Build Back Better Act: Agriculture and Forestry Provisions

Build Back Better Act: Agriculture and Forestry Provisions

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December 7, 2021
Build Back Better Act: Agriculture and Forestry Provisions
Overview
Table 1. Agriculture in the Build Back Better Act
Title I of the House-passed Build Back Better Act (BBBA,
(budget authority in millions, FY2022-FY2031)
H.R. 5376) would increase spending within the House
Agriculture Committee’s jurisdiction by $81.7 billion over
Subtitle of Title I (Agriculture)
Amount
the 10-year period FY2022-FY2031 (Table 1). The
Subtitle B - Forestry
increase in spending, as estimated by the Congressional

Budget Office (CBO), is allowed under budget
National Forest System Restoration
17,100
reconciliation instructions provided in S.Con.Res. 14.
Non-Federal Land Forest Restoration
6,000
In the BBBA, forestry and agricultural conservation
State and Private Forestry Conservation
3,850
programs each would receive about $27 billion to support
climate resilience and wildfire risk mitigation. Rural
Administrative costs
200
development would receive about $18 billion, including
Subtotal
27,150
funding for rural electricity transition to clean energy,
biofuels infrastructure, and rural drinking water.
Subtitle F – Conservation

Economically distressed farm loan borrowers would receive
Additions to farm bill programs
21,077
debt relief, estimated to add $7 billion to an existing $6
billion of debt relief enacted earlier in 2021. Agricultural
Soil Conservation Assistance
5,048
research programs would receive $2 billion, with half for
Conservation Technical Assistance
950
research facilities at universities and half split among an
assortment of research, extension, and education programs.
Subtotal
27,075
These amounts do not include $10 billion of increases in the
Subtitle C, Part 1 - Rural Development

BBBA for child nutrition programs (Title II, Subtitle E) in
Rural Electric Clean Energy Transition
9,700
the jurisdiction of the House Education and Labor and
Senate Agriculture Committees. They also do not include
Rural Energy for America; Biofuels
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58),
Infrastructure; and Rural Energy Savings
3,125
such as $2.9 billion for rural broadband and agricultural
Electric Loans for Renewable Energy
2,880
watersheds and $5.4 billion for the Forest Service.
Rural Water Assistance
1,067
Forestry
Rural Partnership Program; Admin. Costs
1,523
The BBBA would provide $27.15 billion in Subtitle B for
forestry research and forest protection, restoration, post-fire
Subtotal
18,295
recovery, and carbon management activities on federal and
Subtitle C, Part 2 - Agricultural Credit
nonfederal lands (for background, see CRS Report R46312,

Forest Carbon Primer). The funding would include $17.1
Farm debt relief and loan modifications
11,676
billion for management of the National Forest System
(NFS, administered by the Forest Service, is within the U.S.
Offset: rescinding debt relief in P.L. 117-2
-5,029
Department of Agriculture [UDSA]), including funding for
Assistance for underserved farmers
1,384
hazardous fuel reduction and vegetation management; roads
and trails management; forest planning; and other activities.
Offset: rescinding outreach in P.L. 117-2
-1,010
The funding in Subtitle B would include $9.6 billion to
Subtotal
7,021
support grants and other financial assistance for nonfederal
forest management—including funding for urban and
Subtitle D - Research, Urban Agriculture

community forestry—and grants supporting the
Research Facilities Act, and other programs
2,000
development and application of innovative wood products.
The funding in Subtitle B also would include $300 million
Subtitle E – Miscellaneous

for forestry research to support activities related to forest
Farm and Food Worker Relief Grants, OIG
205
carbon monitoring and for conducting greenhouse gas life
cycle analyses of domestic wood products, among other
Total
81,746
activities, and $200 million for administrative expenses.
Source: CRS, using CBO, “Estimated Budgetary Effects of Title I
(Agriculture), H.R. 5376 as modified by Rules Committee Print 117-
18,” Nov. 15, 2021, Rules Committee Print 117-18, and P.L. 117-2 .
https://crsreports.congress.gov

Build Back Better Act: Agriculture and Forestry Provisions
Notes: Sorted by amount and subtitle. Subtitle A is definitions only.
governments, with higher amounts going to areas with
lower populations and lower income. Applicants would be
Conservation
required to contribute a nonfederal match of 25%. The other
The BBBA would provide over $21 billion in additional
$97 million would be for Rural Prosperity Innovation
funding for existing farm bill conservation programs, such
Grants for nonprofits and institutions of higher education
as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program ($9.0
serving rural areas. Applicants would be required to
billion), Conservation Stewardship Program ($4.1 billion),
contribute a nonfederal match of 20% of the grant amount.
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program ($1.7 billion),
and Regional Conservation Partnership Program ($7.5
Agricultural Credit
billion). These programs provide financial and technical
The BBBA would replace the farm loan debt forgiveness
assistance to private landowners to voluntarily implement
program in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA; P.L.
conservation practices on agricultural land (see CRS Report
117-2), which the courts have blocked because the relief
R40763, Agricultural Conservation: A Guide to Programs).
was found to be race-based and not narrowly tailored to
Program funds would be directed to climate change-related
meet a compelling state interest (see CRS Legal Sidebar
goals. Additional funding would be provided for
LSB10631, The American Rescue Plan Act: Equal
conservation technical assistance ($200 million), Regional
Protection Challenges). The BBBA provision is tailored to
Climate Hub activities ($50 million), carbon sequestration
economically distressed borrowers and does not appear to
quantification programs ($600 million), and administrative
be based on race. The CBO estimates that the BBBA plan
expenses ($100 million). The BBBA also would create a
would provide $11.7 billion of debt reduction ($10.7 billion
new $5 billion soil conservation program that incentivizes
for USDA direct loan debt forgiveness—either in full or up
cover crop planting. Payments would be made to producers
to $150,000 per borrower to be reduced by coronavirus and
and landowners for establishing one or more cover crops on
market facilitation program payments in 2018-2020—and
up to 1,000 acres annually through the 2026 crop year.
$1 billion of loan modifications to direct and guaranteed
farm loans). The BBBA would replace other ARPA
Rural Development and Energy
assistance for socially disadvantaged groups and reallocate
it with $1.4 billion for underserved farmers. These BBBA
Rural Water
provisions would add $7 billion to the $6 billion repurposed
The BBBA would provide $970 million for grants to
from the ARPA after being rescinded and used as an offset.
support projects that replace service lines containing lead.
The USDA Water and Waste Disposal (WWD) Program
Research and Urban Agriculture
and the USDA WWD Grants to Alleviate Health Risks
The BBBA would provide $1 billion for competitive grants
Program would administer these grants. The BBBA would
for the construction or improvement of agricultural research
provide $97 million in additional funding for grants for
facilities at 1890 (historically Black) and 1994 (tribal) land-
water systems in persistent poverty counties, insular areas,
grant institutions, as well as certain other minority-serving
tribal areas, and colonias. The USDA WWD Program, the
colleges and universities. It also would provide $855
USDA WWD Grants to Alleviate Health Risks Program,
million for climate-related agricultural research, education,
and the USDA WWD Program for Alaskan Native Villages
and extension under a variety of existing programs
would administer these grants.
(including, for the first time, $30 million for the Agriculture
Advanced Research and Development Authority; 7 U.S.C.
Biofuels and Rural Energy Programs
§3319k); $130 million for scholarship programs for
The BBBA would provide over $15 billion for rural energy
students at 1890 Institutions, tribal students, and
and biofuel efforts. This would include $9.7 billion for a
multicultural students; $10 million for the Office of Urban
new initiative, USDA Assistance for Rural Electric
Agriculture and Innovative Production (7 U.S.C. §6923);
Cooperatives, which would give financial assistance to
and $5 million for the Census of Agriculture.
eligible entities for purchase of renewable energy,
renewable energy systems, and carbon capture and storage
Farm and Food Worker Relief Grants
systems or to make energy efficiency improvements, among
The BBBA would provide $200 million in additional
other things. The bill includes $2.9 billion for loans for
funding for the Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant
electricity storage projects and $2 billion for the Rural
Program that was created with $665 million in the FY2021
Energy for America Program (REAP), $303 million of
appropriation (P.L. 116-260). These grants would provide
which would be for underutilized renewable energy
COVID-19 assistance to frontline grocery workers.
technologies. REAP provides financial assistance for
renewable energy systems and energy efficiency
Oversight
improvements. The BBBA also would provide $960 million
The USDA Office of Inspector General would receive $5
for grants for biofuel infrastructure projects (e.g., installing
million.
fuel pumps that dispense certain biofuel blends).
Jim Monke, Specialist in Agricultural Policy
Rural Business
Lisa S. Benson, Analyst in Agricultural Policy
The BBBA would provide $970 million to create the Rural
Kelsi Bracmort, Specialist in Natural Resources and
Prosperity Program, which would provide grants for rural
Energy Policy
communities to enhance job growth and economic
resiliency. Within this program, $873 million would be for
Genevieve K. Croft, Specialist in Agricultural Policy
Rural Prosperity Development Grants for states and tribal
Katie Hoover, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy
https://crsreports.congress.gov

Build Back Better Act: Agriculture and Forestry Provisions

IF11988
Megan Stubbs, Specialist in Agricultural Conservation and
Natural Resources Policy

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