“A bill to provide for the conservation of the Chesapeake Bay, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes the Chesapeake Bay States Partnership Initiative to assist agricultural producers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (i.e., the Chesapeake Bay; portions of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia that drain into it; and the District of Columbia) in implementing conservation activities funded through applicable programs under subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (i.e., programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program). The Initiative prioritizes activities to improve water quality and quantity, restore and preserve soil, air, and related resources, and enhance agricultural resilience to climate change—including erosion control; sediment and nutrient reduction in water; and habitat conservation, restoration, or enhancement on ecologically valuable land retained in current use or restored to natural condition—with special consideration for projects in effective nutrient-reduction river basins or those addressing nitrogen/sediment reduction, livestock/waste management, or wetland conservation. The Secretary of Agriculture must use existing plans, models, and assessments; expedite funding consistent with state Chesapeake Bay restoration strategies; consult with federal agencies to complement water quality and other programs; and coordinate with the Farm Service Agency on buffer management for expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts. This section further directs the Secretary and the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator to establish the Task Force on Crediting Chesapeake Bay Conservation Investments to develop an action plan improving analysis, reporting, and quantification of nutrient reductions from conservation activities—responsive to states (including the District of Columbia) and agriculture, maintaining scientific integrity of Chesapeake Bay Program tools, protecting producer privacy, and leveraging data-sharing pilots for time-saving technologies.
This section reauthorizes the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)—under which the Department of Agriculture enrolls eligible farmland and grassland via contracts, typically for 10-15 years, to retire it from production and provide annual rental payments to landowners for conserving soil, water, wildlife, and other resources—through FY2028 (from FY2023) and makes related changes to program eligibility, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and payments. Specifically, with respect to CRP eligibility, it (1) adds as eligible cropland, marginal pastureland, grasslands, and other rural land devoted to riparian buffers that support CREP water quality goals; (2) for CREP agreements, authorizes updates to include new incentives available since January 1, 2018 (e.g., riparian forest buffer management payments) without renegotiation or matching funds requirements, streamlines amendment processes for time-sensitive priorities (e.g., Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load), and prioritizes simple updates to existing agreements; and (3) for CRP incentive payments, establishes a minimum of 40% of actual costs for contracts updated under the new CREP provision and increases the annual payment limitation to $100,000 (from $50,000). With respect to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)—which provides cost-share assistance for conservation practices—this section requires the Department of Agriculture, in prioritizing grazing practices and evaluating applications, to consider participation in CRP or CREP (e.g., riparian buffers) for efficient, holistic grazing systems addressing resource concerns.
This section establishes a Chesapeake Bay watershed turnkey pilot program under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). (As background, CRP pays farmers and ranchers to retire environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production in exchange for annual rental payments and cost-share assistance; the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a CRP variant that partners with states to target conservation in specific watersheds, such as the Chesapeake Bay watershed.) Under the pilot program, the Secretary, using agreements with certified technical service providers, provides establishment and management of eligible practices—forested riparian buffers and associated activities (e.g., stream crossings, fencing, alternate water systems, herbicide applications)—on eligible CREP-enrolled land, at no cost or additional paperwork burden to voluntary owners and operators (who must grant access but forgo CRP cost-share, practice incentive, and management payments for these practices). The Secretary compensates technical service providers for services, including administrative, technical, design, and installation assistance. The Secretary must submit a report on the pilot program's status and activities to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture within one year of enactment.
This section revises the food and agricultural sciences education grants and fellowship program (7 U.S.C. 3152), which supports teaching, curriculum development, faculty enhancement, and scholarships at eligible institutions, by (1) adding definitions for institution of higher education, junior or community college, postsecondary vocational institution, secondary school, and work-based learning; (2) expanding eligibility to junior or community colleges and postsecondary vocational institutions; (3) emphasizing paid work-based learning in teaching programs and teaching enhancement projects addressing needs in food and agricultural sciences or rural, community, or business development; (4) striking the cap on indirect costs; and (5) authorizing $60 million for each of FY2026 through 2031. The section further expands the experienced services program (16 U.S.C. 3851), which utilizes individuals age 55 or older to provide technical, professional, and administrative services supporting USDA conservation programs and the research, education, and economics mission area, to assist cooperative initiatives improving higher education teaching programs—including paid work-based learning—at land-grant colleges and universities (including the University of the District of Columbia), colleges and universities with significant minority enrollments, and other eligible colleges, junior or community colleges, and postsecondary vocational institutions. Finally, this section revises the competitive, special, and facilities research grants program (7 U.S.C. 3157) to include paid work-based learning and expand eligibility to junior or community colleges and postsecondary vocational institutions.
This section establishes direct hire authority for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), allowing the Secretary to appoint qualified candidates directly to NRCS positions providing technical assistance under chapter 58 conservation programs (e.g., Environmental Quality Incentives Program), without regard to most civil service competitive hiring procedures under 5 U.S.C. subchapter I of chapter 33 (except §§ 3303, 3328). Qualified candidates must meet Office of Personnel Management standards and be deemed by the Secretary to possess necessary technical expertise for such assistance.
This section exempts domestic, wild-caught blue catfish (*Ictalurus furcatus*) and flathead catfish (*Pylodictis olivaris*) invasive to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem from Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) oversight under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and from the USDA grading program under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. (As background, FSIS currently provides mandatory inspection of catfish as an "amenable species" under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, distinct from FDA's oversight of other seafood.) It further directs the Secretary of Agriculture to execute, not later than 90 days after enactment, a memorandum of understanding with the FDA Commissioner to transfer primary regulatory oversight—including for domestic production and imports—of these catfish to FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and Public Health Service Act. Finally, not later than 180 days after enactment, the Secretary, in consultation with the FDA Commissioner, must issue final regulations to implement these changes without duplicative inspections.