Commodity Credit Corporation

For each of fiscal years 2014 through 2031, the Secretary shall use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out the following programs under this chapter (including the provision of technical assistance): The conservation reserve program under subpart B of part I of subchapter IV, including, to the maximum extent practicable— The agricultural conservation easement program under subchapter VII using to the maximum extent practicable— The programs under part IV of subchapter IV, using, to the maximum extent practicable— for the environmental quality incentives program under subpart A of part IV of subchapter IV— for the conservation stewardship program under subpart B of part IV of subchapter IV— Amounts made available by subsection (a) for fiscal years 2014 through 2031 shall be used by the Secretary to carry out the programs specified in such subsection and shall remain available until expended. Commodity Credit Corporation funds made available for a fiscal year for each of the programs specified in subsection (a)— In the delivery of technical assistance under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590a et seq.), the Secretary shall give priority to producers who request technical assistance from the Secretary in order to comply for the first time with the requirements of subchapter II and subchapter III of this chapter as a result of the amendments made by section 2611 of the Agricultural Act of 2014. Not later than 270 days after February 7, 2014, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report regarding the extent to which the conservation compliance requirements contained in the amendments made by section 2611 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 apply to and impact specialty crop growers, including national analysis and surveys to determine the extent of specialty crop acreage that includes highly erodible land and wetlands. Not later than December 31, 2014, the Secretary shall submit (and update as necessary in subsequent years) to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report— Not later than November 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that includes— The use of Commodity Credit Corporation funds under subsection (c) to provide technical assistance shall not be considered an allotment or fund transfer from the Commodity Credit Corporation for purposes of the limit on expenditures for technical assistance imposed by section 714i of title 15. When determining funding allocations each fiscal year, the Secretary shall, after considering available funding and program demand in each State, provide a distribution of funds for conservation programs under subchapter IV (excluding the conservation reserve program under subpart B of part I), subchapter VII, and subchapter VIII to ensure equitable program participation proportional to historical funding allocations and usage by all States. In determining the specific funding allocations under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— The Secretary shall establish the necessary accounts and process to accept contributions of private funds for the purposes of addressing the changing climate, sequestering carbon, improving wildlife habitat, protecting sources of drinking water, and addressing other natural resource priorities identified by the Secretary. Contributions of non-Federal funds received for a covered program shall be deposited into the account established under this subsection for the program and shall be available to the Secretary, without further appropriation and until expended, to carry out the program. The Secretary may accept under this subsection contributions of such funds as the Secretary determines appropriate, taking into consideration— A determination of whether to accept private funds under this subsection shall be at the sole discretion of the Secretary. Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary may provide matching Federal funds, and determine the level of such match, which shall not exceed 75 percent, for the private funds contributed under this subsection, subject to the availability of funding for the applicable covered program. The Secretary may not provide any matching Federal funds pursuant to subparagraph (A) in a manner that would result in a substantial reduction in the historical distribution of Federal funding to any State for any covered program. No funds made available pursuant to Public Law 117–169 may be used to provide matching Federal funds pursuant to subparagraph (A). An entity contributing funds under this subsection may— The Secretary shall establish a process to provide notice to producers— The Secretary shall not claim or impede any action of a producer with respect to the environmental services benefits they accrue through activities funded pursuant to this subsection. Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall ensure that the terms and conditions of activities carried out using funds contributed under this subsection are consistent with the requirements of the applicable covered program. The Secretary may, if the Secretary determines necessary, adjust a regulatory requirement of a covered program, or related guidance, as it applies to an activity carried out using funds contributed under this subsection— The Secretary shall not adjust the application of statutory requirements for a covered program, including requirements governing appeals, payment limits, and conservation compliance. Not later than December 31, 2024, and each year thereafter through December 31, 2031, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that contains— the total amounts of— In this subsection, the term “covered program” means a program carried out by the Secretary under— The authority of the Secretary under this subsection shall expire, with respect to each covered program, on the date on which the authority of the covered program expires. Not later than 1 year after December 20, 2018, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency, shall conduct a review of conservation programs and authorities under this chapter that utilize annual allocation formulas to determine the sufficiency of the formulas in accounting for relevant data on local natural resource concerns, resource inventories, evaluations and reports, recommendations from State technical committees established under section 3861(a) of this title, State-level economic factors, level of agricultural infrastructure, or related factors that affect conservation program costs. The Secretary shall improve conservation program allocation formulas as necessary to ensure that— Of the funds made available for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2018 to carry out the environmental quality incentives program and the acres made available for each of such fiscal years to carry out the conservation stewardship program, the Secretary shall use, to the maximum extent practicable— Of the funds made available for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2031 to carry out the environmental quality incentives program under subpart A of part IV of subchapter IV and the conservation stewardship program under subpart B of part IV of subchapter IV, the Secretary shall use, to the maximum extent practicable— In any fiscal year, amounts not obligated under paragraph (1) by a date determined by the Secretary shall be available for payments and technical assistance to all persons eligible for payments or technical assistance in that fiscal year under the environmental quality incentives program and, in the case of fiscal years 2019 through 2031, under the conservation stewardship program under subpart B of part IV of subchapter IV. In any fiscal year through fiscal year 2018, acres not obligated under paragraph (1)(A) by a date determined by the Secretary shall be available for use in that fiscal year under the conservation stewardship program. In providing assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give preference to a veteran farmer or rancher (as defined in section 2279(e) 2 of title 7) that qualifies under, as applicable, clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1)(A) or clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1)(B). Not later than December 15 of each of calendar years 2019 through 2023, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate an annual report containing statistics by State related to enrollments in conservation programs under this chapter, as follows: Secretarial exceptions, waivers, and significant payments, including— Subject to the requirements of this chapter, the Natural Resources Conservation Service shall serve as the lead agency in developing and establishing technical standards and requirements for conservation programs carried out under this chapter, including— The Administrator of the Farm Service Agency shall ensure that—