House committee backs expansion of CREP acreage, adjusts water-use rules

The House Committee of the Whole voted to report House Bill 21-11 favorably after floor explanation and brief discussion. The bill would amend the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) rules in Kansas by increasing the statewide acreage cap from 40,000 to 60,000 acres and changing participation rules to make enrollment easier for producers in targeted water-conservation areas.

Representative Black, the bill carrier, told members HB 21-11 would allow additional land-use practices to qualify for CREP, including dryland farming, routine grazing, and limited irrigation where allowed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The bill also reduces prior water-use recording requirements—from pumping an authorized quantity for three of five years to a different, less burdensome standard—and creates flexibility for producers to use limited irrigation to establish native grass stands on sandy soils.

The bill was described as a voluntary, 15-year enrollment that would permanently retire water rights for enrolled acres in exchange for payments; participants would choose whether to enroll and would target high-priority local enhanced management areas and intensive groundwater use areas. Representative Black said about 24,000 acres had been enrolled as of September 2024 and supporters included the Department of Agriculture, the Farm Bureau, Kansas Livestock Association, the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts and The Nature Conservancy. No opponents were reported during the floor explanation.

Representative Featherston offered support on the floor, describing it as a bill that "will improve our water situation in Kansas." Representative Black moved that the committee report HB 21-11 favorably for passage; the motion passed on a voice vote.