The American Soybean Association says there are both positives and negatives in draft bills released this week, including the Fiscal Year 2017 Agriculture Appropriations bill. ASA President Richard Wilkins welcomed the Energy and Water Appropriations bill but noted concerns with the Agriculture Appropriations bill. In the agricultural bill, he says ASA is concerned with cuts to conservation programs authorized in the farm bill, including $300 million from the Conservation Stewardship Program, $113 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and a reduction in the funds available for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program to $46.5 million. Among the positives in the Energy & Water Appropriations bill, according to ASA, is a prohibition on the use of funds to implement the controversial Clean Water Rule, also known as Waters of the United States. Additionally, the bill boosts funding for waterways infrastructure to record levels, including $6.1 billion in overall funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.