Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB898 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0898
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 898
8	8	M4, M3 5lr2133
9	9	CF 5lr2132
10	10	By: Senator Love
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 28, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Nutrient Management – Tidal Buffer – Vegetative Buffers and Restriction on 2
19	19	Fertilizer Application 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of altering certain payments received by participants in the Conservation 4
22	22	Reserve Enhancement Program, including by requiring certain payments for 5
23	23	installing certain vegetative buffer practices on land within a certain tidal buffer on 6
24	24	an agricultural operation; authorizing, under certain circumstances and in 7
25	25	accordance with certain technical specifications, that State cost–share funding be 8
26	26	made available for installing certain vegetative buffer practices on land within a 9
27	27	certain tidal buffer on an agricultural operation; establishing that a certain 10
28	28	agricultural operator is eligible for reimbursement up to a certain percentage of the 11
29	29	cost of a certain vegetative buffer practice and to receive certain bonus payments 12
30	30	assessed in a certain manner; prohibiting a nutrient management plan renewed 13
31	31	after a certain date from allowing a person to apply certain fertilizer to land within 14
32	32	a certain tidal buffer; and generally relating to nutrient management on agricultural 15
33	33	land within a tidal buffer. 16
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 17
36	36	Article – Agriculture 18
37	37	Section 8–706 19
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 20
39	39	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 21
40	40
41	41	BY adding to 22
42	42	Article – Agriculture 23
43	43	Section 8–707 and 8–803.10 24
44	44	Annotated Code of Maryland 25
45	45	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 26
46	46
47	47	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 27
48	48	Article – Agriculture 28 2 SENATE BILL 898
49	49
50	50
51	51	Section 8–8A–01(a) and (b) 1
52	52	Annotated Code of Maryland 2
53	53	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 3
54	54
55	55	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
56	56	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5
57	57
58	58	Article – Agriculture 6
59	59
60	60	8–706. 7
61	61
62	62	(a) To maximize participation in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement 8
63	63	Program[, in]: 9
64	64
65	65	(1) IN fiscal years [2023] 2026 through 2031, inclusive, a landowner who 10
66	66	enrolls land planted with a forested streamside buffer shall receive a one–time signing 11
67	67	bonus of up to [$1,000] $1,250 per acre of land enrolled; 12
68	68
69	69	(2) IN FISCAL YEARS 2026 THROUGH 2031, INCLUSIVE, A 13
70	70	LANDOWNER WHO ENROLL S LAND PLANTED WITH A FIXED NATURAL BUFF ER UNDER 14
71	71	§ 8–707 OF THIS SUBTITLE SHA LL RECEIVE A ONE–TIME SIGNING BONUS O F UP TO 15
72	72	$1,500 PER ACRE OF QUALIFYI NG LAND ENROLLED ; AND 16
73	73
74	74	(3) IN FISCAL YEARS 2026 THROUGH 2031, INCLUSIVE, AN 17
75	75	AGRICULTURAL OPERATI ON, INCLUDING LEASED LAN D OPERATORS , WITH LAND 18
76	76	THAT IS LOCATED WITH IN THE CRITICAL AREA AND ENROLLED IN A FIX ED NATURAL 19
77	77	BUFFER PROGRAM UNDER § 8–707 OF THIS SUBTITLE SHA LL RECEIVE AN ANNUAL 20
78	78	PAYMENT OF AT LEAST $150 PER ACRE OF PROJECT AREA. 21
79	79
80	80	(b) Signing bonuses provided under this section shall be funded with: 22
81	81
82	82	(1) Money appropriated under subsection (c) of this section; and 23
83	83
84	84	(2) The amount specified in § 9–1605.2(i)(11)(i) of the Environment Article. 24
85	85
86	86	(c) (1) For fiscal years 2024 through 2031, in each year the Governor shall 25
87	87	appropriate $2,500,000 in the annual State budget to fund FIXED NATURAL BUFFERS 26
88	88	UNDER § 8–707 OF THIS SUBTITLE , tree planting under this section, and other tree 27
89	89	planting programs on agricultural land. 28
90	90
91	91	(2) Money appropriated under this subsection is supplemental to and may 29
92	92	not take the place of funding that would otherwise be appropriated for FIXED NATURAL 30
93	93	BUFFERS UNDER § 8–707 OF THIS SUBTITLE , tree plantings under this section, and 31
94	94	other tree planting programs on agricultural land. 32
95	95	SENATE BILL 898 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	8–707. 1
99	99
100	100	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 2
101	101	INDICATED. 3
102	102
103	103	(2) (I) “FIXED NATURAL BUFFER ” MEANS A STRIP OF MAI NTAINED, 4
104	104	NATIVE VEGETATION AL ONGSIDE A BODY OF WA TER. 5
105	105
106	106	(II) “FIXED NATURAL BUFFER ” INCLUDES THE FOLLOWI NG 6
107	107	FIXED NATURAL FILTER PRACTICES: 7
108	108
109	109	1. THE PLANTING OF RIPAR IAN FOREST BUFFERS ; 8
110	110
111	111	2. THE PLANTING OF RIPARIAN HERBACEOUS COVER ; 9
112	112
113	113	3. TREE PLANTINGS THAT A RE ON AGRICULTURAL 10
114	114	LAND; AND 11
115	115
116	116	4. WETLAND RESTORATION . 12
117	117
118	118	(III) “FIXED NATURAL BUFFER ” DOES NOT INCLUDE PAS TURE 13
119	119	MANAGEMENT , AS DESCRIBED UNDER § 8–701(D)(5) OF THIS SUBTITLE. 14
120	120
121	121	(3) “100–FOOT TIDAL BUFFER ” MEANS ANY LAND WITHI N 100 FEET 15
122	122	OF: 16
123	123
124	124	(I) THE MEAN HIGH WATER L INE OF TIDAL WATERS ; 17
125	125
126	126	(II) THE EDGE OF EACH BANK OF A TRIBUTARY TIDAL STREAM; 18
127	127	OR 19
128	128
129	129	(III) THE LANDWARD BOUNDARY OF A TIDAL WETLAND . 20
130	130
131	131	(B) IN ACCORDANCE WITH TH E TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIO NS ADOPTED BY 21
132	132	THE DEPARTMENT UNDER SUBS ECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION, STATE COST–SHARE 22
133	133	FUNDING MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE TO A PERSO N FOR INSTALLING A F IXED 23
134	134	NATURAL BUFFER WITHI N THE 100–FOOT TIDAL BUFFER ON AN AGRICULTURAL 24
135	135	OPERATION IF THE PER SON ENTERS INTO A CO ST–SHARE AGREEMENT WITH THE 25
136	136	DEPARTMENT IN ACCORDA NCE WITH § 8–704 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 26
137	137
138	138	(C) (1) ON OR BEFORE JULY 1, 2025, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADOP T 27
139	139	TECHNICAL SPECIFICAT IONS FOR A FIXED NAT URAL BUFFER PRACTICE TO BE 28
140	140	ELIGIBLE FOR COST –SHARE FUNDING UNDER THI S SECTION. 29 4 SENATE BILL 898
141	141
142	142
143	143
144	144	(2) THE SPECIFICATIONS AD OPTED UNDER PARAGRAP H (1) OF THIS 1
145	145	SUBSECTION SHALL INC LUDE A REQUIREMENT T HAT THE FIXED NATURA L BUFFER 2
146	146	FILLS THE ENTIRE WID TH OF THE 100–FOOT TIDAL BUFFER . 3
147	147
148	148	(D) (1) AN AGRICULTURAL OPERA TOR WHO ME ETS THE REQUIREMENTS 4
149	149	UNDER SUBSECTION (B) OF THIS SECTION IS E LIGIBLE FOR: 5
150	150
151	151	(I) REIMBURSEMENT OF UP T O 150% OF ELIGIBLE COSTS 6
152	152	TOWARD THE INSTALLAT ION OF THE ELIGIBLE FIXED NATURAL BUFFER ; 7
153	153
154	154	(II) AN UP–FRONT BONUS PAYMENT AWARDED PER ACRE OF 8
155	155	ELIGIBLE LAND COVERED BY THE F IXED NATURAL BUFFER ASSESSED AT A TIERED 9
156	156	RATE DETERMINED BY T HE DEPARTMENT IN ACCORDA NCE WITH PARAGRAPH (2) OF 10
157	157	THIS SUBSECTION ; AND 11
158	158
159	159	(III) AN ANNUAL BONUS PAYME NT PER ACRE OF ELIGI BLE LAND 12
160	160	THAT REMAINS COVERED BY THE FIXED NATURAL BUFFER ASSESSED AT A 13
161	161	STATEWIDE FLAT RATE OF NOT LESS THAN $150 PER ACRE IN ACCORDAN CE WITH § 14
162	162	8–706(A)(3) OF THIS SUBTITLE. 15
163	163
164	164	(2) (I) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVE LOP A TIERED SYSTEM TO 16
165	165	ASSESS THE PER–ACRE RATE OF BONUS P AYMENTS FOR A NEWLY INSTALLED FIXED 17
166	166	NATURAL BUFFER UNDER PARAGRAPH (1)(II) OF THIS SUBSECTION , BASED ON: 18
167	167
168	168	1. THE TYPE OF BEST MANA GEMENT PRACTICE 19
169	169	IMPLEMENTED , ASSIGNING HIGHER VAL UE TO RIPARIAN TREE BUFFERS; 20
170	170
171	171	2. THE ELEVATION OF THE PROJECT; 21
172	172
173	173	3. THE SLOPE OF THE LAND WITHIN THE 100–FOOT 22
174	174	TIDAL BUFFER; AND 23
175	175
176	176	4. THE EXTENT OF ANY HYD RIC SOILS OR WETLAND S IN 24
177	177	THE BUFFER. 25
178	178
179	179	(II) THE BONUS PAYMENTS MA Y NOT BE LESS THAN $1,000 PER 26
180	180	ACRE OR NOT MORE THA N $4,000 PER ACRE. 27
181	181
182	182	8–803.10. 28
183	183
184	184	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 29
185	185	INDICATED. 30 SENATE BILL 898 5
186	186
187	187
188	188
189	189	(2) “AGRICULTURAL OPERATIO N” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 1
190	190	8–8A–01 OF THIS TITLE. 2
191	191
192	192	(3) “FERTILIZER” MEANS ANY COMMERCIAL FERTILIZER, MANURE, 3
193	193	SLUDGE, SOIL CONDITIONER , OR OTHER SUBSTANCE C ONTAINING A RECOGNIZ ED 4
194	194	PLANT NUTRIENT USED FOR ITS PLANT NUTRIE NT CONTENT AND DESIG NED FOR 5
195	195	USE TOWARD , OR CLAIMED TO HAVE V ALUE IN, PROMOTING PL ANT GROWTH . 6
196	196
197	197	(B) A NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN RENEWED ON OR A FTER JULY 1, 2025, 7
198	198	MAY NOT ALLOW A PERS ON ON AN AGRICULTURA L OPERATION TO APPLY 8
199	199	FERTILIZER TO ANY LA ND WITHIN 100 FEET OF: 9
200	200
201	201	(1) THE MEAN HIGH WATER L INE OF TIDAL WATERS ; 10
202	202
203	203	(2) THE EDGE OF EACH BANK OF A TRIBUTARY TIDAL STREAM; OR 11
204	204
205	205	(3) THE LANDWARD BOUNDARY OF A TIDAL WETLAND . 12
206	206
207	207	8–8A–01. 13
208	208
209	209	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 14
210	210
211	211	(b) “Agricultural operation” means each physical site where a person engages in 15
212	212	a business that: 16
213	213
214	214	(1) Grows, raises, keeps, pastures, or otherwise produces a farm product, 17
215	215	including: 18
216	216
217	217	(i) Any agricultural, horticultural, vegetable, or fruit product of the 19
218	218	soil; or 20
219	219
220	220	(ii) Livestock, poultry, eggs, dairy products, nuts, honey, and every 21
221	221	product of a farm, a forest, or an orchard; and 22
222	222
223	223	(2) Has: 23
224	224
225	225	(i) A gross annual income of $2,500 or more; or 24
226	226
227	227	(ii) Eight or more animal units. 25
228	228
229	229	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 26
230	230	1, 2025. 27
231	231