NEW BEAVER, Pa. -- A Team 4 investigation has uncovered waste in a government program that is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
The program pays local farmers not to farm. Instead, they promise to plant wildflowers and natural grasses, while keeping out invasive weeds.
However, Team 4's Jim Parsons reported one local farmer said the Pennsylvania Turnpike makes it impossible for him to keep up his end of the deal.
Tax dollars pay Harold Householder, of New Beaver, to make sure noxious weeds don't choke out the wildflowers that taxpayers are also paying him to plant. Householder told Parson's he's is trying, but he said he's losing the battle.
"I'm in a Catch-22 here. I'm trying to, I believe in living up to the contract that I signed, and I'm trying to do my part. But I can't win," said Householder.
Tax dollars give the Lawrence County farmer money to not farm the land where crops once grew.
The program is called CREP or the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Both the state and federal governments are spending half a billion dollars on CREP in Pennsylvania over 15 years as a way to reduce erosion and runoff of fertilizers into the Ohio River watershed.
Householder's responsibility is to plant wildflowers and natural grasses on his land so that butterflies, birds and deer will live there. But that's not his only obligation.
"As part of the contract, I have to control any weed that's on the state noxious weed list," Householder said.
That includes the a plant known as Canada thistle.
"I was just through this two weeks ago, spraying, and I killed it. But it's got new growth back again already," Householder said.
Householder said the reason he's losing the battle is because his 82 acres adjoins the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Route 60, which is covered in Canada thistle. Once it goes to seed, it blows onto Householder's land.
Householder said he tried repeatedly without success to get the Turnpike Commission to do something about controlling the noxious weeds on their property. Finally, he went to representative Jaret Gibbons, who set up a meeting where the Turnpike Commission made certain promises.
"As part of the meeting last year, they agreed to spray. And I didn't see any signs that they did it this year," Householder. "It's frustrating because I can't win in this. I can't beat it, and it's going to affect all of Pennsylvania, not just me."
The Turnpike Commission told Channel 4 it decided to mow the thistle instead of spraying it. But Householder said there are large sections that can't be mowed along route 60, where Canada thistle grows unchecked and continues to re-seed his property.
In order to kill it, Householder said, he has to kill the wildflowers -- which are paid for by the taxpayers.
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