“A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to streamline conservation practice standards, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section revises the Conservation Innovation Grants and Payments program by (1) expanding the purposes of grants to include the development and evaluation of new innovative conservation approaches, including incorporating innovation and new technologies into existing conservation practice standards or establishing new ones; and (2) requiring reports from grant recipients to cover conservation practices (including both management and structural practices), evaluation data for new and emerging technologies with recommendations for state and regional applications, and innovative practices for consideration through the process established under section 1242(h)(3). (As background, the program provides competitive grants to producers, nongovernmental organizations, and others to demonstrate and transfer innovative solutions addressing natural resource conservation concerns, primarily through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.)
This section requires the Secretary to provide a schedule for the revision of existing, and establishment of new, conservation practice standards under section 1242(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985.
This section revises the process for establishment and review of conservation practice standards used in USDA conservation programs (i.e., standards that specify the proper design, installation, and management of practices eligible for cost-sharing or technical assistance in programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program). (1) It modifies the review requirements in subsection (h)(1) to occur not less frequently than once every 5 years on a rolling basis (from not later than 1 year after enactment of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018), requires integration of new and innovative technologies providing equivalent or improved natural resource benefits (from ensuring equivalent benefits), and adds requirements for public input opportunities, public posting of comment summaries and decisions, and publication of revised standards. (2) It strikes and replaces subsection (h)(3) to require the Secretary, not later than 1 year after enactment of this Act, to develop and publicly describe a streamlined administrative process for proposing, reviewing, adopting, and establishing interim and full conservation practice standards, including expedited review thresholds and timelines; such process must prioritize innovative technologies (e.g., precision agriculture, biological fertilizers, animal feed additives, perennial systems), allow state and local flexibility and public submissions for interim standards, incorporate input from state technical committees and conservation innovation projects, and make related public information available. (3) It updates the subsection (h) heading to "Establishment and Review of conservation practice standards" and modifies the reporting requirements in subsection (h)(4) to require public website posting of reports to Congress (in addition to submission), with added details on the administrative process and other improvements.