"The Environmental Working Group urges retrofitting two conservation programs to help counter climate change, with nearly $12 billion in new funding coming from the Inflation Reduction Act."
"The Biden administration has said it will rely on the nation’s farmers to help achieve the country’s climate goals, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture is paying them millions of dollars for practices that don’t achieve those targets—and in some cases, increase greenhouse gas emissions.
A new analysis published Wednesday and based on extensive public records requests, finds that the agency gave $7.4 billion to farmers through its five major conservation programs from 2017 to 2020, yet only a small percentage of that money went toward climate-related practices. The analysis also finds that the agency failed to provide complete data on these payments.
“With the climate crisis quickly intensifying, the USDA and Congress urgently need to retrofit these programs to meet the moment by prioritizing funding for climate-smart practices,” said Anne Schechinger, a director with the Environmental Working Group, which published the analysis. “Accurately tracking and reporting these funds is just as imperative. Yet the USDA has a serious transparency problem when it comes to its conservation data.”"
Georgina Gustin reports for Inside Climate News September 28, 2022.
