11/06/2020, 41 NRCS and Reclamation have been coordinating alignment of EQIP and WaterSMART investments since a pilot by California NRCS in 2011. Response: NRCS provides an assessment of resource concerns, including impacts to wildlife and water conservation, before a practice or activity is implemented, and determines any potential effects and expected environmental outcomes through the ranking process prior to approving EQIP contracts.
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation. SALINA, Kan. – Karen A. Woodrich, State Conservationist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), announced the 2021 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) application deadline of Monday, Nov. 30, 2020.Kansas farmers and private landowners seeking conservation planning and financial assistance should contact their local USDA …
The requirements in Executive Orders 12866 and 13573 for the analysis of costs and benefits apply to rules that are determined to be significant. 1801), or Asian American and Pacific Islander-serving institution (20 U.S.C. No change is being made to the regulation in response to this issue. Amended some definitions and added others to address changes made by the 2018 Farm Bill, including—. imgMarginLeft = imgMarginLeft.replace("px",""); documents in the last year, 736 These changes are in response to public comment as explained in the summary of EQIP comments below. The benefits of this rule are the environmental improvements that are due to the increased conservation practices over and above those that farmers privately undertake.
documents in the last year, 76 In paragraph (b)(2)(viii), remove the word “and”; c. Redesignate paragraph (b)(2)(xi) as paragraph (b)(2)(x). [CDATA[ The 2018 Farm Bill establishes conservation incentive contracts to address up to three priority resource concerns for each land use within a given watershed, or other region, or area. However, the adjacent land must meet several criteria in order to be eligible for enrollment in a contract with a WME, including that it must be “necessary to support the installation of a conservation practice or system on eligible land.” This supports an expansive interpretation of “adjacent” while ensuring that the adjacent land's enrollment supports the installation of a practice or system on eligible land. This rule has been reviewed in accordance with the requirements of Executive Order 13175, “Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments.” Executive Order 13175 requires federal agencies to consult and coordinate with Tribes on a Government-to-Government basis on policies that have Tribal implications, including regulations, legislative comments or proposed legislation, and other policy statements or actions that have substantial direct effects on one or more Indian Tribes, on the relationship between the Federal Government and Indian Tribes, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities between the Federal Government and Indian Tribes.
This rule revises the regulation to add clarity.
The 2018 Farm Bill also requires the Secretary to identify available data sets within USDA that link the use of conservation practices to farm and ranch profitability (including crop yields, soil health, and other risk-related factors).
Comment also indicated that data collection is a key input to assessing environmental impact, suggesting that NRCS incentivize producer participation in third-party data collection services to track environmental benefits of conservation practices. Without a contract limit, joint operations could receive very large payments under an EQIP contract.
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Amend § 1466.3 by revising the definition for “Comprehensive nutrient management plan (CNMP)” to read as follows: Comprehensive nutrient management plan (CNMP) means a conservation plan that is specifically for an AFO. developer tools pages. EQIP promotes agricultural production, forest management, and environmental quality as compatible goals, and optimizes environmental benefits by assisting producers in addressing resource concerns on their operations.
This table of contents is a navigational tool, processed from the Comment: NRCS received comment recommending that NRCS address the funding allocation for wildlife conservation practices, including that NRCS: Ensure the 10 percent allocation is a “floor” and not a “ceiling” for wildlife practice funding; set the 10 percent allocations at the State rather than national level; make a narrower list of practices that count toward the 10 percent allocation or including State partners in determining which practices should count in that State; and exclude EQIP contracts from the 10 percent allocation that involve either the Working Lands for Wildlife model or interagency cooperation with the U.S. 530.405 EQIP Contracting and Contract Management.
Contact the NRCS office at your local USDA Service Center to learn more.
1059g). On December 17, 2019, NRCS published an interim rule with request for comments in the Federal Register (84 FR 69272-69293) to implement mandatory changes made by the 2018 Farm Bill and administrative improvements and clarifications. Federal Register. 530.403 EQIP Planning. NRCS also received 21 comments that were not relevant to the EQIP interim rule. Farmers and ranchers can now start making in-person appointments at several USDA Service Centers across the country as part of USDA’s phased reopening process. Popular EQIP practices include cover crops, nutrient management, forest stand improvement, prescribed grazing, irrigation efficiency improvement and water quality improvement practices. Response: Incentive practices are a relatively new area for NRCS, and NRCS is continuing to work with State, local, and Tribal groups to develop practices that are best suited for incentive payments in each high-priority area. documents in the last year, 1447 This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, “Civil Justice Reform.” This rule will not preempt State or local laws, regulations, or policies unless they represent an irreconcilable conflict with this rule.
The USDA/NRCS has selected 31 priority areas to receive $13 million in EQIP funding as part of the WaterSMART Initiative (WSI). //]]>, Enter Keyword, Phrase, or Text to search the site, www.nrcs.usda.gov/Programs/FinancialAssistance/EQIP. Participation in EQIP is voluntary. The topics that generated the greatest response include conservation practices, contract limits, and national priorities. Through local input, combined with the use of the Conservation Effect Assessment Project (CEAP) and other important data, USDA seeks to enable program managers and Start Printed Page 67643leaders to achieve the most effective and efficient program outcomes across the entire range of statutory goals. No change is being made to the regulation in response to this issue.
(3) EQIP's financial and technical assistance helps: (i) Producers comply with environmental regulations and enhance agricultural and forested lands in a cost-effective and environmentally beneficial manner; and. Amend § 1466.32 by redesignating paragraphs (c) and (d) as paragraphs (d) and (e), respectively, and by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows: (c) Authority to reduce matching requirement. NRCS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Civil Rights | FOIA | Plain Writing | Accessibility Statement, Policy and Links| Non-Discrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | WhiteHouse.gov NRCS also received 24 comments that expressed nonspecific dissatisfaction with EQIP or the interim rule and 47 comments that supported EQIP or the interim rule. Response: Control of land is a necessary requirement for participant eligibility. For complete information about, and access to, our official publications
[FR Doc. Specifically, NRCS obtains input through Tribal Conservation Advisory Councils. Comment: NRCS received comment recommending removing joint operations and confined animal feed operations (CAFOs) from the list of operations for which a waiver can be requested to exceed the $450,000 contract limit. The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal For information about technical assistance and conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program combines one-on-one assistance with financial support to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners implement conservation practices across their working land. documents in the last year, 638 These markup elements allow the user to see how the document follows the Tribal Conservation Advisory Councils provide a venue for agency leaders to gather input on Tribal interests. Comment: NRCS received comment related to the Programmatic Environmental Assessment (EA). documents in the last year, 48 Conservation in agriculture is critical to maintaining the productivity and sustainability of our working lands. When addressing conditions such as soil health and organic matter content, cover crop species will be selected on the basis of producing higher volumes of organic material and root mass to maintain or increase soil. EQIP implementation, including the allocation of funding, is complex in nature because the statute provides for multiple goals and requirements. Amend § 1466.6 by revising paragraph (d)(1) to read as follows: (1) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, NRCS may enter into an EQIP contract with a water management entity provided the criteria in paragraphs (d)(1)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section can be met: (i) The entity is a public or semipublic agency or organization, (ii) Its purpose is to assist private agricultural producers manage water distribution or conservation systems, and.
Response: By statute, EQIP has an aggregate $450,000 payment limitation per person or legal entity, directly or indirectly, for all contracts entered into during fiscal years (FYs) 2019 through 2023. 11/06/2020, 194
8. 35), and. In accordance with statutory limitations, NRCS does not provide supplemental allocations to States for WME projects. Added “increased weather volatility” as a resource concern under the national priorities identified in the regulation. Most of this rule's impacts consist of transfer payments to producers for completed conservation practices under EQIP contracts. NRCS estimates that the expenditures, from both public and private sources, of implementing EQIP conservation practices will be $13.6 billion dollars (FY 2019 through 2023), assuming a historical average participant cost of 40 percent and a technical assistance share of 27 percent.