Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/1833

 12 2 STA T . 1 8 1 0PUBLIC LA W 110 – 2 46—J U NE 18, 2008 ben e fitpurs u a ntt o t h e proto c o l re q uire d b y para g raph (2) of subsection (b) for inclusion in the registry required by para - graph ( 3 ) of such subsection has i m plemented the conser v ation or land management activity covered by the report .‘ ‘(2) ROLE O FTHIRDPA RTIE S . —I n establishing the verification guidelines required by paragraph ( 1 ) , the S ecretary shall consider the role of third-parties in conducting inde- pendent verification of benefits produced for environmental services mar k ets and other functions, as determined by the Secretary. ‘‘(d) U SE OF EX ISTI NG INFOR M ATION.—In carrying out subsection (b), the Secretary shall build on activities or information in e x istence on the date of the enactment of the F ood, C onservation, and Energy A ctof2 0 0 8 regarding environmental services markets. ‘‘(e) CONS U LTATION.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consult w ith the following

‘‘(1) Federal and State government agencies. ‘‘(2) N ongovernmental interests including— ‘‘(A) farm, ranch, and forestry producers ‘‘( B ) financial institutions involved in environmental services trading; ‘‘(C) institutions of higher education with relevant expertise or experience; ‘‘( D ) nongovernmental organi z ations with relevant expertise or experience; and ‘‘(E) private sector representatives with relevant exper- tise or experience. ‘‘(3) O ther interested persons, as determined by the Sec- retary. ’ ’. SEC.2710 . AGRI C ULT URE C ON SER V ATION E XP ERIENCE D SERVICES PROGRA M . Subtitle F of title X II of the Food Security Act of 1 9 8 5 is amended by inserting after section 1251 (1 6 U.S.C. 2005a) the following new section: ‘ ‘SEC. 12 5 2. AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION EXPERIENCED SERVICES PROGRAM. ‘‘(a) ESTA B LISHMENT AND P URPOSE.— T he Secretary shall estab- lish a conservation experienced services program (in this section referred to as the ‘ACES Program’) for the purpose of utilizing the talents of individuals who are age 55 or older, but who are not employees of the Department of Agriculture or a State agri- culture department, to provide technical services in support of the conservation-related programs and authorities carried out by the Secretary. Such technical services may include conservation plan- ning assistance, technical consultation, and assistance with design and implementation of conservation practices. ‘‘(b) PROGRAM AGREEMENTS.— ‘‘(1) RELATION TO OLDER AMERI C AN COMMUNIT Y SER V ICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law relating to Federal grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts, to carry out the ACES program during a fiscal year, the Secretary may enter into agreements with nonprofit private agencies and organizations eligible to receive grants for that fiscal year under the Community Service Senior Opportunities Act ( 4 2 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.) to secure participants for the 16USC385 1.

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