Lucas and Sec. Rollins Discuss Revamping Conservation Programs for Producers

Washington, DC – Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Congressman Frank D. Lucas (OK-03) questioned Secretary Rollins about the Climate Smart Commodities grant process under the Biden Administration and what the current USDA under President Trump is doing to revamp the program by making it more producer focused. You can watch his full Q&A with Secretary Rollins by clicking here or on the image below.

SELECTED QUOTES:

Lucas: Madam Secretary, I’ve heard from many of my producers back home that the Climate Smart Commodities grant process under the Biden Administration was confusing and left little room for producer choice. Can you share with the committee what you are doing at USDA to revamp this program and streamline the application process for producers?

Rollins: That remains a top priority for us. We’ve already made announcements on how to make it easier, cleaner, and better, and to put our producers first. We’ve asked several applicants to reapply based on that as a priority in driving that forward… But yes we are solving for that everyday at USDA.

BACKGROUND:

• The Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities was created by Secretary Vilsack in 2022 and allocated over $3 billion for pilot projects.
• All projects under the partnership were required to include plans to quantify greenhouse gas benefits and monitor and verify those benefits overtime. 
• The Trump Administration’s USDA, led by Secretary Rollins, is working to reform the program to ensure that conservation projects are producer focused and do not require burdensome GHG requirements that producers cannot reasonably comply with. 
• The AMP initiative will cut red tape and prioritize producers implementing conservation practices that work for them.

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