Take Action To Support State Funding For Farmland Conservation

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When: Wednesday, May 17th at 4 p.m.
Where: Room 35 – State House or live streamed at https://www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx
Why: Let the legislature know you support House bill 6018. The farmland preservation program will not be funded without a strong outpouring of public support.

This spring, Rhode Island’s state funding for farmland conservation is rapidly approaching zero for the first time since 1981. There is a backlog of over 40 farms that have been approved for permanent protection, but not enough funding to protect them. Leaving the farmland protection program unfunded will halt the program altogether and leave at least $5 Million in federal funding on the table.

The only avenue left open for replenishing state farmland conservation funds is through appropriation bills in the General Assembly. There are two such bills (Senate Bill 560 and House Bill 6018) making their way through the legislature. The farmland preservation program will not be funded without a strong outpouring of public support.

You can learn more about the farmland preservation program at the RIDEM website.

Please contact your legislators and tell them that Farms Are Important and that Rhode Island Needs To Continue Conserving Its Farmland.

Please send written testimony by email to Christopher O’Brien at housefinance@rilegislature.gov anytime before noon on the day of the hearing.

Include your name and address in the email and explain that you are in favor of House Bill 6018 and why.

Sample Emails To Send
Send your own message or feel free to use all or parts of the below email

Sample email to send to housefinance@rilegislature.gov
Subject: Support House bill 6018
Include in the body of the email:
House bill 6018, Preservation, Protection, And Conservation of Farmlands
I am for this bill
Your name
Your home address including town and state

Dear Honorable Members of the House Committee on Finance:

I respectfully urge the House Committee on Finance to adopt H 6018. I commend the sponsors of this legislation, Representatives McGaw, Caldwell, Cortvriend, Boylan, Shallcross-Smith, Ajello, Kazarian, Kislak, Speakman, and Craven for recognizing the need to fund Rhode Island’s Farmland Protection Program.

If the farmland preservation program remains unfunded in the FY 24 budget, thousands of acres of RI farmland will be lost to development over the next two decades and Rhode Island will forfeit millions in federal funding because our state will not be able to provide the required matching contributions to access these funds.

Farms strengthen our local food systems, support the state’s economy, and they protect the environment, history, and scenic beauty of our state. The farm sector provides over 2,500 jobs and contributes $250 Million in direct revenue to the state, but Rhode Island’s farms are extremely vulnerable to development.

Permanent farmland preservation is a good investment. Every $1.00 spent on farmland conservation in the state is matched by $1.70 in federal and philanthropic funding.

There is no funding in the Governor’s FY 24 budget to support the Agricultural Land Preservation Commission (ALPC) responsible for the Farmland Preservation Program.

Please recommend House bill 6018, the funding for Preservation, Protection, And Conservation of Farmlands, to the full House for a vote and passage.

Thank you,

Your name

Cc: House Speaker Shekarchi,
Chairman Marvin Abney,
Representative Michelle McGaw,
Representative Tina Spears

E-mail your testimony to the Committee Clerk: housefinance@rilegislature.gov
Send CC copies to:

* If you don’t live in Charlestown, find other State Representative e-mails here: https://www.rilegislature.gov/representatives/default.aspx

Please send your testimony as a PDF file if possible.

Use Support H 6018 in the PDF file name and subject line so the clerk knows what bill you are testifying on and if you are for the bill.