Sec. 6. Soil and conservation
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Section 1240H(a)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(a)(2) ) is amended— by redesignating subparagraphs
(E)and
(F)as subparagraphs
(F)and (G), respectively; and by inserting after subparagraph
(D)the following: partner with farmers to develop innovative conservation practices for urban, indoor, or other emerging agricultural practices to increase— green space; pollinator habitat; stormwater management; carbon sequestration; and access to agricultural production sites through land tenure agreements and other contracts; . Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section 1240M ( 16 U.S.C. 3839bb ) the following: To improve the health and quality of the soil used for agricultural production, the Secretary shall work with producers, including small-scale producers of food, to mitigate the presence of contaminants in soil, including by carrying out subsections (b), (c), and (d). The Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall establish a coordinated soil testing protocol to simplify the process used by producers to evaluate soil health, including testing for— the optimal level of constituents in and characteristics of the soil, such as organic matter, nutrients, and the potential presence of soil contamination from heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or other contaminants; and biological and physical characteristics indicative of proper soil functioning. The Secretary shall make the soil testing protocol established under paragraph
(1)available to the public. The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to a producer carrying out a soil assessment or soil remediation practice that shall include— an overall review of the health of the soil used by the producer for agricultural production; testing of the soil, if applicable, to determine the suitability of the soil for agricultural production; based on the results of the soil tested under subparagraph (B), a consultation with the producer and a determination of the quality, health, and level of contamination of the soil adequate— to protect against a health risk to producers; to limit contaminants from entering agricultural products for human consumption; and to regenerate and sustain the soil; and recommendations on methods to conduct remediation or soil building efforts to improve soils and ensure that the producers— are not growing products in soils with high levels of heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or other contaminants; have appropriate information regarding financial resources and conservation practices available to keep soil healthy, including practices, as defined in section 1240A; and have access to experts, including experts outside of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, that may provide assistance to producers to oversee and monitor soil under remediation or regeneration to ensure soils are suitable for agricultural production in the future. The Secretary shall conduct education and outreach to producers regarding the uses of soil and methods of addressing soil contamination and soil health degradation. On the request of an agricultural producer, where soil is found to pose an imminent hazard to human health, the Secretary may refer the agricultural producer to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for additional assistance for remediation under section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 ( 42 U.S.C. 9604(k) ). . Sec 1240A(4)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–1(4)(A) ) is amended— in clause (iv), by striking and at the end; by redesignating clause
(v)as clause (vii); and by inserting after clause
(iv)the following: soil tests for— heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other contaminants; and biological and physical soil health; scientifically based soil remediation practices to be carried out by the producer, as determined by the Secretary; and .
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- 16 USC 3839aa–8(a)(2)
- 16 USC 3839aa–1(4)(A)
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Sec. 6
Soil and conservation
Cite16 USC 3839aa–8(a)(2)
Cite16 USC 3839aa–1(4)(A)
Cites 4Cited by 0 across 0 sources