Inflation Reduction Act

In total, the Inflation Reduction 

Act provides $19.5 billion over 

five years to support USDA’s 

oversubscribed conservation 

programs like ACEP. Part of 

President Biden’s Investing in 

America agenda, the Inflation 

Reduction Act, represents 

the single largest investment 

in climate and clean energy 

solutions in American history.

How to Apply 

NRCS accepts applications 

year-round for ACEP. However, 

to be considered for the 

current Inflation Reduction Act 

national funding cycle, eligible 

entities and landowners must 

apply by November 13, 2023. 

Otherwise, applications 

must be submitted by your 

state’s ranking dates to be 

ranked locally for funding 

consideration.

For more information, please 

contact NRCS at your local 

USDA Service Center.

The Agricultural Conservation 

Easements Program (ACEP) and 

the Inflation Reduction Act 

Fact Sheet

NOVEMBER 2023 Helping People Help the Land

The Agricultural Conservation Easements 

Program (ACEP) is administered by USDA’s 

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 

and aids landowners and eligible entities with 

conserving, restoring, and protecting wetlands, 

productive agricultural lands, and grasslands 

at risk to conversion to non-grassland uses. 

Healthy wetlands, farmlands and grasslands 

sequester carbon and provide many other 

natural resource benefits. 

The Inflation Reduction Act included $1.4 

billion in additional funding for ACEP over 

five years and also revised ACEP authority in 

two ways:

 Provided Inflation Reduction Act

funding for easements that will most

reduce, capture, avoid or sequester

greenhouse gas emissions

 Extended regular program funding

through fiscal year 2031

Streamlining ACEP

NRCS is streamlining its conservation 

programs, including ACEP, to ensure that they 

are easier and more convenient to utilize, and 

to strengthen implementation of the Inflation 

Reduction Act.

NRCS is streamlining ACEP appraisals, land 

surveys, and certifying eligible entities who 

help NRCS and producers enroll land into 

agricultural land easements. 

Key program changes include: 

 Appraisals for Agricultural Land

Easements (ALE): The threshold for

national review of ACEP-ALE appraisals

is now $3 million, raised from $1 million.

NRCS raised the threshold to align

program requirements with increased

land values, enabling the agency to better

target staff resources and speed up

implementation. Appraisals help ensure

cost-effective and appropriate use of

federal funds that are contributed to a

conservation partner for their purchase

of the ALE from the farmer or rancher.

nrcs.usda.gov

 Land Surveys for Wetland Reserve

Easements (WRE): NRCS plans to

encourage procurement of land surveys

earlier in the acquisition timeline,

such as when an application has been

tentatively selected for an ACEPWRE. These surveys establish land

boundaries, which is needed to purchase

and manage the easement. NRCS is

also increasing its use of partnerships

to assist with the land surveys and

has simplified the review process for

landowner-acquired land surveys. This

will speed up the time it takes producers

and landowners to enroll.

 Certification of Entities for ACEP-ALE:

For ALE, NRCS works with eligible

entities, such as American Indian

tribes, state and local governments

and non-governmental organizations,

to conserve prime farmland and

at-risk grasslands. NRCS is working

to expand the number of entities by

launching a certification initiative

to proactively notify potentially

eligible entities that they qualify for

administrative flexibilities. Certified

entities have greater independence

and less oversight in their acquisition

of easements funded under ACEP-ALE.

Information for entities on how to

get certified is available on the

ALE webpage.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT—ACEP 2

Expansion of Priority Areas

NRCS is also expanding the national priority areas eligible 

for Inflation Reduction Act funding for ACEP easements.

For ACEP-ALE, NRCS is prioritizing:  

 Grasslands in areas of highest risk for conversion 

to non-grassland uses to prevent the release of soil 

carbon stores

 Agricultural lands under threat of conversion to nonagricultural uses 

 Geographically specific priorities including rice 

cultivation on subsiding highly organic soils

For ACEP-WRE, NRCS is prioritizing:  

 Land with organic soils and mineral soils high in 

organic carbon  

 Eligible lands that will be restored to and managed as 

forests, for example bottomland hardwood forests   

 Eligible lands in existing forest cover that will continue 

to be managed as forests.   

 Several geographically specific priorities (i.e., cranberry 

bogs, wet meadows, and ephemeral wetlands in 

grassland ecosystems) 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. nrcs.usda.gov