Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Conservation and Innovative Climate Partnership Act of 2023”.
Conservation and Innovative Climate Partnership Act of 2023
A BILL
To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to establish a competitive grant program under which the Secretary of Agriculture provides grants to land-grant colleges and universities to support agricultural producers in adopting conservation and innovative climate practices, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds that—
farmers and producers engage in innovative climate and conservation practices that may include a wide variety of activities, such as—
carbon retention or carbon sequestration cropping practices;
resource conserving crop rotation;
alley cropping;
integrated livestock-crop systems;
advanced grazing management;
improved forestry or agroforestry management; and
the insertion of buffers or saturated buffers;
the purpose of implementing innovative climate and conservation practices on farm or ranch land is to increase sustainability through—
improved soil health and tilth;
improved water quality, quantity, and management;
improved nutrient management;
reduction in tillage; or
wildlife promotion and management; and
the benefits of engaging in innovative climate and conservation practices include—
a reduction of greenhouse gases emissions, including carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide;
carbon sequestration;
soil health improvement; and
reduced exposure to climate-related risk.
Sec. 3 Conservation and innovative climate partnership competitive grant program
In general— Subtitle H of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 is amended by inserting after section 1672 (7 U.S.C. 5925) the following:
“1672A. Conservation and innovative climate partnership competitive grant program
“(a) Definitions—In this section:
“(1) 1862 Institution; 1890 Institution—The terms 1862 Institution and 1890 Institution have the meanings given those terms in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601).
“(2) 1994 Institution—The term 1994 Institution has the meaning given the term in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103–382).
“(3) Eligible institution—The term eligible institution means—
“(A) an 1862 Institution;
“(B) an 1890 Institution; and
“(C) a 1994 Institution.
“(4) Practice—The term practice has the meaning given the term in section 1240A of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–1).
“(5) Program—The term program means the competitive grant program established under subsection (b).
“(6) Secretary—The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture.
“(b) Establishment—The Secretary shall establish a program to provide competitive grants pursuant to section 3(d) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) to eligible institutions to carry out projects to increase the voluntary adoption of practices through public awareness campaigns, workshops, and specialized technical assistance.
“(c) Applications—To be eligible to receive a grant under the program, an eligible institution shall submit to the Secretary an application, including a demonstration that the applicant will—
“(1) increase interaction with local agricultural producers by a rate of not less than 25 percent above the outreach rate before the implementation of the project under the program, as determined by the Secretary;
“(2) assist agricultural producers in implementing new practices on farms or edges of fields, improving existing practices on farms or edges of fields, or any combination thereof; and
“(3) assist agricultural producers in implementing a combination of practices that contribute to—
“(A) the overall improvement of conservation; or
“(B) a decrease in, or sequestration of, greenhouse gas emissions.
“(d) Partnerships—An eligible institution shall carry out a project using a grant under the program in partnership with not fewer than 1 other entity, which may include—
“(1) a nonprofit organization;
“(2) a State entity;
“(3) the Natural Resources Conservation Service;
“(4) an 1862 Institution;
“(5) an 1890 Institution;
“(6) a 1994 Institution; or
“(7) any combination thereof.
“(e) Maximum amount—The amount of a grant under the program shall be not more than $400,000.
“(f) Use of funds—An eligible institution may use a grant under the program—
“(1) to support agricultural producers in implementing a practice;
“(2) subject to subsection (g), for additional staffing at the eligible institution to assist in carrying out a project using the grant;
“(3) to conduct workshops for agricultural producers, and develop and distribute digital and hard-copy materials directly to agricultural producers, that provide clear directions for accessing technical assistance for adopting practices; and
“(4) for soil testing and the measuring of other indicators of the effectiveness of practices.
“(g) Limitation on administrative expenses—An eligible institution may use not more than 30 percent of the amount of a grant under the program for administrative expenses.
“(h) Duration—A grant provided under the program shall be for such period as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, but not less than 4 years.
“(i) Authorization of appropriations—There is authorized to be appropriated to provide grants under the program pursuant to section 3(d) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) $13,000,000 for each fiscal year.”
Eligibility of 1994 Institutions— Section 3(d) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) is amended, in the third sentence—
by striking “program and” and inserting “program,”; and
by inserting “, and the conservation and innovative climate partnership competitive grant program established under section 1672A of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990” before the period at the end.