Page 85 - MFB State Annual Meeting 2018 -- RESOLUTIONS BOOK

5.3.1. Nonpoint source programs that emphasize a voluntary, incentive-based approach;
5.3.2. Federal assistance to administer a state-developed voluntary assurance program to assist farms and agricultural producers with conservation efforts;
5.3.3. Efforts to address nonpoint runoff and improving water quality that target impaired watersheds using a "worst case first" approach;
5.3.4. Federal funding levels adequate to develop site-specific information, technical assistance, cost-sharing for local programs, and upgrading septic systems;
5.3.5. BMP or accepted agricultural practices that are developed locally with producer involvement and financially practical for landowners to voluntarily apply;
5.3.6. Farmers and ranchers retaining the right to modify their nutrient management plans at any time based on changes in their farming/ranching operations;
5.3.7. Research efforts to clarify the cause or causes of pfiesteria;
5.3.8. States having the right to review 208 Plans (drainage districts)
which are voluntary in their applications;
5.3.9. The promotion of management practices to improve water
quality should depend on what is challenging the integrity of the water body. Specific management practices should not be promoted over others as a guaranteed solution;
5.3.10. Grants and loans with reduced interest rates for nutrient management storage systems and related equipment;
5.3.11. Efforts to control the phosphorous content of runoff from all contributors;
5.3.12. A requirement that TMDL allocations be redone when science indicates that the existing allocations are incorrect;
5.3.13. State and federal regulatory agencies balancing wetland mitigation requirements with the need for optimized tile drainage for food, fiber and fuel production;
5.3.14. BMP or accepted agricultural practices as an alternative to numerical standards to more effectively address the point and nonpoint sources of pollution that greatly vary in a regional watershed;
5.3.15. That pollution permit trading in any reauthorization of the CWA as one approach to implement the act's requirements; and
5.3.16. The general guidelines of pollution permit trading but allow local entities to determine the management system which best fits its needs. These general guidelines should:
5.3.16.1. Have a goal of water quality improvement;
5.3.16.2. Set environmental goals and constraints that cannot
be changed arbitrarily by any member of the system; 5.3.16.3. Identify and establish a credible monitoring system
which:
5.3.16.3.1. Maintains a set of baseline data obtained on a
case-by-case basis; 5.3.16.3.2. Manages transactions; and
5.3.16.3.3. Monitors environmental conditions and activities across permit traders;
5.3.16.4. Allow farmers who achieve reductions beyond the permit's requirements to "bank" their reductions for future trading.
5.4. We oppose:
5.4.1. EPA efforts to gain greater regulatory authority by including
nonpoint source pollution controls under the federal storm
water discharge permit program;
5.4.2. Any attempts by EPA to dictate specific practices and
regulations to control nonpoint source pollution;
5.4.3. Limits on agricultural cost programs;
5.4.4. Altering approved nutrient management plans;
5.4.5. Any enforceable mechanisms to address nonpoint source
pollution. Enforceable programs should be developed and
implemented by the states;
5.4.6. Using regulations to address agricultural, nonpoint source
issues related to TMDLs of pollutants in streams;
AFBF Policies – Page 29