BUFFER Act

Senate Bill

S. 2798

119th Congress

BUFFER Act

In Committee

Introduced:Sep 15, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Elizabeth Warren

Senator

Democratic

MA

Cosponsors

1

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Summary

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for certain land under state or local environmental regulations to be eligible for the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of production and install conservation practices. The bill aims to expand participation in CRP, even when state or local laws require specific environmental protections on the land.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

SponsorElizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Introduced9/15/2025

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

ChamberSenate

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

BUFFER Act

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for certain land under state or local environmental regulations to be eligible for the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of production and install conserv

Community Breakdown

Pass

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Fail

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0 predictions

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for certain land under state or local environmental regulations to be eligible for the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of production and install conservation practices. The bill aims to expand participation in CRP, even when state or local laws require specific environmental protections on the land.

Bill Number: 2798
Sponsor: Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Introduced: 9/15/2025
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Policy Area: Agriculture and Food

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: BUFFER Act
Bill Number: 2798
Sponsor: Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced: 9/15/2025
Summary: The BUFFER Act would make it easier for certain land under state or local environmental regulations to be eligible for the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of production and install conservation practices. The bill aims to expand

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The BUFFER Act would make it easier for certain land under state or local environmental regulations to be eligible for the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of production and install conservation practices. The bill aims to expand participation in CRP, even when state or local laws require specific environmental protections on the land.

Last updated: 12/29/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act or the BUFFER ActThis 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.  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.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.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Allows land subject to state or local environmental regulations to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program, with some exceptions
Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to take sensitive land out of production and implement conservation practices
Expands eligibility for the program, which could increase participation and land under environmental protections

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily impact farmers and landowners in areas with state or local environmental regulations. If passed, more of their land could become eligible for the Conservation Reserve Program, providing them with annual payments to implement conservation practices. This could increase the total acreage of environmentally sensitive land under federal protection.

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

2798, 119th Congress (2025). "BUFFER Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-2798

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