[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1440 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1440

 To amend the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act to provide 
for comprehensive site-specific resource management plans on land used 
for the production of agricultural commodities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 1993

Mr. English of Oklahoma (for himself, Mr. de la Garza, Mr. Combest, Mr. 
    Penny, Mrs. Clayton, Mr. Minge, and Mr. Barlow) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act to provide 
for comprehensive site-specific resource management plans on land used 
for the production of agricultural commodities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Site-Specific Agricultural Resource 
Management Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

    Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in this Act a 
section or other provision is amended, repealed, or referenced, such 
amendment, repeal, or reference shall be considered to be made to that 
section or other provision of the Soil Conservation and Domestic 
Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590a et seq.).

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) agricultural land users are required to develop and 
        implement an increasing number of plans that have conservation 
        and environmental benefits as a primary purpose;
            (2) within the Department of Agriculture, there are as many 
        as fifteen programs that provide for the development of such 
        plans, and currently some agricultural land users may have six 
        different conservation and environmentally-related plans in 
        effect with regard to their land;
            (3) future legislation may mandate additional requirements 
        for agricultural land users;
            (4) most plans are single purpose in nature, and 
        requirements imposed by one plan may conflict with the 
        purposes, objectives, or requirements of another plan;
            (5) the complexity of the planning process is such that it 
        is difficult for many agricultural land users to coordinate the 
        various requirements into their individual farming or ranching 
        operations;
            (6) there is a need to approach conservation and 
        environmental problems on agricultural land on a more rational 
        basis in order to promote practical and economically feasible 
        site-specific resource measures that take into consideration 
        the economic vitality of agricultural land units involved; and
            (7) to ensure consistency, all pertinent conservation and 
        environmental requirements on agricultural land should be 
        coordinated, through a single agency of the Government, into 
        one integrated resource management plan for the land unit.

SEC. 4. PURPOSE.

    (a) It is the purpose of this Act to--
            (1) assist agricultural land users in meeting conservation 
        and environmental requirements on such lands, while maintaining 
        viable farming or ranching operations;
            (2) provide that a single Federal agency, the Soil 
        Conservation Service, be responsible for working with other 
        governmental agencies and agricultural land users in the 
        development and implementation of integrated resource 
        management plans for agricultural lands;
            (3) provide a more efficient and effective method to 
        coordinate Federal, State, and local conservation and 
        environmental requirements with respect to individual land 
        units;
            (4) help ensure that a site-specific approach encompassing 
        all resources will be used in an interrelated manner when 
        developing and implementing plans on agricultural land for 
        conservation and environmental purposes; and
            (5) help ensure that a balance is maintained among 
        productivity, efficient management of resources, and 
        environmental quality with respect to the agricultural land 
        unit.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    The Act is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 18. COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANNING.

    ``(a) Definitions.--As used in this section--
            ``(1) Agricultural land.--The term `agricultural land' 
        means crop land, pastureland, native pasture, rangeland, 
        orchards, vineyards, and any other land used to produce or 
        support the production of an annual or perennial crop of a 
        commodity, aquaculture product, nursery product, or livestock. 
        The term `agricultural land' shall not include Federal lands 
        subject to the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 
        Planning Act of 1974 or the National Forest Management Act of 
        1976.
            ``(2) Agricultural land user.--The term `agricultural land 
        user' means any landowner, leaseholder, tenant, sharecropper, 
        or other person required to meet conservation and environmental 
        requirements on agricultural land.
            ``(3) State.--Notwithstanding section 17(a), the term 
        `State' means any State of the United States, the District of 
        Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of 
        the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
        American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
    ``(b) Establishment.--Within one hundred and eighty days of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 
Soil Conservation Service, shall issue regulations establishing a 
program to develop site-specific integrated resource management plans 
for agricultural land.
    ``(c) Program Requirements.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
other law--
            ``(1) the regulations issued under this section shall 
        establish procedures under which all plans required by the 
        agencies of the Department of Agriculture pursuant to any 
        provision of law or regulation with respect to soil, water, and 
        other resource conservation and environmental concerns on 
        agricultural land are to be integrated into a single 
        comprehensive site-specific plan for the land involved;
            ``(2) the regulations shall provide that, with respect to 
        any such single comprehensive site-specific plan developed 
        under paragraph (1), the Soil Conservation Service shall be 
        responsible for, among other things, determining compliance 
        with the terms of the plan and any permit, exemption, and 
        waiver issued in connection therewith;
            ``(3) the procedures shall ensure that, on or after January 
        1, 1996, a single comprehensive site-specific plan shall be in 
        place with respect to any agricultural land for which more than 
        one plan is required by agencies of the Department of 
        Agriculture;
            ``(4) during the period of January 1, 1994, through 
        December 31, 1994, the Soil Conservation Service shall give 
        priority to developing (A) single comprehensive plans that are 
        requested by agricultural land users and (B) single 
        comprehensive plans that are targeted to specific watersheds or 
        other areas or regions determined by the Soil Conservation 
        Service to be environmentally sensitive, taking into 
        consideration the lands described in section 1238C of the Food 
        Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838C);
            ``(5) the regulations shall provide that all requests for 
        cost-sharing or other assistance available under any program or 
        activity of the Department of Agriculture with respect to a 
        conservation practice on agricultural land for which a single 
        comprehensive plan is in effect, and all requests for permits, 
        exemptions, or waivers under such programs or activities with 
        respect to such land, shall be made through and approved by the 
        Soil Conservation Service;
            ``(6)(A) the head of each agency or entity of the 
        Government, other than the agencies of the Department of 
        Agriculture, may enter into agreements with the Secretary of 
        Agriculture under which any conservation and environmental 
        requirements with respect to agricultural land under any 
        program or activity of such agency will be incorporated into 
        the single comprehensive plan developed by the Soil 
        Conservation Service for the land involved;
            ``(B) agreements entered into under subparagraph (A) may 
        provide for the manner in which cost-share or other assistance 
        available from the other agency with respect to a conservation 
        practice on agricultural land for which a single comprehensive 
        plan has been developed will be coordinated with any cost-share 
        or other assistance available from the Department of 
        Agriculture;
            ``(C) agreements entered into under subparagraph (A) may 
        provide for the delegation to the Soil Conservation Service of 
        the responsibility for (i) receiving, processing, and approving 
        requests for cost-sharing or other assistance, permits, 
        exemptions, or waivers under such program or activity and (ii) 
        performing any other responsibilities and functions in 
        connection with such program or activity;
            ``(D) agreements entered into under subparagraph (A) shall 
        provide for the reimbursement to the Secretary of Agriculture, 
        on an annual basis, of such sums as are necessary to cover the 
        costs of the Soil Conservation Service of performing any 
        function of activity delegated to it under the agreement, and 
        any funds reimbursed under this section shall remain available 
        to the Soil Conservation Service until expended.
            ``(7) the Secretary of Agriculture may enter into 
        agreements with any State, including any agency or subdivision 
        thereof, under which (A) any conservation and environmental 
        requirements with respect to agricultural land under any 
        program or activity of the State will be incorporated into the 
        single comprehensive plan developed by the Soil Conservation 
        Service for the land involved, and (B) any cost-sharing or 
        other assistance available from the State with respect to any 
        practice on agricultural land for which a single comprehensive 
        plan has been developed will be coordinated with any Federal 
        cost-share or other assistance to be provided.
    ``(d) Criteria for Comprehensive Resource Management Plans.--The 
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Soil Conservation Service, 
shall establish criteria and standards to be used in the development of 
comprehensive site-specific resource management plans for agricultural 
land. In establishing such criteria and standards, the Soil 
Conservation Service shall consult with Federal and State agencies, 
including the technical committee in each State established under 
section 1261 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3861), that 
have expertise in, or whose programs and activities involve, 
conservation and environmental measures on agricultural lands.
    ``(e) Requirements for Individual Plans.--Each individual 
comprehensive resource management plan shall be developed using the 
criteria and standards established under subsection (d) and shall, 
among other things--
            ``(1) be specifically designed for the land unit, and each 
        subpart thereof, described in the plan;
            ``(2) provide, to the extent possible, various management 
        alternatives which the agricultural land user may use to meet 
        the conservation and environmental concerns with respect to the 
        land unit involved;
            ``(3) encompass soil, water, plant, and animal resources;
            ``(4) take into consideration the ability of agricultural 
        land users to manage natural resources for meeting agricultural 
        production, conservation, environmental, and quality of life 
        objectives;
            ``(5) provide for systems that promote the efficient long-
        term production of food and fiber and the maintenance and 
        enhancement of natural resources; and
            ``(6) take into consideration the economic, social, and 
        environmental costs and benefits of the various management 
        alternatives described.
    ``(f) Revision of Plans.--The Soil Conservation Service shall 
revise any plan--
            ``(1) upon request of the agricultural land user involved, 
        to reflect anticipated changes in the operation of the unit, 
        providing that the conservation and environmental requirements 
        with respect to the unit will continue to be met if the changes 
        are implemented; and
            ``(2) to reflect any changes in the conservation and 
        environmental requirements with respect to the land unit.
    ``(g) Prompt Completion and Notification.--Any revision of a plan 
under subsection (f) shall be completed and provided to the land user 
as promptly as possible after the request or notification of change in 
requirements.
    ``(h) Liability Protection.--Any agricultural land user who, as 
determined by the Secretary of Agriculture, has properly applied, or 
who is properly implementing, a comprehensive resource management plan 
developed for an agricultural land unit under this section shall be 
deemed to be in compliance with all conservation and environmental 
requirements covered by the plan with respect to such land unit.''.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall be effective on 
the date of enactment.

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