Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act

The Pacific Flyway Habitat Enhancement Act would expand the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) under the Food Security Act of 1985. Specifically, it creates a new category called Seasonally Flooded Working Lands Habitat Conservation Agreements. Under this new authority, the Agriculture Secretary, in consultation with state technical committees, can enroll additional agricultural land (including land not currently eligible) if doing so is essential to achieving the habitat goals for wetland wildlife. The bill also allows seasonally flooded uses on working cropland as long as at least one best management practice (BMP) is adopted, and it requires rental payments to be set in a way that is comparable to costs for maintaining similar wetland habitats in the region and to ensure regional consistency. Additionally, the Secretary could waive the usual matching requirement for these agreements. Overall, the bill aims to broaden CREP enrollment to improve habitat for wetland-dependent species along the Pacific Flyway and to provide more flexible, regionally consistent incentives for landowners. Potential impacts include a larger pool of land eligible for CREP, more habitat options on working lands, and potentially greater benefits for migratory waterfowl and other wetland species. It may also affect farmers and landowners through new enrollment options and rental payments, and it could require increased coordination with state technical committees and regional NRCS programs.