‘‘SEC. 388. FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED; PURPOSE.—The Sec-
retary of Agriculture shall establish and carry out a pro-
gram, to be known as the ‘Farmland Protection Program’,
under which the Secretary shall provide grants to eligible
entities described in subsection (c) to provide the Federal
share of the cost of purchasing permanent conservation
easements in land with prime, unique, or other productive
soil for the purpose of protecting the continued use of the
land as farmland or open space by limiting nonagricultural
uses of the land.
‘‘(b) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the
cost of purchasing a conservation easement described in
subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost
of purchasing the easement.
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.—In this section,
the term ‘eligible entity’ means—
‘‘(1) an agency of a State or local government;
‘‘(2) a federally recognized Indian tribe; or
‘‘(3) any organization that is organized for, and
at all times since its formation has been operated
principally for, one or more of the conservation pur-
poses specified in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of section
170(h)(4)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
and—
‘‘(A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of
the Code;
‘‘(B) is exempt from taxation under section
501(a) of the Code; and
‘‘(C) is described in paragraph (2) of sec-
tion 509(a) of the Code, or paragraph (3) of
such section, but is controlled by an organiza-
tion described in paragraph (2) of such section.
‘‘(d) TITLE; ENFORCEMENT.—Any eligible entity
may hold title to a conservation easement described in
subsection (a) and enforce the conservation requirements
of the easement.
‘‘(e) STATE CERTIFICATION.—As a condition of the
receipt by an eligible entity of a grant under subsection
(a), the attorney general of the State in which the con-
servation easement is to be purchased using the grant
funds shall certify that the conservation easement to be
purchased is in a form that is sufficient, under the laws
of the State, to achieve the conservation purpose of the
Farmland Protection Program and the terms and condi-
tions of the grant.
‘‘(f) CONSERVATION PLAN.—Any land for which a
conservation easement is purchased under this section
shall be subject to the requirements of a conservation plan
to the extent that the plan does not negate or adversely
affect the restrictions contained in the easement.
‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of Ag-
riculture may not use more than 10 percent of the amount
that is made available for any fiscal year under this pro-
gram to provide technical assistance to carry out this sec-
tion.’’.
(b) 
EFFECT
ON
EXISTING
EASEMENTS.—The
amendment made by subsection (a) shall not affect the
validity or terms of conservation easements and other in-
terests in lands purchased under section 388 of the Fed-
eral Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996
(Public Law 104–127; 16 U.S.C. 3830 note) before the
date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 405. RANCHLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM.
(a) GRANTS
AUTHORIZED; PURPOSE.—The Sec-
retary of Interior shall establish and carry out a program,
to be known as the ‘‘Ranchland Protection Program’’,
under which the Secretary shall provide grants to eligible
entities described in subsection (c) to provide the Federal
share of the cost of purchasing permanent conservation
easements on ranchland, which is in danger of conversion
to nonagricultural uses, for the purpose of protecting the
continued use of the land as ranchland or open space.
(b) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost
of purchasing a conservation easement described in sub-
section (a) may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost
of purchasing the easement.
(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.—In this section, the
term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means—
(1) an agency of a State or local government;
(2) a federally recognized Indian tribe; or
(3) any organization that is organized for, and
at all times since its formation has been operated
principally for, one or more of the conservation pur-
poses specified in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of section
170(h)(4)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
and—
(A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Code;
(B) is exempt from taxation under section
501(a) of the Code; and
(C) is described in paragraph (2) of section
509(a) of the Code, or paragraph (3) of such
section, but is controlled by an organization de-
scribed in paragraph (2) of such section.
(d) TITLE; ENFORCEMENT.—Any eligible entity may
hold title to a conservation easement described in sub-
section (a) and enforce the conservation requirements of
the easement.
(e) STATE CERTIFICATION.—As a condition of the re-
ceipt by an eligible entity of a grant under subsection (a),
the attorney general of the State in which the conservation
easement is to be purchased using the grant funds shall
certify that the conservation easement to be purchased is
in a form that is sufficient, under the laws of the State,
to achieve the conservation purpose of the Ranchland Pro-
tection Program and the terms and conditions of the
grant.
(f) CONSERVATION PLAN.—Any land for which a
conservation easement is purchased under this section
shall be subject to the requirements of a conservation plan
to the extent that the plan does not negate or adversely
affect the restrictions contained in the easement.
(g) RANCHLAND DEFINED.—In this section, the term
‘‘ranchland’’ means private or tribally owned rangeland,
pastureland, grazed forest land, and hay land.
(h) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of the
Interior may not use more than 10 percent of the amount
that is made available for any fiscal year under this pro-
gram to provide technical assistance to carry out this sec-
tion.