Natural Resources Conservation Service 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
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Notice of Availability of Proposed Changes to Section I of the Illinois Field Office Technical Guide for Public Review and Comment
NRCS is proposing to revise Section I of the Illinois Field Office Technical Guide to include ``Guidance for Illinois Food Security Act Wetland Determinations Including Offsite Methods'' which will replace the existing ``Wetland Mapping Conventions NRCS Illinois'' (commonly referred as State Wetland Mapping Conventions).
Notice of Request To Extend an Information Collection
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces NRCS' intent to request an extension for currently approved information collection, Volunteer ProgramEarth Team. This information collection is set to expire December 31, 2015. NRCS is seeking to extend the expiration date for the volunteer Interest and Placement Summary form and the Timesheet form to December 31, 2018. The collected information helps NRCS to match the skills of individuals interested in volunteering for opportunities that will further the agency's mission. Information will be collected from potential volunteers who are 14 years of age or older.
NRCS Procedures for Granting Equitable Relief
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) issues its final rule implementing the equitable relief authority, and the procedures set forth in section 1613 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the 2002 Act), relating to relief for participants for covered programs administered by NRCS. The relief applies to cases where the program participant took action to his or her detriment based on action or advice from an NRCS employee, and situations where the participant acted in good faith, but failed to fully comply with program requirements.
The Secretary of Agriculture's Determination of the Primary Purpose of the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems Program, Mini-FARMS Program, Flow Meter Reimbursement Program, Quality of Water Improvement Program, and Back- Plugging Funding Assistance Initiative
The Natural Resources Conservation Service is providing public notice that the Secretary of Agriculture has determined that cost-share payments made by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) through its Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems (FARMS) Program, Mini-FARMS Program, Flow Meter Reimbursement Program, Quality of Water Improvement Program (QWIP), and Back-Plugging Funding Assistance Initiative are primarily for the purpose of conserving soil and water resources or protecting and restoring the environment. SWFWMD is a political subdivision of the State of Florida. NRCS was assigned technical and administrative responsibility for reviewing SWFWMD's FARMS Program, Mini-FARMS Program, Flow Meter Reimbursement Program, QWIP, and Back-Plugging Funding Assistance Initiative, and for making appropriate recommendations for the Secretary's determination of primary purpose. The Secretary made the determination for the State of Florida's Agricultural Best Management Practices Program, which is a counterpart to SWFWMD's FARMS Program (74 FR 49850). This determination is in accordance with section 126 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended (26 U.S.C. 126), and permits recipients of cost-share payments to exclude such payments from gross income to the extent allowed by the Internal Revenue Service.
Request for Nominations to the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force
The Secretary of Agriculture invites nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for a 2-year term on 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 on AAQTF.
Notice of Availability of Proposed Changes to Section I of the Louisiana Field Office Technical Guide for Public Review and Comment
NRCS is proposing to revise Section I of the Louisiana Field Office Technical Guide to include ``Guidance for Louisiana Food Security Act Wetland Determinations including Offsite Methods'' which will replace the existing ``Louisiana Conventions and Procedures for Performing Wetland Delineations'' (commonly referred as State Wetland Mapping Conventions).
Water Bank Program
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is amending the Water Bank Program (WBP) regulations to clarify that lands owned by Indian Tribes are eligible for enrollment. As a non-controversial change to an existing regulation, NRCS is issuing this amendment as a final rule.
Notice of Proposed Changes to the National Handbook of Conservation Practices for the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue a series of revised conservation practice standards in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices. These standards include: Amending Soil Properties with Gypsum Products (Code 333), Animal Mortality Facility (Code 316), Contour Orchards and Other Perennial Crops (Code 331), Controlled Traffic Farming (Code 334), Denitrifying Bioreactor (Code 605), Emergency Animal Mortality Management (Code 368), Field Operations Emissions Reduction (Code 376), Forest Stand Improvement (Code 666), Herbaceous Wind Barriers (Code 603), Irrigation System, Micro-irrigation (Code 441), Roofs and Covers (Code 367), Sprinkler System (Code 442), Vegetated Treatment Area (Code 635), and Vegetative Barrier (Code 601). NRCS State Conservationists who choose to adopt these practices for use within their States will incorporate them into Section IV of their respective electronic Field Office Technical Guide. These practices may be used in conservation systems that treat highly erodible land (HEL) or on land determined to be a wetland. Section 343 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 requires NRCS to make available for public review and comment all proposed revisions to conservation practice standards used to carry out HEL and wetland provisions of the law.
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) in Cooperation With the Bureau of Land Management for the Green River Diversion Rehabilitation Project, Green River, Utah
This notice announces the availability of the ROD for the Green River Diversion Rehabilitation Project, Green River, Utah, by the Utah office of NRCS. NRCS will use Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program funds for the Green River Diversion Rehabilitation project in Emery and Grand counties, Utah as detailed in the ROD. The NRCS Utah State Conservationist, David Brown, signed the ROD on April 2, 2015, which constitutes the NRCS's final decision.
Notice of Availability of Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program
Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has prepared a draft programmatic environmental assessment (EA) for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). The purpose of the draft programmatic EA is to briefly review the effects of activities that are likely to occur when NRCS awards future VPA-HIP grant funds so NRCS can decide whether VPA-HIP is likely to result in significant adverse impacts requiring preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). NRCS is soliciting comments on the draft programmatic EA from interested parties for 30 days from the date of this notice. Comments may be sent by mail or email to the contact listed below.
Changes to Existing Conservation Program Regulations
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Act) made several nondiscretionary changes to NRCS conservation programs. These conservation programs have existing regulations that required adjustments. These adjustments include addressing the required review of operating procedures of the State Technical Committee, adding reference of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act program regulations, adding reference of RCPP to the Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP), expanding the definition of ``acreage owned by Indian Tribes'' under HFRP, revising and simplifying the Regional Equity provision, and adjusting the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Program to correspond with changes to payment provisions under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Additionally, the Secretary of Agriculture delegated to NRCS administrative responsibility for implementing the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP), and internal NRCS administrative changes warrant updating the appropriate delegated official in the Technical Service Provider (TSP) provision. NRCS published an interim rule with a request for comments on August 1, 2014, to implement changes to these NRCS conservation program regulations that were either necessitated by enactment of the 2014 Act, or required to implement administrative streamlining improvements and clarifications. NRCS received six comments on the interim rule. In this document, NRCS issues a final rule to make permanent these changes and to incorporate two minor mandatory changes in two of the affected parts.
Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will meet for discussions on critical air quality issues relating to agriculture. Special emphasis will be placed on obtaining a greater understanding about the relationship between agricultural production and air quality. The meeting is open to the public, and a draft agenda is included in this notice.
Notice of Proposed Changes to the National Handbook of Conservation Practices for the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue a new conservation practice standard in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices. This standard is High Tunnel System (Code 325). NRCS State Conservationists who choose to adopt this practice for use within their States will incorporate it into section IV of their respective electronic Field Office Technical Guide. This practice may be used in conservation systems that treat highly erodible land (HEL) or on land determined to be a wetland. Section 343 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 requires NRCS to make available for public review and comment all proposed revisions to conservation practice standards used to carry out HEL and wetland provisions of the law.
Notice of Proposed Changes to Section I of the Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota State Technical Guides
NRCS published a notice of proposed changes to section I of the State-specific technical guides for Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota on November 5, 2014, with a comment period ending February 3, 2015. This document extends the comment period.
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