TPL Praises Senate’s Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, 2/13/02 – The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation organization which protects land for public use, today praised the Senate for passing a farm bill which provides significant funding for conservation.

“The Senate-passed farm bill represents a true commitment to the protection of working landscapes and the conservation of threatened farmland across the nation,” said Alan Front, TPL Senior Vice President. “We applaud Senators who supported passage of this landmark legislation, which directs federal funds to agricultural programs that benefit all farmers, to the benefit of all Americans.”

The Senate passed the bill by a 58-40 vote Wednesday afternoon, sending the measure to a House-Senate conference committee which will iron out the differences between the legislation.

“In the coming weeks, as the conference committee works to craft a final version of the bill, we will work to insure that the bill which is sent to President Bush includes a significant amount of support for conservation programs,” Front said. “We want to keep America’s farm economy strong and preserve open space at the same time, and one of the best tools to do both is with the level of funding for landowner incentive programs included in the Senate version of the bill.”

The Trust for Public Land, established in 1972, specializes in conservation real estate, applying its expertise in negotiations, public finance, and law, to protect land for people to enjoy as parks, greenways, community gardens, urban playgrounds, and wilderness. Across the nation, TPL has helped protect more than one million acres, valued at $2 billion. For more information, visit TPL on the web at www.tpl.org.