[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1066 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1066

 To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 
     Policy Act of 1977 to encourage the use of and research into 
 agricultural best practices to improve the environment, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                 May 18 (legislative day, May 14), 1999

Mr. Roberts (for himself, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. Grams, Mr. Hagel, and Mr. 
Craig) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
        to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 
     Policy Act of 1977 to encourage the use of and research into 
 agricultural best practices to improve the environment, 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 ``Carbon Cycle and Agricultural Best 
Practices Research Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) agricultural producers in the United States--
                    (A) have, in good faith, participated in mandatory 
                and voluntary conservation programs, the successes of 
                which are unseen by the general public, to preserve 
                natural resources; and
                    (B) have a personal stake in ensuring that the air, 
                water, and soil of the United States are productive 
                since agricultural productivity directly affects--
                            (i) the economic success of agricultural 
                        producers; and
                            (ii) the production of food and fiber for 
                        developing and developed nations;
            (2) in addition to providing food and fiber, agriculture 
        serves an environmental role by providing benefits to air, 
        soil, and water through agricultural best practices;
            (3) those conservation programs and Federal land provide 
        the United States with an enormous potential to increase the 
        quantity of carbon stored in agricultural land and commodities 
        through the carbon cycle;
            (4) according to the Climate Modeling and Diagnostics 
        Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, North American soils, crops, rangelands, and 
        forests absorbed an equivalent quantity of carbon dioxide 
        emitted from fossil fuel combustion as part of the natural 
        carbon cycle from 1988 through 1992;
            (5) the estimated quantity of carbon stored in world soils 
        is more than twice the carbon in living vegetation or in the 
        atmosphere;
            (6) agricultural best practices can increase the quantity 
        of carbon stored in farm soils, crops, and rangeland;
            (7) although there is a tremendous quantity of carbon 
        stored in soil that supports agricultural operations in the 
        United States, the quantity of carbon stored in soil may be 
        increased by using a strategy that would benefit the 
        environment without implementing a United Nations-sponsored 
        climate change protocol or treaty;
            (8) Federal research is needed to identify--
                    (A) the agricultural best practices that supplement 
                the natural carbon cycle; and
                    (B) Federal conservation programs that can be 
                altered to increase the environmental benefits provided 
                by the natural carbon cycle;
            (9) increasing soil organic carbon is widely recognized as 
        a means of increasing agricultural production and meeting the 
        growing domestic and international food consumption needs with 
        a positive environmental benefit;
            (10) agricultural best practices include the more efficient 
        use of agriculture inputs and equipment; and
            (11) tax credits should be offered in order to facilitate 
        the widespread use of more efficient agriculture inputs and 
        equipment and to increase environmental benefits.

SEC. 3. AGRICULTURAL BEST PRACTICES.

    Title XIV of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

       ``Subtitle N--Carbon Cycle and Agricultural Best Practices

``SEC. 1490. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this subtitle:
            ``(1) Agricultural best practice.--The term `agricultural 
        best practice' means a voluntary practice used by 1 or more 
        agricultural producers to manage a farm or ranch that has a 
        beneficial or minimal impact on the environment, including--
                    ``(A) crop residue management;
                    ``(B) soil erosion management;
                    ``(C) nutrient management;
                    ``(D) remote sensing;
                    ``(E) precision agriculture;
                    ``(F) integrated pest management;
                    ``(G) animal waste management;
                    ``(H) cover crop management;
                    ``(I) water quality and utilization management;
                    ``(J) grazing and range management;
                    ``(K) wetland management;
                    ``(L) buffer strip use; and
                    ``(M) tree planting.
            ``(2) Conservation program.--The term `conservation 
        program' means a program established under--
                    ``(A) subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security 
                Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3830 et seq.);
                    ``(B) section 401 or 402 of the Agricultural Credit 
                Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201, 2202);
                    ``(C) section 3 or 8 of the Watershed Protection 
                and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1003, 1006a); or
                    ``(D) any other provision of law that authorizes 
                the Secretary to make payments or provide other 
                assistance to agricultural producers to promote 
                conservation.

``SEC. 1491. CARBON CYCLE AND AGRICULTURAL BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH.

    ``(a) In General.--The Department of Agriculture shall be the lead 
agency with respect to any agricultural soil carbon research conducted 
by the Federal Government.
    ``(b) Research Services.--
            ``(1) Agricultural research service.--The Secretary, acting 
        through the Agricultural Research Service, shall collaborate 
        with other Federal agencies to develop data and conduct 
        research addressing soil carbon balance and storage, making 
        special efforts to--
                    ``(A) determine the effects of management and 
                conservation on carbon storage in cropland and grazing 
                land;
                    ``(B) evaluate the long-term impact of tillage and 
                residue management systems on the accumulation of 
                organic carbon;
                    ``(C) study the transfer of organic carbon to soil; 
                and
                    ``(D) study carbon storage of commodities.
            ``(2) Natural resources conservation service.--
                    ``(A) Research missions.--The research missions of 
                the Secretary, acting through the Natural Resources 
                Conservation Service, include--
                            ``(i) the development of a soil carbon 
                        database to--
                                    ``(I) provide online access to 
                                information about soil carbon potential 
                                in a format that facilitates the use of 
                                the database in making land management 
                                decisions; and
                                    ``(II) allow additional and more 
                                refined data to be linked to similar 
                                databases containing information on 
                                forests and rangeland;
                            ``(ii) the conversion to an electronic 
                        format and linkage to the national soil 
                        database described in clause (i) of county-
                        level soil surveys and State-level soil maps;
                            ``(iii) updating of State-level soil maps;
                            ``(iv) the linkage, for information 
                        purposes only, of soil information to other 
                        soil and land use databases; and
                            ``(v) the completion of evaluations, such 
                        as field validation and calibration, of 
                        modeling, remote sensing, and statistical 
                        inventory approaches to carbon stock 
                        assessments related to land management 
                        practices and agronomic systems at the field, 
                        regional, and national levels.
                    ``(B) Unit of information.--The Secretary, acting 
                through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, 
                shall disseminate a national basic unit of information 
                for an assessment of the carbon storage potential of 
                soils in the United States.
            ``(3) Economic research service report.--Not later than 1 
        year after the date of enactment of this section, the 
        Secretary, acting through the Economic Research Service, 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 analyzes the impact of 
        the financial health of the farm economy of the United States 
        under the Kyoto Protocol and other international agreements 
under the Framework Convention on Climate Change--
                    ``(A) with and without market mechanisms (including 
                whether the mechanisms are permits for emissions and 
                whether the permits are issued by allocation, auction, 
                or otherwise);
                    ``(B) with and without the participation of 
                developing countries;
                    ``(C) with and without carbon sinks; and
                    ``(D) with respect to the imposition of traditional 
                command and control measures.
    ``(c) Consortia.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may designate not more 
        than 2 carbon cycle and agricultural best practices research 
        consortia.
            ``(2) Selection.--The consortia designated by the Secretary 
        shall be selected in a competitive manner by the Cooperative 
        State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
            ``(3) Duties.--The consortia shall--
                    ``(A) identify, develop, and evaluate agricultural 
                best practices using partnerships composed of Federal, 
                State, or private entities and the Department of 
                Agriculture, including the Agricultural Research 
                Service;
                    ``(B) develop necessary computer models to predict 
                and assess the carbon cycle, as well as other 
                priorities requested by the Secretary and the heads of 
                other Federal agencies;
                    ``(C) estimate and develop mechanisms to measure 
                carbon levels made available as a result of voluntary 
                Federal conservation programs, private and Federal 
                forests, and other land uses; and
                    ``(D) develop outreach programs, in coordination 
                with extension services, to share information on carbon 
                cycle and agricultural best practices that is useful to 
                agricultural producers.
            ``(4) Consortia participants.--The participants in the 
        consortia may include--
                    ``(A) land-grant colleges and universities;
                    ``(B) State geological surveys;
                    ``(C) research centers of the National Aeronautics 
                and Space Administration;
                    ``(D) other Federal agencies;
                    ``(E) representatives of agricultural businesses 
                and organizations; and
                    ``(F) representatives of the private sector.
            ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
        $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2002.
    ``(d) Promotion of Agricultural Best Practices.--The Secretary 
shall promote voluntary agricultural best practices that take into 
account soil organic matter dynamics, carbon cycle, ecology, and soil 
organisms that will lead to the more effective use of soil resources 
to--
            ``(1) enhance the carbon cycle;
            ``(2) improve soil quality;
            ``(3) increase the use of renewable resources; and
            ``(4) overcome unfavorable physical soil properties.
    ``(e) Annual Report.--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 
that describes programs that are or will be conducted by the Secretary, 
through land-grant colleges and universities, to provide to 
agricultural producers the results of research conducted on 
agricultural best practices, including the results of--
            ``(1) research;
            ``(2) future research plans;
            ``(3) consultations with appropriate scientific 
        organizations;
            ``(4) proposed extension outreach activities; and
            ``(5) findings of scientific peer review under section 
        103(d)(1) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
        Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613(d)(1)).

``SEC. 1492. CARBON CYCLE REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY.

    ``(a) Carbon Cycle Remote Sensing Technology Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
        Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, shall develop a carbon cycle remote sensing 
        technology program--
                    ``(A) to provide, on a near-continual basis, a 
                real-time and comprehensive view of vegetation 
                conditions; and
                    ``(B) to assess and model agricultural carbon 
                sequestration.
            ``(2) Use of centers.--The Administrator of the National 
        Aeronautics and Space Administration shall use regional earth 
        science application centers to conduct research under this 
        section.
            ``(3) Researched areas.--The areas that shall be the 
        subjects of research conducted under this section include--
                    ``(A) the mapping of carbon-sequestering land use 
                and land cover;
                    ``(B) the monitoring of changes in land cover and 
                management;
                    ``(C) new systems for the remote sensing of soil 
                carbon; and
                    ``(D) regional-scale carbon sequestration 
                estimation.
    ``(b) Regional Earth Science Application Center.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
        Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, shall carry out this section through the 
        Regional Earth Science Application Center located at the 
        University of Kansas (referred to in this section as the 
        `Center'), if the Center enters into a partnership with a land-
        grant college or university.
            ``(2) Duties of center.--The Center shall serve as a 
        research facility and clearinghouse for satellite data, 
        software, research, and related information with respect to 
        remote sensing research conducted under this section.
            ``(3) Use of center.--The Secretary, in cooperation with 
        the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, shall use the Center for carrying out remote 
        sensing research relating to agricultural best practices.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal years 2000 
through 2002.

``SEC. 1493. CONSERVATION PREMIUM PAYMENTS.

    ``In addition to payments that are made by the Secretary to 
producers under conservation programs, the Secretary may offer 
conservation premium payments to producers that are participating in 
the conservation programs to compensate the producers for allowing 
researchers to scientifically analyze, and collect information with 
respect to, agricultural best practices that are carried out by the 
producers as part of conservation projects and activities that are 
funded, in whole or in part, by the Federal Government.

``SEC. 1494. ASSISTANCE FOR AGRICULTURAL BEST PRACTICES AND NATURAL 
              RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS UNDER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) In General.--In addition to assistance that is provided by 
the Secretary to producers under conservation programs, the Secretary, 
on request of the producers, shall provide education through extension 
activities and technical and financial assistance to producers that are 
participating in the conservation programs to assist the producers in 
planning, designing, and installing agricultural best practices and 
natural resource management plans established under the conservation 
programs.
    ``(b) Information to Developing Nations.--The Secretary shall 
disseminate to developing nations information on agricultural best 
practices and natural resource management plans that--
            ``(1) provide crucial agricultural benefits for soil and 
        water quality; and
            ``(2) increase production.

``SEC. 1495. CARBON CYCLE RESEARCH MONITORING SYSTEM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, in conjunction with the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
and the United States Global Change Research Program, may establish a 
nationwide carbon cycle monitoring system (referred to in this section 
as the `monitoring system') to research the flux of carbon between 
soil, air, and water.
    ``(b) Purpose of System.--The monitoring system shall focus on 
locating network monitors on or near agricultural best practices that 
are--
            ``(1) undertaken voluntarily;
            ``(2) undertaken through a conservation program of the 
        Department of Agriculture;
            ``(3) implemented as part of a program or activity of the 
        Department of Agriculture; or
            ``(4) identified by the Administrator of the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    ``(c) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary may enter into a 
memorandum of understanding with the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ensure that research goals of 
programs established by the Federal Government related to carbon 
monitoring are met through the monitoring system.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this subtitle $10,000,000.''.
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