Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Improvement Act of 2024
This bill revises the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), which is a component of the Farm Service Agency's (FSA's) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CREP is a public-private partnership program which allows states, tribal governments, and nonprofit and private entities to partner with FSA to implement CRP practices. CRP is a land conservation program that provides an annual rental payment to farmers in exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve environmental health and quality.
The bill specifies that dryland agricultural uses and grazing are included as appropriate practices under CREP.
The bill also allows a land owner or operator to elect to determine the annual payment amount allocated for each year of a CREP agreement, instead of a fixed payment per year for the contract period.
For drought and water conservation agreements that include the permanent retirement of water rights, annual payment rates must be equal to the irrigated acre payment rates determined by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). In the case of an agreement that permits dryland agricultural uses, the annual payment rates must be equal to the difference between the irrigated acre payment rates and the dryland acre payment rates determined by USDA. The payment formula is retroactive for certain existing drought and water conservation agreements.
Further, the bill exempts CREP payments from the $50,000 annual payment limitation under CRP.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10204 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10204
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to modify the conservation
reserve enhancement program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 21, 2024
Ms. Caraveo introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to modify the conservation
reserve enhancement program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program Improvement Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Section 1231A of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3831a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(4), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A), by inserting ``(other than an agreement
described in subsection (e))'' after ``this subchapter'';
(2) in subsection (b)(2)(A)(vi), by inserting ``or other
appropriate practices, such as dryland agricultural uses and
grazing,'' after ``conservation practices'';
(3) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Variable allocation.--An owner or operator may elect
to determine the amounts of annual payments under this section
allocated to each year of the agreement under subsection
(b)(1).
``(6) Drought and water conservation agreements.--
``(A) Retirement of water rights.--In the case of
an agreement described in subsection (e) that includes
a permanent retirement of water rights, the payment
rates for annual payments shall be equal to the
irrigated acre payment rates determined by the
Secretary.
``(B) Dryland agricultural uses.--
``(i) In general.--In the case of an
agreement described in subsection (e) that
permits dryland agricultural uses pursuant to
paragraph (2) of that subsection, the payment
rates for annual payments shall be equal to the
difference between--
``(I) the irrigated acre payment
rates determined by the Secretary; and
``(II) the dryland acre payment
rates determined by the Secretary.
``(ii) Retroactive application.--In the
case of an agreement covered by clause (i)
entered into before the date of enactment of
this paragraph under which the payment rate is
lower than the payment rate that would be
calculated for the agreement under that clause,
the Secretary shall modify the agreement by
calculating the payment rate in accordance with
that clause.''; and
(4) in subsection (e)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ``may--'' and inserting ``shall--'';
(B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``(including
agricultural land on which a continuous crop or crop
rotation is maintained)'' after ``agricultural land'';
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ``with the
adoption of best management practices on'' and
inserting ``in accordance with a conservation plan
adopted with respect to''; and
(D) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``subject to
subsection (c)(6),'' before ``calculate''.
(b) Exemption From Payment Limitation.--Section 1234(g) of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(g)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and
inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Conservation reserve enhancement program.--Paragraph
(1) shall not apply to rental payments received under
agreements entered into under section 1231A.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
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