§ 1410.80 - CLEAR 30 Pilot Program.

§ 1410.80 CLEAR 30 Pilot Program.

(a) Not withstanding § 1410.6(b) and (c), to be eligible under the CLEAR 30 Pilot Program, land must be:

(1) Physically located within a CLEAR 30 Pilot Program area, as announced by CCC;

(2) Devoted to a grass waterway, contour grass strip, prairie strip, filter strip, riparian buffer, wetland restoration practice, or other similar water quality practice that helps reduce sediment loadings, nutrient loadings, and harmful algal blooms; and

(3) Enrolled in CRP, in the final year of the CRP contract period, provided the scheduled expiration date of the current CRP contract is:

(i) On or after December 20, 2018; and

(ii) Before the effective starting date of the new CRP contract.

(b) The contract period for land enrolled under the CLEAR 30 Pilot Program will be 30 years.

(c) In addition to the provisions in § 1410.32 and elsewhere in this part, the CRP contract for land enrolled under the CLEAR 30 Pilot Program will:

(1) Permit repairs, improvements, and inspections on the land that are necessary to maintain existing public drainage systems; and

(2) Prohibit:

(i) Alteration of wildlife habitat and other natural features of the land, unless authorized by CCC and provided for in the conservation plan;

(ii) Mowing or spraying chemicals on the land, unless such action is authorized by CCC to:

(A) Comply with Federal or State noxious weed laws;

(B) Comply with a Federal or State emergency pest management program; or

(C) Meet habitat needs of specific wildlife; and

(iii) Adoption of any other practice or action that would tend to defeat the purpose of CRP.

(d) Land enrolled under the CLEAR 30 Pilot Program may be used for compatible economic uses, including but not limited to hunting and fishing, managed timber harvest, or periodic haying or grazing, provided the use is:

(1) Included in the conservation plan; and

(2) Consistent with the long-term protection and enhancement of the conservation resource for which the land was enrolled.

(e) Notwithstanding § 1410.30, offers for contracts under the CLEAR 30 Pilot Program may be submitted only during a time period, as determined and announced by CCC, and only within the final year of the contract period of the CRP contract under which the land is currently enrolled.

(f) In addition to the provisions in § 1410.52, upon a violation of the terms and conditions of a contract for land enrolled under the CLEAR 30 Pilot Program, CCC may require the participant to refund all or part of any payments received under CRP plus interest and liquidated damages.