AMENDMENTS TO SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES CONSERVATION ACT OF 1977.

SEC. 2804. AMENDMENTS TO SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES CONSERVATION ACT OF 1977.(a) Congressional Findings.—Section 2 of the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 (16 U.S.C. 2001) is amended—(1) in paragraph (2), by striking “base, of the” and inserting “base of the”; and(2) in paragraph (3), by striking “(3)” and all that follows through “Since individual” and inserting the following:“(3) Appraisal and inventory of resources, assessment and inventory of conservation needs, evaluation of the effects of conservation practices, and analyses of alternative approaches to existing conservation programs are basic to effective soil, water, and related natural resource conservation.“(4) Since individual”.(b) Continuing Appraisal of Soil, Water, and Related Resources.—Section 5 of the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 (16 U.S.C. 2004) is amended—(1) in subsection (a)—(A) in paragraph (5), by striking “and” at the end;(B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and122 STAT. 1087(C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:“(7) data on conservation plans, conservation practices planned or implemented, environmental outcomes, economic costs, and related matters under conservation programs administered by the Secretary.”;(2) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e);(3) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new subsection:“(d) Evaluation of Appraisal.—In conducting the appraisal described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall concurrently solicit and evaluate recommendations for improving the appraisal, including the content, scope, process, participation in, and other elements of the appraisal, as determined by the Secretary.”; and(4) in subsection (e), as redesignated by paragraph (2), by striking the first sentence and inserting the following: “The Secretary shall conduct comprehensive appraisals under this section, to be completed by December 31, 2010, and December 31, 2015.”.(c) Soil and Water Conservation Program.—Section 6 of the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 (16 U.S.C. 2005) is amended—(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (d);(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new subsections:“(b) Evaluation of Existing Conservation Programs.—In evaluating existing conservation programs, the Secretary shall emphasize demonstration, innovation, and monitoring of specific program components in order to encourage further development and adoption of practices and performance-based standards.“(c) Improvement to Program.—In developing a national soil and water conservation program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall solicit and evaluate recommendations for improving the program, including the content, scope, process, participation in, and other elements of the program, as determined by the Secretary.”; and(3) in subsection (d), as redesignated by paragraph (1), by striking “December 31, 1979” and all that follows through “December 31, 2007” and inserting “December 31, 2011, and December 31, 2016”.(d) Reports to Congress.—Section 7 of the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 (16 U.S.C. 2006) is amended to read as follows:“SEC. 7. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.“(a) Appraisal.—Not later than the date on which Congress convenes in 2011 and 2016, the President shall transmit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate the appraisal developed under section 5 and completed before the end of the previous year.“(b) Program and Statement of Policy.—Not later than the date on which Congress convenes in 2012 and 2017, the President shall transmit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate—122 STAT. 1088“(1) the initial program or updated program developed under section 6 and completed before the end of the previous year;“(2) a detailed statement of policy regarding soil and water conservation activities of the Department of Agriculture; and“(3) a special evaluation of the status, conditions, and trends of soil quality on cropland in the United States that addresses the challenges and opportunities for reducing soil erosion to tolerance levels.“(c) Improvements to Appraisal and Program.—Not later than the date on which Congress convenes in 2012, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the plans of the Department of Agriculture for improving the resource appraisal and national conservation program required under this Act, based on the recommendations received under sections 5(d) and 6(c).” .(e) Termination of Program.—Section 10 of the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 (16 U.S.C. 2009) is amended by striking “2008” and inserting “2018”.