[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-1311]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 19, 1994]


  
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Part IV





Environmental Protection Agency





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Department of Agriculture





Soil Conservation Service
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Department of Defense





Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army
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Department of the Interior





Fish and Wildlife Service
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Memorandum of Agreement Concerning Wetlands Determinations on 
Agricultural Lands; Notice
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Soil Conservation Service

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

 

Interagency Memorandum of Agreement Concerning Wetlands 
Determinations for Purposes of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and 
Subtitle B of the Food Security Act

AGENCIES: Environmental Protection Agency; Soil Conservation Service, 
USDA; Army Corps of Engineers, DoD; Fish and Wildlife Service, DoI.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On January 6, 1994, the Departments of the Army, Agriculture, 
the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency signed a 
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that recognizes the Soil Conservation 
Service (SCS) as the lead Federal agency for wetlands delineations on 
agricultural lands. Specifically, the MOA articulates the policy and 
procedures to be used in the determination of wetlands jurisdiction for 
purposes of both Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Subtitle B of 
the Food Security Act (also known as the Swampbuster program). The MOA, 
which establishes minimum training requirements and requires the use of 
standard interagency approved methods, will improve the quality and 
consistency of wetlands determinations on agricultural lands. The 
actual text of the MOA is published as part of this notice.

DATES: The effective date of this MOA is January 6, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Copies of this MOA are available from:

EPA Wetlands Hotline, (800) 832-7828.
U.S. Soil Conservation Service Conservation Planning Division, 
Washington, DC 20013.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers CECW-OR, 20 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 
Washington, DC 20314-1000.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Habitat Conservation 
(400ARLSQ), 1849 C. St., NW, Washington, DC 20240

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The EPA Wetlands Hotline, (800) 832-
7828; Gregory Peck of the Environmental Protection Agency, 202/260-
8794; Michael Davis of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the 
Army (Civil Works), 703/695-1376; Warren Lee of the Soil Conservation 
Service, 202/720-1845; or Stephen Forsythe of the Fish and Wildlife 
Service, (703) 358-2161.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 24, 1993, the Clinton 
Administration announced a comprehensive package of wetlands policy 
reforms that will improve the protection of wetlands and make wetlands 
programs more fair and flexible for landowners. The MOA signed on 
January 6, 1994, implements one of the more than 40 initiatives in the 
Administrations's Wetlands Plan. The MOA signatory agencies recognize 
the important contribution of agricultural producers to society, our 
economy, and our environment. The agencies are committed to ensuring 
that Federal wetlands programs are administered in a manner that 
minimizes the impacts on affected landowners to the extent possible 
consistent with the important goal of protecting wetlands. The MOA was 
developed in response to concerns that previous practices may have led 
to confusion and inconsistent application of Federal wetlands programs 
and policies on agricultural lands.

    The MOA will minimize duplication and inconsistencies between 
Swampbuster and the Clean Water Act wetlands programs and articulate 
clearly the procedures by which the Nation's farmers can rely on SCS 
wetlands jurisdictional determinations on agricultural land for 
purposes of both the Clean Water Act and Swampbuster programs. The MOA 
includes provisions to ensure that agency personnel are properly 
trained, that standard agreed-upon methods are utilized in making 
wetlands determinations, and that appropriate monitoring and oversight 
is undertaken. The MOA also places emphasis on local cooperation 
between the signatory agencies and the improvement of analytical 
methods for making wetland determinations.
    While the MOA became effective on January 6, 1994, full 
implementation will vary from state to state depending on the level of 
training required and the development of state wetlands mapping 
conventions. The signatory agencies will take appropriate action to 
expedite implementation of the MOA consistent with such prerequisites.
    The full text of the MOA follows.

    Dated: January 7, 1994.

    Approved:
James R. Lyons,
Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Department 
of Agriculture.
    Dated: January 12, 1994.

    Approved:
Robert Perciasepe,
Assistant Administrator for Water Environmental Protection Agency.
    Dated: January 7, 1994.

    Approved:
G. Edward Dickey,
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Department of 
the Army.
    Dated: January 7, 1994.

    Approved:
George T. Frampton, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the 
Interior.
    Memorandum of Agreement Among the Department of Agriculture, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and 
the Department of the Army Concerning the Delineation of Wetlands for 
Purposes of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Subtitle B of the 
Food Security Act.

I. Background

    The Departments of the Army, Agriculture, and the Interior, and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognize fully that the 
protection of the Nation's remaining wetlands is an important objective 
that will be supported through the implementation of the Wetland 
Conservation (Swampbuster) provision of the Food Security Act (FSA) and 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The agencies further 
recognize and value the important contribution of agricultural 
producers to our society, our economy, and our environment. We are 
committed to ensuring that Federal wetlands programs are administered 
in a manner that minimizes the impacts on affected landowners to the 
fullest possible extent consistent with the important goal of 
protecting wetlands. We are also committed to minimizing duplication 
and inconsistencies between Swampbuster and the CWA Section 404 
program. On August 24, 1993, the Administration announced a 
comprehensive package of reforms that will improve both the protection 
of wetlands and make wetlands programs more fair and flexible for 
landowners, including the Nations's agriculture producers. This 
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) implements one of over 40 components of 
the Administration's Wetland Plan.

II. Purpose and Applicability

A. Purpose

    The purpose of this MOA is to specify the manner in which wetland 
delineations and certain other determinations of waters of the United 
States made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the FSA 
will be relied upon for purposes of CWA Section 404. While this MOA 
will promote consistency between CWA and FSA wetlands programs, it is 
not intended in any way to diminish the protection of these important 
aquatic resources. In this regard, all signatory agencies to this MOA 
will ensure that wetlands programs are administered in a manner 
consistent with the objectives and requirements of applicable laws, 
implementing regulations, and guidance.

B. Applicability

    1. The Administrator of EPA has the ultimate authority to determine 
the geographic scope of waters of the United States subject to 
jurisdiction under the CWA, including the Section 404 regulatory 
program. Consistent with a current MOA between EPA and the Department 
of the Army, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) conducts 
jurisdictional delineations associated with the day-to-day 
administration of the Section 404 program.
    2. The Secretary of the USDA, acting through the Chief of the Soil 
Conservation Service (SCS), has the ultimate authority to determine the 
geographic scope of wetlands for FSA purposes and to make delineations 
relative to the FSA, in consultation with the Department of the 
Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

III. Definition of Agricultural Lands

    For the purposes of this MOA, the term ``agricultural lands'' means 
those lands intensively used and managed for the production of food or 
fiber to the extent that the natural vegetation has been removed and 
cannot be used to determine whether the area meets applicable 
hydrophytic vegetation criteria in making a wetland delineation.
    A. Areas that meet the above definition may include intensively 
used and managed cropland, hayland, pasture land, orchards, vineyards, 
and areas which support wetland crops (e.g., cranberries, taro, 
watercress, rice). For example, lands intensively used and managed for 
pasture or hayland where the natural vegetation has been removed and 
replaced with planted grasses or legumes such as ryegrass, bluegrass, 
or alfalfa, are considered agricultural lands for the purposes of this 
MOA.
    B. ``Agricultural lands'' do not include range lands, forest lands, 
wood lots, or tree farms. Further, lands where the natural vegetation 
has not been removed, even though that vegetation may be regularly 
grazed or mowed and collected as forage or fodder (e.g., uncultivated 
meadows and prairies, salt hay), are not considered agricultural lands 
for the purposes of this MOA.
    Other definitions for the purposes of this MOA are listed below in 
section VI.

IV. Allocation of Responsibility

    A. In accordance with the terms and procedures of this MOA, wetland 
delineations made by SCS on agricultural lands, in consultation with 
FWS, will be accepted by EPA and the Corps for the purposes of 
determining Section 404 wetland jurisdiction. In addition, EPA and the 
Corps will accept SCS wetland delineations on non-agricultural lands 
that are either narrow bands immediately adjacent to, or small pockets 
interspersed among, agricultural lands. SCS is responsible for making 
wetland delineations for agricultural lands whether or not the person 
who owns, manages, or operates the land is a participant in USDA 
programs.
    B. Lands owned or operated by a USDA program participant that are 
not agricultural lands and for which a USDA program participant 
requests a wetland delineation, will be delineated by SCS in 
coordination with the Corps, or EPA as appropriate, and in consultation 
with FWS. Final wetland delineations conducted by SCS pursuant to the 
requirements of this paragraph shall not be revised by SCS except where 
an opportunity for coordination and consultation is provided to the 
other signatory agencies.
    C. SCS may conduct delineations of other waters for the purposes of 
Section 404 of the CWA, such as lakes, ponds, and streams, in 
coordination with the Corps, or EPA as appropriate, on lands on which 
SCS is otherwise engaged in wetland delineations pursuant to paragraphs 
IV.A or IV.B of this MOA. Delineations of ``other waters'' will not be 
made until the interagency oversight team convened pursuant to Section 
V.B.2 has agreed on appropriate local procedures and guidance for 
making such delineations.
    D. For agricultural lands, the signatory agencies will use the 
procedures for delineating wetlands as described in the National Food 
Security Act Manual, Third Edition (NFSAM). For areas that are not 
agricultural lands, SCS will use the 1987 Corps Wetland Delineation 
Manual, with current national Corps guidance, to make wetland 
delineations applicable to Section 404.
    E. Delineations on ``agricultural lands'' must be performed by 
personnel who are trained in the use of the NFSAM. Delineations on 
other lands and waters must be performed by personnel who are trained 
in the use of the 1987 Corps Wetland Delineation Manual. This MOA 
includes provisions for the appropriate interagency delineation 
training below in Section V.E.
    F. In the spirit of the agencies' commitment to develop agreed upon 
methods for use in making wetland delineations, subsequent revisions or 
amendments to the Corps 1987 manual or portions of the NFSAM affecting 
the wetland delineation procedures upon which this agreement is based 
will require the concurrence of the four signatory agencies.
    G. A final written wetland delineation made by SCS pursuant to the 
terms of this MOA will be adhered to by all the signatory agencies and 
will be effective for a period of five years from the date the 
delineation is made final, unless new information warrants revision of 
the delineation before the expiration date. Such new information may 
include, for example, data on landscape changes caused by a major 
flood, or a landowner's notification of intent to abandon agricultural 
use and the return of wetland conditions on a prior converted cropland. 
In accordance with Section 1222 of the FSA, SCS will update wetland 
delineations on this five-year cycle. Circumstances under which SCS 
wetland delineations made prior to the effective date of this agreement 
will be considered as final for Section 404 purposes are addressed in 
Paragraph V.C.
    H. Within the course of administering their Swampbuster 
responsibilities, SCS and FWS will provide landowners/operators general 
written information (i.e., EPA/Corps fact sheets) regarding the CWA 
Section 404 program permit requirements, general permits, and 
exemptions. The SCS and FWS will not, however, provide opinions 
regarding the applicability of CWA Section 404 permit requirements or 
exemptions.
    I. USDA will maintain documentation of all final written SCS 
wetland delineations and record the appropriate label and boundary 
information on an official wetland delineation map. USDA will make this 
information available to the signatory agencies upon request.
    J. In pursuing enforcement activities, the signatory agencies will 
rely upon delineations made by the lead agency, as clarified below, 
providing a single Federal delineation for potential violations of 
Section 404 or Swampbuster. Nothing in this MOA will diminish, modify, 
or otherwise affect existing EPA and Corps enforcement authorities 
under the CWA and clarified in the 1989 ``EPA/Army MOA Concerning 
Federal Enforcement for the Section 404 Program of the Clean Water 
Act.'' EPA, the Corps, and SCS may gather information based on site 
visits or other means to provide additional evidentiary support for a 
wetland delineation which is the subject of a potential or ongoing CWA 
Section 404 or Swampbuster enforcement action.
    K. For those lands where SCS has not made a final written wetland 
delineation, and where the Corps or EPA is pursuing, a potential CWA 
violation, the lead agency for the CWA enforcement action will conduct 
a jurisdictional delineation for the purposes of Section 404 and such 
delineations will be used by SCS for determining Swampbuster 
jurisdiction and potential Swampbuster violations. For those lands 
where the Corps has not made a final written wetland delineation, and 
where SCS is pursuing a potential Swampbuster violation, SCS will make 
a final written wetland delineation consistent with Sections IV.A, 
IV.B, and IV.C of this MOA and provide copies to the Corps and EPA. 
Such delineations will be used by the Corps and EPA for the purpose of 
determining potential violations of the CWA. In circumstances in which 
either the Corps or EPA is pursuing a potential CWA violation on land 
that is subject to an ongoing SCS appeal, a wetland delineation will be 
conducted by the Corps or EPA in consultation with SCS and FWS.
    L. In making wetland delineations, the agencies recognize that 
discharges of dredged or fill material that are not authorized under 
Section 404 cannot eliminate Section 404 jurisdiction, and that 
wetlands that were converted as a result of unauthorized discharges 
remain subject to Section 404 regulation.

V. Procedures

    Accurate and consistent wetland delineations are critical to the 
success of this MOA. For this reason, the signatory agencies will work 
cooperatively at the field level to:
    (1) Achieve interagency concurrence on mapping conventions used by 
SCS for wetland delineations on agricultural lands, (2) provide EPA and 
Corps programmatic review of SCS delineations, and (3) certify wetland 
delineations in accordance with Section 1222(a)(2) of the FSA, as 
amended. The following sections describe the procedures that will be 
followed to accomplish these objectives.

A. Mapping Conventions

    1. Each SCS State Conservationist will take the lead in convening 
representatives of the Corps, EPA, FWS, and SCS to obtain the written 
concurrence of each of the signatory agencies, within 120 calendar days 
of the effective date of this MOA, on a set of mapping conventions for 
use in making wetland delineations. Only mapping conventions concurred 
upon by all signatory agencies will be used by SCS for wetland 
delineations.
    2. If interagency consensus on mapping conventions is not reached 
within 120 days of the date of this MOA, the State Conservationist will 
refer documentation of the unresolved issues to the Chief of SCS. The 
Chief of SCS will immediately forward copies of the State 
Conservationist's documentation of unresolved issues to the Corps 
Director of Civil Works; the EPA Director of the Office of Wetlands, 
Oceans, and Watersheds; and the FWS Director. Immediately thereafter, 
the Chief of SCS or an appropriate designee will lead necessary 
discussions to achieve interagency concurrence on resolution of 
outstanding issues, and will forward documentation of the resolution to 
the State Conservationist and the appropriate Headquarters offices of 
the signatory agencies.
    3. Once interagency concurrence on mapping conventions is obtained, 
such mapping conventions will be used immediately in place of the 
earlier mapping conventions.
    4. Agreed-upon mapping conventions developed at the state level 
will be documented and submitted, for each state, through the Chief of 
SCS to the Headquarters of each of the signatory agencies. State-level 
agreements will be reviewed by the Headquarters of the signatory 
agencies for the purpose of ensuring national consistency.

B. Delineation Process Review and Oversight

    1. This MOA emphasizes the need to ensure consistency in the manner 
in which wetlands are identified for CWA and FSA purposes, and provides 
a number of mechanisms to increase meaningful interagency coordination 
and consultation in order for the agencies to work toward meeting this 
goal. In this regard, the agencies believe it is critical that efforts 
for achieving consistency be carefully monitored and evaluated. 
Consequently, this MOA establishes a monitoring and review process that 
will be used to provide for continuous improvement in the wetland 
delineation process specified in this MOA.
    2. EPA will lead the signatory agencies in establishing interagency 
oversight teams at the state level to conduct periodic review of 
wetland delineations conducted under the provisions of this MOA. These 
reviews will include delineations done by SCS pursuant to Sections 
IV.A, IV.B, and IV.C of this MOA and delineations done by EPA or the 
Corps pursuant to Section IV.K. of this MOA. These reviews also will 
include changes to wetland delineations resulting from the SCS appeals 
process, as well as disagreements regarding allocation of 
responsibility. These reviews will occur, at a minimum, on a quarterly 
basis for the first year, on a semi-annual basis for the second year, 
and annually thereafter. In addition, a review will be initiated 
whenever one or more of the signatory agencies believes a significant 
issue needs to be addressed. The purpose of each review will be to 
evaluate the accuracy of an appropriate sample of wetland delineations. 
When feasible, this will include actual field verifications of wetland 
delineations. Should the interagency oversight team identify issues 
regarding implementation of this MOA or wetland delineations conducted 
under the provisions of this MOA, the team will work to resolve those 
issues and reach agreement on any necessary corrective actions. Each 
review, and any necessary corrective action, will be documented in a 
report to be distributed to the signatory agencies' appropriate field 
and Headquarters offices.
    3. In situations in which the interagency oversight team identifies 
and reports unresolved issues concerning wetland delineations conducted 
under the provisions of this MOA, including changes to wetland 
delineations resulting from the SCS appeals process, the Headquarters 
offices of the signatory agencies will informally review the issue and 
work to reach agreement on any necessary corrective actions. This 
informal process notwithstanding, the EPA Regional Administrator or the 
Corps District Engineer may, at any time, propose to designate a 
geographic area as a ``special case''.
    4. Similar to the terms of the current Memorandum of Agreement 
between the Department of the Army and the EPA Concerning the 
Determination of the Geographic Jurisdiction of the Section 404 Program 
and the Application of the Exemptions under Section 404(f) of the CWA, 
the EPA Regional Administrator or the Corps District Engineer may 
propose to designate a geographic area, or a particular wetland type 
within a designated geographic area, as a special case. A special case 
may be designated only after the interagency oversight team (EPA, 
Corps, SCS, and FWS) has reviewed the relevant issues and been unable 
to reach a consensus on an appropriate resolution. Special cases will 
be designated by an easily identifiable political or geographic 
subdivision, such as a township, county, parish, state, EPA Region, or 
Corps division or district, and will be marked on maps or using some 
other clear format and provided to the appropriate EPA, Corps, FWS, and 
SCS field offices. Proposed designations of special cases will not be 
effective until approved by EPA or Corps Headquarters, as appropriate.
    5. Upon proposing a special case, the EPA Regional Administrator or 
Corps District Engineer, as appropriate, will notify the appropriate 
SCS State Conservationist in writing. Following notification of the 
proposed designation, SCS will not make wetland delineations for the 
purposes of CWA jurisdiction within the proposed special case for a 
period of 20 working days from the date of the notification. SCS may 
proceed to make wetland delineations for CWA purposes in the proposed 
special case after the 20-day period if the SCS State Conservationist 
has not been notified by the EPA Regional Administrator or Corps 
District Engineer of approval of the proposed special case designation 
by EPA Headquarters or the Corps Director of Civil Works, as 
appropriate.
    6. Following approval of the proposed special case, the Corps, or 
EPA as appropriate, will make final CWA wetland delineations in the 
special case area, rather than SCS. In addition, the referring field 
office (i.e., either the EPA Regional Administrator or Corps District 
Engineer) will develop draft guidance relevant to the specific issues 
raised by the special case and forward the draft guidance to its 
Headquarters office. The Headquarters office of the agency which 
designated the special case will develop final guidance after 
consulting with the signatory agencies' Headquarters offices. EPA 
concurrence will be required for final guidance for any special case 
designated by the Corps. Special cases remain in effect until final 
guidance is issued by the Headquarters office of the agency which 
designated the special case or the designation is withdrawn by the EPA 
Regional Administrator or Corps District Engineer, as appropriate.

C. Reliance on Previous SCS Wetland Delineations for CWA Purposes

    1. Section 1222 of the FSA, as amended by the Food Agriculture 
Conservation and Trade Act, provides that SCS will certify SCS wetland 
delineations made prior to November 28, 1990. The intent of this 
process is to ensure the accuracy of wetland delineations conducted 
prior to November 28, 1990, for the purposes of the FSA. This 
certification process also will provide a useful basis for establishing 
reliance on wetland delineations for CWA purposes. All certifications 
done after the effective date of this MOA that are done using mapping 
conventions will use the agreed-upon mapping conventions pursuant to 
Section V.A of this MOA.
    2. Written SCS wetland delineations for lands identified in section 
IV.A of his MOA conducted prior to the effective date of this MOA will 
be used for purposes of establishing CWA jurisdiction, subject to the 
provisions of section V.C.3 below. If such SCS wetland delineations are 
subsequently modified or revised through updated certification, these 
modifications or revisions will supersede the previous delineations for 
purposes of establishing CWA jurisdiction. Written SCS wetland 
delineations for lands identified in sections IV.B and IV.C of this MOA 
conducted prior to the effective date of this MOA will require 
coordination with the Corps, or EPA as appropriate, before being used 
for purposes of determining CWA jurisdiction.
    3. As part of the certification effort, SCS will establish 
priorities to certify SCS wetland delineations. In addition to 
responding to requests from individual landowners who feel their 
original wetland determinations were made in error, SCS will give 
priority to certifying those wetland delineations where at least two of 
the four signatory agencies represented on the interagency oversight 
team convened pursuant to section V.B.2 of this MOA agree that SCS 
wetland delineations in a particular area, or a generic class of SCS 
wetland delineations in a particular area, raise issues regarding their 
accuracy based on current guidance. These priority areas will be 
identified only after mapping conventions are agreed upon pursuant to 
section V.A of this MOA. Identification of these high priority 
certification needs shall be made at the level of the SCS State 
Conservationist, FWS Regional Director, EPA Regional Administrator, and 
the Corps District Engineer. Following identification of these high 
priority certification needs, the SCS State Conservationist will 
immediately notify the affected landowner(s), by letter, that the 
relevant SCS wetland delineations have been identified as a high 
priority for being certified under Section 1222 of the FSA. In 
addition, the notification will inform the landowner that while 
previous wetland delineations remain valid for purposes of the FSA 
until certification or certification update is completed, the landowner 
will need to contact the Corps before proceeding with discharges of 
dredged or fill material. This communication by the landowner will 
enable the Corps to review the wetland delineation to establish whether 
it can be used for purposes of CWA jurisdiction. The SCS State 
Conservationist will initiate, within 30 calendar days of landowner 
notification, corrective measures to resolve the wetland delineation 
accuracy problem.

D. Appeals

    Landowners for whom SCS makes wetland delineations for either 
Swampbuster or Section 404 will be afforded the opportunity to appeal 
such wetland delineations through the SCS appeals process. In 
circumstances where an appeal is made and the State Conservationist is 
considering a change in the original delineation, the State 
Conservationist will notify the Corps District Engineer and the EPA 
Regional Administrator to provide the opportunity for their 
participation and input on the appeal. FWS also will be consulted 
consistent with the requirements of current regulations. The Corps and 
EPA reserve the right, on a case-by-case basis, to determine that a 
revised delineation resulting from an appeal is not valid for purposes 
of Section 404 jurisdiction.

E. Training

    1. SCS, in addition to FWS and EPA, will continue to participate in 
the interagency wetland delineation training sponsored by the Corps, 
which is based on the most current manual used to delineate wetlands 
for purposes of Section 404. Completion of this training will be a 
prerequisite for field staff of all signatory agencies who delineate 
wetlands on non-agricultural lands using the 1987 Corps Wetland 
Delineation Manual.
    2. The interagency wetland delineation training will address agency 
wetland delineation responsibilities as defined by this MOA, including 
SCS NFSAM wetland delineation procedures.
    3. Field offices of the signatory agencies are encouraged to 
provide supplemental interagency wetland delineation training (i.e., in 
addition to that required in paragraph IV.E), as necessary, to prepare 
SCS field staff for making Section 404 wetland delineations. For 
training on the use of the 1987 Corps Wetland Delineation Manual, such 
supplemental training will rely on the training materials used for the 
Corps delineation training program and will provide an equivalent level 
of instruction.

VI. Definitions

    A. Coordination means that SCS will contact the Corps, or EPA as 
appropriate, and provide an opportunity for review, comment, and 
approval of the findings of SCS prior to making a final delineation. 
The Corps, or EPA as appropriate, will review the proposed delineation 
and respond to SCS regarding its acceptability for CWA Section 404 
purposes within 45 days of receipt of all necessary information. SCS 
will not issue a final delineation until agreement is reached between 
SCS and the Corps or EPA, as appropriate.
    B. Consultation means that SCS, consistent with current provisions 
of the FSA, will provide FWS opportunity for full participation in the 
action being taken and for timely review and comment on the findings of 
SCS prior to a final wetland delineation pursuant to the requirements 
of the FSA.
    C. A wetland delineation is any determination of the presence of 
wetlands and their boundaries.
    D. A special case for the purposes of this MOA refers to those 
geographic areas or wetland types where the Corps or EPA will make 
final CWA wetland delineations.
    E. Signatory agencies means the EPA and the Departments of Army 
(acting through the Corps), Agriculture (acting through SCS), and 
Interior (acting through FWS).
    F. USDA program participant means individual landowners/operators 
eligible to receive USDA program benefits covered under Title XII of 
the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended by the Food, Agriculture, 
Conservation and Trade Act of 1990.

VII. General

    A. The policy and procedures contained within this MOA do not 
create any rights, either substantive or procedural, enforceable by any 
party regarding an enforcement action brought by the United States. 
Deviation or variance from the administrative procedures included in 
this MOA will not constitute a defense for violators or others 
concerned with any Section 404 enforcement action.
    B. Nothing in this MOA is intended to diminish, modify, or 
otherwise affect statutory or regulatory authorities of any of the 
signatory agencies. All formal guidance interpreting this MOA and 
background materials upon which this MOA is based will be issued 
jointly by the agencies.
    C. Nothing in this MOA will be construed as indicating a financial 
commitment by SCS, the Corps, EPA, or FWS for the expenditure of funds 
except as authorized in specific appropriations.
    D. This MOA will take effect on the date of the last signature 
below and will continue in effect until modified or revoked by 
agreement of all signatory agencies, or revoked by any of the signatory 
agencies alone upon 90 days written notice. Modifications to this MOA 
may be made by mutual agreement and Headquarters level approval by all 
the signatory agencies. Such modifications will take effect upon 
signature of the modified document by all the signatory agencies.
    E. The signatory agencies will refer delineation requests to the 
appropriate agency pursuant to this MOA.

    Dated: January 6, 1994.
James R. Lyons,
Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Department 
of Agriculture.
Robert Perciasepe,
Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency.
G. Edward Dickey,
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Department of 
the Army.
George T. Frampton, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Department of the 
Interior.

[FR Doc. 94-1311 Filed 1-18-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-92-M