environmental quality and sustainable productive capacity, 
and improve the efficacy of conservation practices and pro-
grams by evaluating conservation effects. 
‘‘(b) SCOPE.—The project under this subsection may 
be carried out at national, regional, and watershed scales, 
and may include cropland, grazing lands, wetlands, for-
ests, and such other lands as the Secretary may determine 
appropriate. 
‘‘(c) ACTIVITIES.—The project under this subsection 
may include research, literature reviews and bibliog-
raphies, modeling, assessment, monitoring and data collec-
tion, outreach, extension education, and such other activi-
ties as the Secretary may determine appropriate. 
‘‘SEC. 9. GOALS AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS FOR CON-
SERVATION PROGRAMS. 
‘‘(a) NATURAL RESOURCE
AND ENVIRONMENTAL 
OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In coordination with the 
appraisal of soil, water, and related resources, the 
soil and water conservation program, and the con-
servation effects assessment project established by 
this Act, the Secretary shall identify, and periodi-
cally revise, specific natural resource and environ-
mental objectives and anticipated conservation out-
comes and results, by resource concern, for the con-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
servation programs established under subtitles D 
and H of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 
and the landscape conservation initiatives developed 
by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) ASSESSMENTS.—To help measure out-
comes and results, the Secretary shall, to the max-
imum extent practicable, make assessments of 
changes in the status and conditions of natural re-
sources and the environment that result from the 
application of conservation activities supported di-
rectly by such conservation programs and initiatives. 
‘‘(3) MONITORING
AND
PROGRAM
EVALUA-
TION.—The Secretary shall establish a coordinated 
monitoring and evaluation process for programs and 
initiatives to assess progress toward the identified 
objectives, to gather information to improve program 
and initiative implementation in accordance with de-
sired program and initiative outcomes and results, 
and to assess the need for modifications to program 
or initiative rules or statutes. 
‘‘(b) MONITORING AND PROGRAM EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use not 
more than one percent of the total annual funding 
from the funds of the Commodity Credit Corpora-
tion made available for new annual enrollments for 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
the conservation programs established under sub-
titles D and H of title XII of the Food Security Act 
of 1985 to establish a comprehensive monitoring and 
program evaluation process to assess progress in 
reaching natural resource and environmental objec-
tives identified in accordance with subsection (a) and 
the contribution of individual programs and initia-
tives, as well as the programs and initiatives collec-
tively, to that progress. 
‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—In implementing the 
monitoring and program evaluation process under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary may consider and in-
corporate resource concern inventories, quality cri-
teria, conservation practices and enhancements, and 
such other information as the Secretary determines 
relevant for applying the monitoring and program 
evaluation process across each of the major land 
uses identified by the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) MONITORING
AND
EVALUATION
PROC-
ESS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than two 
years after the date of enactment of this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall issue a design for the 
comprehensive monitoring and evaluation proc-
ess, a schedule for implementing the process, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
and a plan for coordinating the process with the 
national soil and water conservation program 
and conservation effects assessment project es-
tablished under this Act. 
‘‘(B) METHODOLOGY.—The design for the 
monitoring and evaluation process shall— 
‘‘(i) include detailed information con-
cerning the requisite frequency of the mon-
itoring process at the field, water body, 
habitat, or other level and the manner in 
which the data will be aggregated at the 
landscape or watershed level, county or 
local level, State level, national level, and 
any other level the Secretary determines 
necessary; and 
‘‘(ii) take into account the cumulative 
nature of conservation over time, the inter-
actions and sequencing effects between 
conservation activities, the differing times 
for conservation effects to be realized, and 
other related measurement challenges. 
‘‘(C) 
PUBLIC
RESEARCH.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, in order to 
facilitate implementation of the monitoring and 
evaluation process, the Secretary shall make 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
available conservation activity and program 
data to cooperators and researchers engaged in 
public research and evaluation activities to im-
prove conservation outcomes under this sub-
section, provided that— 
‘‘(i) adequate assurances are provided 
to the Secretary that any resulting re-
search or information will be made publicly 
available and in a form that protects per-
sonally identifiable information; and 
‘‘(ii) the National Technical Com-
mittee finds that any such research is like-
ly to generate information that furthers 
the purpose of this section. 
‘‘(4) COOPERATIVE
AGREEMENTS.—The Sec-
retary may implement the monitoring evaluation 
process in part through cooperative or contribution 
agreements with Federal, State, and local agencies, 
universities and colleges, nongovernmental organiza-
tions with requisite expertise, as determined by the 
Secretary in consultation with the National Tech-
nical Committee. 
‘‘(5) NATIONAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE.— 
‘‘(A) COMPOSITION.—The monitoring and 
evaluation process shall be administered by the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
tion issues and measurement and evalua-
tion of conservation outcomes; and 
‘‘(xii) such other agencies, institu-
tions, or organizations as the Secretary 
may determine appropriate. 
‘‘(B) FACA EXEMPTION.—The national 
technical committee shall be exempt from the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
App.). 
‘‘(C) 
TRANSPARENCY.—The 
Secretary 
shall ensure the proceedings and recommenda-
tions of the national technical committee are 
available to the public. 
‘‘(6) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.—In carrying 
out this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that 
any on-farm monitoring activities that may be in-
cluded as part of the monitoring and program eval-
uation process are voluntary on the part of the pro-
ducer, and may include appropriate compensation, 
as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(c) REPORTING.— 
‘‘(1) REPORT ON OBJECTIVES AND METHODS.— 
Beginning in the fiscal year that is 3 years after the 
date of enactment of this subsection, and periodi-
cally thereafter, as determined by the Secretary, the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
Secretary shall submit to Congress, and make pub-
licly available, a report that includes— 
‘‘(A) a description of conservation outcome 
objectives that are, to the maximum extent 
practicable, quantitative, measurable, and time- 
bound for each program established under sub-
title D or H of the Food Security Act of 1985 
and the landscape conservation initiatives devel-
oped by the Secretary; 
‘‘(B) a description of the approaches, tools, 
and methods used to measure or model the con-
servation outcomes and results and to estimate 
the cost-effectiveness of each such program; and 
‘‘(C) guidance to the conservation project 
partners working to implement conservation 
programs within a landscape-level project that 
provides a description of the approaches, tools, 
and methods the partners might consider using 
to measure and model the conservation out-
comes and results of their projects. 
‘‘(2) REPORT ON OUTCOMES.—In conjunction 
with each of the reports to Congress pursuant to 
section 7, the Secretary shall submit to Congress, 
and make publicly available, a report that includes— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
‘‘(A) an assessment of progress made to-
wards achieving conservation program objec-
tives and anticipated outcomes and results for 
each conservation program established under 
subtitle D or H of title XII of the Food Secu-
rity Act of 1985, as well as for such programs 
collectively, and the landscape conservation ini-
tiatives developed by the Secretary; 
‘‘(B) an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness 
of each such conservation program and initia-
tive; and 
‘‘(C) recommendations, in light of the as-
sessment and evaluation, to improve program 
implementation and improve the scientific and 
economic tools (including any new or revised 
conservation practices, conservation enhance-
ments, or conservation planning tools) used to 
achieve stated natural resource conservation 
and environmental objectives. 
‘‘(3) COORDINATION.—The Secretary may co-
ordinate the reports required under paragraphs (1) 
and (2) with any reports developed as part of the 
conservation effects assessment project authorized 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
by section 8, whenever such coordination is feasible 
and warranted, as determined by the Secretary.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:17 Jan 11, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H4751.IH
H4751
dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS