Testimony to the House General Services Appropriation Committee

Testimony to the House General Services Appropriation Committee By The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts February 24, 2005 The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts (AISWCD), representing the 98 County Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) of Illinois, appreciates the opportunity to provide written testimony to the General Services Appropriation Committee regarding the proposed FY 2006 budget for the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). The AISWCD would like to bring to the attention of the Committee serious concerns it has about budget reductions that are proposed for FY 2006, and the impact that these would have on the ability of SWCDs to deliver soil and water conservation and natural resource protection Programs to Illinois citizens. Background The State of Illinois, in 1937, created SWCDs to provide assistance to the public in conserving and protecting soil, water and other natural resources. The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is, by statute, assigned administrative responsibilities for SWCDs and annually prepares and receives a budget for SWCD office operations and Programs. There are 98 SWCDs serving all 102 counties in the state that operate almost entirely with state appropriations. SWCDs are extremely efficient and cost effective units of government that provide rural and urban citizens with both technical assistance and educational information on a number of issues, including: soil erosion control, water quality protection, farmland protection, wildlife habitat preservation, flood prevention, streambank stabilization and land use issues. SWCD boards and employees are the backbone of the conservation delivery system for Illinois. SWCDs are co-located in offices with U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, and cooperate with federal agencies in the delivery of natural resource conservation Programs and services to the citizens of Illinois. SWCDs deliver the Conservation 2000 and Illinois River CREP Programs for agriculture, as well as assist with the delivery of over $35 million annually in federal Farm Bill program conservation assistance. For every $1 appropriated by the state for SWCD office operations and staff, $6 in federal Farm Bill program benefits is delivered to Illinois citizens. In 2004 alone, SWCDs and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service staff provided conservation assistance to over 1.5 million customers in all 102 Illinois counties. Conservation systems were applied on nearly 575,000 acres of land, thereby saving hundreds of thousands of tons of soil and protecting water quality. Concern From FY 02 to FY 05, the operations grant appropriation for Illinois’ 98 county SWCDs has been reduced by $824,700 or 13 percent. During this period there has been little or no money for SWCD employee salaries and benefit increases. In addition, the cost for health and liability insurance has increased an average of 15 percent annually. The Governor’s FY 2006 budget would reduce this line further, by $277,300 or 5 percent. Also, the Conservation 2000 Programs for agriculture, administered by IDOA and delivered by SWCDs, have been cut from $8,750,000 in FY 2003 to $2,000,000 in FY 2005. Four years of budget cuts have seriously impacted the ability of SWCDs to deliver soil and water conservation technical assistance and natural resource protection Programs to the people of Illinois. Budget cuts have resulted in staff and service reductions in some locations. In addition, nearly 2,900 conservation projects in nearly every county, totaling $9.3 million, are on hold until cost-share funds become available (see attached summary). Reduced funding to protect our natural resources can, and will, impact public health and safety. Risk to drinking water supplies from increased erosion and sedimentation is an example. Also, reductions in technical staff will hamper the ability to utilize conservation program dollars earmarked to Illinois by federal government. Unspent dollars will leave Illinois and be spent in other states. If Illinois is to continue to leverage federal conservation dollars it is imperative that we have sufficient SWCD technical staff in place. Adequate funding for SWCDs is absolutely necessary if Illinois is to continue to produce affordable food and alternative fuels. Agriculture and agribusiness lead Illinois’ economy, and conservation is the foundation of a sustainable and productive agriculture. Requested Action The AISWCD and the 98 SWCDs are asking for your support for maintaining funding for SWCD Operations and for Conservation 2000 Programs for agriculture. We are requesting that the SWCD Operations Grants line contained in IDOA’s budget be maintained at the FY 2005 level of $5,545.6 million, which is $277,300 more than the proposed FY 2006 level of $5,545.3 million. This would enable IDOA to maintain SWCD staff and benefits at current funding levels and provide a base level of service to both urban and rural citizens in every county. In Governor Blagojevich’s recent Budget Address he endorsed Lt. Governor Quinn’s proposed Illinois Conservation Initiative. This new initiative would end a tax credit now provided to the landfill industry for methane gas recovery, and use the new tax revenue for conservation Programs. The Lt. Governor’s proposal calls for using $5 million of the new revenue for Conservation 2000 Programs administered by IDOA and delivered by SWCDs. The AISWCD and 98 SWCDs fully support Lt. Governor Quinn’s proposal and the new funding source it would provide for conservation Programs. However, the Conservation 2000 line contained in the IDOA budget is for $4 million, not the $5 million called for in the new initiative. Your support for increasing the proposed Conservation 2000 dollars in IDOA’s budget, from $4 million to $5 million, would also be appreciated. This would enable the backlog of conservation projects from this year and last year to be constructed.