Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration Incentive Act
This bill creates a new USDA program that pays farmers $50-$100 per acre annually for adopting regenerative agriculture practices including cover cropping, no-till farming, and crop rotation that improve soil health and sequester atmospheric carbon.
Discussion (7)
Great proposal. How does this interact with existing state-level regulations?
Small entities should receive different treatment. I propose a tiered approach based on size.
Create tiered requirements by entity size
+ Proposed Text
Section 4(b) amended: "Tiered requirements — Tier 1 (revenue >$50M): 12 months; Tier 2 ($10M-$50M): 24 months; Tier 3 (<$10M): 36 months with technical assistance."
This aligns with what experts have been recommending for years. The evidence base is strong.
This needs a sunset clause. Pass it as a 5-year pilot and evaluate results before making it permanent.
Small entities should receive different treatment. I propose a tiered approach based on size.
Create tiered requirements by entity size
+ Proposed Text
Section 4(b) amended: "Tiered requirements — Tier 1 (revenue >$50M): 12 months; Tier 2 ($10M-$50M): 24 months; Tier 3 (<$10M): 36 months with technical assistance."
I propose adding explicit protections to prevent misuse beyond the original intent.
Add explicit scope limitations
+ Proposed Text
New Section 9: "Nothing herein authorizes action beyond enumerated purposes. Implementing regulations require notice-and-comment rulemaking."
Strong support. The data clearly shows the current approach is failing and we need a new direction.