The BUFFER Act would make it easier for farmers to enroll their land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays them to take environmentally sensitive land out of production. The bill would allow land that is subject to state or local environmental regulations to still be eligible for the CRP program, with some exceptions.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
The BUFFER Act would make it easier for farmers to enroll their land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays them to take environmentally sensitive land out of production. The bill would allow land that is subject to state or local environmental regulations to still be eligible for the CRP program, with some exceptions.
Last updated: 12/29/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER Act</strong></p><p>This bill provides that certain land (that is under state regulations) is eligible to participate under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Under CRP, the Department of Agriculture provides annual payments to agricultural producers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production and install resource-conserving practices. </p><p>Specifically, land otherwise eligible under the program remains eligible for enrollment even if a tribal, state, or other local law, ordinance, or other regulation requires any resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice. The bill includes an exception that makes the land ineligible under the program if the implementation requirement has been imposed by an administrative order or a court order.</p><p>Current regulations exclude from enrollment eligibility (with exceptions) land that is subject to tribal, state, or other local laws, ordinances, or other regulations that require any resource-conserving or environmental protection measures or practices.</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
The bill would make land subject to state or local environmental regulations eligible for the CRP program, reversing a current exclusion.
The bill includes an exception that would make land ineligible if the environmental regulations were imposed by a court or administrative order.
The CRP program pays farmers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production and implement conservation practices.
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
This bill would primarily impact farmers and landowners, making it easier for them to receive CRP payments for environmentally sensitive land that is subject to state or local regulations. This could encourage more conservation practices on working lands and provide additional income to farmers.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Agriculture and Food
Related Subjects
Farmland
Lakes and rivers
Land use and conservation
State and local government operations
Water quality
Wetlands
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
5466, 119th Congress (2025). "BUFFER Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-5466
