Gov. Mark Dayton will seek $795 million from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to preserve clean water and restore wildlife habitat, his office announced Tuesday in a statement.
Minnesota will try for the money from the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, or CREP, which is a federal, state, local partnership that would implement conservation practices on up to 100,000 acres.
Money would go to for farmers and landowners as Minnesota works to implement buffer legislation enacted last session. The legislation sought to protect waterways by mandating buffer strips around them to prevent pollution from leaking into lakes, streams, rivers and ditches.
The Legislature set aside $35 million for conservation last session, which would be part of the state contribution needed to win CREP money, according to the Dayton news release.
