219 
‘‘(1) compliance with the terms and conditions 
of easements; and 
‘‘(2) implementation of an agricultural land 
easement plan. 
‘‘SEC. 1265C. WETLAND EASEMENTS. 
‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 
shall provide assistance to owners of eligible land to re-
store, protect, and enhance wetlands through— 
‘‘(1) wetland easements and related wetland 
easement plans; and 
‘‘(2) technical assistance. 
‘‘(b) EASEMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) METHOD
OF
ENROLLMENT.—The Sec-
retary shall enroll eligible land under this section 
through the use of— 
‘‘(A) 30-year easements; 
‘‘(B) permanent easements; 
‘‘(C) easements for the maximum duration 
allowed under applicable State laws; or 
‘‘(D) as an option for Indian tribes only, 
30-year contracts (which shall be considered to 
be 30-year easements for the purposes of this 
subtitle). 
‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.—
220 
‘‘(A) INELIGIBLE
LAND.—The Secretary 
may not acquire easements on— 
‘‘(i) land established to trees under 
the conservation reserve program, except in 
cases where the Secretary determines it 
would further the purposes of the program; 
and 
‘‘(ii) farmed wetlands or converted 
wetlands where the conversion was not 
commenced prior to December 23, 1985. 
‘‘(B) CHANGES IN OWNERSHIP.—No wet-
land easement shall be created on land that has 
changed ownership during the preceding 24- 
month period unless— 
‘‘(i) the new ownership was acquired 
by will or succession as a result of the 
death of the previous owner; 
‘‘(ii)(I) the ownership change occurred 
because of foreclosure on the land; and 
‘‘(II) immediately before the fore-
closure, the owner of the land exercises a 
right of redemption from the mortgage 
holder in accordance with State law; or 
‘‘(iii) the Secretary determines that 
the land was acquired under circumstances
221 
that give adequate assurances that such 
land was not acquired for the purposes of 
placing it in the program. 
‘‘(3) EVALUATION AND RANKING OF OFFERS.— 
‘‘(A) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish evaluation and ranking criteria to maxi-
mize the benefit of Federal investment under 
the program. 
‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—When evaluating 
offers from landowners, the Secretary may con-
sider— 
‘‘(i) the conservation benefits of ob-
taining a wetland easement, including the 
potential environmental benefits if the land 
was removed from agricultural production; 
‘‘(ii) the cost-effectiveness of each 
wetland easement, so as to maximize the 
environmental benefits per dollar expended; 
‘‘(iii) whether the landowner or an-
other person is offering to contribute fi-
nancially to the cost of the wetland ease-
ment to leverage Federal funds; and 
‘‘(iv) such other factors as the Sec-
retary determines are necessary to carry 
out the purposes of the program.
222 
‘‘(C) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall place 
priority on acquiring wetland easements based 
on the value of the wetland easement for pro-
tecting and enhancing habitat for migratory 
birds and other wildlife. 
‘‘(4) AGREEMENT.—To be eligible to place eligi-
ble land into the program through a wetland ease-
ment, the owner of such land shall enter into an 
agreement with the Secretary to— 
‘‘(A) grant an easement on such land to 
the Secretary; 
‘‘(B) authorize the implementation of a 
wetland easement plan developed for the eligible 
land under subsection (f); 
‘‘(C) create and record an appropriate 
deed restriction in accordance with applicable 
State law to reflect the easement agreed to; 
‘‘(D) provide a written statement of con-
sent to such easement signed by those holding 
a security interest in the land; 
‘‘(E) comply with the terms and conditions 
of the easement and any related agreements; 
and
223 
‘‘(F) permanently retire any existing base 
history for the land on which the easement has 
been obtained. 
‘‘(5) TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EASEMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A wetland easement 
shall include terms and conditions that— 
‘‘(i) permit— 
‘‘(I) repairs, improvements, and 
inspections on the land that are nec-
essary to maintain existing public 
drainage systems; and 
‘‘(II) owners to control public ac-
cess on the easement areas while iden-
tifying access routes to be used for 
restoration activities and management 
and easement monitoring; 
‘‘(ii) prohibit— 
‘‘(I) the alteration of wildlife 
habitat and other natural features of 
such land, unless specifically author-
ized by the Secretary; 
‘‘(II) the spraying of such land 
with chemicals or the mowing of such 
land, except where such spraying or
224 
mowing is authorized by the Secretary 
or is necessary— 
‘‘(aa) to comply with Fed-
eral or State noxious weed con-
trol laws; 
‘‘(bb) to comply with a Fed-
eral or State emergency pest 
treatment program; or 
‘‘(cc) to meet habitat needs 
of specific wildlife species; 
‘‘(III) any activities to be carried 
out on the owner’s or successor’s land 
that is immediately adjacent to, and 
functionally related to, the land that 
is subject to the easement if such ac-
tivities will alter, degrade, or other-
wise diminish the functional value of 
the eligible land; and 
‘‘(IV) the adoption of any other 
practice that would tend to defeat the 
purposes of the program, as deter-
mined by the Secretary; 
‘‘(iii) provide for the efficient and ef-
fective establishment of wildlife functions 
and values; and
225 
‘‘(iv) include such additional provi-
sions as the Secretary determines are de-
sirable to carry out the program or facili-
tate the practical administration thereof. 
‘‘(B) VIOLATION.—On the violation of the 
terms or conditions of a wetland easement, the 
wetland easement shall remain in force and the 
Secretary may require the owner to refund all 
or part of any payments received by the owner 
under the program, together with interest 
thereon as determined appropriate by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(C) COMPATIBLE USES.—Land subject to 
a wetland easement may be used for compatible 
economic uses, including such activities as 
hunting and fishing, managed timber harvest, 
or periodic haying or grazing, if such use is spe-
cifically permitted by the wetland easement plan 
developed for the land under subsection (f) and 
is consistent with the long-term protection and 
enhancement of the wetland resources for which 
the easement was established. 
‘‘(D) 
RESERVATION
OF
GRAZING 
RIGHTS.—The Secretary may include in the 
terms and conditions of a wetland easement a
226 
provision under which the owner reserves graz-
ing rights if— 
‘‘(i) the Secretary determines that the 
reservation and use of the grazing rights— 
‘‘(I) is compatible with the land 
subject to the easement; 
‘‘(II) is consistent with the his-
torical natural uses of the land and 
the long-term protection and enhance-
ment goals for which the easement 
was established; and 
‘‘(III) complies with the wetland 
easement plan developed for the land 
under subsection (f); and 
‘‘(ii) the agreement provides for a 
commensurate reduction in the easement 
payment to account for the grazing value, 
as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(6) COMPENSATION.— 
‘‘(A) DETERMINATION.— 
‘‘(i) PERMANENT
EASEMENTS.—The 
Secretary shall pay as compensation for a 
permanent 
wetland 
easement 
acquired 
under the program an amount necessary to
227 
encourage enrollment in the program, 
based on the lowest of— 
‘‘(I) the fair market value of the 
land, as determined by the Secretary, 
using the Uniform Standards of Pro-
fessional Appraisal Practice or an 
area-wide market analysis or survey; 
‘‘(II) the amount corresponding 
to a geographical cap, as determined 
by the Secretary in regulations; or 
‘‘(III) the offer made by the 
landowner. 
‘‘(ii) 
30-YEAR
EASEMENTS.—Com-
pensation for a 30-year wetland easement 
shall be not less than 50 percent, but not 
more than 75 percent, of the compensation 
that would be paid for a permanent wet-
land easement. 
‘‘(B) FORM OF PAYMENT.—Compensation 
for a wetland easement shall be provided by the 
Secretary in the form of a cash payment, in an 
amount determined under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(C) PAYMENT SCHEDULE.— 
‘‘(i) EASEMENTS VALUED AT $500,000 
OR LESS.—For wetland easements valued
228 
at $500,000 or less, the Secretary may 
provide easement payments in not more 
than 10 annual payments. 
‘‘(ii) EASEMENTS VALUED AT MORE 
THAN
$500,000.—For wetland easements 
valued at more than $500,000, the Sec-
retary may provide easement payments in 
at least 5, but not more than 10 annual 
payments, except that, if the Secretary de-
termines it would further the purposes of 
the program, the Secretary may make a 
lump-sum payment for such an easement. 
‘‘(c) EASEMENT RESTORATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 
financial assistance to owners of eligible land to 
carry out the establishment of conservation meas-
ures and practices and protect wetland functions 
and values, including necessary maintenance activi-
ties, as set forth in a wetland easement plan devel-
oped for the eligible land under subsection (f). 
‘‘(2) PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) in the case of a permanent wetland 
easement, pay an amount that is not less than 
75 percent, but not more than 100 percent, of
229 
the eligible costs, as determined by the Sec-
retary; and 
‘‘(B) in the case of a 30-year wetland ease-
ment, pay an amount that is not less than 50 
percent, but not more than 75 percent, of the 
eligible costs, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall assist 
owners in complying with the terms and conditions 
of wetland easements. 
‘‘(2) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Sec-
retary may enter into 1 or more contracts with pri-
vate entities or agreements with a State, non-govern-
mental organization, or Indian tribe to carry out 
necessary restoration, enhancement, or maintenance 
of a wetland easement if the Secretary determines 
that the contract or agreement will advance the pur-
poses of the program. 
‘‘(e) WETLAND ENHANCEMENT OPTION.—The Sec-
retary may enter into 1 or more agreements with a State 
(including a political subdivision or agency of a State), 
nongovernmental organization, or Indian tribe to carry out 
a special wetland enhancement option that the Secretary 
determines would advance the purposes of program. 
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATION.—
230 
‘‘(1) WETLAND
EASEMENT
PLAN.—The Sec-
retary shall develop a wetland easement plan for eli-
gible lands subject to a wetland easement, which 
shall include practices and activities necessary to re-
store, protect, enhance, and maintain the enrolled 
lands. 
‘‘(2) DELEGATION OF EASEMENT ADMINISTRA-
TION.—The Secretary may delegate— 
‘‘(A) any of the easement management, 
monitoring, and enforcement responsibilities of 
the Secretary to other Federal or State agencies 
that have the appropriate authority, expertise, 
and resources necessary to carry out such dele-
gated responsibilities; and 
‘‘(B) any of the easement management re-
sponsibilities of the Secretary to other conserva-
tion organizations if the Secretary determines 
the organization has the appropriate expertise 
and resources. 
‘‘(3) PAYMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) TIMING
OF
PAYMENTS.—The Sec-
retary shall provide payment for obligations in-
curred by the Secretary under this section— 
‘‘(i) with respect to any easement res-
toration obligation under subsection (c), as
231 
soon as possible after the obligation is in-
curred; and 
‘‘(ii) with respect to any annual ease-
ment payment obligation incurred by the 
Secretary, as soon as possible after Octo-
ber 1 of each calendar year. 
‘‘(B) PAYMENTS TO OTHERS.—If an owner 
who is entitled to a payment under this section 
dies, becomes incompetent, is otherwise unable 
to receive such payment, or is succeeded by an-
other person or entity who renders or completes 
the required performance, the Secretary shall 
make such payment, in accordance with regula-
tions prescribed by the Secretary and without 
regard to any other provision of law, in such 
manner as the Secretary determines is fair and 
reasonable in light of all of the circumstances. 
‘‘SEC. 1265D. ADMINISTRATION. 
‘‘(a) INELIGIBLE LAND.—The Secretary may not use 
program funds for the purposes of acquiring an easement 
on— 
‘‘(1) lands owned by an agency of the United 
States, other than land held in trust for Indian 
tribes;
232 
‘‘(2) lands owned in fee title by a State, includ-
ing an agency or a subdivision of a State, or a unit 
of local government; 
‘‘(3) land subject to an easement or deed re-
striction which, as determined by the Secretary, pro-
vides similar protection as would be provided by en-
rollment in the program; or 
‘‘(4) lands where the purposes of the program 
would be undermined due to on-site or off-site condi-
tions, such as risk of hazardous substances, pro-
posed or existing rights of way, infrastructure devel-
opment, or adjacent land uses. 
‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In evaluating applications under the 
program, the Secretary may give priority to land that is 
currently enrolled in the conservation reserve program in 
a contract that is set to expire within 1 year and— 
‘‘(1) in the case of an agricultural land ease-
ment, is grassland that would benefit from protec-
tion under a long-term easement; and 
‘‘(2) in the case of a wetland easement, is a 
wetland or related area with the highest functions 
and value and is likely to return to production after 
the land leaves the conservation reserve program. 
‘‘(c) SUBORDINATION, EXCHANGE, MODIFICATION, 
AND TERMINATION.—
233 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may subor-
dinate, exchange, modify, or terminate any interest 
in land, or portion of such interest, administered by 
the Secretary, either directly or on behalf of the 
Commodity Credit Corporation under the program if 
the Secretary determines that— 
‘‘(A) it is in the Federal Government’s in-
terest to subordinate, exchange, modify, or ter-
minate the interest in land; 
‘‘(B) the subordination, exchange, modi-
fication, or termination action— 
‘‘(i) will address a compelling public 
need for which there is no practicable al-
ternative; or 
‘‘(ii) such action will further the prac-
tical administration of the program; and 
‘‘(C) the subordination, exchange, modi-
fication, or termination action will result in 
comparable conservation value and equivalent 
or greater economic value to the United States. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall 
work with the owner, and eligible entity if applicable, 
to address any subordination, exchange, modifica-
tion, or termination of the interest, or portion of 
such interest, in land.
234 
‘‘(3) NOTICE.—At least 90 days before taking 
any termination action described in paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall provide written notice of such ac-
tion to the Committee on Agriculture of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Agri-
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. 
‘‘(d) LAND ENROLLED IN CONSERVATION RESERVE 
PROGRAM.—The Secretary may terminate or modify a 
contract entered into under section 1231(a) if eligible land 
that is subject to such contract is transferred into the pro-
gram. 
‘‘(e) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FOR AGRICULTURAL 
LAND EASEMENTS.—Of the funds made available under 
section 1241 to carry out the program for a fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, use for agri-
cultural land easements— 
‘‘(1) no less than 40 percent in each of fiscal 
years 2014 through 2017; and 
‘‘(2) no less than 50 percent in fiscal year 
2018.’’. 
(b) COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS.— 
Before an eligible entity or owner of eligible land may re-
ceive assistance under subtitle H of title XII of the Food 
Security Act of 1985, the eligible entity or person shall
235 
agree, during the crop year for which the assistance is pro-
vided and in exchange for the assistance— 
(1) to comply with applicable conservation re-
quirements under subtitle B of title XII of that Act 
(16 U.S.C. 3811 et seq.); and 
(2) to comply with applicable wetland protection 
requirements under subtitle C of title XII of that 
Act (16 U.S.C. 3821 et seq.). 
(c) CROSS
REFERENCE; CALCULATION.—Section 
1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844) 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end of 
subparagraph (A); 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 
subparagraph (B); and 
(iii) by striking subparagraph (C); 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 
paragraph (3); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) the agricultural conservation easement 
program established under subtitle H; and’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f)—
236 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘programs administered under subchapters 
B and C of chapter 1 of subtitle D’’ and 
inserting ‘‘conservation reserve program 
established under subchapter B of chapter 
1 of subtitle D and wetland easements 
under section 1265C’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘an easement acquired under subchapter C 
of chapter 1 of subtitle D’’ and inserting 
‘‘a 
wetland 
easement 
under 
section 
1265C’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(5) CALCULATION.—In calculating the per-
centages described in paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall include any acreage that was included in cal-
culations of percentages made under such para-
graph, as in effect on September 30, 2013, and that 
remains enrolled when the calculation is made after 
that date under paragraph (1).’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on October 1, 2013.
237 
Subtitle E—Regional Conservation 
Partnership Program 
SEC. 2401. REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title XII of the Food Security 
Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after subtitle H, as 
added by section 2301, the following new subtitle: 
‘‘Subtitle I—Regional Conservation 
Partnership Program 
‘‘SEC. 1271. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a regional conservation partnership program to imple-
ment eligible activities on eligible land through— 
‘‘(1) partnership agreements with eligible part-
ners; and 
‘‘(2) contracts with producers. 
‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program are 
as follows: 
‘‘(1) To use covered programs to accomplish 
purposes and functions similar to those of the fol-
lowing programs, as in effect on September 30, 
2013: 
‘‘(A) The agricultural water enhancement 
program established under section 1240I.
238 
‘‘(B) The Chesapeake Bay watershed pro-
gram established under section 1240Q. 
‘‘(C) The cooperative conservation partner-
ship initiative established under section 1243. 
‘‘(D) The Great Lakes basin program for 
soil erosion and sediment control established 
under section 1240P. 
‘‘(2) To further the conservation, restoration, 
and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife, and re-
lated natural resources on eligible land on a regional 
or watershed scale. 
‘‘(3) To encourage eligible partners to cooperate 
with producers in— 
‘‘(A) meeting or avoiding the need for na-
tional, State, and local natural resource regu-
latory requirements related to production on eli-
gible land; and 
‘‘(B) implementing projects that will result 
in the carrying out of eligible activities that af-
fect multiple agricultural or nonindustrial pri-
vate forest operations on a local, regional, 
State, or multistate basis. 
‘‘SEC. 1271A. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subtitle:
239 
‘‘(1) COVERED PROGRAM.—The term ‘covered 
program’ means the following: 
‘‘(A) The agricultural conservation ease-
ment program. 
‘‘(B) The environmental quality incentives 
program. 
‘‘(C) The conservation stewardship pro-
gram. 
‘‘(D) The healthy forests reserve program 
established under section 501 of the Healthy 
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 
6571). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
ACTIVITY.—The term ‘eligible 
activity’ means any of the following conservation ac-
tivities: 
‘‘(A) Water quality or quantity conserva-
tion, restoration, or enhancement projects relat-
ing to surface water and groundwater re-
sources, including— 
‘‘(i) the conversion of irrigated crop-
land to the production of less water-inten-
sive agricultural commodities or dryland 
farming; or 
‘‘(ii) irrigation system improvement 
and irrigation efficiency enhancement.
240 
‘‘(B) Drought mitigation. 
‘‘(C) Flood prevention. 
‘‘(D) Water retention. 
‘‘(E) Air quality improvement. 
‘‘(F) Habitat conservation, restoration, 
and enhancement. 
‘‘(G) Erosion control and sediment reduc-
tion. 
‘‘(H) Other related activities that the Sec-
retary determines will help achieve conservation 
benefits. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘eligible land’ 
means land on which agricultural commodities, live-
stock, or forest-related products are produced, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) cropland; 
‘‘(B) grassland; 
‘‘(C) rangeland; 
‘‘(D) pastureland; 
‘‘(E) nonindustrial private forest land; and 
‘‘(F) other land incidental to agricultural 
production (including wetlands and riparian 
buffers) on which significant natural resource 
issues could be addressed under the program.
241 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE
PARTNER.—The term ‘eligible 
partner’ means any of the following: 
‘‘(A) An agricultural or silvicultural pro-
ducer association or other group of producers. 
‘‘(B) A State or unit of local government. 
‘‘(C) An Indian tribe. 
‘‘(D) A farmer cooperative. 
‘‘(E) A water district, irrigation district, 
rural water district or association, or other or-
ganization with specific water delivery authority 
to producers on agricultural land. 
‘‘(F) An institution of higher education. 
‘‘(G) An organization or entity with an es-
tablished history of working cooperatively with 
producers on agricultural land, as determined 
by the Secretary, to address— 
‘‘(i) local conservation priorities re-
lated to agricultural production, wildlife 
habitat development, or nonindustrial pri-
vate forest land management; or 
‘‘(ii) critical watershed-scale soil ero-
sion, water quality, sediment reduction, or 
other natural resource issues. 
‘‘(5) PARTNERSHIP
AGREEMENT.—The term 
‘partnership agreement’ means an agreement en-
242 
tered into under section 1271B between the Sec-
retary and an eligible partner. 
‘‘(6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means 
the regional conservation partnership program estab-
lished by this subtitle. 
‘‘SEC. 1271B. REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS. 
‘‘(a) PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS AUTHORIZED.— 
The Secretary may enter into a partnership agreement 
with an eligible partner to implement a project that will 
assist producers with installing and maintaining an eligi-
ble activity on eligible land. 
‘‘(b) LENGTH.—A partnership agreement shall be for 
a period not to exceed 5 years, except that the Secretary 
may extend the agreement one time for up to 12 months 
when an extension is necessary to meet the objectives of 
the program. 
‘‘(c) DUTIES OF PARTNERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under a partnership agree-
ment, the eligible partner shall— 
‘‘(A) define the scope of a project, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(i) the eligible activities to be imple-
mented;
243 
‘‘(ii) the potential agricultural or non-
industrial private forest land operations af-
fected; 
‘‘(iii) the local, State, multistate, or 
other geographic area covered; and 
‘‘(iv) the planning, outreach, imple-
mentation, and assessment to be con-
ducted; 
‘‘(B) conduct outreach to producers for po-
tential participation in the project; 
‘‘(C) at the request of a producer, act on 
behalf of a producer participating in the project 
in applying for assistance under section 1271C; 
‘‘(D) leverage financial or technical assist-
ance provided by the Secretary with additional 
funds to help achieve the project objectives; 
‘‘(E) conduct an assessment of the 
project’s effects; and 
‘‘(F) at the conclusion of the project, re-
port to the Secretary on its results and funds 
leveraged. 
‘‘(2) CONTRIBUTION.—An eligible partner shall 
provide a significant portion of the overall costs of 
the scope of the project that is the subject of the
244 
agreement entered into under subsection (a), as de-
termined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) COMPETITIVE
PROCESS.—The Secretary 
shall conduct a competitive process to select applica-
tions for partnership agreements and may assess 
and rank applications with similar conservation pur-
poses as a group. 
‘‘(2) CRITERIA
USED.—In carrying out the 
process described in paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall make public the criteria used in evaluating ap-
plications. 
‘‘(3) CONTENT.—An application to the Sec-
retary shall include a description of— 
‘‘(A) the scope of the project, as described 
in subsection (c)(1)(A); 
‘‘(B) the plan for monitoring, evaluating, 
and reporting on progress made toward achiev-
ing the project’s objectives; 
‘‘(C) the program resources requested for 
the project, including the covered programs to 
be used and estimated funding needed from the 
Secretary; 
‘‘(D) eligible partners collaborating to 
achieve project objectives, including their roles,
245 
responsibilities, capabilities, and financial con-
tribution; and 
‘‘(E) any other elements the Secretary con-
siders necessary to adequately evaluate and 
competitively select applications for funding 
under the program. 
‘‘(4) PRIORITY TO CERTAIN APPLICATIONS.— 
The Secretary may give a higher priority to applica-
tions that— 
‘‘(A) assist producers in meeting or avoid-
ing the need for a natural resource regulatory 
requirement; 
‘‘(B) have a high percentage of eligible 
producers in the area to be covered by the 
agreement; 
‘‘(C) significantly leverage non-Federal fi-
nancial and technical resources and coordinate 
with other local, State, or national efforts; 
‘‘(D) deliver high percentages of applied 
conservation to address conservation priorities 
or regional, State, or national conservation ini-
tiatives; 
‘‘(E) provide innovation in conservation 
methods and delivery, including outcome-based 
performance measures and methods; or
246 
‘‘(F) meet other factors that are important 
for achieving the purposes of the program, as 
determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘SEC. 1271C. ASSISTANCE TO PRODUCERS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into 
contracts with producers to provide financial and technical 
assistance to— 
‘‘(1) producers participating in a project with 
an eligible partner, as described in section 1271B; or 
‘‘(2) producers that fit within the scope of a 
project described in section 1271B or a critical con-
servation area designated under section 1271F, but 
who are seeking to implement an eligible activity on 
eligible land independent of a partner. 
‘‘(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.— 
‘‘(1) CONSISTENCY WITH PROGRAM RULES.— 
Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary 
shall ensure that the terms and conditions of a con-
tract under this section are consistent with the ap-
plicable rules of the covered programs to be used as 
part of the project, as described in the application 
under section 1271B(d)(3)(C). 
‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Except with respect to 
statutory program requirements governing appeals, 
payment limitations, and conservation compliance,
247 
the Secretary may adjust the discretionary program 
rules of a covered program— 
‘‘(A)
to provide a simplified application 
and evaluation process; and 
‘‘(B) to better reflect unique local cir-
cumstances and purposes if the Secretary deter-
mines such adjustments are necessary to 
achieve the purposes of the program. 
‘‘(c) PAYMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with statu-
tory requirements of the covered programs involved, 
the Secretary may make payments to a producer in 
an amount determined by the Secretary to be nec-
essary to achieve the purposes of the program. 
‘‘(2) PAYMENTS
TO
PRODUCERS
IN
STATES 
WITH WATER QUANTITY CONCERNS.—The Secretary 
may provide payments to producers participating in 
a project that addresses water quantity concerns for 
a period of five years in an amount sufficient to en-
courage conversion from irrigated farming to 
dryland farming. 
‘‘(3) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—To assist in the im-
plementation of the program, the Secretary may 
waive the applicability of the limitation in section 
1001D(b)(2) of this Act for participating producers
248 
if the Secretary determines that the waiver is nec-
essary to fulfill the objectives of the program. 
‘‘SEC. 1271D. FUNDING. 
‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—The Secretary shall 
use $100,000,000 of the funds of the Commodity Credit 
Corporation for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 
to carry out the program. 
‘‘(b) DURATION
OF AVAILABILITY.—Funds made 
available under subsection (a) shall remain available until 
expended. 
‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND ACRES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the funds 
made available under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall reserve 6 percent of the funds and acres made 
available for a covered program for each of fiscal 
years 2014 through 2018 in order to ensure addi-
tional resources are available to carry out this pro-
gram. 
‘‘(2) UNUSED FUNDS AND ACRES.—Any funds 
or acres reserved under paragraph (1) for a fiscal 
year from a covered program that are not obligated 
under this program by April 1 of that fiscal year 
shall be returned for use under the covered program.
249 
‘‘(d) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—Of the funds and 
acres made available for the program under subsections 
(a) and (c), the Secretary shall allocate— 
‘‘(1) 25 percent of the funds and acres to 
projects based on a State competitive process admin-
istered by the State Conservationist, with the advice 
of the State technical committee established under 
subtitle G; 
‘‘(2) 50 percent of the funds and acres to 
projects based on a national competitive process to 
be established by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(3) 25 percent of the funds and acres to 
projects for the critical conservation areas des-
ignated under section 1271F. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 
None of the funds made available under the program may 
be used to pay for the administrative expenses of eligible 
partners. 
‘‘SEC. 1271E. ADMINISTRATION. 
‘‘(a) DISCLOSURE.—In addition to the criteria used 
in evaluating applications as described in section 
1271B(d)(2), the Secretary shall make publicly available 
information on projects selected through the competitive 
process described in section 1271B(d)(1).