EQIP Improvement Act of 2023

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to make adjustments to the environmental quality incentives program, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the EQIP Improvement Act of 2023 2. Environmental Quality Incentives Program reforms (a) In general Section 1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2 (1) in subsection (d), by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: (2) Limitation on payments A payment to a producer for performing a practice may not exceed, as determined by the Secretary— (A) except as provided in subparagraphs (B) through (D), 75 percent of the costs associated with planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or training; (B) 40 percent of the costs associated with planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or training for— (i) an access road; (ii) an animal mortality facility; (iii) an aquaculture pond; (iv) clearing and snagging; (v) a dam; (vi) a dam using a diversion; (vii) a dike; (viii) a diversion; (ix) a fish raceway or tank; (x) an irrigation pipeline; (xi) an irrigation reservoir; (xii) land clearing; (xiii) land smoothing; (xiv) a livestock pipeline; (xv) obstruction removal; (xvi) a pond; (xvii) a pumping plant; (xviii) spoil spreading; (xix) a surface drain using a field ditch; (xx) a main or lateral surface drain; (xxi) a vertical drain; (xxii) a waste facility closure; (xxiii) a waste storage facility; (xxiv) waste transfer; or (xxv) a waste treatment lagoon; (C) 100 percent of income foregone by the producer; or (D) in the case of a practice that includes 1 or more elements described in subparagraphs (A) through (C)— (i) 75 percent of the costs incurred with respect to any elements described in subparagraph (A); (ii) 40 percent of the costs incurred with respect to any elements described in subparagraph (B); and (iii) 100 percent of the income forgone with respect to any elements described in subparagraph (C). ; and (2) in subsection (f), by striking the subsection designation and heading and all that follows through For each (f) Allocation of funding for wildlife habitat For each . (b) Limitation on payments Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–7 $450,000 $150,000 (c) Report to Congress Section 1240B of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2 (k) Annual report to Congress Not less frequently than once each year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing— (1) the amount obligated under the program with respect to each category of practice, with information categorized by fiscal year and State; and (2) the amount obligated under the program in each State, with information categorized by fiscal year and the size of the operation of each producer. .

Summary: EQIP Improvement Act of 2023 This bill amends the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to reduce and remove certain payment requirements. (EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.) Specifically, the bill reduces the maximum payments available to a person or legal entity under EQIP to $150,000 per five-year period (from the current level of $450,000), thereby allowing for an increase in the overall number of participants in the program; reduces federal cost sharing to 40% (from 75%) for the costs associated with planning, installation, or maintenance for specified conservation practices (e.g., access roads, dams, and waste storage facilities); and removes a requirement that 50% of EQIP funding payments go to livestock production programs.