Last night, the League of Conservation Voters and 12 environmental groups sent the following letter to the members of the House Committee on Agriculture, urging them to oppose the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024.

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May 21, 2024

Dear Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Scott, and members of the House Committee on Agriculture,

On behalf of our millions of members and supporters, we write in strong opposition to the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024.  Unfortunately, this bill would strip away the hard-fought “climate guardrails” on the historic climate-smart agriculture investments secured in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) thereby threatening this much-needed climate progress.

Demand for these popular conservation programs continued to outpace availability in FY23 and highlighted the overwhelming interest from farmers to adopt climate-smart practices that can reduce emissions, improve soil and water quality, and build resilience of farming operations for generations to come. These investments extend beyond environmental gains to include significant economic advantages such as supporting agricultural practices that improve yields, reduce input costs, and enhance farm resilience. Removing the critical climate guardrails from the IRA’s conservation provisions undermines American agricultural producers’ significant contributions to solving the climate crisis.  We urge members of the House Agriculture Committee to oppose this legislation because it fails to stand up for farmers, ranchers, and foresters who are doing their part to stabilize our climate and our food supply.

Sincerely,

Climate Action Campaign
Center for American Progress
Earthjustice
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Working Group
Evergreen Action
League of Conservation Voters
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Natural Resources Defense Council
Union of Concerned Scientists
Sierra Club
Southern Environmental Law Center
WE ACT for Environmental Justice