Administered
by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the program
helps landowners and other eligible entities conserve, restore,
and protect wetlands, productive agricultural lands, and
grasslands at risk of conversion to non-grassland uses. Healthy
wetlands, grasslands, and farmlands sequester carbon and provide
many other natural resource benefits. Today’s funding is made
possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment
in climate action in history.
“Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, we have
additional resources to help fund Agricultural Conservation
Easement Program work to protect lands in conservation
easements,” said USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Chief Terry Cosby. “ACEP continues to be a valuable and
effective conservation tool that provides long-term protection
of our nation’s farmland and wetland resources.”
NRCS accepts applications year-round for ACEP Agricultural Land
Easements (ACEP-ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE).
Interested producers, landowners, and partners should apply by
the next two ranking dates, Oct. 4, 2024, or Dec. 20, 2024, at
their local NRCS office, to be considered for these two
state-led funding cycles. In addition, any application submitted
to NRCS that was unfunded in fiscal year 2024 will be
automatically re-considered during the October 4 funding cycle.
In fiscal year 2025, states will receive Inflation Reduction Act
funding and all eligible applications within a state will
compete. The current ACEP priorities for the Inflation Reduction
Act funding are unchanged from last fiscal year and are
available in all states. Depending on location, NRCS may also
have a state-specific priority. The Inflation Reduction Act
funding is in addition to the funding authorized and available
under the Farm Bill.
For ACEP-ALE, NRCS is currently prioritizing securing:
• Grasslands in areas of highest risk for conversion to
non-grassland uses to prevent the release of soil carbon stores.
• Agricultural lands under threat of conversion to
non-agricultural uses.
• State-specific priorities including rice cultivation on
subsiding highly organic soils.
For ACEP-WRE, NRCS is currently prioritizing:
• Land with soils high in organic carbon.
• Eligible lands that will be restored to and managed as
forests, such as bottomland hardwood forests.
• Eligible lands in existing forest cover that will be managed
as forests.
• Several geographically specific priorities (i.e., former
cranberry bogs, wet meadows, and ephemeral wetlands in grassland
ecosystems).
The Inflation Reduction Act included $1.4 billion in additional
funding for ACEP over five years and revised ACEP authority,
providing funding for easements that will maximize the
reduction, capture, avoidance, or sequestration of greenhouse
gas emissions. The fiscal year 2025 authorized amount for the
Inflation Reduction Act funding for ACEP is $500 million.
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ACEP is also a covered program in the President’s
Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall
benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy and other
investment areas flow to disadvantaged communities that are
marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
NRCS is streamlining ACEP, to ensure that the program is easier and
more convenient to utilize, and to strengthen Inflation Reduction
Act implementation. Specifically, NRCS is streamlining ACEP
appraisals and land surveys, and certifying eligible entities who
help NRCS and producers enroll land into agricultural land
easements. For more information, see our fact sheet, ACEP and the
Inflation Reduction Act.
This year’s announcement builds on last year’s investments. on March
13, 2024, NRCS announced an investment of about $138 million of
financial assistance from the Inflation Reduction Act in 138 new
climate-smart conservation easements, through which farmers and
ranchers are conserving wetlands, grasslands, and prime farmlands.
NRCS will provide additional information regarding funding and
sign-up opportunities for the Inflation Reduction Act funding
available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program,
Conservation Stewardship Program, and Regional Conservation
Partnership Program (RCPP) for fiscal year 2025 in the near future.
More Information
To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local
USDA Service Center. Producers can also apply for NRCS programs,
manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print
conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you
don’t have an account, sign up today.
For more than 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers,
ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations
and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water,
soil, and wildlife habitat. NRCS uses the latest science and
technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural
economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture.
NRCS provides one-on-one, personalized advice and financial
assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals
through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. Now, with
additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, NRCS is working
to get even more conservation practices on the ground while ensuring
access to programs for all producers. For more information, visit
nrcs.usda.gov.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive
ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming
America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local
and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers,
ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all
communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers
and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices,
making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy
capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the
Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce
more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
[Aaron Patrick
State Public Affairs Specialist
USDA NRCS Illinois] |