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Advocates Alert 4/17/2008: Alert: Farm Bill Negotiators Consider Pared Down Easement Incentive

Farm Bill negotiations are in a frenzy, and the conservation easement incentive needs your help now.  In the face of continued resistance by the House leadership to any tax cuts being included in the Farm Bill, the Senate has offered to cut the easement incentive provision back from a permanent extension to a two-year extension. Even a short-term extension is in severe jeopardy.

The Congress is trying to extend its deadline for a final farm bill to April 25, and talked about needing another two weeks after that.  The White House has threatened to veto the extension, increasing the pressure on negotiators, and raising the possibility that the entire Farm Bill – including major funding increases and program fixes for Farm and Ranch Protection Program and Grasslands Reserve – could be put aside for a year or more.

If you have gotten your US Representative to speak to their leaders about the need to renew this key land conservation tool, thank you!

If you are halfway there, please keep pressing! 

For more details on who to call, what to say and a fact sheet you can forward, please read last week’s ADVOCATES alert.

The Alliance and our coalition will continue to press for an extension of the tax incentive in the Farm Bill, as this is still the best chance we have to get the incentive renewed this year.   Please do all you can to help. We will try to keep you updated.

Thanks for helping.

Russ Shay                               Lynne Sherrod                           Sean Robertson
Director of Public Policy            Western Policy Manager            Public Policy Specialist 
Land Trust Alliance                   Land Trust Alliance                    Land Trust Alliance
rshay@lta.org                          lsherrod@lta.org                        srobertson@lta.org  
202-638-4725 x305                   970-245-0439                            202-638-4725 x319

Sign up to be a Land Trust ADVOCATE at: http://www.lta.org/publicpolicy/advocates.htm
Land Trust Alliance ~ 1660 L St. NW, Suite 1100 ~ Washington DC, 20036 ~ (202) 638-4725.