The Voluntary Groundwater Conservation Act of 2023 creates a new federal program to help protect groundwater resources in areas experiencing significant depletion. The program allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide funding to state and local governments, Indian tribes, and conservation organizations to purchase "groundwater conservation easements"—legal agreements that reduce groundwater pumping on agricultural land while allowing farmers to continue operating. The federal government would cover up to 65 percent of the easement purchase price, with participating entities providing the remaining funding. The bill targets regions with documented groundwater depletion where state or local groundwater monitoring and permitting systems exist, and it requires monitoring mechanisms to track whether agreed-upon reductions in groundwater use are being achieved. The legislation also clarifies that payments received from selling these easements do not count against income limits for certain farm subsidy programs.
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