Agriculture funding legislation that prioritizes research, safe drinking water, rural broadband expansion and drought relief for farmers cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday with support from U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill would direct $2.55 billion to agricultural research, $1.25 billion to rural water and waste program loans, $6.94 billion to loans supporting rural electric and telephone infrastructure and $30 million to broadband grants.
“We worked hard to maintain our agriculture budget and ensure that this legislation supports our farmers, ranchers and rural communities, especially in the face of such severe natural disasters,” Hoeven, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, said.
Hoeven worked to include a provision in the overall bill that would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make funding available for the transportation of hay and livestock during drought conditions, such as in South Dakota, where the majority of the state is experiencing some degree of drought conditions.
The measure would also require reporting on any backlogs in drought relief programs, consider additional conservation for emergency grazing and allocate more relief to areas experiencing drought.
“This legislation makes additional support available to areas struggling with drought, including funding to help move hay and livestock,” Hoeven added. “In addition, we maintained a robust safety net, while also making strong investments in farm service programs, agricultural research and rural development programs to help make our agricultural communities strong and vibrant.”
Capito also praised the agriculture appropriations bill, which included a number of major priorities for West Virginia. “From food safety and school meal and nutrition programs to encouraging rural broadband deployment, the FY18 Agriculture Appropriations bill will help keep our most vulnerable children healthy and close the digital divide across our state,” she said.
The bill would prevent local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices from closing and would extend Hoeven’s Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) pilot program that authorizes alternative calculation methods when National Agricultural Statistics Service data is unreliable.
Capito, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, also applauded committee approval of the FY 2018 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The bill would allocate $573 million to fossil energy research and development, $6.2 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers, $142 million to the Appalachian Regional Commission and $5.55 billion to Department of Energy scientific research.
The energy and water development bill for fiscal year 2018, Capito added, would support fossil energy research and Army Corps of Engineers activities at sites like Bluestone Dam in West Virginia.
“The bill also provides critical funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission,” Capito said. “The commission has been critical to promoting economic diversity, worker retraining and broadband expansion in rural areas of our state. It can also play an important role in coordinating and supporting efforts to develop an ethane storage hub in central Appalachia — a project this bill helps encourage by calling for a feasibility study on its establishment.”