Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service

Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service agricultural conservation program (including transfers of funds) For necessary expenses to carry into effect the program authorized in sections 7 to 15, 16(a), 16(f), and 17 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act approved February 29, 1936, as amended and supplemented (16 U.S.C. 590g–590o, 590p(a), 590p(f), and 590q), and sections 1001–1004, 1006–1008, and 1010 of the Agricultural Act of 1970, as added by the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1501–1504, 1506–1508, and 1510), and including not to exceed $15,000 for the preparation and display of exhibits, including such displays at State, interstate, and international fairs within the United States, $194,435,000, to remain available until expended (16 U.S.C. 590o), for agreements, excluding administration but including technical assistance and related expenses (16 U.S.C. 590o), except that no participant in the Agricultural Conservation Program shall receive more than $3,500 per year, except where the participants from two or more farms or ranches join to carry out approved practices designed to conserve or improve the agricultural resources of the community, or where a participant has a long-term agreement, in which case the total payment shall not exceed the annual payment limitation multiplied by the number of years of the agreement: Provided, That no portion of the funds for the current year’s program may be utilized to provide financial or technical assistance for drainage on wetlands now designated as Wetlands Types 3 (III) through 20 (XX) in United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Circular 39, Wetlands of the United States, 1956: Provided further, That such amounts shall be available for the purchase of seeds, fertilizers, lime, trees, or any other conservation materials, or any soil-terracing services, and making grants thereof to agricultural producers to aid them in carrying out approved farming practices as authorized by the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended, as determined and recommended by the county committees, approved by the State committees and the Secretary, under programs provided for herein: Provided further, That such assistance will not be used for carrying out measures and practices that are primarily production-oriented or that have little or no conservation or pollution abatement benefits: Provided further, That not to exceed 5 per centum of the allocation for the current year’s program for any county may, on the recommendation of such county committee and approval of the State committee, be withheld and allotted to the Soil Conservation Service for services of its technicians in formulating and carrying out the Agricultural Conservation Program in the participating counties, and shall not be utilized by the Soil Conservation Service for any purpose other than technical and other assistance in such counties, and in addition, on 106 STAT. 891the recommendation of such county committee and approval of the State committee, not to exceed 1 per centum may be made available to any other Federal, State, or local public agency for the same purpose and under the same conditions: Provided further, That for the current year’s program $2,500,000 shall be available for technical assistance in formulating and carrying out rural environmental practices: Provided further, That no part of any fluids available to the Department, or any bureau, office, corporation, or other agency constituting a part of such Department, shall be used in the current fiscal year for the payment of salary or travel expenses of any person who has been convicted of violating the Act entitled “An Act to prevent pernicious political activities’ approved August 2, 1939, as amended, or who has been found in accordance with the provisions of title 18 U.S.C. 1913 to have violated or attempted to violate such section which prohibits the use of Federal appropriations for the payment of personal services or other expenses designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress to favor or oppose any legislation or appropriation by Congress except upon request of any Member or through the proper official channels: Provided further, That not to exceed $15,000,000 of the amount appropriated shall be used for water quality payments and practices in the same manner as permitted under the program for water quality authorized in chapter 2 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838 et seq.). forestry incentives program For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, to carry out the program of forestry incentives, as authorized in the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2101), including technical assistance and related expenses, $12,446,000, to remain available until expended, as authorized by that Act. water bank program For necessary expenses to carry into effect the provisions of the Water Bank Act (16 U.S.C. 1301–1311), $18,620,000, to remain available until expended. emergency conservation program For necessary expenses to carry into effect the program authorized in sections 401, 402, and 404 of title IV of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201–2205), $3,000,000, to remain available until expended, as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 2204. colorado river basin salinity control program For necessary expenses for carrying out a voluntary cooperative salinity control program pursuant to section 202(c) of title II of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1592(c)), to be used to reduce salinity in the Colorado River and to enhance the supply and quality of water available for use in the United States and the Republic of Mexico, $13,783,000, to remain available until expended (7 U.S.C. 2209b), to be used for investigations and surveys, for technical assistance in developing conservation practices and in the preparation of salinity control plans, for the establishment of on-farm irrigation management sys-106 STAT. 892tems, including related lateral improvement measures, for making cost-share payments to agricultural landowners and operators, Indian tribes, irrigation districts and associations, local governmental and nongovernmental entities, and other landowners to aid them in carrying out approved conservation practices as determined and recommended by the county ASC committees, approved by the State ASC committees and the Secretary, and for associated costs of program planning, information and education, and program monitoring and evaluation: Provided, That the Soil Conservation Service shall provide technical assistance and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service shall provide administrative services for the program, including but not limited to, the negotiation and administration of agreements and the disbursement of payments: Provided further, That such program shall be coordinated with the regular Agricultural Conservation Program and with research programs of other agencies. conservation reserve program (including transfers of funds) For necessary expenses to carry out the conservation reserve program pursuant to the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831–3845), $1,578,517,000, to remain available until expended, to be used for Commodity Credit Corporation expenditures for cost-share assistance for the establishment of conservation practices provided for in approved conservation reserve program contracts, for annual rental payments provided in such contracts, and for technical assistance: Provided, That none of the funds in this Act may be used to enter into new contracts that are in excess of the prevailing local rental rates for an acre of comparable land.