[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 10]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1415.8]

[Page 419-420]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
  CHAPTER XIV--COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 1415_GRASSLAND RESERVE PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  1415.8  Establishing priority for enrollment of properties.

    (a) USDA, at the national level, will provide to USDA offices at the 
State level, broad national guidelines for establishing State specific 
project selection criteria.
    (b) USDA, at the State level, with advice from the State technical 
committee, establishes criteria to evaluate and rank applications for 
easement and rental agreement enrollment following the guidance 
established in paragraph (a) of this section.
    (c) Ranking criteria will emphasize support for:
    (1) Native and naturalized grassland;
    (2) Protection of grassland from the threat of conversion;
    (3) Support for grazing operations; and
    (4) Maintenance and improvement of plant and animal biodiversity.
    (d) When funding is available, USDA, at the State level, will 
periodically select for funding the highest ranked applications based on 
applicant and land eligibility and the State-developed ranking criteria.
    (e) States may utilize one or more ranking pools, including a pool 
for special project consideration such as establishing a pool for 
projects that receive restoration funding from non-USDA sources.
    (f) The USDA, with advice from the State technical committee, may 
emphasize enrollment of unique grasslands or specific geographic areas 
of the State.
    (g) The FSA State Executive Director and NRCS State Conservationist, 
with advice from the State technical committee, will select applications 
for funding.
    (h) If available funds are insufficient to accept the highest ranked 
application, and the applicant is not interested in reducing the acres 
offered to match available funding, USDA may select a lower ranked 
application that can be fully funded. Applicants may choose to change 
the duration of the easement or agreement or reduce acreage amount 
offered if the application ranking score is not reduced below that

[[Page 420]]

of the score of the next available application on the ranking list.