News for Immediate Release
February 22, 2008
Contact: Tom Franklin, 202-654-4617
TRCP Leader Named to First-Ever EPA Agricultural Advisory Committee
Inclusion of sportsmen's voice underscores growing influence of hunting, fishing community
WASHINGTON — The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership welcomed yesterday's announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency that it had named TRCP Senior Vice President Tom Franklin to its first-ever agricultural advisory committee.
The EPA "Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee" is designed to strengthen relations between the agency and the agricultural community. It will advise the administrator on environmental policy issues affecting farms, ranches and rural communities.
The TRCP's Franklin is the lone representative to the 30-member committee from a hunting, fishing or conservation organization. "In nominating a died-in-the-wool sportsman to this committee, the EPA has shown that it understands that the interests of America's hunters and anglers are intertwined with those of agricultural communities nationwide," said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper. "We applaud the agency's recognition of this reality, and we thank the administrator for inviting one of our finest representatives to take a seat at the table."
"I'm extremely honored to be named to this committee," Franklin said, "and I see it as a reward for the hard work and determination that so many of our partner groups collectively have invested in the agricultural policymaking arena in recent years."
"Through increased cooperation...EPA is planting the seeds to reap both environmental and economic benefits for the American people," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said in announcing the committee, which will hold its inaugural meeting in early March.
"The investment we make in conservation through our nation's agricultural programs represents our largest outlays for fish and wildlife habitat on private lands," said TRCP Chairman James D. Range. "The EPA's recent actions to bolster its understanding of this dynamic illustrate that the agency is committed to increasing the return on investment. And the TRCP is proud to help the agency achieve its goals."
Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.
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