Dear Joint Select Committee Member:

A letter from various organizations to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction urging the committee to avoid disproportionate cuts to farm bill programs, specifically highlighting that mandatory conservation programs have already seen over $2 billion in cuts since 2008.

• The undersigned organizations request that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction avoid disproportionate cuts to farm bill programs while seeking at least $1.2 trillion in total cuts.
• Mandatory farm bill conservation programs have already contributed to deficit reduction through annual appropriations bills, which have cut these programs by more than $2 billion since the 2008 Farm Bill was passed.
• Demand for agricultural conservation programs consistently exceeds available funding. Specifically, over 1,000,000 acres are awaiting enrollment in the Grasslands Reserve Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program, while applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program exceed funding by two to three times.
• Conservation programs provide environmental and economic benefits, including the protection of soil and farmland for food security, the reduction of flood and drought damage, and the creation of jobs and revenue in rural areas through activities such as fishing and hunting.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2011). Dear Joint Select Committee Member:. https://www.eesi.org/files/Super_Committee_Conservation_Letter.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Dear Joint Select Committee Member:. 2011. https://www.eesi.org/files/Super_Committee_Conservation_Letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Dear Joint Select Committee Member: |date=12 October 2011 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Super_Committee_Conservation_Letter.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2011dear, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Dear Joint Select Committee Member:}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2011}, month = oct, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Super_Committee_Conservation_Letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }