$33 million bonding request would help fund conservation efforts on private land

A bonding request would help fully fund a program that establishes conservation practices on private land using state and federal dollars, supporters say.

Sponsored by Rep. Joe Hoppe (R-Chaska), HF3226 would appropriate $33 million from the sale of state bonds to protect soil and water quality, support fish and wildlife habitat, and reduce flood damage through the state’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. 

Rep. Joe Hoppe

Those dollars would be appropriated to the Board of Water and Soil Resources to acquire conservation easements from landowners to restore and enhance environmentally sensitive land.

Hoppe explained the bill to the House Capital Investment Committee Tuesday during an informational hearing. The companion, SF3552, is sponsored by Sen. Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point), and awaits action by the Senate Capital Investment Committee.

“I like this because it’s voluntary. Landowners can choose to do it. They’re not taking cropland. The landowner gets to decide,” Hoppe said, noting the state doesn’t get a lot of money directly from Washington and this money would go directly to the landowner.

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program leverages federal money to pay landowners for their land for 15 years, providing them with 100 percent of the cost-share for the conservation project. After that, the Reinvest in Minnesota Reserve Program easement kicks in into perpetuity, said Sheila Vanney, assistant director of the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, which works with landowners to complete the conservation project.

The bill calls for $30 million to be used in the RIM program, while the other $3 million would be for acquiring “working lands” in the Mississippi Headwaters region, Vanney explained.

The bonding request would complete the state funding needed to fully leverage $350 million of federal funding for the program, Vanney said. She added that the funding is also needed for Soil and Water Conservation Districts to achieve their clean water goal.