Source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/16/3838f?quicktabs_8=4
Timestamp: 2016-02-08 15:55:40
Document Index: 163947861

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 3838', '§ 3838', '§ 3838', '§\u202f3838', '§\u202f1238', '§\u202f2301', '§\u202f4', '§\u202f2301', '§\u202f2101', '§\u202f1238', '§\u202f1439', '§\u202f336']

16 U.S. Code § 3838f - Stewardship contracts | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
U.S. Code › Title 16 › Chapter 58 › Subchapter IV › Part II › Subpart b › § 3838f 16 U.S. Code § 3838f - Stewardship contracts
§ 3838f.
(a) Submission of contract offersTo be eligible to participate in the conservation stewardship program, a producer shall submit to the Secretary a contract offer for the agricultural operation that—
demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the producer, at the time of the contract offer, meets or exceeds the stewardship threshold for at least 2 priority resource concerns; and
improving, maintaining, and managing existing conservation activities across the entire agricultural operation in a manner that increases or extends the conservation benefits in place at the time the contract offer is accepted by the Secretary.
(1) Ranking of applicationsIn evaluating contract offers submitted under subsection (a), the Secretary shall rank applications based on—
the level of conservation treatment on all applicable priority resource concerns at the time of application;
the degree to which the proposed conservation activities effectively increase conservation performance;
the number of applicable priority resource concerns proposed to be treated to meet or exceed the stewardship threshold by the end of the contract;
the extent to which other priority resource concerns will be addressed to meet or exceed the stewardship threshold by the end of the contract period;
the extent to which the actual and anticipated conservation benefits from the contract are provided at the least cost relative to other similarly beneficial contract offers; and
the extent to which priority resource concerns will be addressed when transitioning from the conservation reserve program to agricultural production.
After a determination that a producer is eligible for the program under subsection (a), and a determination that the contract offer ranks sufficiently high under the evaluation criteria under subsection (b), the Secretary shall enter into a conservation stewardship contract with the producer to enroll the eligible land to be covered by the contract.
(2) Required provisionsThe conservation stewardship contract of a producer shall—
state the amount of the payment the Secretary agrees to make to the producer for each year of the conservation stewardship contract under section 3838g(d) of this title;
to implement a conservation stewardship plan that describes the program purposes to be achieved through 1 or more conservation activities;
to maintain and supply information as required by the Secretary to determine compliance with the conservation stewardship plan and any other requirements of the program; and
not to conduct any activities on the agricultural operation that would tend to defeat the purposes of the program;
are consistent with the conservation purposes of the conservation stewardship contract;
include a provision to ensure that a producer shall not be considered in violation of the contract for failure to comply with the contract due to circumstances beyond the control of the producer, including a disaster or related condition, as determined by the Secretary;
the producer shall forfeit all rights to receive payments under the contract; and
the producer shall refund all or a portion of the payments received by the producer under the contract, including any interest on the payments, as determined by the Secretary; or
if the Secretary determines that the violation does not warrant termination of the contract, the producer shall refund or accept adjustments to the payments provided to the producer, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate;
include provisions in accordance with paragraphs (3) and (4); and
include any additional provisions the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out the program.
(B) Transfer of duties and rightsSubparagraph (A) shall not apply if—
within a reasonable period of time (as determined by the Secretary) after the date of the change in the interest in eligible land covered by a contract under the program, the transferee of the land provides written notice to the Secretary that all duties and rights under the contract have been transferred to, and assumed by, the transferee for the portion of the land transferred;
the transferee meets the eligibility requirements of the program; and
the Secretary approves the transfer of all duties and rights under the contract.
(A) Voluntary modification or terminationThe Secretary may modify or terminate a contract with a producer if—
the producer agrees to the modification or termination; and
the Secretary determines that the modification or termination is in the public interest.
(5) RepaymentIf a contract is terminated, the Secretary may, consistent with the purposes of the program—
allow the producer to retain payments already received under the contract; or
require repayment, in whole or in part, of payments received and assess liquidated damages.
(e) Contract renewalAt the end of the initial 5-year contract period, the Secretary may allow the producer to renew the contract for 1 additional 5-year period if the producer—
demonstrates compliance with the terms of the initial contract;
agrees to adopt and continue to integrate conservation activities across the entire agricultural operation, as determined by the Secretary; and
to meet the stewardship threshold of at least 2 additional priority resource concerns on the agricultural operation; or
to exceed the stewardship threshold of 2 existing priority resource concerns that are specified by the Secretary in the initial contract.
(Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, § 1238F, as added Pub. L. 110–234, title II, § 2301(a)(2), May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1042, and Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title II, § 2301(a)(2), June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1770; Pub. L. 113–79, title II, § 2101(a), Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 723.)
A prior section 3838f, Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, § 1238F, as added Pub. L. 101–624, title XIV, § 1439, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3596, related to report to Congress, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 104–127, title III, § 336(h), Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1007.