvious.
We think it will. This farm provides a unique example of the
combined benefits of a variety of effective environmental management
techniques. It was developed with the cooperation of the Maryland
and Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, a real cooperative
effort. It was done as a part of the 30th anniversary of Earth
Day that we're celebrating today, and this farm is truly a showcase
of how agriculture can produce our food and fiber while also protecting
our air, water, and soil.
"The farm is also enrolled
in Maryland's Agricultural Preservation Program, which is a very
popular program, recognized nationally as being one of the top in
the country. And it ensures that it will never be used to
grow houses or office buildings. It will always be a farm
and growing and producing crops.
"The Rossbacks have taken
advantage of the Conservation Reserve Program, the Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program, and they've provided 15 acres of woodland
and grass buffers around the low-lying wetlands and streams that
capture all the agricultural runoff. And without these federal
programs, those 15 acres could well be highly erodible runoff impacting
the quality of the streams and the groundwater.
" Maryland
farmers have used these funds to protect over 60,000 acres in this
state, and, Madam Secretary, we appreciate the support that we've
gotten from USDA on those projects. It's vital to the preservation
of our agriculture in Maryland and throughout the country, and it's
a tremendous program.
"Also vital to the future
of all of agriculture in Maryland and across the country is something
I think we'll all enjoy. It's in the interest of the young
and the future farmers to stay on the land. And I know, Secretary
Veneman, that 4-H and FFA are very close to your heart. I've
read many of your encounters and helpful suggestions to that group,
and it's very important to the future of farming.
"We're pleased to have several
of those young future farmers here with us today from the Anne Arundel
County 4-H Club, and they're going to be providing a soil demonstration
for us. And I think we were going to do that now, weren't
we, John? Are your people going to give the demonstration
now? At the end, okay. Very good.
"
We've heard from John Minnick, who's also on the list, and we're
going to have the introduction later--I mean, excuse me, the demonstration
later. It's my honor at this time to introduce to you a young
man who we're very proud of in all of Maryland, and we're especially
proud of in agriculture. I don't know how many of you were
watching television the day of the election back in November, but
there was a statement made that night when the victor was announced,
and he made a statement that made us all very, very proud in the
agriculture community. And he said--and I'm going to quote
him. I've said it so many times that I can say it verbatim
now, Governor: that "Agriculture will have a seat at
the table of decisions."
"Ladies and gentlemen, that
was a delightful message to the agriculture community. We're
so thankful for that. Dr. John Brooks, our deputy, and myself
as Secretary are real proud to be selected to have filled that seat.
And for a gentleman that really loves and has shown his love and
concern for agriculture, I want to present to you the Honorable
Robert Ehrlich, the Governor of the State of Maryland. Bob,
it's wonderful to have you with us."
[Applause.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH: "Thank
you. Thank you.
" When I made that statement,
Lew did not know he was coming out of retirement, by the way.
And one of my first phone calls after the election was to the Secretary,
to remind him that his tenure in public service was not complete,
that farmers from—the Western Shore, Eastern Shore, regardless of
subdivision, regardless of area, regardless of crop, regardless
of history, regardless of family, wanted one person, really, to
be Secretary again, and that was Lew Riley. And, Lew, you
are a wonderful, wonderful part of this administration. We
love you very much. Everybody loves you.
[Applause.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH:
" And for a man to be in
public service this long and to be this well liked really concerns
me. I don't know how--
[Laughter.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH: "--he's
done it.
"Madam
County Executive--where is she? Okay. Come in out of
the rain, will you?
" Honored guests, I'll be
very brief. What the Secretary just described is interesting.
It's a success story, but it's not exotic, it's not experimental,
it's not high tech, and it's not even really expensive. The
Rossback family has simply done a lot of common-sense things to
make our state a better place.
" I congratulate the family,
and I congratulate the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District
on their creativity with regard to this particular model in conservation
and agriculture.
"Madam Secretary, I think
you will agree--it's great to have you back in Maryland. The
Secretary and other members of this administration regularly visit
us in Maryland. We are full partners with regard to the federal
administration, and we love having you back. You are always
welcome in Maryland, and maybe--
[Applause.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH: "Maybe
even one day we'll take you to the slots of our racetrack.
[Laughter.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH: "I
love that bumper sticker, "Farmers, the First Environmentalists,"
because it's the truth. And every farmer I've ever met fit
that description, and I think we should order a couple thousand
more, Mr. Secretary.
"We have a great Department
of Agriculture, and I thank them for their efforts in making this
early part of our administration such a success.
" About Earth Day, we're
standing just a few short miles from the Chesapeake Bay, and everybody
views the Chesapeake Bay, of course, as an environmental wonderland,
and it is; and it's an environmental engine, but it is also an economic
engine for this state. And you cannot separate the two concepts,
nor should we. Not just Maryland, I should say, but the entire
Mid-Atlantic region as well.
" There's nothing trivial
about our responsibility to do everything we can to protect and
enhance the day as well, and that's why I'm pleased to welcome the
young people, the future leaders of our state standing to my right.
" Much of what has been
done on this farm, much of what Earth Day is all about, is the desire
of our generation to pass on a better Earth to your generation.
It sounds cliche-ish, but it's the truth. We're also passing
on hopefully a greater awareness of your critical role in protecting
the great natural resources of land, water, and air, and a commitment
to making a difference.
"Madam Secretary, we're
incredibly proud of our farmers here in Maryland, our agricultural
community, our policymakers, and our future farmers. They
are our future. Together with the Rossback family, they show
us that true environmentalism is not extremism. True environmentalism
is not extremism, but a simple, effective, and continuous application
of cost-effective, common-sense principles to everyday life.
" I thank you very much
for coming out today. I particularly want to honor the young
people who are honoring Earth Day as well. And, Madam Secretary,
again, our 27th Secretary, I was just given your résumé by Secretary
Riley. Secretary Ann Veneman grew up in California.
She well understands the issues important to America's farmers and
ranchers. Obviously, I got to know her as a member of the
United States Congress from the 2nd Congressional District.
"The Secretary has spent
much of her career dedicated to food and agricultural issues and
advancing sound U.S. policies in both regards. She is no stranger
to managing the complexity of a large government agency and working
with Congress.
"From 1991 to 1993, she
served as USDA's Deputy Secretary, the department's second highest
position. She also served as Deputy Under Secretary for Agriculture,
International Affairs and Commodity Programs, from 1989 to 1991.
From 1995 to 1999, she served as Secretary of the California Department
of Food and Agriculture, CDFA.
" It's a great pleasure
to welcome the Secretary back to Maryland. As we said, we've
known her for many years. She was a partner when I was in
the House of Representatives. She is a truly important partner
to this state. Madam Secretary, you can come back anytime
you wish. We welcome you here on Earth Day 2003. "
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "Well,
thank you very much, Governor, for that very warm Maryland welcome,
and it's just a great pleasure to be here with you in Maryland.
You're doing a terrific job for this state, just as we knew you
would do, as you did in the Congress representing the congressional
district from Maryland.
"One of the things I think
the Governor clearly shows that he recognizes is the importance
of agriculture, the importance of conservation, and the importance
of those two and how they come together, particularly in a state
that has such a tremendous natural resource like the Chesapeake
Bay. So, Governor, I just welcome all of your efforts.
" And I'm delighted to be
here with Secretary Riley because, as was noted, this is his second
time around at Secretary, and he and I were Secretaries together
from states, so we enjoyed a very good working relationship there
in the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
When I was Secretary in California, he was Secretary in Maryland.
So it's delightful to have him back in this job with his experience.
" I also want to recognize
someone who has not yet been recognized here, and that is David
Anderson from the Council of Environmental Quality at the White
House, and we're very pleased that he can be with us today.
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "As
was indicated, we have a number of USDA folks here today, but I
have our chief of staff Dale Moore here and our--
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "And
our press secretary, Alisa Harrison, and they're both residents
of your state. They're your constituents.
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "And,
of course, I want to thank all the 4-H members who are here today.
About a little over a year ago, I started a program called Leaders
of Tomorrow, and we try to have 4-H and/or FFA folks at all the
events that we do all around the country. And it's delightful
today to have so many 4-H representatives, and we so appreciate
what you're doing, because you are truly the leaders of tomorrow.
" I also want to thank the
Rossback family for having us here today, and we're pleased that
we can share in this tremendous farm that they have made such a
conservation showplace for all of us.
" Today, as we indicated,
we celebrate the 33rd annual Earth Day. President Bush has
said that protecting the environment starts with commitment, and
I can tell you that this administration is committed to clean air,
to clean water, and to conservation of our soil, our forests, and
all of our natural resources.
"The President has a number
of environmental initiatives, including the Healthy Forests Initiative,
which is aimed at reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires by
restoring forest health while protecting lives and communities and
habitats.
"
He has a Clear Skies Initiative that's recently been announced to
improve air quality and improve public health.
"And he's announced a Hydrogen
Fuel Initiative in his State of the Union Address this year, which
would reverse the growing dependence on foreign energy sources.
"Secretary Riley said this,
but it is a quote that the President constantly says, and he said,
"If you are an owner of the land, every day is Earth Day."
And this farm is such a wonderful example of that.
"America's farmers and ranchers
collaborating with government and other private groups have made
great strides in helping to improve the environment. Through
USDA programs, farmers and ranchers have reduced soil erosion on
cropland and pasture by 1.2 billion tons from 1982 to 1997.
They have reduced the loss of wetlands caused by agriculture to
only 27,000 acres per year, down from 600,000 acres per year in
the '50s, '60s, and '70s.
"Our farmers and ranchers
have restored nearly one million acres of wetlands since 1991 under
the Wetlands Reserve Program, and they've applied nutrient management
on more than five million acres of land used in animal feeding operations
since 1999.
" The Rossbacks have put
in place many conservation improvements that help underscore the
theme for this year's Earth Day: `Action for a healthy environment.’
"Today, we are making a
number of announcements related to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
ongoing efforts to assist the stewardship of America--the stewardship
efforts of America's farmers and ranchers. First, USDA's Natural
Resources Conservation Service today is releasing more than $1.8
billion for fiscal year 2003 in financial and technical assistance
to states for farmers and ranchers to assist with conservation efforts.
Projects funded will focus on working farmlands, farms like this
one.
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "The
funding will allow our Natural Resources Conservation Service to
help producers with conservation planning and voluntary conservation
programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and
the Wetlands Reserve Program.
"The contribution of landowners
to these conservation projects will be about $1.2 billion based
on cost sharing. In addition, we expect contributions from
state and local government sources, tribes, conservation districts,
and non-governmental organizations totaling about $771 million this
year.
"So this means, when you
combine all of these resources and look at the strength of this
partnership, it adds up to about $3.8 billion to conserve our natural
resources with a focus on the working lands.
"The share that will go
to the State of Maryland under this announcement is about $18.5
million in financial and technical assistance.
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "Another
announcement we're making today is the beginning of the sign-up
under our Conservation Reserve Program. Now we heard that
part of this farm is in the CRP. The sign-up period will go
on from May 5th and will end--begin on May 5th and end on May 30th.
"The Conservation Reserve
Program is a cost-effective, voluntary program that helps producers
improve our lands, our water, and our wildlife resources.
Under the Conservation Reserve Program, agriculture producers voluntarily
remove environmentally sensitive land from production under contracts
of 10 to 15 years in exchange for annual rental payments and the
payment of up to 50 percent of the cost to establish conservation
practices.
"The 2002 farm bill authorized
USDA to maintain CRP enrollment up to 39.2 million acres.
Of that, we have reserved two million acres for the continuous sign-up
program, which represents the most environmentally sensitive lands.
"Under continuous sign-up,
we are making a special effort to enhance wildlife habitat and air
quality by setting aside 500,000 acres for bottomland hardwood tree
planting.
"Finally--
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "Thank
you.
"Finally, we are pleased to announce that we are awarding more
than $104 million in grants and loans for rural water and wastewater
projects through USDA's Rural Development Program. These 42
projects in 29 states will help protect our environment and improve
quality of life for many people throughout rural America.
This includes nearly $1.7 million for the State of Maryland.
"President--
[Applause.]
SECRETARY VENEMAN: "President
Bush has proclaimed this year the “Year of Clean Water,” so we think
that Earth Day is a very appropriate time to announce this kind
of funding that will help rural Americans benefit from cleaner water,
additional recreation opportunities, and enhanced wildlife resources.
"The President wants to
continue to build on his overall environmental success. His
budget request for fiscal year 2004 includes a record of $3.9 billion
for conservation of our nation's farmlands, more than double the
funding level from when he came into office.
"The announcements we are
making today highlight the importance of President Bush--that President
Bush places on a strong environmental policy that is compatible
with a growing, healthy economy.
"Earth Day reminds us that
we all have a common interest in conservation, and it demonstrates
that individual actions can make a real difference, thus preserving
land, air, and water for the future generations.
"I want to thank you all
for having me here today. It is an absolute delight to be
with you to share this very important Earth Day. Thank you
very much, and thank you, Governor."
[Applause.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH: "Now
you know why we like her. She always brings cash.
[Laughter.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH: "Senator
[inaudible] has joined us, Senator Johnny [inaudible], and Acting
Secretary Lynn Buell. Lynn, thank you very much.
[Applause.]
GOVERNOR EHRLICH: "Madam
Secretary, it's a perfect Earth Day in Maryland, and your presence
has really completed our experience. The young people, it's
just a really neat day for us, so thank you again very much.
"Mr. Secretary, the podium's
yours. "
SECRETARY RILEY: "Thank
you, Governor.
"Madam Secretary, every
day is Earth Day, and you're welcome to come back to Maryland every
day. With a proposal like that--"
[Laughter.]
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