ucs-taxpayers-ira-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24-5f744238704cb28e.pdf

A coalition of climate, conservation, and fiscal responsibility organizations argues that IRA conservation funds should be protected from diversion to commodity and crop insurance programs. The letter asserts that conservation investments provide a positive return for taxpayers, reduce crop insurance costs by mitigating extreme weather impacts, and that diverting these funds would reduce opportunities for farmers across all U.S. states.

• The authors urge that the nearly $20 billion in conservation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should not be redirected to increase subsidies for crop insurance or commodity titles in the farm bill.
• Climate-focused conservation programming can lower taxpayer costs for crop insurance and disaster relief by utilizing practices that create 'sponge-like soils' to protect farms from drought and floods, which are increasing due to extreme weather events.
• Agricultural conservation programs offer a high return on investment; specifically, a 2018 Union of Concerned Scientists study found that every dollar invested in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) yields nearly $4 in return.
• According to a University of Illinois analysis, diverting IRA funds away from conservation would result in fewer funding opportunities for farmers in every state, with more farmers losing out than those who would benefit from additional farm-support payments.
• The letter identifies several programs as proven vehicles for increasing conservation practices and providing fiscal returns: the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). ucs-taxpayers-ira-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24-5f744238704cb28e.pdf. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/UCS-Taxpayers-IRA-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. ucs-taxpayers-ira-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24-5f744238704cb28e.pdf. n.d. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/UCS-Taxpayers-IRA-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=ucs-taxpayers-ira-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24-5f744238704cb28e.pdf |url=https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/UCS-Taxpayers-IRA-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{unionofconcernedscientistsnducstaxpayersiraconservationjointsignonletter2245f744238704cb28epdf, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{ucs-taxpayers-ira-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24-5f744238704cb28e.pdf}}, publisher = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/UCS-Taxpayers-IRA-conservation-joint-sign-on-letter-2-24.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }