Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Improvement Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4]
Introduced
Summary
Expands and makes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) more flexible to reward water conservation and allow dryland and grazing uses. This bill would broaden eligible practices, change payment rules, and create targeted drought and water-right retirement options to boost participation and resilience.
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- Farmers and landowners: Owners could elect variable annual payment allocations, enroll land that allows dryland farming or grazing, and receive retroactive payment adjustments when new dryland payment rules raise prior rates.
- Water conservation and drought resilience: The bill would create drought and water-conservation agreements that can include permanent retirement of water rights paid at irrigated-acre rates and a dryland-difference payment equal to the irrigated rate minus the dryland rate.
- Program mechanics and limits: It would require certain CREP actions that were optional, mandate conservation plans for enrolled land, let the Secretary set irrigated and dryland rates, and exempt CREP rental payments from standard statutory payment limits.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
More flexible CREP payments for farms
If enacted, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) would set clear payment rules for water and drought agreements. If your deal allows dryland farming, pay would equal the irrigated rate minus the dryland rate set by USDA. If it permanently retires water rights, pay would equal the irrigated rate, and older underpaid deals would be raised. You could choose how to spread payments across contract years. CREP rental payments would not count toward the usual payment cap.
More CREP options, conservation plan required
If enacted, CREP would cover more practices, like dryland farming and grazing. Land in continuous cropping or a rotation could qualify. But the land would need an adopted conservation plan, not just best practices. This could open the door for more farms, with some planning time and paperwork.
New rules for special CREP agreements
If enacted, the government would be required to carry out the subsection (e) actions in CREP, not just allowed to. Agreements under that subsection would be exempt from the general rules that apply to other CREP deals. This could expand availability and change how those agreements are run.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4]
CO • R
Cosponsors
Evans (CO)
CO • R
Sponsored 4/9/2025
Rep. Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3]
CO • R
Sponsored 5/5/2025
Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1]
KS • R
Sponsored 9/10/2025
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 4/14/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov