While the House bill makes significant cuts to the green new deal agenda, including eliminating pro carbon sequestration pipeline language, the final bill failed to cut one of the key 30×30 programs authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act. $10,050,000,000 remain authorized for conservation welfare programs that commit private lands to mitigating the climate crisis.

American Stewards exposed the slick way in which environmentalists managed to authorize trillions of dollars for existing conservation programs through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by adding funds to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). These existing programs are funded through the Farm Bill.  But the IRA added trillions of dollars to these, and also changed the purpose for these funds now obligating private landowners who enrolled to mitigate climate change and reduce livestock emissions.

Most landowners had no idea the legal purpose for the funds had been changed, and the Biden USDA failed to inform landowners of this switch. This was deliberate so they could create a federal nexus to private lands obligating the use of these lands to mitigating the made up climate crisis.

But free money is hard to pass up, so instead of protecting property rights, lobbyists for big Ag have been working hard to preserve these “climate smart” funds, which they say is necessary for farmers to put food on American’s tables. 

They succeeded in preserving those remaining funds for EQIP, CSP and ACEP for a total of $10,050,000,000 through 2026. 

The House did reduce the funds obligated to the RCPP program, which directly funds environmental organizations implementing the green new deal.  These funds have been reduced from $3,050,000,000 for 2026 to $425,000,000 for 2026, but then also authorizes $450,000,000 annually through 2031.

These are conservation welfare subsidies. They are not necessary for agriculture production. They drive up land and food prices and drive out the small landowners who want to stay in business without relying on federal welfare. They also tie every landowner who enrolls in this pot of funds to mitigate the climate crisis.  It creates a dangerous federal nexus to their land, likely to be called in during the next democratic administration.