Notice2023-04762
Request for Public Input About Implementation of the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative and the National Water Quality Initiative
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Published
March 8, 2023
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentNatural Resources Conservation Service
Abstract
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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 45 (Wednesday, March 8, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14326-14327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04762]
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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.
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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:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> 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 <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
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:
<bullet> 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 <a href="https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov">https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov</a> for NRCS current
policy manuals and handbooks);
<bullet> 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;
<bullet> Providing specific data that document how the proposed
recommendations would increase benefits achievable through MRBI and
NWQI; and
<bullet> 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:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1546583b5b4756463b59747b716676746570567a7b6670676374617c7a7b5c7b7c617c74617c63706655606671743b727a63"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4417096a0a1607176a08252a203727253421072b2a3721363225302d2b2a0d2a2d302d25302d32213704313720256a232b32">[email protected]</span></a> 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 <a href="https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint">https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint</a> 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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1e515f5d5e6b6d7a7f30797168"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fbb4bab8bb8e889f9ad59c948d">[email protected]</span></a>.
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
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