Sec. 2. Chesapeake Bay States' Partnership Initiative

629 words·~3 min read·/bill/118/s/2710/is/section-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section 1240O ( 16 U.S.C. 3939bb–2 ) the following: In this section, the term Chesapeake Bay watershed means— the Chesapeake Bay; the portions of the States of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia that contain the tributaries, backwaters, and side channels, including their watersheds, that drain into the Chesapeake Bay; and the District of Columbia.

The Secretary shall carry out a Chesapeake Bay States' Partnership Initiative (referred to in this section as the Initiative ) to assist producers in implementing conservation activities on agricultural lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for the purposes of— improving water quality and quantity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; restoring, enhancing, and preserving soil, air, and related resources in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; and increasing the resilience of agricultural production in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to withstand the impacts of climate change.

The Secretary shall deliver the funds made available to carry out this section through applicable programs under this subtitle, including by providing enrollment opportunities that are targeted to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, to assist producers in enhancing land and water resources— by controlling erosion and reducing sediment and nutrient levels in ground and surface water; and by planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating habitat conservation, restoration, and enhancement measures where there is significant ecological value if the land is— retained in its current use; or restored to its natural condition.

In delivering the funds made available to carry out this section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to applications— submitted by producers in the most effective river basins for nutrient reduction; or to carry out conservation activities that reduce nitrogen and sediment, improve management of livestock and waste, and conserve wetlands. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall— where available, use existing plans, models, and assessments to assist producers in implementing conservation activities; and proceed expeditiously to deliver funding to a producer to implement conservation activities that are consistent with State strategies for the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The Secretary shall— in consultation with appropriate Federal agencies, ensure conservation activities carried out under this section complement Federal, State, and local programs, including programs that address water quality, in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; and in carrying out this section, coordinate with the Farm Service Agency to identify needs and opportunities for buffer management on land subject to a contract under the conservation reserve program under subchapter B of chapter 1 that may be expiring soon.

The Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall jointly establish a Federal task force, to be known as the Task Force on Crediting Chesapeake Bay Conservation Investments (referred to in this subsection as the task force ). The task force shall develop an action plan that— identifies improvements to the processes of analyzing, reporting, and quantifying nutrient reductions from conservation activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; is responsive to the needs of States in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (including the District of Columbia) and the agricultural community; maintains the scientific integrity of the decision-making process and accounting tools under the Chesapeake Bay Program (as defined in section 117(a) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1267(a) )); and ensures producer privacy is protected.

The task force shall leverage findings from successful data sharing pilots to identify opportunities to integrate time-saving technologies for the implementation of conservation activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Of the funds made available by section 1241(a) of this Act or section 21001(a) of Public Law 117–169 (136 Stat. 2015), the Secretary shall use to carry out this section $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027, to remain available until expended. .

Connectionstraces to 2

Traces to 2 documents

U.S. Code