(a) (1) The General Assembly finds and declares that agriculturally related nonpoint sources of water pollution may potentially contribute to the degradation of the water resources of this State and that prevention and control efforts have been hampered because of the cost and lack of income producing potential in many agricultural practices designed to protect water quality. (2) To assist in the implementation of agricultural practices which minimize water pollution from erosion, animal wastes, nutrients, and agricultural chemicals and to address the water pollution impacts of agriculture, a cost sharing program between the State and eligible applicants is established for the public benefit. (b) The cost sharing program established under this subtitle shall be implemented in conjunction with the "Agricultural Water Quality Management Program for the Control of Sediment and Animal Wastes" of the State Soil Conservation Committee as well as other State and local programs to control water pollution. (c) The Department may not prohibit or limit, through any cost-share agreement, a participant in the cost sharing program established under this subtitle from participating in and receiving compensation from greenhouse gas markets, carbon credits, or soil carbon programs, if the purpose of the compensation is to achieve additional conservation benefits that are consistent with the State's Chesapeake Bay conservation goals. (d) The Department may enter into partnerships, through formal contracts or memoranda of understanding, with private sector organizations with experience in carbon offset markets or programs in order to: (1) Create statewide or regional partnerships for the purpose of minimizing the costs and maximizing the benefits of voluntary enrollment of farmland in carbon offset market programs; and (2) Assist private landowners with the aggregation of projects to make the projects more saleable in carbon offset market programs.
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