‘‘(B) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
PROVIDED
BY PERSONS NOT AFFILIATED WITH DEPART-
MENT OF AGRICULTURE.—
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Under subpara-
graph (A), subject to clause (ii), technical
assistance provided by qualified persons
not affiliated with the Department of Agri-
culture, including farmers and ranchers,
may include—
‘‘(I) conservation planning;
‘‘(II) design, installation, and
certification of conservation practices;
‘‘(III) training for producers; and
‘‘(IV) such other activities as the
Secretary determines to be appro-
priate.
‘‘(ii) COORDINATION
BY
THE
SEC-
RETARY.—The Secretary shall provide
overall technical coordination and leader-
ship for the conservation security program,
including final approval of all conservation
security plans.
‘‘(7) EDUCATION, 
OUTREACH, 
MONITORING,
AND EVALUATION.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—
‘‘(i) FUNDING.—In addition to the
amounts made available under paragraph
(6), for each fiscal year, the Secretary
shall use such sums as are necessary from
funds of the Commodity Credit Corpora-
tion to carry out education, outreach, mon-
itoring, and evaluation activities in support
of the conservation security program, of
which not less than 50 percent of the sums
shall be used for monitoring and evaluation
activities.
‘‘(ii) AMOUNT.—For each fiscal year,
the amount made available under clause (i)
shall be not less than 40 percent of the
amount made available for technical assist-
ance under paragraph (6) for the fiscal
year.
‘‘(B) USE OF PERSONS NOT AFFILIATED
WITH DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.—In car-
rying out activities described in subparagraph
(A), the Secretary may use persons not affili-
ated with the Department of Agriculture, in-
cluding networks of agricultural producers oper-
ating in a small watershed or other appropriate
locality.
‘‘(C) 
INCLUDED
ACTIVITIES.—Activities
described in subparagraph (A) may include in-
novative uses of computer technology and re-
mote sensing to monitor and evaluate resource
and environmental results on a local, regional,
or national level.
‘‘(8) PROGRAM
EVALUATION.—The Secretary
shall maintain data concerning conservation security
plans, conservation practices planned or imple-
mented, environmental outcomes, economic costs,
and related matters under this section.
‘‘(9) CONFIDENTIALITY.—To maintain con-
fidentiality, the Secretary shall not release or dis-
close publicly the conservation security plan of an
owner or operator under this chapter unless the
Secretary—
‘‘(A) obtains the authorization of the
owner or operator for the release or disclosure;
‘‘(B) releases the information in an anony-
mous or aggregated form; or
‘‘(C) is otherwise required by law to release
or disclose the plan.
‘‘(10) MEDIATION AND INFORMAL HEARINGS.—
If the Secretary makes a decision under this chapter
that is adverse to an owner or operator, at the re-
quest of the owner or operator, the Secretary shall
provide the owner or operator with mediation serv-
ices or an informal hearing on the decision.
‘‘(i) REPORTS.—Not later than 18 months after the
date of enactment of this chapter and at the end of each
two-year period thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to
Congress a report evaluating the results of the conserva-
tion security program, including—
‘‘(1) an evaluation of the scope, quality, and
outcomes of the conservation practices carried out
under this section; and
‘‘(2) recommendations for achieving specific
and quantifiable improvements for each of the pur-
poses specified in subsection (a).
‘‘(j) FUNDING.—The Commodity Credit Corporation
shall make available to the Secretary, from funds of the
Corporation, such sums as are necessary to carry out this
chapter.’’.
(b) ADMINISTRATION.—Section 1243(a) of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3843(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at
the end;
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(3) the conservation security program estab-
lished under chapter 6 of subtitle D.’’.
(c) 
STATE
TECHNICAL
COMMITTEES.—Section
1262(c)(8) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3862(c)(8)) is amended by striking ‘‘chapter 4’’ and in-
serting ‘‘chapters 4 and 6’’.
SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall promulgate such
regulations as are necessary to carry out this Act and the
amendments made by this Act.
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