NRCS Idaho announces application period for Agricultural Conservation Easement Program

BOISE, October 13, 2023 - The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed by the 117^th United States Congress, authorized the use of Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) funds for easements or interests in land most likely to reduce, capture, avoid, or sequester carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide emissions on program-eligible land.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Idaho is accepting applications from agricultural producers and private forest landowners in Idaho for ACEP, which helps producers enroll wetlands, grasslands and farmlands into conservation easements.

For Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the IRA ACEP-Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) priority areas have been expanded beyond grasslands at highest risk in the Working Lands for Wildlife Great Plains grassland biome to the following landscapes:

1. Program-eligible agricultural lands currently classified as grassland or native vegetation (e.g., sagebrush, tall grass prairie) where NRCS has identified a high threat of conversion to a non-grassland use.
2. Program-eligible cropland or grassland where NRCS has identified a high threat of conversion to a non-agricultural use.

The IRA statute prioritizes eligible land that will most reduce, capture, avoid, or sequester carbon dioxide, methane or nitrous oxide emissions. For the FY 2024 IRA ACEP-Wetland Reserve Easement program, the following eligible areas are prioritized:

1. Highly organic soils that will optimize the soil carbon sequestration potential and prevent increased greenhouse gas emissions through the maintenance of existing non-cultivated areas, restoration of previously cultivated areas to perennial vegetative cover, and restoration of the natural hydrology to keep the soils saturated and anaerobic.
2. Prior converted or degraded wetlands that will be restored to native (adapted or alternative) forests (e.g., bottomland hardwood forests)
3. Program eligible, existing forest habitat that will be maintained as forest habitat through an NRCS-approved forest management plan.
4. Approved localized priorities:
   1. Montane wet meadows
   2. Ephemeral wetlands

Idaho will determine eligible applications based on expanded national-level IRA priorities and priority areas. Idaho will use the IRA national ranking criteria to rank all eligible applications. Then, applications will then be sent to national for final determination.

Enrollment Options. IRA ACEP enrollment options available in FY 2024:

• ACEP-ALE General: ACEP-ALE General applications must meet one the following land eligibility categories - Has prime, unique, or other productive soil; Contains historical or archaeological resources; Protects grazing uses and related conservation values; Furthers a state or local government policy consistent with the purposes of the ACEP.
• ACEP-ALE Grasslands of Special Environmental Significance (GSS): Parcels offered for enrollment under GSS must meet all GSS criteria with emphasis on supporting grazing operations, maintaining, and improving plant and animal biodiversity, and protecting grasslands and shrublands under threat of conversion to cropping, urban development, and other non-grazing uses. Offered parcels under GSS must contain 51% or more of GSS qualified land use. Parcels that qualify for GSS are eligible to receive up to 75% Federal share from NRCS.
• ACEP-WRE: Enrollment options include perpetual, 30-years, or 30-year contracts on acreage owned by Indian Tribes.

While NRCS accepts ACEP applications year-round, Idaho producers and landowners should apply by Nov. 13, 2023, to be considered for funding in the current cycle. Applications received after the ranking date will automatically be considered during the next funding cycle.

Find Idaho’s ranking dates for ACEP and other conservation programs at www.nrcs.usda.gov/staterankingdates/. To learn more or apply, please visit your local NRCS Idaho field office, or contact:

• Diane French, NRCS Easement Support Specialist, at Diane.French@USDA.gov or (208) 685-6985;
• Chris Chapa, NRCS Easement Coordinator, at Chris.Chapa@usda.gov or (208) 267-2707, ext. 111;
• Tracie O’Neill, NRCS Easement Coordinator, at Tracie.Oneill@usda.gov or (208) 715-3115.

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