,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fhba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ad1 #bjbc,ms4 ,kaptur 7for herself and ,mr4 ,gallagher7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe to establish a pilot program that focuses ,department of ,agriculture conservation funding on reducing the most problematic nutrients in the highest-impact areas1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the ,great ,lakes1 the ,chesapeake ,bay1 and other water bodies of national significance are integral to the health and wealth of millions of ,americans2 7#b7 excessive loading of nutrients in these water bodies leads to eutrophication1 harmful algal blooms1 and dead zones that threaten human health and adversely impact fish and wildlife resources1 tourism1 and industry2 7#c7 the ,federal ,government1 ,state and local governments1 non-profit organizations1 and private entities have expended billions of dollars to reduce nutrient loading in the ,great ,lakes1 the ,chesapeake ,bay1 and other water bodies of national significance2 7#d7 despite the investments described in paragraph 7#c71 harmful algal blooms and dead zones continue to occur in the ,great ,lakes1 the ,chesapeake ,bay1 and other water bodies of national significance2 7#e7 phosphorus1 particularly dissolved reactive phosphorus1 is a primary driver of eutrophication in the ,great ,lakes1 the ,chesapeake ,bay tributaries1 and other water bodies of national significance2 7#f7 targeted1 strategic assistance to producers in agricultural sub-watersheds with high levels of dissolved reactive phosphorus loading has the potential to significantly improve water quality the ,great ,lakes1 the ,chesapeake ,bay1 and other water bodies of national significance2 and 7#g7 the ,natural ,resources ,conservation ,service of the ,department of ,agriculture is well positioned to provide the targeted1 strategic assistance described in paragraph 7#f7 through its conservation programs4 #c4 ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program ,subchapter ,a of chapter #d of title ,,xii of the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #chci;aa et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #abdj;,h-#a4 ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,covered agreement ,the term covered agreement means a contract or agreement under the program or a covered program entered into for purposes of the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program carried out under this section4 7#b7 ,covered program ,the term covered program means the following3 7,a7 ,the agricultural conservation easement program4 7,b7 ,the regional conservation partnership program4 7,c7 ,the conservation stewardship program1 not including the grassland conservation initiative under section #abdj,l-#a4 7,d7 ,the conservation reserve program4 7,e7 ,the programs established by the ,secretary to carry out the ,watershed ,protection and ,flood ,prevention ,act 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja et seq471 except for any program established by the ,secretary to carry out section #ad 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #ajab7 of that ,act4 7#c7 ,eligible activity ,the term eligible activity means a practice1 activity1 agreement1 easement1 or related conservation measure that is available under the statutory authority for the program or a covered program4 7#d7 ,eligible partner ,the term eligible partner means an eligible partner under the regional conservation partnership program established under subtitle ,i4 7#e7 ,priority watershed ,the term priority watershed means a watershed that is-- 7,a7 delineated at the hydrologic unit code level #ab in the ,watershed ,boundary ,dataset managed by the ,united ,states ,geological ,survey2 7,b7 located in an area designated by the ,secretary as a critical conservation area under section #abga;,f2 and 7,c7 designated by a ,federal interagency task force or council1 or other appropriate ,federal interagency group1 as a watershed most in need of phosphorus reduction from agricultural activities to improve water quality in a large body of water of regional1 national1 or international significance4 7b7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out a pilot program1 to be known as the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program1 to maximize reduction of dissolved reactive phosphorus in priority watersheds through the implementation of eligible activities in such watersheds under the program and covered programs in fiscal years #bjbe through #bjca4 7c7 ,action plans 7#a7 ,in general ,using funds made available under this subchapter1 the ,secretary shall select priority watersheds for purposes of the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program and prepare for each priority watershed so selected an action plan to maximize reduction of dissolved reactive phosphorus through implementation of eligible activities in the watershed under the program and covered programs4 7#b7 ,elements ,an action plan prepared under paragraph 7#a7 shall include-- 7,a7 an appraisal of the extent to which each eligible activity available for implementation in the watershed under the program or a covered program is effective at reducing dissolved reactive phosphorus1 based on existing data and analysis2 7,b7 identification of target implementation goals for each eligible activity available for implementation in the watershed under the program or a covered program that is determined by the ,secretary to be effective at reducing dissolved reactive phosphorus2 7,c7 a strategy to monitor and adaptively manage implementation of the action plan1 including implementation of applicable eligible activities1 that-- 7i7 leverages1 to the maximum extent practicable1 ongoing water quality monitoring activities carried out in the watershed by non-profit organizations1 colleges and universities1 and ,federal1 ,state1 and local government agencies2 and 7ii7 provides for the development and validation of integrated1 reliable1 and easy-to-use models for predicting changes in dissolved reactive phosphorus arising from implementation of such eligible activities2 and 7,d7 a strategy for enhanced outreach to identify and recruit eligible partners and producers in the watershed to increase adoption of eligible activities determined to be effective by the ,secretary under subparagraph 7,b74 7d7 ,prioritization ,the ,secretary shall prioritize entering into covered agreements to demonstrate-- 7#a7 non-digester methods to transition from wet manure handling and storage to dry manure handling and storage1 including open solar drying or composting of manure onsite1 conversion of dairy and livestock operations to pasture-based management1 solid separation technologies1 vermifiltration1 and scrape conversion1 provided that such methods do not otherwise result in the discharge or runoff of wastewater with high dissolved phosphorus content into a watershed2 7#b7 methods to reduce dissolved reactive phosphorus inputs to a priority watershed from land characterized by phosphorus-- 7,a7 that has accumulated from prior agricultural land management activities2 and 7,b7 the levels of which exceed agronomic rates2 and 7#c7 strategies to overcome barriers to implementation of methods to reduce dissolve reactive phosphorus inputs to priority watersheds on vacant and leased land4 7e7 ,incentive payments ,notwithstanding any otherwise applicable limitation on payments under the program or a covered program1 during the period described in subsection 7b71 the ,secretary is authorized to make payments to producers and eligible partners under covered agreements in accordance with a graduated scale of payment amounts based on measured1 quantitative reductions in dissolved reactive phosphorus achieved through the implementation of eligible activities under the covered agreements4 7f7 ,interpretation ,nothing in this subsection shall be construed to affect-- 7#a7 the duration authorized for a contract or agreement under the program or a covered program2 7#b7 any contract or agreement entered into under the program or a covered program prior to the date of enactment of the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,act of #bjbc1 including the process or criteria for renewing or extending such a contract or agreement2 or 7#c7 any requirements relating to the program or a covered program for any other purpose for which the program or covered program is implemented4 7g7 ,coordination and consistency 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program1 the ,secretary shall coordinate with relevant ,federal agencies and ,state and local governments4 7#b7 ,action plans ,the ,secretary shall ensure that any action plan prepared for a priority watershed under subsection 7c7 is consistent to the maximum extent practicable with any ,state water quality management plan that includes the priority watershed4 7h7 ,supplement not supplant ,assistance provided under the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program shall supplement1 not supplant1 assistance provided to eligible partners or producers in a priority watershed under the program or a covered program for purposes other than the purposes of the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program4 7i7 ,reports ,the ,secretary shall provide to the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives and to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate-- 7#a7 not later than ,january #a1 #bjbg1 an interim report on implementation of the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program2 and 7#b7 not later than ,june #a1 #bjcb1 a final report on implementation of the ,healthy ,farms ,healthy ,watersheds ,action ,program4 4