EQIP Improvement Act of 2023

2/5/2024, 11:45 AM

EQIP Improvement Act of 2023

This bill amends the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to reduce and remove certain payment requirements. (EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.)

Specifically, the bill

  • reduces the maximum payments available to a person or legal entity under EQIP to $150,000 per five-year period (from the current level of $450,000), thereby allowing for an increase in the overall number of participants in the program;
  • reduces federal cost sharing to 40% (from 75%) for the costs associated with planning, installation, or maintenance for specified conservation practices (e.g., access roads, dams, and waste storage facilities); and
  • removes a requirement that 50% of EQIP funding payments go to livestock production programs.
Congress
118
Number
HR - 5252
Introduced on
2023-08-22
# Amendments
0
Sponsors
+5
Cosponsors
+5

Variations and Revisions

8/22/2023
Text
PDF
XML

Status of Legislation

Bill Introduced
Introduced to House
House to Vote
Introduced to Senate
Senate to Vote

Purpose and Summary

EQIP Improvement Act of 2023

This bill amends the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to reduce and remove certain payment requirements. (EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.)

Specifically, the bill

  • reduces the maximum payments available to a person or legal entity under EQIP to $150,000 per five-year period (from the current level of $450,000), thereby allowing for an increase in the overall number of participants in the program;
  • reduces federal cost sharing to 40% (from 75%) for the costs associated with planning, installation, or maintenance for specified conservation practices (e.g., access roads, dams, and waste storage facilities); and
  • removes a requirement that 50% of EQIP funding payments go to livestock production programs.
Alternative Names
Official Title as IntroducedTo amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to make adjustments to the environmental quality incentives program, and for other purposes.
Policy Areas
Agriculture and Food

Comments

Recent Activity

Latest Summary1/17/2024

EQIP Improvement Act of 2023

This bill amends the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to reduce and remove certain payment requirements. (EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and for...

Latest Action9/25/2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.