The Secretary shall establish a regional conservation partnership program to implement eligible activities on eligible land through—

(1) partnership agreements, including partnership agreements funded through alternative funding arrangements or grant agreements under section 3871c(d) of this title, with eligible partners; and

(2) program contracts with producers.

The purposes of the program are as follows:

To carry out eligible activities to accomplish purposes and functions similar to those of the following programs, as in effect on the day before February 7, 2014:

(A) The agricultural water enhancement program established under section 3839aa–9 [1] of this title.

(B) The Chesapeake Bay watershed program established under section 3839bb–4 1 of this title.

(C) The cooperative conservation partnership initiative established under section 3843 1 of this title.

(D) The Great Lakes basin program for soil erosion and sediment control established under section 3839bb–3 1 of this title.

(2) To further the conservation, protection, restoration, and sustainable use of soil, water (including sources of drinking water and groundwater), wildlife, agricultural land, and related natural resources on eligible land on a regional or watershed scale.

To encourage eligible partners to cooperate with producers in—

(A) meeting or avoiding the need for national, State, and local natural resource regulatory requirements related to production on eligible land, including through alignment of partnership projects with other national, State, and local agencies and programs addressing similar natural resource or environmental concerns; and

(B) implementing projects that will result in the adoption, installation, and maintenance of eligible activities that affect multiple agricultural or nonindustrial private forest operations on a local, regional, State, or multistate basis.

(4) To encourage the flexible and streamlined delivery of conservation assistance to producers through partnership agreements.

(5) To engage producers and eligible partners in conservation projects to achieve greater conservation outcomes and benefits for producers than would otherwise be achieved.

(Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, § 1271, as added Pub. L. 113–79, title II, § 2401, Feb. 7, 2014, 128 Stat. 744; amended Pub. L. 115–334, title II, § 2701, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4592.)