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![handle is hein.crs/goveeyc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: C o g e s o a R e ea c S erv k
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December 7, 2021
Build Back Better Act: Agriculture and Forestry Provisions
Overview
Title I of the House-passed Build Back Better Act (BBBA,
H.R. 5376) would increase spending within the House
Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction by $81.7 billion over
the 10-year period FY2022-FY2031 (Table 1). The
increase in spending, as estimated by the Congressional
Budget Office (CBO), is allowed under budget
reconciliation instructions provided in S.Con.Res. 14.
In the BBBA, forestry and agricultural conservation
programs each would receive about $27 billion to support
climate resilience and wildfire risk mitigation. Rural
development would receive about $18 billion, including
funding for rural electricity transition to clean energy,
biofuels infrastructure, and rural drinking water.
Economically distressed farm loan borrowers would receive
debt relief, estimated to add $7 billion to an existing $6
billion of debt relief enacted earlier in 2021. Agricultural
research programs would receive $2 billion, with half for
research facilities at universities and half split among an
assortment of research, extension, and education programs.
These amounts do not include $10 billion of increases in the
BBBA for child nutrition programs (Title II, Subtitle E) in
the jurisdiction of the House Education and Labor and
Senate Agriculture Committees. They also do not include
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58),
such as $2.9 billion for rural broadband and agricultural
watersheds and $5.4 billion for the Forest Service.
Forestry
The BBBA would provide $27.15 billion in Subtitle B for
forestry research and forest protection, restoration, post-fire
recovery, and carbon management activities on federal and
nonfederal lands (for background, see CRS Report R46312,
Forest Carbon Primer). The funding would include $17.1
billion for management of the National Forest System
(NFS, administered by the Forest Service, is within the U.S.
Department of Agriculture [UDSA]), including funding for
hazardous fuel reduction and vegetation management; roads
and trails management; forest planning; and other activities.
The funding in Subtitle B would include $9.6 billion to
support grants and other financial assistance for nonfederal
forest management-including funding for urban and
community forestry-and grants supporting the
development and application of innovative wood products.
The funding in Subtitle B also would include $300 million
for forestry research to support activities related to forest
carbon monitoring and for conducting greenhouse gas life
cycle analyses of domestic wood products, among other
activities, and $200 million for administrative expenses.
Table 1. Agriculture in the Build Back Better Act
(budget authority in millions, FY2022-FY203 I)
Subtitle of Title I (Agriculture) Amount
Subtitle B - Forestry
National Forest System Restoration
Non-Federal Land Forest Restoration
State and Private Forestry Conservation
Administrative costs
Subtotal
Subtitle F - Conservation
Additions to farm bill programs
Soil Conservation Assistance
Conservation Technical Assistance
Subtotal
Subtitle C, Part I - Rural Development
Rural Electric Clean Energy Transition
Rural Energy for America; Biofuels
Infrastructure; and Rural Energy Savings
Electric Loans for Renewable Energy
Rural Water Assistance
Rural Partnership Program; Admin. Costs
Subtotal
Subtitle C, Part 2 - Agricultural Credit
Farm debt relief and loan modifications
Offset: rescinding debt relief in P.L. 117-2
Assistance for underserved farmers
Offset: rescinding outreach in P.L. 117-2
Subtotal
Subtitle D - Research, Urban Agriculture
Research Facilities Act, and other programs
Subtitle E - Miscellaneous
Farm and Food Worker Relief Grants, OIG
17,100
6,000
3,850
200
27,150
21,077
5,048
950
27,075
9,700
3,125
2,880
1,067
1,523
18,295
11,676
-5,029
1,384
-1,010
7,021
2,000
205
Total 81,746
Source: CRS, using CBO, Estimated Budgetary Effects of Title I
(Agriculture), H.R. 5376 as modified by Rules Committee Print 117-
18, Nov. 15, 2021, Rules Committee Print 117-18, and P.L. 117-2 .
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