BUFFER Act

Peter Welch

Democrat · VT · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Bernard Sanders (I-VT)Original· 2026-06-24

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

2026-06-24

Source: Congress.gov

Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER Act This bill provides that certain land (that is under state regulations) is eligible to participate under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Under CRP, the Department of Agriculture provides annual payments to agricultural producers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production and install resource-conserving practices. Specifically, land otherwise eligible under the program remains eligible for enrollment even if a tribal, state, or other local law, ordinance, or other regulation requires any resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice. The bill includes an exception that makes the land ineligible under the program if the implementation requirement has been imposed by an administrative order or a court order. Current regulations exclude from enrollment eligibility (with exceptions) land that is subject to tribal, state, or other local laws, ordinances, or other regulations that require any resource-conserving or environmental protection measures or practices.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4912 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4912 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to clarify land eligible for enrollment in the conservation reserve program. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 24, 2026 Mr. Welch (for himself and Mr. Sanders) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to clarify land eligible for enrollment in the conservation reserve program. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act'' or the ``BUFFER Act''. SEC. 2. ELIGIBLE LAND UNDER THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM. Section 1231(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(b)) is amended-- (1) in paragraph (6)(B)(ii), by striking ``or'' at the end; (2) in paragraph (7)-- (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ``as determined by the Secretary,''; and (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(8) land that is otherwise eligible for enrollment and for which a Tribal, State, or other local law, ordinance, or other regulation requires any resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice, unless the requirement to implement such a measure or practice has been imposed by an administrative order or a court order, in which case that land shall not be eligible for enrollment.''. <all>

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