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II
116TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
S. 4850
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to create permanent payments
within the environmental quality incentives program for soil health prac-
tices and carbon sequestration monitoring, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
OCTOBER 23 (legislative day, OCTOBER 19), 2020
Mr. WYDEN 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 create perma-
nent payments within the environmental quality incen-
tives program for soil health practices and carbon seques-
tration monitoring, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthy Soils Healthy
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Climate Act of 2020’’.
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•S 4850 IS
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE FOOD SECURITY ACT OF
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1985.
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(a) INCREASED
PAYMENTS
FOR
HIGH-PRIORITY
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PRACTICES.—Section 1240B(d)(7)(A) of the Food Secu-
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rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(7)(A)) is amend-
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ed—
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(1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end;
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(2) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the
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end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and
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(3) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(v) increases soil organic carbon lev-
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els.’’.
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(b) INCENTIVE PAYMENTS FOR SOIL HEALTH PRAC-
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TICES AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION MONITORING.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1240B of the Food
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Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2) is
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amended by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(k) INCENTIVE
PAYMENTS
FOR
SOIL
HEALTH
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PRACTICES
AND
CARBON
SEQUESTRATION
MONI-
19
TORING.—
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide
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incentive payments to producers to adopt practices
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designed to improve soil health through increasing
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carbon levels in soil (referred to in this section as
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‘soil organic carbon levels’).
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•S 4850 IS
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In providing the incen-
1
tive payments under paragraph (1), the Secretary
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shall—
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‘‘(A) establish payments to provide an in-
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centive for the use of practices across a variety
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of geographic regions that—
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‘‘(i) improve soil health;
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‘‘(ii) sequester carbon in the soil; or
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‘‘(iii) meet the goals described in
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clauses (i) and (ii); and
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‘‘(B) establish protocols for measuring soil
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organic carbon levels before and after treatment
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under this subsection to measure gains in soil
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health as a result of the practices.
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‘‘(3) STUDY; REPORT TO CONGRESS.—
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‘‘(A) STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after
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the date of enactment of this subsection, and
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every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall
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conduct a study regarding changes in soil
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health and soil organic carbon levels as a result
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of the practices used under this subsection.
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‘‘(B) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later
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than 2 years after the date of enactment of this
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subsection, and every 2 years thereafter, the
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Secretary shall submit to Congress a report de-
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•S 4850 IS
scribing and analyzing the results of the study
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conducted under subparagraph (A).
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‘‘(C) INCLUSION.—The report under sub-
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paragraph (B) shall include an analysis of—
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‘‘(i) the effect of various practices on
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soil organic carbon levels;
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‘‘(ii) the extent to which the lessons
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learned in carrying out this subsection can
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be transferred to other geographic regions;
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‘‘(iii) further data required to sub-
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stantiate the connection between soil or-
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ganic carbon levels and crop yield and re-
12
siliency, if applicable;
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‘‘(iv) the effect of multiple practices
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on soil organic carbon levels; and
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‘‘(v) potential barriers to data collec-
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tion across a variety of geographic re-
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gions.’’.
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(2) FUNDING.—Section 1240B(f) of the Food
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Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(f)) is
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amended by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(3) INCENTIVE PAYMENTS FOR SOIL HEALTH
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PRACTICES
AND
CARBON
SEQUESTRATION
MONI-
23
TORING.—For each fiscal year for which funds are
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made available under section 1241(a)(3)(A), of the
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•S 4850 IS
funds made available for payments under the pro-
1
gram, $100,000,000 shall be used to provide incen-
2
tive payments under subsection (k).’’.
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(3)
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section
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1240H of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
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3839aa–8) is amended—
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(A) in subsection (c), by striking para-
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graph (7); and
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(B) in subsection (d)(1)—
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(i) in subparagraph (B), by adding
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‘‘and’’ at the end;
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(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking
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‘‘; and’’ and inserting a period; and
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(iii) by striking subparagraph (D).
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(c) PRIORITY FOR SOIL HEALTH AND CARBON SE-
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QUESTRATION.—Section 1240B of the Food Security Act
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of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2) (as amended by subsection
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(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(l) PRIORITY FOR SOIL HEALTH AND CARBON SE-
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QUESTRATION.—
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‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—To the maximum extent
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feasible, the Secretary shall manage the program to
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promote practices at least 1 of the benefits of which
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is enhancement of soil health or increasing soil or-
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ganic carbon levels.
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•S 4850 IS
‘‘(2) SOIL HEALTH AND CARBON SEQUESTRA-
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TION ON ELIGIBLE LAND.—The Secretary shall—
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‘‘(A) develop ranking and scoring criteria
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under the program that prioritize practices that
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score highest in soil carbon sequestration on eli-
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gible land; and
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‘‘(B) develop a soil organic carbon con-
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servation activity plan under the program to
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measure and monitor sequestration and mitiga-
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tion improvement levels from the practices de-
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scribed in subparagraph (A), such as cover
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crops, crop rotation, and improved soil manage-
12
ment.’’.
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(d) STREAMLINING
AND COORDINATION.—Section
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1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
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3839aa–2) (as amended by subsection (c)) is amended by
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adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(m) STREAMLINING AND COORDINATION.—To the
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maximum extent feasible, the Secretary shall provide for
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streamlined and coordinated procedures for the program
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and the conservation stewardship program under sub-
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chapter B, including applications, contracting, conserva-
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tion planning, conservation practices, and related adminis-
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trative procedures.’’.
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•S 4850 IS
(e) SOIL HEALTH AND CARBON SCIENCE RESEARCH
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PROGRAM AT AGRICULTURE RESEARCH STATIONS.—The
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Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a program—
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(1) to provide grants to land-grant colleges and
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universities to conduct research relating to soil
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health and carbon science; and
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(2) to conduct research relating to soil health
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and carbon science at agriculture research stations
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of the Department of Agriculture.
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Æ
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