H.R. 773

This bill repeals provisions that allow the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to accept and use contributions for public-private partnerships. Specifically, the bill repeals the public-private partnerships allowed under an act commonly known as the Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions Act (the SUSTAINS Act). In addition, the bill allows NRCS to continue to accept nonfederal contributions of funds to certain programs (e.g., the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program) in order to support the purposes of the programs. As background, Congress enacted provisions of the SUSTAINS Act as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Under the SUSTAINS Act provisions, the NRCS may accept contributions of nonfederal funds to support a broad range of conservation programs for the purposes of addressing issues related to climate change, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat improvement, and protection of drinking water sources. NRCS may match these contributions. In addition, those contributing funds may designate the funds for use in a specific program or geographic area.