The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) was a
voluntary program offering
landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance
wetlands
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
on their property. The
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and ...
(NRCS) administers the program with funding from the
Commodity Credit Corporation.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 established the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).
ACEP repealed WRP but does not affect the validity or terms of any WRP contract, agreement or easement entered into prior to the date of enactment on February 7, 2014 or any associated payments required to be made in connection with an existing WRP contract, agreement or easement. Codified at 16 USC 3865 et seq.
Establishment
The WRP was established by the 1990
Farm Bill. The 1990 Farm Bill was Senate Bill S.2830 and became Public Law No: 101-624. Amendment S.AMDT.2406 (sponsored by
Senator Robert Kasten) added provisions to the program.
The WRP was repealed in 2014 via the Agriculture Act of 2014, Subtitle B. https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/2642/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22agricultural+act+of+2014%22%2C%22agricultural%22%2C%22act%22%2C%22of%22%2C%222014%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=10
Provisions
Producers enrolling in the program must agree to implement approved wetland restoration and protection plans. In return, participating producers receive payments based on the difference in the value of their land caused by placing an easement on a portion of it. The program reached its authorized enrollment ceiling of before the
2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171) was acted upon. The 2002 legislation reauthorized the program with mandatory funding from the
Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) through FY2007, and set a maximum enrollment ceiling of 2.275 million acres (and with an annual enrollment ceiling of 250,000 acres).
See also
*
Conservation Reserve Program
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a cost-share and rental payment program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the program, the government pays farmers to take certain agriculturally used croplands out of produc ...
*
Farmable Wetlands Program
References
External links
Wetlands Reserve Program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service USDA
{{Wetlands
United States Department of Agriculture
Wetlands of the United States