Hageman Sends Letter to USDA Warning of SUSTAINS Act Implementation – Urges Public to Comment by 9/16/24

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman sent a letter to Terry Cosby, Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, in response to a request for information regarding implementation of the Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions (SUSTAINS) Act. Implementation of this Act must not infringe on the rights of landowners and is not manipulated as a tool for our adversaries.

Representative Hageman writes, “the federal government is wading into a very dangerous situation by valuing and selling so called “environmental services benefits”, and these programs run a serious risk of infringing on the property rights of the underlying landowner, as well as destroying our ability to produce the energy and food we need to power our economy. While this law and policy should never have been adopted, to the extent that it is now in place, USDA can best serve the interests of the American people by ensuring transparency and protecting the landowner.  

“I urge USDA to approach the implementation of the SUSTAINS Act with the utmost caution to secure the rights of landowners and promote U.S. national security. With policies such as these, derived from natural capital accounting, the danger is in the details as we head down this irresponsible path of considering concepts to be real property that have a value that can be bought, sold, and traded separately from the underlying land. Private property rights are the bedrock of this nation, and USDA should operate in a manner that respects, secures and protects this fundamental right.”

For concerned citizens that would like to express their opinion on the implementation of the SUSTAINS Act, the deadline for comment submission is close of business on Monday, 9/16/24. Comments may be submitted at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/usda-requests-public-input-on-implementation-of-sustains-act

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Contact: Chris Berardi, Sr. Advisor/Communications Director