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

                                                       Calendar No. 797
106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1066

                          [Report No. 106-407]

 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, Mr. 
Craig, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Allard, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Kerrey, Mr. 
 Baucus, and Mr. Fitzgerald) introduced the following bill; which was 
read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                                Forestry

                           September 12, 2000

                Reported by Mr. Lugar, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Carbon Cycle and 
Agricultural Best Practices Research Act''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) agricultural producers in the United States--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) have a personal stake in ensuring that 
                the air, water, and soil of the United States are 
                productive since agricultural productivity directly 
                affects--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) the economic success of 
                        agricultural producers; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) the production of food and 
                        fiber for developing and developed 
                        nations;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) the estimated quantity of carbon stored in 
        world soils is more than twice the carbon in living vegetation 
        or in the atmosphere;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) agricultural best practices can increase the 
        quantity of carbon stored in farm soils, crops, and 
        rangeland;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) Federal research is needed to identify--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the agricultural best practices that 
                supplement the natural carbon cycle; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Federal conservation programs that can 
                be altered to increase the environmental benefits 
                provided by the natural carbon cycle;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (10) agricultural best practices include the more 
        efficient use of agriculture inputs and equipment; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. AGRICULTURAL BEST PRACTICES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    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:</DELETED>

       <DELETED>``Subtitle N--Carbon Cycle and Agricultural Best 
                          Practices</DELETED>

<DELETED>``SEC. 1490. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 1491. CARBON CYCLE AND AGRICULTURAL BEST PRACTICES 
              RESEARCH.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Research Services.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) determine the effects of management 
                and conservation on carbon storage in cropland and 
                grazing land;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) evaluate the long-term impact of 
                tillage and residue management systems on the 
                accumulation of organic carbon;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) study the transfer of organic carbon 
                to soil; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) study carbon storage of 
                commodities.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Natural resources conservation service.--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) Research missions.--The research 
                missions of the Secretary, acting through the Natural 
                Resources Conservation Service, include--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) the development of a soil 
                        carbon database to--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) allow additional 
                                and more refined data to be linked to 
                                similar databases containing 
                                information on forests and 
                                rangeland;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) updating of State-level 
                        soil maps;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) the linkage, for 
                        information purposes only, of soil information 
                        to other soil and land use databases; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) with and without the participation 
                of developing countries;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) with and without carbon sinks; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) with respect to the imposition of 
                traditional command and control measures.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Consortia.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may designate not 
        more than 2 carbon cycle and agricultural best practices 
        research consortia.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Selection.--The consortia designated by the 
        Secretary shall be selected in a competitive manner by the 
        Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
        Service.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Duties.--The consortia shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) Consortia participants.--The participants in 
        the consortia may include--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) land-grant colleges and 
                universities;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) State geological surveys;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) research centers of the National 
                Aeronautics and Space Administration;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) other Federal agencies;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) representatives of agricultural 
                businesses and organizations; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) representatives of the private 
                sector.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) enhance the carbon cycle;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) improve soil quality;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) increase the use of renewable resources; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) overcome unfavorable physical soil 
        properties.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) research;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) future research plans;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) consultations with appropriate scientific 
        organizations;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) proposed extension outreach activities; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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)).</DELETED>

<DELETED>``SEC. 1492. CARBON CYCLE REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) Carbon Cycle Remote Sensing Technology Program.--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) to provide, on a near-continual 
                basis, a real-time and comprehensive view of vegetation 
                conditions; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) to assess and model agricultural 
                carbon sequestration.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Researched areas.--The areas that shall be 
        the subjects of research conducted under this section include--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) the mapping of carbon-sequestering 
                land use and land cover;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) the monitoring of changes in land 
                cover and management;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) new systems for the remote sensing 
                of soil carbon; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) regional-scale carbon sequestration 
                estimation.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Regional Earth Science Application Center.--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for 
fiscal years 2000 through 2002.</DELETED>

<DELETED>``SEC. 1493. CONSERVATION PREMIUM PAYMENTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``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.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Information to Developing Nations.--The Secretary 
shall disseminate to developing nations information on agricultural 
best practices and natural resource management plans that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) provide crucial agricultural benefits for 
        soil and water quality; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) increase production.</DELETED>

<DELETED>``SEC. 1495. CARBON CYCLE RESEARCH MONITORING 
              SYSTEM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Purpose of System.--The monitoring system shall 
focus on locating network monitors on or near agricultural best 
practices that are--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) undertaken voluntarily;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) undertaken through a conservation program of 
        the Department of Agriculture;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) implemented as part of a program or activity 
        of the Department of Agriculture; or</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) identified by the Administrator of the 
        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subtitle 
$10,000,000.''.</DELETED>

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) agricultural best practices include the more efficient 
        use of agriculture inputs and equipment;
            (4)(A) agricultural best practices accentuate the carbon 
        cycle by increasing the conversion of carbon dioxide from the 
        air into plants that produce grain and forage;
            (B) at the end of the growing season, plant material 
        decomposes, adding carbon to soil;
            (C) carbon can persist in soil for hundreds and even 
        thousands of years; and
            (D) through conservation practices, the additional carbon 
        in soil results in multiple environmental benefits, erosion 
        reduction, moisture retention, water quality improvements, and 
        increased crop yields;
            (5) according to the Climate Monitoring 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;
            (6) the estimated quantity of carbon stored in world soils 
        is more than twice the carbon in living vegetation or in the 
        atmosphere;
            (7) agricultural best practices can increase the quantity 
        of carbon stored in farm soils, crops, and rangeland;
            (8) by increasing use of voluntary agricultural best 
        practices, it is possible to offset carbon dioxide emissions, 
        thereby benefiting the environment, without implementing a 
        United Nations-sponsored climate change protocol or treaty;
            (9) 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; and
            (10) 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.

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 soil organic 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.
            ``(4) Cooperative state research, education, and extension 
        service.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Cooperative State Research, 
                Education, and Extension Service shall, through land-
                grant colleges and universities, develop a 
                comprehensive national carbon cycle and agricultural 
                best practices research agenda.
                    ``(B) Research missions.--The research missions of 
                the Secretary, acting through the Cooperative State 
                Research, Education, and Extension Service, include the 
                provision, through land-grant colleges and 
                universities, of research opportunities to improve the 
                scientific basis for using land management practices to 
                increase soil carbon sequestration needed for 
                producers, including research concerning innovative 
                methods of using biotechnology and nanotechnology.
                    ``(C) Activities.--The Secretary, acting through 
                the Cooperative State Research, Education, and 
                Extension Service, shall--
                            ``(i) identify, develop, and evaluate 
                        agricultural best practices using partnerships 
                        comprised of Federal, State, or private 
                        entities and the Department of Agriculture, 
                        including the Agricultural Research Service;
                            ``(ii) 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;
                            ``(iii) estimate and develop mechanisms to 
                        measure changes in carbon levels resulting from 
                        voluntary Federal conservation programs, 
                        private and Federal forests, and other land 
                        uses;
                            ``(iv) develop outreach programs, in 
                        coordination with cooperative extension 
                        services, to share information on carbon cycles 
                        and agricultural best practices that is useful 
                        to agricultural producers; and
                            ``(v) research new technologies that may 
                        increase carbon cycle effectiveness, such as 
                        biotechnology and nanotechnology.
    ``(c) Consortia.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may designate not more 
        than 2 carbon cycle and agricultural best practices research 
        consortia to carry out this section.
            ``(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) 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.
            ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
        $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.
    ``(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) 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--
            ``(1) to provide, on a near-continual basis, a real-time 
        and comprehensive view of vegetation conditions; and
            ``(2) to assess and model agricultural carbon 
        sequestration.
    ``(b) 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.
    ``(c) Researched Areas.--The areas that shall be the subjects of 
research conducted under this section include--
            ``(1) the mapping of carbon-sequestering land use and land 
        cover;
            ``(2) the monitoring of changes in land cover and 
        management;
            ``(3) new systems for the remote sensing of soil carbon; 
        and
            ``(4) regional-scale carbon sequestration estimation.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2001 through 2005.

``SEC. 1493. RESEARCH INCENTIVE PAYMENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--In addition to payments that are made by the 
Secretary to producers under conservation programs, the Secretary may, 
subject to appropriations authorized in subsection (c), offer research 
incentive 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.
    ``(b) Confidentiality.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), any 
        information submitted to the Secretary under subsection (a) 
        shall be confidential and may be disclosed only if required 
        under court order.
            ``(2) Release of information in aggregate form.--The 
        Secretary may release or make public information described in 
        paragraph (1) in an aggregate or summary form that does not 
        directly disclose the identity, business transactions, or trade 
        secrets of any person that submits the information.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section for 
each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.

``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, subject to appropriations 
authorized in subsection (c), education through extension activities 
and technical 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.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section for 
each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.

``SEC. 1495. TRACE GAS NETWORK SYSTEM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, in conjunction with the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
may establish a nationwide trace gas network system to research the 
flux of carbon between soil, air, and water.
    ``(b) Purpose of System.--The trace gas network system shall focus 
on locating appropriate research equipment 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 relating to trace gas 
research are met through the trace gas network system.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000.''.

                                                       Calendar No. 797

106th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 1066

                          [Report No. 106-407]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           September 12, 2000

                       Reported with an amendment
```