Agriculture and Environmental Protection: The 2012 Farm Bill and Beyond

Please join us for an expert dialogue on agriculture and environmental protection in the 2012 Farm Bill. The 2012 Farm Bill, currently under consideration in Congress, will have important implications for protection of the environment and public health—and is slated to introduce significant changes in the structure of farm subsidies programs.

This national teleconference will address a range of environmental and natural resource issues related to the new Farm Bill. Topics will include: potential changes to working lands and land retirement conservation programs; the scope of compliance requirements under "sodbuster," "swampbuster," and other programs; organic food production incentives; and what the new legislation may mean for concentrated animal feeding operations.

ELI’s Research and Policy group recently established a new Industrial Agriculture Law and Policy Center, which examines the impacts of agricultural production on human health and the environment. In June, the program released its first report, Subsidies with Responsibilities: Placing Stewardship and Disclosure Conditions on Government Payments to Large-Scale Commodity Crop Operations. The report includes recommendations for fostering conservation through existing subsidies programs. A version of the report will be published in the Harvard Environmental Law Review in Spring 2012.

Speakers:

• Linda Breggin, Senior Attorney, ELI (moderator)
• Chris Adamo, Staff Director, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
• Scott Faber, Vice President for Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group
• Mary Kay Thatcher, Senior Director, Congressional Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation
• Jason Weller, Acting Associate Chief for Conservation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture

To reserve, e-mail mcmurrin@eli.org.There is no charge for ELI members to participate in the teleconference, but you must RSVP. RSVPs should include: name of registrant and email address. Teleconference/webcast information will be emailed one business day prior to the event (your normal long-distance rates may apply to your call).