SB346: Land conservation practices; information management.


SENATE BILL NO. 346
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources
on January 25, 2010)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Hanger)
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 7 of Chapter 2 of Title 2.2 a section numbered 2.2-220.3, relating to land conservation practices; information management.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 7 of Chapter 2 of Title 2.2 a section numbered 2.2-220.3 as follows:

? 2.2-220.3. Development of strategies to collect land use and conservation information.

The Secretary of Natural Resources, with assistance from the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, shall establish and maintain a database of the critical data attributes for onsite best management practices implemented in the Commonwealth that limit the amount of nutrients and sediment entering state waters. The database shall document voluntary actions taken by the agricultural and silvicultural sectors and should enable the application of the collected data towards projections of progress towards Virginia's water quality goals. To the extent possible or appropriate, the database shall (i) be uniform in content and format to applications in the other states of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, (ii) maintain the confidentiality of information, and (iii) use existing methods of data collection including reports to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, soil and water conservation districts, and localities for the purpose of land use valuation.

2. That the Secretary of Natural Resources, by November 1, 2010, shall submit a report to the General Assembly on the establishment of the database and associated costs and responsibilities for its long-term maintenance.

3. That an emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.

SENATE BILL NO. 346
Offered January 13, 2010
Prefiled January 12, 2010
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Article 2.1 of Chapter 2 of Title 2.2 a section numbered 2.2-203.4, relating to land conservation practices; information management.
Patron-- Hanger

Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Article 2.1 of Chapter 2 of Title 2.2 a section numbered 2.2-203.4 as follows:

§ 2.2-203.4. Development of strategies to collect land use and conservation information.

The Secretaries of Agriculture and Forestry and Natural Resources shall coordinate a strategy to develop a database of acreage in the Commonwealth maintained pursuant to land conservation and on-site best management practices that limit the amount of nutrients and sediment entering the waters of the Commonwealth. The database shall document voluntary actions taken by the agricultural and silvicultural sectors and should be designed to facilitate compliance with any total maximum daily load for the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries imposed pursuant to the Clean Water Act. To the extent possible or appropriate, the database shall (i) be uniform in content and format to applications in the other states of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, (ii) maintain the confidentiality of information, and (iii) use existing methods of data collection including reports to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, soil and water conservation districts, and localities for the purpose of land use valuation.

2.  That the Secretaries of Agriculture and Forestry and Natural Resources, by November 1, 2010, shall submit a report to the General Assembly on the strategy to develop the database and associated costs and responsibilities for its long-term maintenance.