Conservation and Innovative Climate Partnership Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.2613 | Sponsor: Rep. Newhouse, Dan (R-WA)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Conservation and Innovative Climate Partnership Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to award competitive grants to land-grant colleges or universities for raising public awareness, conducting workshops, and providing technical assistance to increase agricultural producers' voluntary adoption of conservation practices (e.g., alley cropping) and innovative climate practices (e.g., carbon sequestration). Grantees must carry out activities in partnership with at least one other entity, such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a land-grant college or university, a state entity, or a nonprofit organization.

To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to 
  establish a competitive grant program under which the Secretary of 
Agriculture provides grants to land-grant colleges and universities to 
support agricultural producers in adopting conservation and innovative 
               climate practices, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Conservation and Innovative Climate 
Partnership Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. CONSERVATION AND INNOVATIVE CLIMATE PARTNERSHIP COMPETITIVE 
              GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle H of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, 
Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 is amended by inserting after 
section 1672 (7 U.S.C. 5925) the following:

``SEC. 1672A. CONSERVATION AND INNOVATIVE CLIMATE PARTNERSHIP 
              COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) 1862 institution; 1890 institution.--The terms `1862 
        Institution' and `1890 Institution' have the meanings given 
        those terms in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, 
        Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601).
            ``(2) 1994 institution.--The term `1994 Institution' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 532 of the Equity in 
        Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; 
        Public Law 103-382).
            ``(3) Conservation practice.--The term `conservation 
        practice' means a practice--
                    ``(A) that may include any or a combination of--
                            ``(i) carbon retention or carbon 
                        sequestration cropping practices;
                            ``(ii) resource conserving crop rotation;
                            ``(iii) alley cropping;
                            ``(iv) integrated livestock-crop systems;
                            ``(v) advanced grazing management;
                            ``(vi) improved forestry or agroforestry 
                        management;
                            ``(vii) the insertion of buffers or 
                        saturated buffers; or
                            ``(viii) any other practice that an 
                        eligible institution carrying out a project 
                        under the program determines to be appropriate; 
                        and
                    ``(B) the purpose of which is to increase overall 
                sustainability on farmland or ranch land through--
                            ``(i) improved soil health and tilth;
                            ``(ii) improved water quality, quantity, 
                        and management;
                            ``(iii) improved nutrient management;
                            ``(iv) reduction in tillage; or
                            ``(v) wildlife promotion and maintenance.
            ``(4) Eligible institution.--The term `eligible 
        institution' means--
                    ``(A) an 1862 Institution;
                    ``(B) an 1890 Institution; and
                    ``(C) a 1994 Institution.
            ``(5) Innovative climate practice.--The term `innovative 
        climate practice' means a practice, including any practice that 
        an eligible institution carrying out a project under the 
        program determines to be appropriate, that results in--
                    ``(A) a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, 
                including carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, and 
                nitrous oxide;
                    ``(B) carbon sequestration;
                    ``(C) soil health improvement; or
                    ``(D) reduced exposure to climate-related risk.
            ``(6) Program.--The term `program' means the competitive 
        grant program established under subsection (b).
            ``(7) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    ``(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program to 
provide competitive grants pursuant to section 3(d) of the Smith-Lever 
Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) to eligible institutions to carry out projects to 
increase the voluntary adoption of conservation practices and 
innovative climate practices through public awareness campaigns, 
workshops, and specialized technical assistance.
    ``(c) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under the 
program, an eligible institution shall submit to the Secretary an 
application, including a demonstration that the applicant will--
            ``(1) increase interaction with local agricultural 
        producers by a rate of not less than 25 percent above the 
        outreach rate before the implementation of the project under 
        the program;
            ``(2) assist agricultural producers in implementing new 
        conservation practices or innovative climate practices on farms 
        or edges of fields, improving existing conservation practices 
        or innovative climate practices on farms or edges of fields, or 
        any combination thereof; and
            ``(3) assist agricultural producers in implementing a 
        combination of conservation practices or innovative climate 
        practices that contribute to--
                    ``(A) the overall improvement of conservation; or
                    ``(B) a decrease in, or sequestration of, 
                greenhouse gas emissions.
    ``(d) Partnerships.--An eligible institution shall carry out a 
project using a grant under the program in partnership with not fewer 
than 1 other entity, which may include--
            ``(1) a nonprofit organization;
            ``(2) a State entity;
            ``(3) the Natural Resources Conservation Service;
            ``(4) an 1862 Institution;
            ``(5) an 1890 Institution;
            ``(6) a 1994 Institution; or
            ``(7) any combination thereof.
    ``(e) Maximum Amount.--The amount of a grant under the program 
shall be not more than $400,000.
    ``(f) Use of Funds.--An eligible institution may use a grant under 
the program--
            ``(1) to support agricultural producers in implementing a 
        conservation practice or an innovative climate practice;
            ``(2) subject to subsection (g), for additional staffing at 
        the eligible institution to assist in carrying out a project 
        using the grant;
            ``(3) to conduct workshops for agricultural producers, and 
        develop and distribute digital and hard-copy materials directly 
        to agricultural producers, that provide clear directions for 
        accessing technical assistance for adopting conservation 
        practices and innovative climate practices; and
            ``(4) for soil testing and the measuring of other 
        indicators of the effectiveness of conservation practices and 
        innovative climate practices.
    ``(g) Limitation on Administrative Expenses.--An eligible 
institution may use not more than 30 percent of the amount of a grant 
under the program for administrative expenses.
    ``(h) Duration.--A grant provided under the program shall be for 
such period as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, but not less 
than 4 years.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to provide grants under the program pursuant to section 
3(d) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) $13,000,000 for each 
fiscal year.''.
    (b) Eligibility of 1994 Institutions.--Section 3(d) of the Smith-
Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) is amended, in the third sentence--
            (1) by striking ``program and'' and inserting ``program,''; 
        and
            (2) by inserting ``, and the conservation and innovative 
        climate partnership competitive grant program established under 
        section 1672A of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 
        Act of 1990'' before the period at the end.
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