SOIL Act
Sponsored By: Representative Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
Introduced
Summary
Incentivizes on-farm practices that benefit both soil and wildlife. This bill would boost payments and rewrite conservation program rules so projects that improve soil health and wildlife habitat get higher priority and extra funds.
Show full summary
- Producers and farmers: Producers would be eligible for payments covering up to 90% of costs under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for listed practices that address both soil and wildlife.
- Wildlife, climate, and soil outcomes: Conservation activities that improve habitat and increase soil carbon would be explicitly eligible for supplemental payments as "co-benefit activities" under the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). These activities must improve wildlife habitat and help increase soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Program administration and applicants: Program selection and ranking would be revised so applications and stewardship contracts are evaluated by how well they address both soil and wildlife resource concerns.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Farmers get 90% for soil-wildlife projects
Farmers could get payments covering 90% of eligible costs under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. This would apply only to projects the Secretary identifies as helping both soil and wildlife habitat. It could pay for planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, maintenance, and training. Examples include cover crops, wetland restoration, riparian buffers, no‑till, alley cropping, and crop rotation. Applications written to address both soil and wildlife would also get a new priority in scoring.
Bonus payments for farm soil-wildlife projects
The Conservation Stewardship Program would add a new "co‑benefit" category. To qualify, a project must help both soil and wildlife habitat, improve wildlife habitat, boost soil carbon, and cut greenhouse gases. These activities would be eligible for extra CSP payments. Offers that address both soil and wildlife would also rank higher when USDA reviews applications.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
CA • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov