Courtesy of NAA:
The recently signed Inflation Reduction Act includes Title II developed by the Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition Committee. Considerable funding is authorized in this Title over the next several years to implement programs within the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The identified programs are: Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), agricultural conservation easements, conservation stewardship, and partnership agreements. The purposes are to:
- Improve soil carbon or reduce nitrogen losses or greenhouse gas emissions, or capture or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, associated with agricultural production; and,
- mitigate or address climate change through the management of agricultural production, including by reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.
The NRCS will also receive funding to collect field-based data to assess the carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
For a two-page brief on Title II, please click here for Congressional Research Service analysis. Please keep in mind funds authorized in an Act may not be appropriated to agencies when budgeting rolls around next year.
The East Coast Shellfish Growers Association and The Nature Conservancy are focused on EQIP and exploring whether the program can fund oyster reef restoration efforts. The NAA reached out to NRCS to ask about this potential opportunity. We have learned, NRCS maintains 170 national conservation practice standards available to all States. The agency regularly reviews practice standards to ensure the best science and to incorporate new and innovative technology. This includes the opportunity for public comment on revised conservation practice standards. Conservation practice standards are implemented through NRCS State Offices.
NRCS has the following Conservation Practice Standards that apply to aquaculture:
- Aquaculture Pond (CPS Code 397)
- Fish Raceway or Tank (CPS Code 398)
- Bivalve Aquaculture Gear and Biofouling Control (CPS Code 400)
- Restoration of Rare or Declining Natural Communities (CPS Code 643). This practice currently offers oyster reef creation and restoration through “practice scenarios” under CPS 643. These are currently offered in some of our coastal States.
- In addition, Fishpond Management (CPS Code 399) addresses aquatic habitat resource concerns in non-production ponds.
NRCS develops interim conservation practice standards, which serve as a mechanism for testing a new practice in a State. The process to develop interim conservation practices is initiated from the NRCS State Officelevel.
Regarding our question about developing a new NRCS conservation practice for shellfish restoration, the agency reported oyster restoration activities are currently offered as practice scenarios under the Restoration of Rare or Declining Natural Communities (CPS Code 643). However, each state office adapts this broad standard to local conditions/regulatory restrictions. It does appear the New Jersey office is actively funding oyster restoration using this conservation practice standard. Please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6zHS57zpBk.
NRCS has offered to meet with interested parties to explain how conservation practice standards and/or practice scenarios are developed. Our question is:
- Are there additional farming practices that sequester greenhouse gases that could be described as a conservation practice standard and then funded through EQIP?
If you are interested in participating in this call and/or have suggestions for conservation practice standards that meet the goals of the Act, please let us know by emailing naa@thenaa.net.
Final note: We suspect USDA will have to either write rule or develop policy to implement the Inflation Reduction Act provisions especially the provision where NRCS is to collect field data to assess effectiveness. Meaning we should have the time to work on this effort.
Recent Comments