Request for Public Input About Implementation of the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative and the National Water Quality Initiative, 14326-14327 [2023-04762]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 8, 2023 / Notices
program that currently operates through
1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Universities
in every state, the District of Columbia,
and the six U.S. territories. The program
uses education to support participants’
efforts towards self-sufficiency,
nutritional health, and well-being.
EFNEP combines hands-on learning,
applied science, and program data to
ensure program effectiveness, efficiency,
and accountability. The evaluation
processes of EFNEP remain consistent
with the requirements of Congressional
legislation and OMB and supports the
reporting requirements requested in the
Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993 (GPRA) (Pub. L. 103–62),
the Federal Activities Inventory Reform
Act of 1998 (FAIR Act) (Pub. L. 105–
270), and the Agricultural, Research,
Extension and Education Reform Act of
1998 AREERA) (Pub. L. 105–185).
Need and Use of the Information: The
National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) will collect
information using Web-Based Nutrition
Education Evaluation and Reporting
System (WebNEERS), which is an
integrated database system that stores
information on: (1) programmatic
results: (A) adult program participants,
their family structure and dietary
practices; (B) youth group participants;
and (C) staff; and (2) programmatic
plans (D) annual budget; and (E) annual
program plans. NIFA would be unable
to compare, assess, and analyze the
effectiveness and the impact of EFNEP
without the annual collection of data.
Description of Respondents: State,
local or Tribal government.
Number of Respondents: 76.
Frequency of Responses:
Recordkeeping; Reporting: Annually.
Total Burden Hours: 14,744.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023–04742 Filed 3–7–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–09–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
[Docket ID NRCS–2023–0004]
Request for Public Input About
Implementation of the Mississippi
River Basin Healthy Watersheds
Initiative and the National Water
Quality Initiative
Natural Resources
Conservation Service, USDA.
ACTION: Request for information.
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:48 Mar 07, 2023
Jkt 259001
The Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) requests
public input for NRCS to use in refining
the Mississippi River Basin Healthy
Watershed Initiative (MRBI) and the
National Water Quality Initiative
(NWQI) to better protect and improve
water quality. NRCS also requests
comments on how we can streamline
and improve MRBI and NWQI to
increase efficiencies and expand access
for underserved communities and
producers. Finally, NRCS requests
comments on how we can engage with
partners to provide technical assistance
for MRBI and NWQI implementation.
This effort will help NRCS identify and
prioritize improvements to MRBI and
NWQI starting in fiscal year (FY) 2024.
DATES: We will consider comments that
we receive by April 7, 2023. Comments
received after that date will be
considered to the extent possible.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to send
comments in response to this notice.
You may send comments through the
method below:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for Docket ID NRCS–2023–0004. Follow
the online instructions for submitting
comments.
All comments received, including
those received by mail, will be posted
without change and will be publicly
available on https://www.regulations.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
identify critical treatment needs. Both
initiatives are conducted under
authorities that permit NRCS to identify
and target opportunities to address
priority resource concerns.
MRBI initially focused on a broad
range of issues in the Mississippi River
basin, including water quantity and
wildlife habitat. The 2008 HTF action
plan prioritized developing nutrient loss
reduction strategies by states no later
than 2013. Nutrient loss reduction
strategies identify locally appropriate
ways for states to reduce nutrient
contributions to the Mississippi River
and the Gulf of Mexico. MRBI is now
focused on delivering assistance that
aligns with the various state nutrient
reduction strategies. In addition, NRCS
has made MRBI more effective over time
by incorporating watershed assessments
and other improvements.
NWQI was designed to support
watershed plans that address the water
quality concerns being targeted. Starting
in 2017, NRCS improved the
effectiveness of associated plans by
adopting a watershed assessment
framework to ensure that all prioritized
watersheds followed a pathway to
success. In 2019, NRCS worked with
EPA to expand the scope of the
initiative to include source water
protection as a purpose for prioritizing
watersheds.
Request for Input
Background
Maximizing the Value of Public
Feedback
MRBI and NWQI are targeted efforts
to address water quality resource
concerns. In 2009, USDA announced
MRBI as a multiyear partnership effort
with the Mississippi River/Gulf of
Mexico Hypoxia Task Force (HTF), a
Federal and state partnership
established to address excess nutrients
in the Mississippi River and the
associated dead zone in the Gulf of
Mexico. NWQI was initiated in 2012 as
a partnership effort between the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and NRCS to work with states to address
nutrient, sediment, and pathogen water
quality issues that lead to the
impairment of water quality in
agricultural watersheds. MRBI is
delivered in the 12 member states of
HTF, and NWQI is available in all U.S.
states and territories.
Both initiatives operate by increasing
the effectiveness of Farm Bill assistance
within prioritized small watersheds.
Delivery of assistance through the
Environmental Quality Incentive
Program (EQIP) and, in MRBI, the
Conservation Stewardship Program
(CSP) is guided by watershed plans that
Responses to the list of questions in
this notice will assist NRCS in the
delivery of MRBI and NWQI. NRCS
encourages public comment on these
questions and requests any other
information that commenters believe is
relevant to this notice. The feedback
that is most useful to NRCS identifies
specific policies or processes and
includes actionable information, data, or
viable alternatives that meet statutory
goals and requirements. Feedback that
only provides a commenter’s suggestion
for a change but does not contain
specific information on what change
should be considered, how a proposed
change will meet statutory goals and
requirements, or how the change would
improve existing processes is less useful
to NRCS.
To provide comments that will be
most useful to NRCS, commenters
should respond, in as much detail as
possible, to the questions in this notice
by:
• Identifying the NRCS regulation or
policy at issue, providing the Code of
Federal Regulation (CFR) and NRCS
Manual citation where available or
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM
08MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 8, 2023 / Notices
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
applicable (see https://
directives.sc.egov.usda.gov for NRCS
current policy manuals and handbooks);
• Explaining why an NRCS
regulation, policy, form, or program
process should be modified,
streamlined, expanded, or removed, as
well as specific suggestions about how
NRCS can better achieve MRBI and
NWQI objectives and reduce
unnecessary burdens on producers and
partners;
• Providing specific data that
document how the proposed
recommendations would increase
benefits achievable through MRBI and
NWQI; and
• Addressing how NRCS can best
quantify or otherwise obtain and
consider accurate, objective information
and data about outcomes achieved
through MRBI and NWQI.
You may contact us by sending an
email to: SM.NRCS.Landscape
ConservationInitiatives@usda.gov if you
have questions or concerns. Please
specify the docket ID Docket ID: NRCS–
2023–0004 in the subject line.
List of Questions for Commenters
The following list of questions is not
exhaustive. However, it is meant to
assist members of the public in
formulating comments on important
issues NRCS is considering as we
implement MRBI and NWQI. This list is
not intended to restrict the feedback that
members of the public may provide:
(1) How should NRCS improve the
effectiveness of MRBI and NWQI when
addressing water quality concerns?
(2) To effectively deliver water quality
improvement and protection, MRBI and
NWQI require watershed assessments to
guide conservation assistance. How
should NRCS improve the watershed
assessment process to target delivery of
conservation assistance achieved
through MRBI and NWQI?
(3) How can NRCS ensure that MRBI
and NWQI provide the benefits of water
quality conservation to disadvantaged
communities and underserved
producers?
(4) Under the Clean Water Act, water
quality impairments have been removed
from many water bodies in MRBI and
NWQI watersheds, and in-stream
monitoring in many NWQI watersheds
has shown improvements related to
agricultural conservation. How should
NRCS improve and potentially expand
the metrics for the measurement of
outcomes targeted and achieved through
MRBI and NWQI?
Review of Public Feedback
NRCS will use the public’s feedback
to improve its program delivery through
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:48 Mar 07, 2023
Jkt 259001
MRBI and NWQI. This notice is issued
solely for information and programplanning purposes. Public input
provided in response to this notice does
not bind NRCS to any further actions,
including publication of any formal
response or agreement to initiate a
recommended change. NRCS will
consider the feedback and make changes
or process improvements at its sole
discretion. Finally, comments submitted
in response to this notice will not be
considered as petitions for rulemaking
submitted pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(e).
USDA Non-Discrimination Policy
In accordance with Federal civil
rights law and USDA civil rights
regulations and policies, USDA, its
Agencies, offices, and employees, and
institutions participating in or
administering USDA programs are
prohibited from discriminating based on
race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
gender identity (including gender
expression), sexual orientation,
disability, age, marital status, family or
parental status, income derived from a
public assistance program, political
beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior
civil rights activity, in any program or
activity conducted or funded by USDA
(not all bases apply to all programs).
Remedies and complaint filing
deadlines vary by program or incident.
Individuals who require alternative
means of communication for program
information (for example, braille, large
print, audiotape, American Sign
Language, etc.) should contact the
responsible Agency or USDA TARGET
Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and text
telephone (TTY) or dial 711 for
Telecommunications Relay Service
(both voice and text telephone users can
initiate this call from any telephone).
Additionally, program information may
be made available in languages other
than English.
To file a program discrimination
complaint, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, AD–
3027, found online at https://
www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and
at any USDA office or write a letter
addressed to USDA and provide in the
letter all the information requested in
the form. To request a copy of the
complaint form, call (866) 632–9992.
Submit your completed form or letter to
USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–9410 or email: OAC@
usda.gov.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14327
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider, employer, and lender.
Terry Cosby,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–04762 Filed 3–7–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
Request for Nominations to the Task
Force on Agricultural Air Quality
Research
Natural Resources
Conservation Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of request for
nominations to the Task Force on
Agricultural Air Quality Research.
AGENCY:
The Secretary of Agriculture
invites nominations of qualified
candidates to be considered for a 2-year
term on the Task Force on Agricultural
Air Quality Research, typically referred
to as the Agricultural Air Quality Task
Force (AAQTF), established by the
Federal Agriculture Improvement and
Reform Act of 1996 to provide
recommendations to the Secretary of
Agriculture on agricultural air quality
issues. This notice solicits nominations
for membership to AAQTF.
DATES: Nominations due: We will
consider nominations that are
postmarked by May 8, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Submit nominations to Greg
Zwicke, Designated Federal Officer,
Department of Agriculture, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, West
National Technology Support Center,
2150 Centre Avenue, Building A, Suite
314B, Fort Collins, CO 80526; or send
by email to: Greg.Zwicke@usda.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg
Zwicke; telephone: (970) 295–5621;
email: Greg.Zwicke@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
AAQTF Purpose
Section 391 of the Federal Agriculture
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996
(Pub. L. 104–127, 7 U.S.C. 5405)
requires the Chief of the Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
to establish a task force to address
agricultural air quality issues. AAQTF
advises the Secretary of Agriculture on
the role of the Secretary for providing
oversight and coordination related to
agricultural air quality.
The requirements of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. 10.,
apply to AAQTF.
E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM
08MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14326-14327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04762]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
[Docket ID NRCS-2023-0004]
Request for Public Input About Implementation of the Mississippi
River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative and the National Water
Quality Initiative
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA.
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) requests
public input for NRCS to use in refining the Mississippi River Basin
Healthy Watershed Initiative (MRBI) and the National Water Quality
Initiative (NWQI) to better protect and improve water quality. NRCS
also requests comments on how we can streamline and improve MRBI and
NWQI to increase efficiencies and expand access for underserved
communities and producers. Finally, NRCS requests comments on how we
can engage with partners to provide technical assistance for MRBI and
NWQI implementation. This effort will help NRCS identify and prioritize
improvements to MRBI and NWQI starting in fiscal year (FY) 2024.
DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by April 7, 2023.
Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent
possible.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to send comments in response to this notice.
You may send comments through the method below:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRCS-2023-0004. Follow the
online instructions for submitting comments.
All comments received, including those received by mail, will be
posted without change and will be publicly available on https://www.regulations.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
MRBI and NWQI are targeted efforts to address water quality
resource concerns. In 2009, USDA announced MRBI as a multiyear
partnership effort with the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia
Task Force (HTF), a Federal and state partnership established to
address excess nutrients in the Mississippi River and the associated
dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. NWQI was initiated in 2012 as a
partnership effort between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and NRCS to work with states to address nutrient, sediment, and
pathogen water quality issues that lead to the impairment of water
quality in agricultural watersheds. MRBI is delivered in the 12 member
states of HTF, and NWQI is available in all U.S. states and
territories.
Both initiatives operate by increasing the effectiveness of Farm
Bill assistance within prioritized small watersheds. Delivery of
assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)
and, in MRBI, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is guided by
watershed plans that identify critical treatment needs. Both
initiatives are conducted under authorities that permit NRCS to
identify and target opportunities to address priority resource
concerns.
MRBI initially focused on a broad range of issues in the
Mississippi River basin, including water quantity and wildlife habitat.
The 2008 HTF action plan prioritized developing nutrient loss reduction
strategies by states no later than 2013. Nutrient loss reduction
strategies identify locally appropriate ways for states to reduce
nutrient contributions to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.
MRBI is now focused on delivering assistance that aligns with the
various state nutrient reduction strategies. In addition, NRCS has made
MRBI more effective over time by incorporating watershed assessments
and other improvements.
NWQI was designed to support watershed plans that address the water
quality concerns being targeted. Starting in 2017, NRCS improved the
effectiveness of associated plans by adopting a watershed assessment
framework to ensure that all prioritized watersheds followed a pathway
to success. In 2019, NRCS worked with EPA to expand the scope of the
initiative to include source water protection as a purpose for
prioritizing watersheds.
Request for Input
Maximizing the Value of Public Feedback
Responses to the list of questions in this notice will assist NRCS
in the delivery of MRBI and NWQI. NRCS encourages public comment on
these questions and requests any other information that commenters
believe is relevant to this notice. The feedback that is most useful to
NRCS identifies specific policies or processes and includes actionable
information, data, or viable alternatives that meet statutory goals and
requirements. Feedback that only provides a commenter's suggestion for
a change but does not contain specific information on what change
should be considered, how a proposed change will meet statutory goals
and requirements, or how the change would improve existing processes is
less useful to NRCS.
To provide comments that will be most useful to NRCS, commenters
should respond, in as much detail as possible, to the questions in this
notice by:
Identifying the NRCS regulation or policy at issue,
providing the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) and NRCS Manual citation
where available or
[[Page 14327]]
applicable (see https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov for NRCS current
policy manuals and handbooks);
Explaining why an NRCS regulation, policy, form, or
program process should be modified, streamlined, expanded, or removed,
as well as specific suggestions about how NRCS can better achieve MRBI
and NWQI objectives and reduce unnecessary burdens on producers and
partners;
Providing specific data that document how the proposed
recommendations would increase benefits achievable through MRBI and
NWQI; and
Addressing how NRCS can best quantify or otherwise obtain
and consider accurate, objective information and data about outcomes
achieved through MRBI and NWQI.
You may contact us by sending an email to:
[email protected] if you have questions
or concerns. Please specify the docket ID Docket ID: NRCS-2023-0004 in
the subject line.
List of Questions for Commenters
The following list of questions is not exhaustive. However, it is
meant to assist members of the public in formulating comments on
important issues NRCS is considering as we implement MRBI and NWQI.
This list is not intended to restrict the feedback that members of the
public may provide:
(1) How should NRCS improve the effectiveness of MRBI and NWQI when
addressing water quality concerns?
(2) To effectively deliver water quality improvement and
protection, MRBI and NWQI require watershed assessments to guide
conservation assistance. How should NRCS improve the watershed
assessment process to target delivery of conservation assistance
achieved through MRBI and NWQI?
(3) How can NRCS ensure that MRBI and NWQI provide the benefits of
water quality conservation to disadvantaged communities and underserved
producers?
(4) Under the Clean Water Act, water quality impairments have been
removed from many water bodies in MRBI and NWQI watersheds, and in-
stream monitoring in many NWQI watersheds has shown improvements
related to agricultural conservation. How should NRCS improve and
potentially expand the metrics for the measurement of outcomes targeted
and achieved through MRBI and NWQI?
Review of Public Feedback
NRCS will use the public's feedback to improve its program delivery
through MRBI and NWQI. This notice is issued solely for information and
program-planning purposes. Public input provided in response to this
notice does not bind NRCS to any further actions, including publication
of any formal response or agreement to initiate a recommended change.
NRCS will consider the feedback and make changes or process
improvements at its sole discretion. Finally, comments submitted in
response to this notice will not be considered as petitions for
rulemaking submitted pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(e).
USDA Non-Discrimination Policy
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights
regulations and policies, USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees,
and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are
prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family or parental
status, income derived from a public assistance program, political
beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in
any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases
apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by
program or incident.
Individuals who require alternative means of communication for
program information (for example, braille, large print, audiotape,
American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or
USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY) or
dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Service (both voice and text
telephone users can initiate this call from any telephone).
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages
other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA
Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint and
at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in
the letter all the information requested in the form. To request a copy
of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form
or letter to USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20250-9410 or email: [email protected].
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Terry Cosby,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-04762 Filed 3-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P
