119th Congress (2025-2026)

HR 4636

SOIL Act

Introduced

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Official source

Chamber

House

Session

119th Congress (2025-2026)

Jurisdiction

US Congress

Bill overview

The Saving Our Interconnected Lives Act (SOIL Act) amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage agricultural practices that benefit both soil health and wildlife habitat. It increases payments to farmers participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program for projects addressing soil and wildlife resource concerns. The bill also adjusts how applications are evaluated and ranked to prioritize projects that benefit both soil and wildlife, and defines ‘co-benefit activities’ as those that improve wildlife habitat and sequester carbon.

Key provisions

Increases payments for practices benefiting both soil and wildlife habitat in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
Expands the list of eligible practices under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to include a wider range of soil and wildlife conservation techniques.
Revises the evaluation and prioritization of applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to prioritize projects addressing both soil and wildlife concerns.
Modifies the Conservation Stewardship Program to give greater weight to projects addressing both soil and wildlife habitat.
Defines ‘co-benefit activities’ as conservation practices that improve wildlife habitat and sequester carbon.
Clarifies the administration of the Conservation Stewardship Program to focus on resource-conserving practices.
Updates the Food Security Act to align with the expanded practices and evaluation criteria.

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Legislative history

2025-07-23House

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

2025-07-23

Introduced in House

2025-07-23

Introduced in House

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Jul 23, 2025XMLView source

119th CONGRESS — 1st Session

H. R. 4636

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

A BILL

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage practices that benefit both soil and wildlife habitat by increasing payments to producers for such practices under the environmental quality incentives program and the conservation stewardship program, and for other purposes.

1.Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Saving Our Interconnected Lives Act

or the

SOIL Act

2.Environmental Quality Incentives Program

(a)Increased payments for certain practices relating to soil and wildlife habitat

Section 1240B(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(8)Increased payments for practices that benefit both soil and wildlife habitatNotwithstanding paragraph (2), the Secretary shall provide payment to producers at 90 percent of the cost associated with planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or training for performing a practice that simultaneously benefits both soil and wildlife habitat for projects identified by the Secretary as addressing both soil and wildlife habitat resource concerns, including practices that—

(A)

achieve alley cropping;

(B)

apply conservation cover;

(C)

apply contour buffer strips;

(D)

enhance or restore wetlands;

(E)

establish filter strips;

(F)

establish permanent vegetation to stabilize critical areas;

(G)

establish riparian herbaceous cover;

(H)

establish trees and shrubs;

(I)establish wildlife habitat plantings;

(J)

establish windbreaks;

(K)

implement field borders;

(L)

implement hedgerow planting;

(M)

implement riparian forest buffers;

(N)

improve forest stands;

(O)

manage forage harvest;

(P)

manage harvest of vegetation with grazing;

(Q)

manage or establish stands of trees or shrubs in coordination with the management of understory plants or nontimber forest products;

(R)

manage pest and environmental impacts;

(S)

manage residue and tillage management through no-till or reduced till;

(T)

manage seasonal water for wildlife;

(U)

manage upland and wetland habitat;

(V)

plant cover crops;

(W)

plant grassed waterways;

(X)

plant stripcrops;

(Y)

restore rare or declining natural communities; and

(Z)

rotate crops.

(b)Establishment and administrationSection 1240B(f)(2)(B) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(f)(2)(B)) is amended by striking practices benefitting wildlife habitat under subsection (g) and inserting practices within projects that address a habitat resource concern.

(c)Evaluation and prioritization of applicationsSection 1240C(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–3(b)) is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (3), by striking and at the end;

(2)

in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and; and

(3)by adding at the end the following:

(5)that are developed for the purpose of addressing both a soil and wildlife habitat resource concern.

3.Conservation stewardship program

(a)Evaluation and ranking of stewardship contract offersSection 1240K(b)(1)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–23(b)(1)(A)) is amended—

(1)

in clause (ii), by striking and at the end;

(2)

by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and

(3)

by inserting after clause (ii) the following:

(iii)the degree to which the project addresses both soil and wildlife habitat resource concerns; and

(b)Supplemental payments for resource-Conserving crop rotations, advanced grazing management, and co-Benefit activities for soil and wildlifeSection 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)) is amended—

(1)

in the section heading, by striking and advanced grazing management and inserting , advanced grazing management, and co-benefit activities for soil and wildlife;

(2)

in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following:

(D)Co-benefit activityThe term co-benefit activity means a conservation activity that—

(i)

addresses both soil and wildlife habitat resource concerns; and

(ii)

if implemented—

(I)

improves habitat for wildlife; and

(II)

increases carbon sequestration in the soil and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

;

(3)

in paragraph (2)—

(A)

in subparagraph (A), by striking or at the end;

(B)

in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; or; and

(C)

by adding at the end the following:

(C)co-benefit activities.

; and

(4)

in paragraph (3), by striking or advanced grazing management and inserting , advanced grazing management, or co-benefit activities.

HR 4636

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