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Committee hears bill to redefine ‘farmer’ for wetlands setbacks; Farm Bureau backs change, environmental group raises concerns
Summary
H 7,072 would replace an income-based definition of “farmer” used in freshwater wetlands rules with a definition tied to agricultural land and USDA farm numbers; Farm Bureau said the change helps new and small farmers, while Save the Bay warned it could widen exemptions for non‑agricultural activity.
Representative Cotter introduced House Bill 7,072 on Jan. 22 to replace a tax- and income‑based definition of “farmer” used in freshwater wetlands regulations with a definition based on agricultural land and a USDA farm number. The sponsor said the existing rule — which denies the agricultural-wetland setback exemption to anyone who has not earned $10,000 in gross agricultural income in the previous four years — blocks new and beginning farmers and those facing weather or health setbacks from using their land effectively.
Heidi Quinn, director of the Rhode Island Farm Bureau,…
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