Notice2024-16006
Proposed Revisions to Section 1 of the Field Office Technical Guide for Several States
Primary source
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Published
July 22, 2024
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentNatural Resources Conservation Service
Abstract
NRCS is giving notice that it is proposing revisions to Section 1--General Resource References of the Field Office Technical Guides in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia to include State Offsite Methods for Food Security Act Wetland Identification (SOSM). The proposed changes will replace the existing state wetland mapping conventions. The revisions are needed to clarify procedures and improve consistency in application. SOSM are used in completing wetland determinations for USDA program eligibility purposes.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 140 (Monday, July 22, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59040-59041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-16006]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
[Docket No. NRCS-2024-0008]
Proposed Revisions to Section 1 of the Field Office Technical
Guide for Several States
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of availability, request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NRCS is giving notice that it is proposing revisions to
Section 1--General Resource References of the Field Office Technical
Guides in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, and Virginia to include State Offsite Methods for Food
Security Act Wetland Identification (SOSM). The proposed changes will
replace the existing state wetland mapping conventions. The revisions
are needed to clarify procedures and improve consistency in
application. SOSM are used in completing wetland determinations for
USDA program eligibility purposes.
DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by August 21, 2024.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments in response to this notice.
You may submit your comments through:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> and search for Docket ID NRCS-2024-0008. Follow the
online instructions for submitting comments;
All comments received will be made publicly available on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The appropriate person as listed below
by State:
<bullet> Connecticut: Thomas L. Morgart; telephone: (860) 871-4011;
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f6829e999b9785d89b998491978482b683859297d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d3a7bbbcbeb2a0fdbebca1b4b2a1a793a6a0b7b2fdb4bca5">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> Delaware: Jayme Arthurs; telephone: (302) 678-4160; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#167c776f7b73387764627e636465566365727738717960"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="660c071f0b03480714120e131415261315020748010910">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> Florida: Walter Albarran; telephone: (352) 338-9500;
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e691878a928394c8878a848794948788a693958287c8818990"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="443325283021366a252826253636252a04313720256a232b32">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> Kentucky: Eric Allness; telephone: (859) 224-7391; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3653445f5518575a5a58534545764345525718515940"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="89ecfbe0eaa7e8e5e5e7ecfafac9fcfaede8a7eee6ff">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Maryland: Suzy Daubert; telephone: (410) 757-0861; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a2d1d7d8db8cc6c3d7c0c7d0d6e2d7d1c6c38cc5cdd4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7506000f0c5b1114001710070135000611145b121a03">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> Massachusetts: Dan Wright; telephone: (413) 253-4350;
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e387828d8a868fcd94918a848b97a396908782cd848c95"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="771316191e121b5900051e101f03370204131659101801">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> New York: Blake Glover; telephone: (315) 477-6504; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3a58565b515f145d56554c5f487a4f495e5b145d554c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="92f0fef3f9f7bcf5fefde4f7e0d2e7e1f6f3bcf5fde4">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> North Carolina: Julius George (Acting); telephone: (919)
873-2101; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#29435c45405c5a435c45405c5a074e4c465b4e4c695c5a4d48074e465f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="355f40595c40465f40595c40461b52505a47525075404651541b525a43">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> Pennsylvania: Denise Coleman; telephone: (717) 237-2100;
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dabebfb4b3a9bff4b9b5b6bfb7bbb49aafa9bebbf4bdb5ac"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="066263686f75632865696a636b6768467375626728616970">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> Rhode Island: R. Phou Vongkhamdy; telephone: (401) 828-
1300; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7808171710560e17161f131019151c01380d0b1c19561f170e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="20504f4f480e564f4e474b48414d445960555344410e474f56">[email protected]</span></a>;
<bullet> South Carolina: Jamie Keith (Acting); telephone: (803)
253-3935; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6309020e0a064d08060a170b23161007024d040c15"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c8a2a9a5a1ade6a3ada1bca088bdbbaca9e6afa7be">[email protected]</span></a>; and
<bullet> Virginia: Dr. Edwin Martinez; (804) 287-1691; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fb9e9f8c9295d5969a898f92959e81bb8e889f9ad59c948d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="85e0e1f2ecebabe8e4f7f1ecebe0ffc5f0f6e1e4abe2eaf3">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Guidance contained in each state's SOSM will
be part of the technical documents and procedures that NRCS uses to
determine if wetlands are present on agricultural land as required by
16 U.S.C. 3822. NRCS is required by 16 U.S.C. 3862 to make available
for public review and comment all proposed revisions to standards and
procedures used to carry out highly erodible land and wetland
provisions of the law.
NRCS is proposing revisions to Section 1--General Resource
References of the Field Office Technical Guides in Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia to
include SOSM. The proposed SOSM will replace the following existing
state wetland mapping conventions:
<bullet> ``Delaware and Maryland Wetland Mapping Conventions for
Agricultural Lands,'' November 2007 (Delaware and Maryland);
<bullet> ``New England Soil Conservation Service Wetland Mapping
Conventions,'' July 1994 (Connecticut and Massachusetts);
<bullet> ``Food Security Act New York State Mapping Conventions for
Certified Wetland Determinations on Agricultural Land,'' February 2021
(New York); and
<bullet> ``Rhode Island Wetland Mapping Conventions,'' March 2010
(Rhode Island).
[[Page 59041]]
Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
and Virginia do not have current state mapping conventions to be
replaced.
The revisions to the Field Office Technical Guides are needed to
clarify procedures and improve consistency in application. SOSM are
used in completing wetland determinations for USDA program eligibility
purposes.
There are separate SOSM documents for each state, except for North
Carolina and South Carolina, which share a single SOSM. To fully
understand the proposed revisions, commenters are encouraged to compare
the SOSMs with state mapping conventions for the states listed above,
as shown in Section 1 of the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide at
<a href="https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/">https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/</a>. The electronic copies of each
state's SOSM are available through <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> by
accessing Docket ID NRCS-2024-0008. Requests for paper versions or
inquiries may be directed to the specific State Conservationist as
identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.
In general, all documents have similar language and technical
methodologies with some variations based on natural resource
information available and state-specific considerations.
All comments will be considered. If no comments are received,
guidance contained in each state's SOSM will be considered final at the
end of the comment period for this notice.
USDA Non-Discrimination Policy
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (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
the USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone
(TTY)) or dial 711 for Telecommunicaions Relay Service (both voice and
text telephone users can initiate this call from any phone).
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: (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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f181839e9683909cdf989f85909a94b184829590df969e87"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2252504d4550434f0c4b4c5643494762575146430c454d54">[email protected]</span></a>. USDA is an equal opportunity provider,
employer, and lender.
Louis Aspey,
Associate Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-16006 Filed 7-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P
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