PRECISE Act

IB Union Calendar No. 258 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 2518 [Report No. 117–344] To leverage incentives for the adoption of costly precision agriculture technology, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 14, 2021 Mrs. HINSON (for herself, Mr. FEENSTRA, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, and Mrs. FISCHBACH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Agriculture JUNE 3, 2022 Additional sponsors: Mr. CRAWFORD, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. BACON, Mrs. AXNE, and Mr. BALDERSON JUNE 3, 2022 Reported from the Committee on Agriculture; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2518 RH A BILL To leverage incentives for the adoption of costly precision agriculture technology, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2518 RH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Producing Responsible 4 Energy and Conservation Incentives and Solutions for the 5 Environment Act’’ or the ‘‘PRECISE Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN GUARANTEE PRO- 7 GRAM. 8 Section 304 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De- 9 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1924) is amended— 10 (1) in subsection (b)(3), by redesignating sub- 11 paragraphs (F) and (G) as subparagraphs (G) and 12 (H), respectively, and inserting after subparagraph 13 (E) the following: 14 ‘‘(F) the adoption of precision agriculture 15 practices, and the acquisition of precision agri- 16 culture technology;’’; 17 (2) in subsection (d)— 18 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’; 19 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe- 20 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 22 ‘‘(4) producers who use the loans to adopt pre- 23 cision agriculture practices or acquire precision agri- 24 culture technology, including adoption or acquisition 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2518 RH for the purpose of participating in the environmental 1 quality incentives program under subchapter A of 2 chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Se- 3 curity Act of 1985.’’; 4 (3) in subsection (e), by striking paragraph (2) 5 and inserting the following: 6 ‘‘(2) 90 percent of the principal amount of the 7 loan in the case of— 8 ‘‘(A) a producer that is a qualified socially 9 disadvantaged farmer or rancher or a beginning 10 farmer or rancher; or 11 ‘‘(B) loans that are used for the purchase 12 of precision agriculture technology.’’; and 13 (4) in subsection (f)— 14 (A) by striking ‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE PRO- 15 VISIONS.—The Secretary’’ and inserting the fol- 16 lowing: 17 ‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 18 ‘‘(1) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—The Sec- 19 retary’’; and 20 (B) by adding after and below the end the 21 following: 22 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION WITH NRCS.—In making 23 or guaranteeing loans under this section, the Sec- 24 retary shall ensure that there is coordination be- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2518 RH tween the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Re- 1 sources Conservation Service.’’. 2 SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO RURAL ENTITIES. 3 Section 310B(a)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and 4 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(a)(2)) is amend- 5 ed— 6 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara- 7 graph (C); 8 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub- 9 paragraph (D) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 10 (3) by adding at the end the following: 11 ‘‘(E) expanding precision agriculture prac- 12 tices, including by financing equipment and 13 farm-wide broadband connectivity, in order to 14 promote best-practices, reduce costs, and im- 15 prove the environment.’’. 16 SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM. 17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1240A(6)(B)(v) of the 18 Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa– 19 1(6)(B)(v)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including the adop- 20 tion of precision agriculture practices and the acquisition 21 of precision agriculture technology)’’ after ‘‘planning’’. 22 (b) PAYMENTS.— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2518 RH (1) OTHER PAYMENTS.—Section 1240B(d)(6) 1 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 2 3839aa–2(d)(6)) is amended— 3 (A) by striking ‘‘A producer shall’’ and in- 4 serting the following: 5 ‘‘(A) PAYMENTS UNDER THIS SUBTITLE.— 6 A producer shall’’; and 7 (B) by adding at the end the following: 8 ‘‘(B) CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN 9 GUARANTEE PROGRAM PAYMENTS.— 10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A producer receiv- 11 ing payments for practices on eligible land 12 under the program may also receive a loan 13 or loan guarantee under section 304 of the 14 Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop- 15 ment Act to cover costs for same practices 16 on the same land. 17 ‘‘(ii) NOTICE TO PRODUCER.—The 18 Secretary shall inform a producer partici- 19 pating in the program in writing of the 20 availability of a loan or loan guarantee 21 under section 304 of the Consolidated 22 Farm and Rural Development Act as it re- 23 lates to costs of implementing practices 24 under this program.’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2518 RH (2) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR HIGH-PRIORITY 1 PRACTICES.—Section 1240B(d)(7) of the Food Se- 2 curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(7)) is 3 amended, in the subsection heading, by inserting 4 ‘‘STATE-DETERMINED’’ before ‘‘HIGH-PRIORITY’’. 5 (3) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR PRECISION AG- 6 RICULTURE.—Section 1240B(d) of the Food Secu- 7 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)) is amend- 8 ed by adding at the end the following: 9 ‘‘(8) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR PRECISION AG- 10 RICULTURE.—Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the 11 Secretary may increase the amount that would oth- 12 erwise be provided for a practice under this sub- 13 section to not more than 90 percent of the costs as- 14 sociated with adopting precision agriculture practices 15 and acquiring precision agriculture technology.’’. 16 (c) CONSERVATION INCENTIVE CONTRACTS.—Sec- 17 tion 1240B(j)(2)(A)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 18 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(j)(3)(A)(i)) is amended by inserting 19 ‘‘(which may include the adoption of precision agriculture 20 practices and the acquisition of precision agriculture tech- 21 nology)’’ after ‘‘incentive practices’’. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2518 RH SEC. 5. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM. 1 (a) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PAYMENTS.—Sec- 2 tion 1240L(c)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 3 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)(3)) is amended to read as follows: 4 ‘‘(3) EXCLUSIONS.—A payment to a producer 5 under this subsection shall not be provided for con- 6 servation activities for which there is no cost in- 7 curred or income forgone by the producer.’’. 8 (b) SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS FOR RESOURCE- 9 CONSERVING CROP ROTATIONS AND ADVANCED GRAZING 10 MANAGEMENT.—Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security 11 Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)) is amended— 12 (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘AND 13 ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT’’ and inserting 14 ‘‘, ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT, AND PRECI- 15 SION AGRICULTURE’’; 16 (2) in paragraph (2)— 17 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 18 or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 19 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 20 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 22 ‘‘(C) precision agriculture.’’; and 23 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or advanced 24 grazing management’’ and inserting ‘‘, advanced 25 grazing management, or precision agriculture’’. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2518 RH SEC. 6. DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 1 Section 1242(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 2 U.S.C. 3842(f)) is amended by adding at the end the fol- 3 lowing: 4 ‘‘(6) SOIL HEALTH PLANNING.—The Secretary 5 shall emphasize the use of third-party providers in 6 providing technical assistance for soil health plan- 7 ning, including planning related to the use of cover 8 crops, precision conservation management, com- 9 prehensive nutrient management planning, and other 10 innovative plans.’’. 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS Union Calendar No. 258 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 2518 [Report No. 117–344] A BILL To leverage incentives for the adoption of costly precision agriculture technology, and for other purposes. JUNE 3, 2022 Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:43 Jun 03, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H2518.RH H2518 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS