[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2980 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2980

  To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to permit the enrollment of 
certain wetland, buffers, and filterstrips in the conservation reserve.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2000

  Mr. Daschle (for himself and Mr. Johnson) introduced the following 
      bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to permit the enrollment of 
certain wetland, buffers, and filterstrips in the conservation reserve.

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

SECTION 1. ENROLLMENT OF CERTAIN WETLAND, BUFFERS, AND FILTERSTRIPS IN 
              CONSERVATION RESERVE.

    (a) Pilot Program.--Section 1231 of the Food Security Act of 1985 
(16 U.S.C. 3831) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h) Wetland, Buffers, and Filterstrips.--
            ``(1) In general.--During the 2000 and 2001 calendar years, 
        the Secretary shall carry out a pilot program in the State of 
        South Dakota under which the Secretary may include in the 
        program established under this subchapter--
                    ``(A) wetland that was cropped during at least 1 of 
                the immediately preceding 10 crop years; and
                    ``(B) acreage that--
                            ``(i) is contiguous to the wetland;
                            ``(ii) is used as a buffer or filterstrip 
                        to protect the wetland; and
                            ``(iii) is of such width as the Secretary 
                        determines is necessary to protect the wetland, 
                        taking into consideration and accommodating the 
                        farming practices (including the straightening 
                        of boundaries to accommodate machinery) used 
                        with respect to the cropland that surrounds the 
                        wetland.
            ``(2) Payments.--The annual rental payment made to an owner 
        or operator under this subchapter for acreage that is wetland, 
        buffers, and filterstrips entered into the conservation reserve 
        under this subsection shall reflect--
                    ``(A) the farm operating costs incurred by the 
                owner or operator that are associated with the removal 
                of the acreage from production; and
                    ``(B) the benefits to the improvement of water 
                quality, the reduction of flooding and soil erosion, 
                and the improvement of wildlife habitat associated with 
                the entry of the acreage into the conservation reserve.
            ``(3) Maximum enrollment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may include in the 
                conservation reserve not more than 150,000 acres under 
                this subsection.
                    ``(B) Relationship to program maximum.--For the 
                purposes of subsection (d), any acreage included in the 
                conservation reserve under this subsection shall be 
                considered acres maintained in the conservation 
                reserve.''.
    (b) Incidental Grazing.--Section 1232(a)(7)(A)(ii) of the Food 
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3832(a)(7)(A)(ii)) is amended by 
inserting ``, in the case of land that is not devoted to a 
filterstrip,'' before ``occurs''.
                                 <all>