[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 14, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77821-77826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31279]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 239 / Tuesday, December 14, 2010 /
Notices
[[Page 77821]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Agricultural Water Enhancement Program and Cooperative
Conservation Partnership Initiative
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation and Natural Resources Conservation
Service, Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of request for proposals.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The purpose of this request for proposals is to solicit
proposals from potential partners who seek to enter into partnership
agreements with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
through either the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) or the
Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) in order to
provide assistance to producers who enroll in an eligible conservation
program. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is
responsible for both AWEP and CCPI. For fiscal year (FY) 2011,
applicants are strongly encouraged to use the proposal templates
available for download at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/AWEP/ for
AWEP and http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CCPI/ for CCPI. To request a
paper version of either proposal template, partners may send a written
request to Gregory K. Johnson, Director, Financial Assistance Programs
Division, Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation
Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 5239 South Building,
Washington, DC 20250.
Both AWEP and CCPI were established by the Food, Conservation, and
Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Act). AWEP and CCPI are voluntary conservation
initiatives that enable the use of certain conservation programs,
combined with resources from eligible partners who have entered into
partnership agreements with NRCS, to provide financial and technical
assistance to owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial
private forest lands. Through the FY 2011 AWEP, NRCS will make
Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) funds available to
eligible producers in approved AWEP project areas. Through the FY 2011
CCPI, NRCS will make EQIP, Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and
Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) funds available to eligible
producers in approved CCPI project areas consistent with the project
proposal.
CCPI opportunities concerning the Mississippi River Basin Healthy
Watersheds Initiative will be announced through a separate notice.
DATES: Effective Date: The notice of request is effective December 14,
2010.
Proposals submitted for both AWEP and CCPI via e-mail or U.S.
Postal Service must be received on or before January 28, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Applicants are highly encouraged to submit proposals
electronically to [email protected] for AWEP and [email protected] for
CCPI. Paper proposals should be mailed to Gregory K. Johnson, Director,
Financial Assistance Programs Division, Department of Agriculture,
Natural Resources Conservation Service, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC
20013.
Do not send submissions via registered or certified mail to the
Post Office Box. Do not send the same proposal to both the e-mail and
Post Office Box addresses; use only one of the two methods to submit a
proposal. If submitting more than one project proposal, submit each one
separately.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory K. Johnson, Director,
Financial Assistance Programs Division, Department of Agriculture,
Natural Resources Conservation Service; 1400 Independence Avenue SW.,
Room 5239 South Building, Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: (202) 720-
1845; Fax: (202) 720-4265; E-mail: [email protected] for AWEP or
[email protected] for CCPI.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication (Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) should contact
the USDA TARGET Center at: (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Part A--The Agricultural Water Enhancement Program
Legislative Authority
The Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) was authorized as
part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), 16 U.S.C.
3839aa-9, section 2510 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of
2008 (2008 Act), Public Law 110-246. The Cooperative Conservation
Partnership Initiative (CCPI) was authorized by section 2707 of that
same law. The Secretary of Agriculture delegated the authority for the
administration of EQIP and CCPI to the Chief of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), who is Vice President of the Commodity
Credit Corporation (CCC). EQIP is funded under the authorities of the
CCC and administered by NRCS.
Overview of the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program
The AWEP is a voluntary program that enables the use of EQIP,
combined with resources from eligible partners who have entered into
partnership agreements with NRCS, to provide financial and technical
assistance to eligible producers to implement agricultural water
enhancement activities on agricultural land for the purposes of
conserving surface and ground water and improving water quality. By
entering into partnership agreements with eligible entities, NRCS aims
to conserve ground and surface water or improve water quality, or both,
through a regional approach. The functions of AWEP can best be
described in two parts: AWEP partnerships and AWEP program
participation.
AWEP Partnerships
Under AWEP, eligible potential partners may submit proposals
addressing the criteria that are outlined in this request for
proposals. Partners who may enter into partnership agreements with NRCS
include federally recognized Indian tribes, State and local units of
government, agricultural or silvicultural associations, and other
groups of producers such as an irrigation association, agricultural
land trust, or other nongovernmental organization that has experience
working with agricultural producers. Individual agricultural producers
are
[[Page 77822]]
not an eligible partner entity and may not submit AWEP proposals.
Submitted proposals will be evaluated through a competitive review
process. NRCS will use the proposal ranking score, along with other
review commentary, to select proposals for funding. After selection,
the partners will enter into a partnership agreement with NRCS. The
partnership agreement will not obligate funds, but will address:
1. The role of the partner;
2. The role of NRCS;
3. Agricultural water enhancement activities anticipated to be
addressed and conservation practices to be implemented;
4. The responsibilities of the partner related to the monitoring as
identified in the proposal and evaluation of project performance;
5. The frequency and duration of the monitoring and evaluation of
project performance;
6. The content and format of the final project performance report
that is required as a condition of the agreement;
7. The budget, including other funding sources (if applicable), for
financial and technical assistance;
8. The specified project schedule; and
9. Other requirements deemed necessary by NRCS to achieve the
purposes of AWEP.
AWEP is not a grant program, and all Federal funding offered
through this authority will be paid directly to agricultural producers
through individual contract agreements.
AWEP Program Participation
Once NRCS approves and announces the selected partner projects,
eligible agricultural producers located within the approved project
areas may apply directly to NRCS for funding through EQIP. The AWEP
program uses the funds, policies, and process of EQIP to deliver
assistance to eligible producers to implement approved conservation
practices. Producers interested in applying must meet the eligibility
requirements of EQIP. Individual applications from eligible producers
will be evaluated and ranked to ensure that producer applications
selected for funding are most likely to achieve project objectives.
Once applications are selected, the producers may enter into a contract
with NRCS.
Availability of Funding
Effective upon publication of this notice, NRCS announces the
availability of up to $5 million in AWEP financial assistance during
fiscal year (FY) 2011.
Proposal Information
Proposal Format
It is highly recommended that the proposal be written using the
proposal template format, including budget and schedule templates, to
ensure that all required components are addressed. Consult the NRCS
national AWEP Web site for an example of an acceptable AWEP proposal
document at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/AWEP/. Do not submit
other documents not requested or letters of endorsement.
Required Information
The proposal must include the following:
1. Proposal Cover Sheet and Summary:
a. Project Title.
b. Project director/manager name, telephone number, and mailing and
e-mail addresses.
c. Name of lead partner entity submitting proposal and other
collaborating partners.
d. Short summary of project including:
i. Project start and end dates (not to exceed a period of 5 years);
ii. Project objectives and resource concerns to be addressed, and
specifically what water conservation resource issues and water quality
resource issues the project will address; and
iii. Location of project, specifying if the location is within an
AWEP national priority area (Eastern Snake Plains Aquifer, Everglades,
Ogallala Aquifer, Puget Sound, Red River, Sacramento River Basin, and
Upper Mississippi River Basin).
Note: Additional information, maps, and a list of States and
counties located in AWEP priority areas are available at: http://
www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/awep/.
e. Amount of AWEP financial assistance being requested.
2. Partner Background and Experience:
a. Demonstrate:
i. The commitment and experience of the partner to accomplish the
long-term conservation of surface and ground water or water quality
improvement and related historical activities that show this
experience;
ii. The ability and history of the partner to coordinate water
quality and quantity efforts among agricultural producers;
iii. The ability to monitor and evaluate project effects on natural
resources; and
iv. That the partner has the capacity to deliver a final project
performance report.
b. A description of how the partners and entities will collaborate
to achieve the project objectives. Include:
i. The roles, responsibilities, and capabilities of the partner(s);
and
ii. The financial and technical commitments of each of the partners
and how they will be leveraged by EQIP assistance. If partners who do
not submit this proposal intend to commit resources, a letter or other
documentation from these partners confirming a commitment of resources
is required. Partners need to clearly state, by project objective, how
they intend to leverage Federal funds along with partner resources to
address water quantity or water quality resource issues. The funding
and time contribution by agricultural producers to implement agreed-to
conservation practices in program contracts may not be considered any
part of a match from the potential partner for purposes of AWEP.
3. Project Objectives and Natural Resource Concerns:
a. Identify and provide details about the project objectives.
Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, and results-
oriented.
b. For each objective, identify the actions to be completed to
achieve the objective and address the identified natural resource
concern using AWEP assistance or the actions being addressed using
alternate non-Federal resources or fund sources.
c. Identify the total number of acres that need conservation
treatment along with the kinds of conservation practices and activities
needed to treat priority resource concerns in the project area.
Identify specific priorities within the project area that need to be
addressed first.
d. A description of the agricultural water quality or water
conservation issues to be addressed by the partnership agreement.
Provide information about the extent and kinds of water quality issues
to be addressed such as pollutants, designated priority areas,
groundwater overdraft, and surface water deficiencies.
e. The proposed agricultural water enhancement activities that may
be implemented through partner efforts alone and those to be
implemented using AWEP financial support.
4. Project Description:
a. Attach a map to the application showing the proposed project
area. Describe the location and size of the proposed project area.
Identify whether the project is located in a water conservation
priority area.
b. A list and description of the NRCS practices and partner-
sponsored
[[Page 77823]]
activities expected to be implemented to address the identified
agricultural water enhancement objectives of the project. The
description could include activities such as types of water
conservation plans, assessments, or modeling; specific efforts to
encourage producers to convert irrigated land to less water-intensive
operations or dryland farming; the percentage of the project area
expected to be converted to dryland farming; and types of irrigation
system improvements.
i. Describe the general sequence of implementation of the project.
ii. For each conservation practice, estimate the extent (feet,
acres, number, etc.) the partner expects producers to implement each
fiscal year during the life of the project and the amount of financial
assistance requested to support implementation of each practice through
producer contracts.
iii. From the estimated amount of financial assistance needed to
implement the identified conservation practices, include the total
amount of financial assistance funds requested for each fiscal year of
the project to be made available for producer contracts.
iv. Describe whether the project will address regulatory compliance
and any other outcomes the partner expects to complete during the
project period.
Note: Information about NRCS practices is found in the Field
Office Technical Guide found at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/ and descriptions of practices at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/standards/.
c. Include the total acres that need conservation treatment and the
priority conservation practices and activities that are needed to treat
significant resource concerns in the project area. Identify specific
priorities within the project area that need to be addressed first.
d. Identify potential criteria to be used by NRCS to prioritize and
rank agricultural producers' AWEP applications in the project area.
Proposals may include specific ranking criteria so that NRCS can
evaluate applications based upon the environmental objectives of the
AWEP project. Additional guidance and examples may be obtained from the
NRCS State office where the project will be located.
e. A description of the resources (financial or technical
assistance) requested annually from AWEP for producer contracts and the
non-Federal resources provided by the partner that will be leveraged by
the Federal contribution. If resources other than funding are being
offered by the partner, describe the kind of resources and services
that will be made available to producers to help implement conservation
practices and activities. The funding and time contribution by
agricultural producers to implement agreed-to conservation practices in
the program contracts may not be considered as part of a match from the
potential partner. All funding requests and information regarding
partner resources may be included in the form of a budget narrative.
5. Participant Information:
a. An estimate of the number of eligible agricultural producers the
partner expects to participate in the project compared with the
estimated total number of producers in the project area. Include
additional information such as:
i. How will the partner encourage participation to guarantee
success of the project?
ii. Does the project include any tribal, socially disadvantaged,
beginning, or limited resource farmers or ranchers?
iii. Are there groups of producers who may submit joint program
applications to address resource issues of common interest and need?
6. Proposal Implementation Plan and Schedule:
a. Potential partners should submit project action plans and
schedules, not to exceed 5 years, detailing activities, including
timeframes related to project milestones and monitoring and evaluation
activities that will likely be documented in the partnership agreement.
A project action plan should describe how often the potential partner
plans to monitor and evaluate the project, how it plans to quantify the
results or performance of the project for the final project performance
report, and the practices the partner expects to be implemented during
the project timeframe and general sequence of project implementation.
Evaluation Criteria
The agency will evaluate the proposals using a competitive process.
A higher priority may be given to proposals that:
1. Include high percentages of agricultural land and producers in a
region or other appropriate area;
2. Result in high levels of applied agricultural water quality and
water conservation activities;
3. Significantly enhance agricultural activity;
4. Allow for monitoring and evaluation by the partner;
5. Assist agricultural producers in meeting a regulatory
requirement that reduces the economic scope of the producer's
operation;
6. Achieve the project's land and water treatment objectives within
5 years or less;
7. Are from States with water quantity concerns where the proposal
will:
a. Include conservation practices that support the conversion of
agricultural land from irrigated farming to dryland farming;
b. Leverage Federal funds provided under the program with funds
provided by partners;
c. Assist producers in States with high priority water quantity
concerns, as determined by the agency. The high priority areas are
located in the following regions: Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer,
Everglades, Ogallala Aquifer, Puget Sound, Red River, Sacramento River
Basin, and Upper Mississippi River Basin.
d. Include other factors and criteria as approved by the agency
which help identify those proposals which best achieve the purposes of
AWEP.
Part B--The Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative
Legislative Authority
The Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) was
authorized by section 2707 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of
2008 (2008 Act). The CCPI was established by amending section 1243 of
the Food Security Act of 1985 [16 U.S.C. 3843]. The Secretary of
Agriculture has delegated the authority to administer CCPI to the Chief
of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), who is Vice
President of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).
Overview of the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative
The CCPI is a voluntary conservation initiative that enables the
use of certain conservation programs, combined with resources from
eligible partners, to provide financial and technical assistance to
owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest
lands in order to enhance conservation outcomes and achieve resource
conservation objectives. The functions of CCPI can best be described in
two parts: CCPI partnerships and CCPI program participation.
CCPI Partnerships
Under CCPI, eligible potential partners may submit proposals
addressing the criteria that are outlined in this request for
proposals. Partners who may enter into partnership agreements with NRCS
include federally
[[Page 77824]]
recognized Indian tribes, State and local units of government, producer
associations, farmer cooperatives, institutions of higher education,
and nongovernmental organizations with a history of working
cooperatively with producers to effectively address conservation
priorities related to agricultural production and nonindustrial private
forest land. Individual agricultural producers are not an eligible
partner entity and may not submit CCPI proposals.
Submitted proposals will be evaluated in a competitive review
process. NRCS will use the proposal ranking score along with other
review commentary to select proposals for funding. After selection, the
partners will enter into a partnership agreement with NRCS. The
partnership agreement will not obligate funds, but will address:
1. The role of the partner;
2. The role of NRCS;
3. The responsibilities of the partner as it relates to the
monitoring and evaluation;
4. The frequency and duration of monitoring and evaluation to be
completed by the partner;
5. The format and frequency of reports (semi-annual, annual, and
final) required as a condition of the partnership agreement;
6. Budget which includes other funding sources (if applicable) for
financial and technical assistance;
7. The specified project schedule and timeframe; and
8. Other requirements deemed necessary by NRCS to further the
purposes of the CCPI project.
Where flexibility is needed to meet project objectives, the partner
may request that program adjustments be allowed, provided such policy
adjustments are within the scope of the applicable programs' statutory
and regulatory program authorities. An example of a program adjustment
may be to expedite the applicable program ranking process in a
situation where a partner has identified the producers approved to
participate in the project. Another example of a program adjustment may
include using a single area-wide plan of operations rather than
individual plan of operations. An example of program authority that
cannot be waived under the provision of CCPI flexibility includes
program payment limits, maximum practice payment percentages, and
participant eligibility requirements. Questions regarding proposed
requests for CCPI flexibility may be directed to [email protected].
CCPI is not a grant program, and all Federal funds made available
through this request for proposals will be paid directly to producers
through program contract agreements. No technical assistance funding
may be provided to a partner through the CCPI partner agreement.
However, if requested by a partner, the State Conservationist may
consider development of a separate contribution agreement with a
qualified partner to provide funding for delivery of technical services
to producers participating in an approved CCPI project.
CCPI Program Participation
Once the agency approves and announces the selected partner
projects, eligible agricultural producers located within the approved
project areas may apply directly to NRCS for funding through one or
more of the following programs: Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), or Wildlife
Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). CCPI uses the funds, policies, and
processes of these programs to deliver assistance to eligible producers
to implement approved conservation practices, enhancements, and
activities. Producers interested in applying must meet the eligibility
requirements of the program for which they are applying. Individual
applications from eligible producers will be evaluated and ranked to
ensure that producer applications selected for funding are most likely
to achieve project objectives. Once applications are selected,
producers may enter into a contract or cost-share agreement with NRCS.
Participants may enter into multiple program contracts through CCPI
if more than one program is needed to accomplish the project
objectives.
During fiscal year (FY) 2011, an objective of CCPI is to deliver
EQIP, CSP, and WHIP assistance to producers to achieve high-priority
conservation objectives in geographic areas defined by the partner.
Depending upon the program available in the project area, the
assistance provided enables eligible producers to implement
conservation practices and enhancements, including the development and
adoption of innovative conservation practices and management
approaches.
Availability of Funding
Effective on the publication date of this notice, NRCS announces
the availability of up to $16 million in EQIP and $1.8 million in WHIP
financial assistance; and 229 thousand acres in CSP for CCPI during FY
2011 for competition.
Proposal Information
Proposal Format
It is highly recommended that the proposal be written using the
proposal template format, including budget and schedule templates, to
ensure that all required components are addressed. Consult the NRCS
national CCPI Web site for an example of an acceptable CCPI proposal
document at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CCPI/. Do not submit
other documents not requested or letters of endorsement.
Required Information
The proposal must include the following:
1. Proposal Cover Sheet and Summary:
a. Project Title.
b. Project director/manager name, telephone number, and mailing and
e-mail addresses.
c. Name and contact information for lead partner entity submitting
proposal and other collaborating partners.
d. Short summary of project including:
i. Project start and end dates (not to exceed a period of 5 years);
ii. Location of project;
iii. Project objectives and resource concerns to be addressed; and
iv. Amount of CCPI financial assistance being requested by program.
2. Partner Background and Experience:
a. A description of the partner or partners' history of working
with agricultural producers to address conservation priorities.
b. A description of how the partner(s) will collaborate to achieve
the objectives of the agreement. Include:
i. The roles, responsibilities, and capabilities of the partner(s);
and
ii. The financial or technical commitments of each of the partners
and how they will be leveraged by the Federal contribution through
EQIP, WHIP, or CSP. If partners who do not submit this proposal intend
to commit resources, a letter or other documentation from these
partners confirming a commitment of resources is required. Partners
need to clearly state, by project objective, how they intend to
leverage Federal funds along with partner resources. The funding and
time contribution by agricultural producers to implement agreed-to
conservation practices in program contracts may not be considered any
part of a match from the potential partner for purposes of CCPI.
3. Project Objectives and Natural Resource Concerns:
a. Identify and provide detail about the project objectives.
Objectives should
[[Page 77825]]
be specific, measureable, achievable, and results-oriented.
i. Identify and provide details about the natural resource
concern(s) to be addressed in this project. Include in this description
how the proposal objectives will address the listed resource concerns.
Note: A complete list of NRCS approved natural resource
concerns may be found on the CCPI Web site at: http://
www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ccpi/.
4. Project Description:
a. A detailed description of the geographic area covered by the
proposal including:
i. Types of lands to be treated; and
ii. The location and size of the proposed project area.
b. A detailed map showing the project area. Include on the map:
i. Outlined areas which need conservation treatments;
ii. What conservation treatments are needed in what areas; and
iii. The order of priority for the different areas to be treated.
c. A description of the project timeline. Include:
i. Duration of the project, not to exceed 5 years in length;
ii. Project implementation schedule that details when different
objectives and conservation practices will be completed;
iii. When partner and Federal resources will be used within the
timeframe of the project. Include the total amount of financial
assistance funds requested for each fiscal year of the project to be
made available for producer contracts and cost-share agreements (for
multi-State projects, provide the funds or acres by State as
appropriate). The proposal must request NRCS program funds for
obligation in producer contracts during FY 2011 (October 1, 2010 to
September 30, 2011). Proposals which request funding starting after FY
2011 (September 30, 2011) will not be evaluated or considered during
this funding cycle; and
iv. When the final project report will be submitted.
d. A description of the plan for monitoring, evaluating, and
reporting on progress made toward achieving the objectives of the
agreement.
e. Identify potential criteria to be used by NRCS to prioritize and
rank agricultural producers' applications for EQIP, CSP, and WHIP in
the project area. Potential partners should collaborate with NRCS to
develop meaningful criteria that NRCS can use to evaluate and rank
producers' program applications. This will ensure that applications
which will best accomplish the project's objectives will be selected.
f. An estimate of the percentage of producers, including
nonindustrial private forest landowners, in the project area that may
participate in the project along with an estimate of the total number
of producers located in the project area. Provide details such as how
the partner will encourage producer participation; whether the project
includes any tribal producers, beginning farmers or ranchers, socially
disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, or limited resource farmers or
ranchers; and whether there are groups of producers who may submit
joint applications to address resource issues of common interest and
need.
g. A listing and description of the conservation practices,
conservation activity plans, enhancements, and partner activities to be
implemented during the project timeframe and the general sequence of
implementation of the project. Also address technical assistance
efforts that will be made by the partner. Describe any activities that
are innovative or include outcome-based performance measures
implemented by the partner. Information about approved NRCS practices
is found in the Field Office Technical Guide at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/. Information on eligible
enhancements can be found at the CSP Web site at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html. For each conservation
practice, estimate the amount of practice extent (feet, acres, number,
etc.) the partner expects producers to implement and the amount of
financial assistance requested to support implementation of each
practice through producer contracts.
h. Indicate whether the project will address regulatory compliance
and any other outcomes the partner expects to complete during the
project period.
i. A detailed description of any requested policy adjustments, by
program, with an explanation of why the adjustment is needed in order
to achieve the objectives of the project.
j. A description of how the partner will provide for outreach to
beginning farmers or ranchers, limited resource farmers or ranchers,
socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, and Indian tribes.
k. A description of how the proposal's objectives may provide
additional benefits to address renewable energy production, energy
conservation, mitigating the effects of climate change, facilitating
climate change adaptation, or fostering carbon sequestration, if
applicable.
Evaluation Criteria
The agency will evaluate proposals using a national competitive
process. A higher priority may be given to proposals that:
1. Have a high percentage of producers actively farming or managing
working agricultural or nonindustrial private forest lands included in
the proposed project area;
2. Significantly leverage non-Federal financial and technical
resources and coordinate with other local, State, or Federal efforts;
3. Deliver high percentages of applied conservation practices to
address water quality, water conservation, or State, regional, or
national conservation initiatives;
4. Provide innovation in approved conservation practices,
conservation methods, and delivery including outcome-based performance
measures and methods;
5. Complete the application of the conservation practices and
activities on all of the covered program contracts or cost-share
agreements in 5 years or less;
6. Assist the participants in meeting local, State, and Federal
regulatory requirements;
7. Provide for monitoring and evaluation of conservation practices,
enhancements, and activities;
8. Provide for matching financial funds or technical assistance to
assist participants with the implementation of their EQIP and CSP
contracts and WHIP cost-share agreements;
9. Further the Nation's efforts with renewable energy production,
energy conservation, mitigating the effects of climate change,
facilitating climate change adaptation, or fostering carbon
sequestration;
10. Provide for outreach to, and participation of, beginning
farmers or ranchers, socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers,
limited resource farmers or ranchers, and Indian tribes within the
proposed project area; and
11. Identify other factors and criteria which best achieve the
purposes of CCPI.
Part C--General AWEP and CCPI Proposal Information
State Conservationist Letter of Review
Once a project proposal is received, the agency will provide a copy
to the appropriate State Conservationist(s) for evaluation and ranking.
If the project is multi-State in scope, the proposal will be evaluated
at the national level, and the State Conservationist(s) will submit a
letter of review to address:
1. Potential duplication of efforts with other projects or existing
programs;
[[Page 77826]]
2. Adherence to, and consistency with, program regulation including
requirements related to land and producer eligibility and use of
approved NRCS resource concerns and conservation practices,
enhancements, and other program requirements;
3. Expected benefits for project implementation in their State(s);
4. Other issues or concerns the State Conservationist is aware of
that should be considered by the agency; and
5. A general recommendation for support or denial of project
approval.
Proposal Submission, Review, and Notification
Potential partners are highly encouraged to submit proposals, using
the approved proposal template, to the e-mail address or Post Office
Box provided in the ``ADDRESSES'' section of this notice. The proposal
must address, in sufficient detail, all the criteria outlined in the
``Proposal Information'' section of this notice to allow agency
reviewers to understand the partner's priority resource concerns,
objectives, and expected outcomes.
State Conservationists are expected to provide, once requested,
guidance to potential partners regarding resource concerns that may be
addressed in the proposed project area, local working group and State
Technical Committee natural resource priorities, approved conservation
practices and activities, and other program requirements the partner
should consider when developing a proposal. NRCS may not assist in
writing or submission of any proposal.
AWEP and CCPI proposals submitted to NRCS become the property of
the agency for use in the administration of the program, may be filed
or disposed of by the agency, and will not be returned to the potential
partner. Once proposals have been submitted for review and ranking,
there will be no further opportunity to change or re-submit the
proposal. Incomplete proposals or those that do not meet the
requirements set forth in this notice will not be considered, and
notification of elimination will be mailed to the applicant. Partner
proposals may be withdrawn by written notice to the Director, Financial
Assistance Programs Division at any time prior to selection (see
``ADDRESSES'' section in this notice).
NRCS will review and evaluate the proposals based on the criteria
set forth in the respective ``Proposal Information'' sections of this
notice for both AWEP and CCPI. Positive consideration will be given to
proposals that thoroughly address the issues outlined in the respective
``Evaluation Criteria'' sections of this notice for AWEP and CCPI.
Partners whose proposals have been selected will receive a letter
of official notification. Upon notification of selection, the partner
should contact the appropriate State Conservationist to develop the
required partnership agreement and other project implementation
requirements. Potential partners should note that, depending upon
available funding and agency priorities, NRCS may offer a reduced
amount of program financial assistance from what was requested in the
proposal. Partner submissions of proposals that were not selected will
also be notified.
Waiver Authority
To assist in the implementation of AWEP projects, the NRCS Chief
may waive the applicability of the Adjusted Gross Income Limitation in
producer program contracts, on a case-by-case basis in accordance with
7 CFR 1400.500(d)(2). Such waiver requests must be submitted in writing
from the program applicant, addressed to the Chief, and submitted
through the local designated conservationist.
Signed this 7th day of December, 2010, in Washington, DC.
Dave White,
Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation and Chief, Natural
Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-31279 Filed 12-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P