EWG Project
State by State Funding Cuts, Part Deux
States to Lose Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Funding
President Obama’s proposed 2010 fiscal year budget continues the long string of broken promises that have left conservation programs billions short over the past two farm bills. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) takes the biggest hit, falling $250 million short of the funding promised in the 2008 farm bill.
EWG analyzed the shortfalls in EQIP funding that states will suffer if the cuts if Congress goes along with the cuts proposed in the President’s budget.1 Fourteen states stand to lose over $6 million each in 2010 EQIP funding (Table 1). The five states that stand to lose the most EQIP funding are Texas (-$22.4 million), California (-$15.5 million), Colorado (-$10.0 million), Minnesota (-$8.1 million), and Nebraska (-$8.0 million).
TABLE 1: FOURTEEN STATES POISED TO LOSE MORE THAN $6 MILLION EACH
| STATE | Increase State Should Get | Increase State Will Get | Shortfall |
| TEXAS | $130,271,027 | $107,810,505 | -$22,460,522 |
| CALIFORNIA | $90,134,960 | $74,594,449 | -$15,540,510 |
| COLORADO | $58,089,718 | $48,074,249 | -$10,015,469 |
| MINNESOTA | $47,134,644 | $39,007,981 | -$8,126,663 |
| NEBRASKA | $46,422,994 | $38,419,029 | -$8,003,964 |
| MONTANA | $45,695,434 | $37,816,911 | -$7,878,523 |
| KANSAS | $44,143,554 | $36,532,597 | -$7,610,958 |
| OKLAHOMA | $42,263,814 | $34,976,949 | -$7,286,864 |
| NEW MEXICO | $38,277,135 | $31,677,629 | -$6,599,506 |
| IOWA | $37,479,979 | $31,017,914 | -$6,462,065 |
| ARIZONA | $37,266,335 | $30,841,105 | -$6,425,230 |
| FLORIDA | $36,436,345 | $30,154,216 | -$6,282,128 |
| UTAH | $35,337,848 | $29,245,116 | -$6,092,732 |
| ARKANSAS | $34,989,030 | $28,956,439 | -$6,032,591 |
Every state faces pressing natural resource and environmental problems associated with agriculture and each of those states is in danger of losing millions of dollars of EQIP funds (Table 2). If the cuts to EQIP proposed by the President stand, tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers who are volunteering to make things better, and share the cost of doing so with the government, will be turned away and taxpayers will face more delays in getting the improvements air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat they are willing to pay for.
TABLE 2: SHORTFALL IN EQIP FUNDING BY STATE
| STATE | Funding State Should Get | Funding State Will Get | Shortfall |
| ALABAMA | $23,369,835 | $19,340,553 | $4,029,282 |
| ALASKA | $9,937,843 | $8,224,422 | $1,713,421 |
| ARIZONA | $37,266,335 | $30,841,105 | $6,425,230 |
| ARKANSAS | $34,989,030 | $28,956,439 | $6,032,591 |
| CALIFORNIA | $90,134,960 | $74,594,449 | $15,540,510 |
| COLORADO | $58,089,718 | $48,074,249 | $10,015,469 |
| CONNECTICUT | $8,836,606 | $7,313,053 | $1,523,553 |
| DELAWARE | $10,317,776 | $8,538,849 | $1,778,927 |
| FLORIDA | $36,436,345 | $30,154,216 | $6,282,128 |
| GEORGIA | $27,309,769 | $22,601,188 | $4,708,581 |
| HAWAII | $10,945,545 | $9,058,382 | $1,887,163 |
| IDAHO | $28,353,727 | $23,465,153 | $4,888,574 |
| ILLINOIS | $25,459,818 | $21,070,194 | $4,389,624 |
| INDIANA | $19,071,619 | $15,783,409 | $3,288,210 |
| IOWA | $37,479,979 | $31,017,914 | $6,462,065 |
| KANSAS | $44,143,554 | $36,532,597 | $7,610,958 |
| KENTUCKY | $19,484,318 | $16,124,953 | $3,359,365 |
| LOUISIANA | $26,480,809 | $21,915,152 | $4,565,657 |
| MAINE | $13,146,121 | $10,879,549 | $2,266,573 |
| MARYLAND | $11,692,734 | $9,676,746 | $2,015,989 |
| MASSACHUSETTS | $7,613,585 | $6,300,898 | $1,312,687 |
| MICHIGAN | $28,324,561 | $23,441,016 | $4,883,545 |
| MINNESOTA | $47,134,644 | $39,007,981 | $8,126,663 |
| MISSISSIPPI | $29,767,815 | $24,635,433 | $5,132,382 |
| MISSOURI | $34,429,879 | $28,493,693 | $5,936,186 |
| MONTANA | $45,695,434 | $37,816,911 | $7,878,523 |
| NEBRASKA | $46,422,994 | $38,419,029 | $8,003,964 |
| NEVADA | $12,288,815 | $10,170,054 | $2,118,761 |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | $7,956,589 | $6,584,763 | $1,371,826 |
| NEW JERSEY | $7,243,547 | $5,994,660 | $1,248,887 |
| NEW MEXICO | $38,277,135 | $31,677,629 | $6,599,506 |
| NEW YORK | $20,511,494 | $16,975,030 | $3,536,465 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | $26,566,473 | $21,986,047 | $4,580,426 |
| NORTH DAKOTA | $32,533,086 | $26,923,933 | $5,609,153 |
| OHIO | $23,450,373 | $19,407,205 | $4,043,168 |
| OKLAHOMA | $42,263,814 | $34,976,949 | $7,286,864 |
| OREGON | $32,552,028 | $26,939,609 | $5,612,419 |
| PENNSYLVANIA | $19,563,474 | $16,190,462 | $3,373,013 |
| RHODE ISLAND | $7,221,530 | $5,976,439 | $1,245,091 |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | $13,627,470 | $11,277,906 | $2,349,564 |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | $30,554,766 | $25,286,703 | $5,268,063 |
| TENNESSEE | $18,724,910 | $15,496,477 | $3,228,433 |
| TEXAS | $130,271,027 | $107,810,505 | $22,460,522 |
| UTAH | $35,337,848 | $29,245,116 | $6,092,732 |
| VERMONT | $8,640,764 | $7,150,977 | $1,489,787 |
| VIRGINIA | $20,468,995 | $16,939,858 | $3,529,137 |
| WASHINGTON | $29,466,792 | $24,386,311 | $5,080,481 |
| WEST VIRGINIA | $10,975,779 | $9,083,404 | $1,892,376 |
| WISCONSIN | $30,479,282 | $25,224,233 | $5,255,049 |
| WYOMING | $25,843,439 | $21,387,674 | $4,455,765 |
| PACIFIC BASIN | $3,054,143 | $2,527,567 | $526,576 |
| PUERTO RICO | $9,791,070 | $8,102,954 | $1,688,116 |
| TOTAL | $1,450,000,000 | $1,200,000,000 | $250,000,000 |
1The data in the Tables are based on the average share of total EQIP funding each State was allocated between 2005 and 2007; data for 2007 are the most recent data posted on the NRCS website.