Long-Term Rural Environmental Protection Contracts.—

Sec. 605. Long-Term Rural Environmental Protection Contracts.— Subsection (b) of section 8 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended 49 Stat. 163: 16 U.S.C. 590a, is further amended by adding a new paragraph at the end thereof as follows: “In carrying out the purposes of subsection (a) of section 7, the Secretary may enter into agreements with agricultural producers for periods not to exceed ten years, on such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems desirable, creating obligations in advance of appropriations not to exceed such amounts as may be specified in annual appropriation Acts. Such agreements (i) shall be based on conservation plans approved by the soil and water conservation district or districts in which the lands described in the agreements are situated, and (ii) may be modified or terminated by mutual consent if the Secretary determines such action would be in the public interest. The Secretary also may terminate agreements if he determines such action to be in the national interest and provides public notice in ample time to give producers a reasonable opportunity to make arrangements for appropriate changes in the use of their land.”;