Policy
Senate Passes the Natural Resources Management Act
On Tuesday, February 12, the Senate easily passed S47, the Natural Resources Management Act. This large public lands management and conservation package now moves to the House for their consideration. What’s in the Natural Resources Management Act? The package contains several bills from the Senate and took years to develop. Here are some of the…
Read MoreProposed Trust Fund is an Investment in New Mexico’s Future
The New Mexico Agricultural and Natural Resources Trust Fund (NM SB 454), sponsored by Senator Steven Neville of Aztec, New Mexico, seeks to establish an endowment fund to be used to invest in the state’s natural and agricultural resources. New Mexico is facing a diminishing water supply that has impacted—and will continue to impact—the state’s…
Read MoreHouse Bill 332: New Mexico Rural Heritage Act
Overview New Mexico House Bill 332, The Rural Heritage Act, keeps land ownership affordable for New Mexico’s families; secures land, water and other natural resources for the future; and contributes positively to local governments and economies. The programs considered under HB 332 will change New Mexico’s property tax structure in a way that keeps agriculturally…
Read MoreFarm Bill: Wins for Working Lands and Conservation!
For the past three years, Western Landowners Alliance has worked hard and in collaboration with a variety of partners to ensure strong support in the 2018 Farm Bill for working lands in the West. We are pleased to announce that on December 10th, Congress released the 2018 Farm Bill conference report reflecting many of WLA’s…
Read More2014 Farm Bill Expires: what does it mean and what’s next?
After more than a year of work by those most interested in passing an on-time Farm Bill – farmers, ranchers and advocacy groups interested in sustainable agriculture, conservation and forestry – the 2014 Farm Bill expired at midnight on September 30, 2018. The expiration marks the second time in a row that the Farm Bill…
Read MoreCalls to Action
1. The Farm Bill Send an email to House Ag Committee Leadership The House and the Senate have both passed their version of the 2018 Farm Bill. A conference committee is working to resolve differences between the two bills to reach a combined, final bill. As the committee works on this important resolution, it is…
Read MoreWLA attends the Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture summer meeting
In early August, WLA Executive Director Lesli Allison and WLA Policy Director Jessica Crowder attended the Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture (WASDA) summer meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. WASDA is made up of Commissioners, Secretaries and Directors of State Departments of Agriculture from 15 U.S. states and territories. The meeting…
Read MoreWLA Policy Call: Potential changes to NEPA regulations
Calling on all WLA members! Monday, August 13th | 10:00 AM MT The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking related to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The CEQ is considering changes to how it implements regulations for the procedural provisions of NEPA. Through the advance notice, the CEQ…
Read MoreThe Endangered Species Act: WLA Weighs In
On July 2, Senator John Barrasso (R) of Wyoming released draft legislation that would amend the ESA. Several items from this initial draft caught our attention. Here’s a short summary of those items, followed by our assessment. The discussion draft: Provides for actions intended to enhance the federal-state partnership. Our assessment: Increasing the role of…
Read MoreJuly 2018 Farm Bill Update
Farm Bill programs are an important tool for landowners. These programs serve to assist landowners in implementing a wide variety of conservation practices that sustain working lands, rural economies, wildlife habitat and populations and other natural resource values. In the West, landowners utilize several Farm Bill programs, especially working lands programs such as the Environmental…
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