News Releases

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Areas of Focus

Areas of Focus

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EWG investigation: Of $7.4B spent on two major USDA conservation programs, very little has flowed to ‘climate-smart’ farming

Two of the Department of Agriculture’s principal conservation programs paid out almost $7.4 billion to farmers between 2017 and 2020, but only a small part went to practices the USDA itself has...

For farmers, historic $20 billion climate spending could save more than the planet

Historic $20 billion spending, in the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, to reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture could not only save the planet, it might also help preserve the good will most...

Senate bill to make historic climate-focused conservation investments

The Environmental Working Group today applauds Senate leaders for including more than $20 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to tackle a growing backlog of requests from farmers seeking U.S...

EWG analysis: In the Mississippi River region, the climate crisis helped run up a $39.5B taxpayer bill for crop insurance premiums

Crop insurance premium subsidies in the Mississippi River region cost taxpayers almost $39.5 billion between 2001 and 2020, a new EWG analysis of Department of Agriculture data finds.

EWG speech at AEI on climate and agriculture

EWG Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber delivered the following remarks before the American Enterprise Institute on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

House passes Build Back Better bill to make historic climate-focused conservation investments

The Environmental Working Group today applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for including $28 billion in the Build Back Better bill to tackle a growing backlog of requests from farmers seeking U...

EWG promotes two staff members to lead Midwest office, geospatial team

The Environmental Working Group has tapped two staff members for promotions to key leadership positions in the organization’s Midwest office, in Minneapolis

Build Back Better bill includes $27 billion for historic climate-focused conservation efforts

The Environmental Working Group today applauds House and Senate leaders for including $27 billion in the budget reconciliation bill, to tackle a growing backlog of farmers who need help addressing the...

Budget bill includes $28 billion for historic climate-focused conservation efforts

The Environmental Working Group today applauds House and Senate leaders for including in the budget reconciliation bill $28 billion to tackle a growing backlog of farmers seeking U.S. Department of...

EWG water atlas links water pollution to heavy fertilizer use in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin

The Environmental Working Group today unveiled its innovative water atlas, which shows a close link between heavily fertilized cropland in four Upper Mississippi River Basin states – Illinois, Iowa...

Cover crops, touted as a climate crisis solution, planted on only 1 in 20 acres of Corn Belt cropland

Cover crops, which help control water pollution from farm runoff, remain a little-used tool on Midwestern farmland, despite almost 100 years of science showing its value, according to a new...

EWG analysis: More testing needed to keep people safe from algae toxins in Upper Midwest

Government monitoring of lakes, rivers and streams for a dangerous toxin that can be produced by outbreaks of algae falls far short of what’s needed to protect public health in Iowa, Minnesota and...

EWG applauds Booker-Spanberger bill to reward climate stewardship on farms and forest lands and expand rural renewable energy production

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) yesterday announced the reintroduction of legislation to support voluntary conservation practices on more than 100 million acres of U.S...

Will Land O’Lakes/Microsoft ‘Carbon Bank’ Actually Cut Emissions?

Land O'Lakes touts its new agricultural carbon credits market as a “transformational” program rewarding farmers for adopting conservation practices while “incentivizing” corporations to reduce...

Booker Legislation Would Reward Climate Stewardship on Farms and Forest Lands

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today announced legislation to support voluntary conservation practices on more than 100 million acres of U.S. farmland. The bill would also fund the planting of 10 billion...

EWG Report: Small Rural Communities Bear Costly Burden of Nitrate Pollution of Tap Water

Tap water across the nation is contaminated with an agricultural pollutant linked to cancer, and the problem is worst in small communities that can least afford to fix it, according to a new EWG...

House Farm Bill Fails

House leaders failed to garner enough support to pass their version of the 2018 farm bill. The following is a statement from Environmental Working Group Senior Vice President for Government Affairs...

High Levels of Nitrate Foul Tap Water in Illinois Corn Belt

Northwest Illinois is one of the nation's most productive corn-growing regions. But the heavy use of fertilizer and manure on corn fields leads to nitrate pollution in many communities' tap water...

Des Moines Just the Tip of the Iceberg for Iowa’s Nitrate-Contaminated Tap Water

In 2015, Des Moines Water Works sued upstream counties to reduce manure and fertilizer runoff into the city's drinking water supply, drawing attention to nitrate pollution. But nitrate contaminates...

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: USDA Conservation Program for Sensitive Cropland Wastes Billions of Tax Dollars

A critical flaw in the Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program is not only its failure to provide lasting protection for environmentally sensitive land, but also its wasting of...
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