Request for Public Input About Implementation of the Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions Act, 66672-66674 [2024-18348]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 159 / Friday, August 16, 2024 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
project, by title or subject matter; the
name and title of the official making the
decision; how to obtain additional
information; and where and how to file
comments or appeals/objections. The
date the notice is published will be used
to establish the official date for the
beginning of the comment or appeal/
objection period. The newspapers to be
used are as follows:
Forest Service
Malheur National Forest
Newspapers Used for Publication of
Legal Notices by the Malheur National
Forest, Pacific Northwest Region,
Oregon
Malheur National Forest Supervisor,
Blue Mountain District Ranger, and
Prairie City District Ranger decisions:
East Oregonian.
Emigrant Creek District Ranger
decisions: Burns Times Herald.
agency/regulations-policies/commenton-directives.
Christopher French,
Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2024–18353 Filed 8–15–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
Forest Service, Agriculture
(USDA).
ACTION: Notice of newspapers of record.
AGENCY:
This notice updates the
newspapers that will be used by the
Malheur National Forest of the Pacific
Northwest Region to publish legal
notices required under the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR). The
newspaper of record for Malheur
National Forest Supervisor, Blue
Mountain District Ranger, and Prairie
City District Ranger decisions will be
changed from the Blue Mountain Eagle
to the East Oregonian. The intended
effect of this action is to inform
interested members of the public which
newspaper the Forest Service will use to
publish notices of proposed actions and
notices of decision. This will provide
the public with constructive notice of
Forest Service proposals and decisions,
provide information on the procedures
to comment, object or appeal, and
establish the date that the Forest Service
will use to determine if comments or
appeals/objections were timely.
DATES: The list of newspapers will
remain in effect for one year from the
date of publication, when another notice
will be published in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: Sasha Bertel, Regional
Environmental Coordinator, Pacific
Northwest Region, 1220 Southwest
Third Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97204.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laurie Montgomery, Forest
Environmental Coordinator, Malheur
National Forest, by email at
laurie.montgomery@usda.gov or by
phone at 541–820–3800.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
administrative procedures at 36 CFR
214, 218, and 219 require the Forest
Service to publish notices in a
newspaper of general circulation. The
content of the notices is specified in 36
CFR 214, 218, and 219. In general, the
notices will identify the decision or
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
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Jkt 262001
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
We will consider comments that
we receive by September 16, 2024.
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–2024–0014. 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa
Bertelson, telephone: (253) 778–2409;
email: Lisa.Bertleson@usda.gov.
Individuals who require alternative
means for communication should
contact the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (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).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[Docket ID NRCS–2024–0014]
Background
Request for Public Input About
Implementation of the Sustainability
Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize
Natural Solutions Act
In Title I of Division HH of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
(Pub. L. 117–328), section 202, (the
SUSTAINS Act amended section 1241(f)
of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3841(f))). The SUSTAINS Act
authorized NRCS to accept
contributions of non-Federal funds
(contribution account authority) to
support a range of covered existing
conservation programs, as detailed
below.
The original authority for the
contribution account was enacted as
part of the Food, Conservation, and
Energy Act of 2008, and included all
programs authorized under subtitle D of
title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985
except the Conservation Reserve
Program. Due to changes under the
Agricultural Act of 2014, the authority
of the contribution account became
limited to supporting only the
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program and the Conservation
Stewardship Program. The SUSTAINS
Act expanded the authority to include
other conservation programs, including:
• the Agricultural Conservation
Easement Program;
• the Regional Conservation
Partnership Program;
• the Emergency Watersheds
Protection Program;
• the Healthy Forests Reserve
Program; and
Dated: August 13, 2024.
Jacqueline Emanuel,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest
System.
[FR Doc. 2024–18405 Filed 8–15–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources
Conservation Service, USDA.
ACTION: Request for information.
AGENCY:
The Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) requests
public input for USDA to use all
available tools to support climate-smart
agriculture and forestry and advance
conservation priorities on working
lands. The Sponsoring USDA
Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to
Incentivize Natural Solutions Act of
2021 (the SUSTAINS Act) was signed
into law as part of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2023. The
SUSTAINS Act expands USDA’s
authority to accept contributions of
private funds to support existing
conservation programs and provides
additional guidelines for those
contributions. Specifically, the
SUSTAINS Act provides an opportunity
for the private sector to partner with
USDA in engaging farmers and ranchers
in conservation initiatives, including
expanding conservation practices to
sequester carbon, improve wildlife
habitat, protect sources of drinking
water, and address other natural
resource priorities.
SUMMARY:
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DATES:
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 159 / Friday, August 16, 2024 / Notices
• the Watersheds Protection and
Flood Prevention Act programs
(excluding the Watershed Rehabilitation
Program).
Both new and existing covered
programs assist agricultural producers,
landowners, and others with addressing
natural resource concerns. The
SUSTAINS Act also made changes to
the administration of contributed funds,
which allows NRCS the option to match
contributions with program funds and
permits contributors to designate funds
for use in a specific program or
geographic area. In addition, the
SUSTAINS Act includes provisions that
allow contributing entities to prescribe
the terms for owning the entity’s share
of environmental service benefits that
result from funded activities, subject to
the approval of the Secretary. In
implementing the SUSTAINS Act,
NRCS is interested in improving
program delivery by effectively
dedicating the additional funds to
increase outreach and expand access to
underserved producers.
NRCS is requesting comments and
recommendations from the public to
determine how to best allocate private
funds to target specific natural resource
concerns associated with agricultural
production. NRCS will consider the
comments provided in response to this
request when determining the next steps
for implementing the SUSTAINS Act,
which could include a proposed rule.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
List of Questions for Commenters
The following list of questions is not
exhaustive and serves only to assist
members of the public in formulating
comments on some of the most
important issues that NRCS is
considering. Members may provide
feedback about the SUSTAINS Act that
is outside the parameters of the
provided questions. The questions are
not intended to restrict or limit feedback
that members of the public may provide.
Program Prioritization and Initial
Implementation
1. Should USDA actively solicit the
contribution of funds, and if so, how?
2. The SUSTAINS Act identifies
several objectives that can be addressed
through this provision (such as
changing climate, sequestering carbon,
improving wildlife habitat, protecting
sources of drinking water, and
addressing other natural resource
priorities identified by the Secretary).
Should USDA initially prioritize
requesting contributions for specific
natural resource priorities? If so, which
natural resource priorities?
3. Should USDA initially launch a
pilot program to use contributed funds?
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:33 Aug 15, 2024
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If so, what might that pilot program look
like?
4. Are there certain covered programs
that USDA should dedicate
contributions or pilot the program first?
Program Administration
1. The SUSTAINS Act provides
criteria that the Secretary should
consider when determining whether to
accept private funds, such as the source
of funds; any natural resource concerns
to be addressed; consistency with the
Secretary’s priorities; and ‘‘other factors
determined by the Secretary to be
relevant’’ (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)(3)). What
other criteria or issues should the
Secretary consider in determining
whether to accept a contribution of
private funds?
2. What processes should USDA
establish to document contributions?
3. How should USDA ensure that
there is no conflict of interest or
appearance of impropriety associated
with accepting funds from certain
sources?
Environmental Benefit Accounting
1. How should the environmental
service benefits generated through the
SUSTAINS Act be defined? Specifically,
what type of parameters would need to
be in place?
2. Should the environmental service
benefits be consistently quantified, and
if so, by which methods or protocols?
3. Would you be interested in
supporting NRCS conservation
programs as a contributing entity
through the SUSTAINS Act? If yes,
would you also want to acquire
environmental credits through the
projects you support? If so, what type of
credits (for example, carbon credits,
water quality credits, etc.)?
Interest and Participation
1. What steps should USDA take to
address any potential barriers to
producer participation? What steps
should USDA take to address challenges
that a private entity may face when
considering contributing funds?
2. What steps should USDA take to
make this program attractive to both
producers and potential contributing
entities?
3. What type of protections should
USDA adopt to ensure that producers
receiving contributed funds are treated
equitably to other conservation program
applicants and participants that do not
receive contributed funds?
4. What mechanisms should USDA
adopt to ensure that producers who
receive contributed funds are
sufficiently aware of the conditions for
those funds?
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66673
5. How should potential contributing
entities best use this program to meet
their goals? What might potential
outcomes be?
6. When evaluating options for
implementing the SUSTAINS Act, how
should USDA ensure the program is
equitable and beneficial to farmers,
ranchers, and rural communities, while
still advancing maximum conservation
benefits?
Maximizing the Value of Public
Feedback
NRCS plans to use the answers
provided by the public to inform its
approach to delivering the funds
contributed under and covered by the
SUSTAINS Act. NRCS encourages
public comment on these questions and
requests any additional information that
commenters believe is relevant. NRCS is
particularly interested in feedback that
identifies specific data, policies,
procedures, or processes and includes
actionable information, data, or viable
alternatives that would assist in
implementing programmatic goals and
requirements. You may contact us by
sending an email to:
NRCS.SUSTAINS.Input@usda.gov if
you have questions or concerns. Please
specify the Docket ID: NRCS–2024–0014
in the subject line.
Review of Public Feedback
NRCS will use the input from the
public comments to improve our
program delivery for any funds made
available.
This document is issued solely for
informational and program-planning
purposes. Public comments provided in
response to this document will 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 in the public comments and
make changes or consider
improvements at our sole discretion.
Finally, comments submitted in
response to this document will not be
considered as petitions for rulemaking
as specified in the Administrative
Procedure Act (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
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66674
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 159 / Friday, August 16, 2024 / Notices
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: (1) mail to: U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–9410; (2) Fax: (202) 690–
7442; or (3) email: program.intake@
usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider, employer, and lender.
Terry Cosby,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation
Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–18348 Filed 8–15–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of Industry and Security
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Order Denying Export Privileges; In the
Matter of: Kenan L’Homme, 67
Chastain Circle, Newman, GA 30263
On November 28, 2022, in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District
of Georgia, Kenan L’Homme
(‘‘L’Homme’’) was convicted of violating
18 U.S.C. 554(a). Specifically, L’Homme
pleaded guilty to willfully and
knowingly attempting to export from the
United States the following eleven (11)
items: one (1) Smith & Wesson model
M&P pistol; one (1) CZ P–10F pistol;
one (1) Taurus revolver; one (1) Glock
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:33 Aug 15, 2024
Jkt 262001
model 26 pistol; one (1) Glock model 43
pistol; one (1) Glock model 30s pistol;
one (1) Anderson AR–15 lower unit; one
(1) Aero Precision AR–15 lower unit;
and three (3) Glock model 23s pistols.
As a result of his conviction, the Court
sentenced him to 36 months in prison,
and a $200 special assessment.
Pursuant to Section 1760(e) of the
Export Control Reform Act (‘‘ECRA’’),1
the export privileges of any person who
has been convicted of certain offenses,
including, but not limited to 18 U.S.C.
554(a), may be denied for a period of up
to ten (10) years from the date of his/her
conviction. 50 U.S.C. 4819(e). In
addition, any Bureau of Industry and
Security (‘‘BIS’’) licenses or other
authorizations issued under ECRA, in
which the person had an interest at the
time of the conviction, may be revoked.
Id.
BIS received notice of L’Homme’s
conviction for violating 18 U.S.C.
554(a). As provided in section 766.25 of
the Export Administration Regulations
(‘‘EAR’’ or the ‘‘Regulations’’), BIS
provided notice and opportunity for
L’Homme to make a written submission
to BIS. 15 CFR 766.25.2 BIS has not
received a written submission from
L’Homme.
Based upon my review of the record
and consultations with BIS’s Office of
Exporter Services, including its
Director, and the facts available to BIS,
I have decided to deny L’Homme’s
export privileges under the Regulations
for a period of 6 years from the date of
L’Homme’s conviction. The Office of
Exporter Services has also decided to
revoke any BIS-issued licenses in which
L’Homme had an interest at the time of
his conviction.3
Accordingly, it is hereby Ordered:
First, from the date of this Order until
November 28, 2028, Kenan L’Homme,
with a last known address of: 67
Chastain Circle, Newman, GA 30263,
and when acting for or on his behalf, his
successors, assigns, employees, agents
or representatives (‘‘the Denied
Person’’), may not directly or indirectly
participate in any way in any
transaction involving any commodity,
software or technology (hereinafter
collectively referred to as ‘‘item’’)
exported or to be exported from the
United States that is subject to the
1 ECRA was enacted on August 13, 2018, as part
of the John S. McCain National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, and as
amended is codified at 50 U.S.C. 4801–4852.
2 The Regulations are currently codified in the
Code of Federal Regulations at 15 CFR parts 730–
774 (2024).
3 The Director, Office of Export Enforcement, is
the authorizing official for issuance of denial orders
pursuant to amendments to the Regulations (85 FR
73411, November 18, 2020).
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Frm 00007
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Regulations, including, but not limited
to:
A. Applying for, obtaining, or using
any license, license exception, or export
control document;
B. Carrying on negotiations
concerning, or ordering, buying,
receiving, using, selling, delivering,
storing, disposing of, forwarding,
transporting, financing, or otherwise
servicing in any way, any transaction
involving any item exported or to be
exported from the United States that is
subject to the Regulations, or engaging
in any other activity subject to the
Regulations; or
C. Benefitting in any way from any
transaction involving any item exported
or to be exported from the United States
that is subject to the Regulations, or
from any other activity subject to the
Regulations.
Second, no person may, directly or
indirectly, do any of the following:
A. Export, reexport, or transfer (incountry) to or on behalf of the Denied
Person any item subject to the
Regulations;
B. Take any action that facilitates the
acquisition or attempted acquisition by
the Denied Person of the ownership,
possession, or control of any item
subject to the Regulations that has been
or will be exported from the United
States, including financing or other
support activities related to a
transaction whereby the Denied Person
acquires or attempts to acquire such
ownership, possession or control;
C. Take any action to acquire from or
to facilitate the acquisition or attempted
acquisition from the Denied Person of
any item subject to the Regulations that
has been exported from the United
States;
D. Obtain from the Denied Person in
the United States any item subject to the
Regulations with knowledge or reason
to know that the item will be, or is
intended to be, exported from the
United States; or
E. Engage in any transaction to service
any item subject to the Regulations that
has been or will be exported from the
United States and which is owned,
possessed or controlled by the Denied
Person, or service any item, of whatever
origin, that is owned, possessed or
controlled by the Denied Person if such
service involves the use of any item
subject to the Regulations that has been
or will be exported from the United
States. For purposes of this paragraph,
servicing means installation,
maintenance, repair, modification or
testing.
Third, pursuant to section 1760(e) of
ECRA and sections 766.23 and 766.25 of
the Regulations, any other person, firm,
E:\FR\FM\16AUN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 159 (Friday, August 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66672-66674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18348]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
[Docket ID NRCS-2024-0014]
Request for Public Input About Implementation of the
Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions
Act
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA.
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) requests
public input for USDA to use all available tools to support climate-
smart agriculture and forestry and advance conservation priorities on
working lands. The Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in
Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions Act of 2021 (the SUSTAINS
Act) was signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act
of 2023. The SUSTAINS Act expands USDA's authority to accept
contributions of private funds to support existing conservation
programs and provides additional guidelines for those contributions.
Specifically, the SUSTAINS Act provides an opportunity for the private
sector to partner with USDA in engaging farmers and ranchers in
conservation initiatives, including expanding conservation practices to
sequester carbon, improve wildlife habitat, protect sources of drinking
water, and address other natural resource priorities.
DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by September 16, 2024.
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-2024-0014. 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Bertelson, telephone: (253) 778-
2409; email: [email protected].
Individuals who require alternative means for communication should
contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (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).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In Title I of Division HH of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2023 (Pub. L. 117-328), section 202, (the SUSTAINS Act amended section
1241(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(f))). The
SUSTAINS Act authorized NRCS to accept contributions of non-Federal
funds (contribution account authority) to support a range of covered
existing conservation programs, as detailed below.
The original authority for the contribution account was enacted as
part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, and included
all programs authorized under subtitle D of title XII of the Food
Security Act of 1985 except the Conservation Reserve Program. Due to
changes under the Agricultural Act of 2014, the authority of the
contribution account became limited to supporting only the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation
Stewardship Program. The SUSTAINS Act expanded the authority to include
other conservation programs, including:
the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program;
the Regional Conservation Partnership Program;
the Emergency Watersheds Protection Program;
the Healthy Forests Reserve Program; and
[[Page 66673]]
the Watersheds Protection and Flood Prevention Act
programs (excluding the Watershed Rehabilitation Program).
Both new and existing covered programs assist agricultural
producers, landowners, and others with addressing natural resource
concerns. The SUSTAINS Act also made changes to the administration of
contributed funds, which allows NRCS the option to match contributions
with program funds and permits contributors to designate funds for use
in a specific program or geographic area. In addition, the SUSTAINS Act
includes provisions that allow contributing entities to prescribe the
terms for owning the entity's share of environmental service benefits
that result from funded activities, subject to the approval of the
Secretary. In implementing the SUSTAINS Act, NRCS is interested in
improving program delivery by effectively dedicating the additional
funds to increase outreach and expand access to underserved producers.
NRCS is requesting comments and recommendations from the public to
determine how to best allocate private funds to target specific natural
resource concerns associated with agricultural production. NRCS will
consider the comments provided in response to this request when
determining the next steps for implementing the SUSTAINS Act, which
could include a proposed rule.
List of Questions for Commenters
The following list of questions is not exhaustive and serves only
to assist members of the public in formulating comments on some of the
most important issues that NRCS is considering. Members may provide
feedback about the SUSTAINS Act that is outside the parameters of the
provided questions. The questions are not intended to restrict or limit
feedback that members of the public may provide.
Program Prioritization and Initial Implementation
1. Should USDA actively solicit the contribution of funds, and if
so, how?
2. The SUSTAINS Act identifies several objectives that can be
addressed through this provision (such as changing climate,
sequestering carbon, improving wildlife habitat, protecting sources of
drinking water, and addressing other natural resource priorities
identified by the Secretary). Should USDA initially prioritize
requesting contributions for specific natural resource priorities? If
so, which natural resource priorities?
3. Should USDA initially launch a pilot program to use contributed
funds? If so, what might that pilot program look like?
4. Are there certain covered programs that USDA should dedicate
contributions or pilot the program first?
Program Administration
1. The SUSTAINS Act provides criteria that the Secretary should
consider when determining whether to accept private funds, such as the
source of funds; any natural resource concerns to be addressed;
consistency with the Secretary's priorities; and ``other factors
determined by the Secretary to be relevant'' (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)(3)).
What other criteria or issues should the Secretary consider in
determining whether to accept a contribution of private funds?
2. What processes should USDA establish to document contributions?
3. How should USDA ensure that there is no conflict of interest or
appearance of impropriety associated with accepting funds from certain
sources?
Environmental Benefit Accounting
1. How should the environmental service benefits generated through
the SUSTAINS Act be defined? Specifically, what type of parameters
would need to be in place?
2. Should the environmental service benefits be consistently
quantified, and if so, by which methods or protocols?
3. Would you be interested in supporting NRCS conservation programs
as a contributing entity through the SUSTAINS Act? If yes, would you
also want to acquire environmental credits through the projects you
support? If so, what type of credits (for example, carbon credits,
water quality credits, etc.)?
Interest and Participation
1. What steps should USDA take to address any potential barriers to
producer participation? What steps should USDA take to address
challenges that a private entity may face when considering contributing
funds?
2. What steps should USDA take to make this program attractive to
both producers and potential contributing entities?
3. What type of protections should USDA adopt to ensure that
producers receiving contributed funds are treated equitably to other
conservation program applicants and participants that do not receive
contributed funds?
4. What mechanisms should USDA adopt to ensure that producers who
receive contributed funds are sufficiently aware of the conditions for
those funds?
5. How should potential contributing entities best use this program
to meet their goals? What might potential outcomes be?
6. When evaluating options for implementing the SUSTAINS Act, how
should USDA ensure the program is equitable and beneficial to farmers,
ranchers, and rural communities, while still advancing maximum
conservation benefits?
Maximizing the Value of Public Feedback
NRCS plans to use the answers provided by the public to inform its
approach to delivering the funds contributed under and covered by the
SUSTAINS Act. NRCS encourages public comment on these questions and
requests any additional information that commenters believe is
relevant. NRCS is particularly interested in feedback that identifies
specific data, policies, procedures, or processes and includes
actionable information, data, or viable alternatives that would assist
in implementing programmatic goals and requirements. You may contact us
by sending an email to: [email protected] if you have
questions or concerns. Please specify the Docket ID: NRCS-2024-0014 in
the subject line.
Review of Public Feedback
NRCS will use the input from the public comments to improve our
program delivery for any funds made available.
This document is issued solely for informational and program-
planning purposes. Public comments provided in response to this
document will 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 in the public
comments and make changes or consider improvements at our sole
discretion.
Finally, comments submitted in response to this document will not
be considered as petitions for rulemaking as specified in the
Administrative Procedure Act (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
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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: (1) mail to: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410; (2) Fax: (202) 690-
7442; or (3) email: [email protected].
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Terry Cosby,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-18348 Filed 8-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P
