S-1666.2  _______________________________________________

                    SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8019

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Rasmussen, Parlette, Spanel and Oke

Read first time 02/20/2001.  Referred to Committee on Agriculture & International Trade.

Petitioning the secretary of agriculture to review certain policies of the conservation reserve enhancement program.

    TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO ANN VENEMAN, THE SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, The National Marine Fisheries Service and the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife have listed several species of salmonids as either threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act; and

    WHEREAS, A number of water bodies throughout the state do not currently comply with federally approved water quality standards including temperature, turbidity, and other parameters; and

    WHEREAS, The State of Washington and the United States Department of Agriculture have entered into a memorandum of agreement that establishes the conservation reserve enhancement program to provide incentives to owners of agricultural land in Washington State to restore and enhance conditions in riparian areas by planting trees and shrubs for the benefit of fishery habitat and water quality; and

    WHEREAS, The conservation reserve enhancement program is available for a number of categories of agricultural lands but is not available to lands that produce perennial horticultural crops;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture review its policies that would allow the inclusion in the program of lands that are currently used to produce perennial horticultural crops.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, Ann Veneman, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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