Bill · S. 4912· Senate(119-S-4912)
BUFFER Act
- Introduced
- 6/24/2026
- Last activity
- 6/24/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Peter Welch
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience Act, or the BUFFER Act. It was introduced in the Senate by Mr. Welch and Mr. Sanders on June 24, 2026. The legislation amends the Food Security Act of 1985. Its main goal is to clarify what land is eligible to be enrolled in the conservation reserve program. Specifically, it adds a new category of eligible land based on local, State, or Tribal laws and regulations.
Yes· 3 of 8
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+6
By encouraging enrollment of lands subject to environmental and resource-conserving laws into the conservation reserve program, it supports ecological resilience.
Would farmers be better off under this?+6
Farmers and landowners benefit by gaining a clearer pathway to enroll their land into the conservation reserve program under local environmental rules.
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?+5
The bill incentivizes conservation practices on agricultural lands by clarifying eligibility for the conservation reserve program.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Section 2 adds a new provision to allow land to be enrolled in the conservation reserve program if a Tribal, State, or local law, ordinance, or regulation requires a resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice on that land. This is a positive outcome because it helps people enroll their land into the conservation reserve program when local rules require them to use environmental protections.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2 states that land is not eligible for enrollment if the requirement to implement a resource-conserving or environmental protection measure or practice was imposed by an administrative order or a court order. This could be viewed as a negative outcome because it blocks people from enrolling their land in the program if a court or administrative order forced them to follow those environmental rules.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+6Improves Public Land Management+5Improves Rural Development+5Reduces Carbon Emissions+5
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+6Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Native Americans+3
- Governance And Ideology
- Increase States Rights+4
- 6/24/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont