Conservation bill gains support

SANDUSKY — The House and Senate farm bills take very different approaches to conservation programs that benefit Lake Erie, but Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, thinks the Senate will likely prevail. Brown pointed out the Senate farm bill includes provisions to strengthen conservation programs. For example, it creates a new Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers (CLEAR) Initiative setting priorities for enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program. The new rules would target land that would help prevent water runoff that puts nutrients into the lake. The provisions to aid Lake Erie also are backed by U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.A memorandum issued by Brown's office notes that the House farm bill cuts conservation funding by nearly $1 billion, harming programs that benefit Lake Erie. The Senate bill keeps conservation funding at $6 billion a year. Brown, asked Wednesday by the Register whether he expects the Senate stance to prevail in the final bill, replied that the Senate is in a stronger position politically. He predicted the farm bill will have strong conservation measures by the time it reaches President Donald Trump's desk.The House bill just barely passed, Brown said, while the Senate farm bill enjoys strong bipartisan support. He originally predicted the bill would be approved by a wide margin in the Senate, he said. The prediction turned out to be correct when the Senate approved the farm bill Thursday afternoon by a margin of 86-11. The House approved its farm bill on June 21 by a vote of 213-211, Illinois Newsroom reported earlier this week. Every House Democrat voted against the bill, but so did 20 Republicans.The votes show that the Senate is well-positioned when final talks on the two bills are held, Brown said.One big point of contention in the current farm bill is what to do about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.The Republican-backed House bill imposes new requirements for getting the assistance. Recipients would have to work, volunteer or obtain job training. Democrats say those changes would take away or reduce benefits for about 2 million people.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.A pair of mallard ducks swim in Lake Erie along Vermilion on June 9, 2018.