[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25999-26001]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10476]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service

[Docket No. NRCS-2015-0003]


Notice of Proposed Changes to the National Handbook of 
Conservation Practices for the Natural Resources Conservation Service

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed changes in the NRCS National 
Handbook of Conservation Practices for public review and comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue a 
series of revised conservation practice standards in the National 
Handbook of Conservation Practices. These standards include: Amending 
Soil Properties with Gypsum Products (Code 333), Animal Mortality 
Facility (Code 316), Contour Orchards and Other Perennial Crops (Code 
331), Controlled Traffic Farming (Code 334), Denitrifying Bioreactor 
(Code 605), Emergency Animal Mortality Management (Code 368), Field 
Operations Emissions Reduction (Code 376), Forest Stand Improvement 
(Code 666), Herbaceous Wind Barriers (Code 603), Irrigation System, 
Micro-irrigation (Code 441), Roofs and Covers (Code 367), Sprinkler 
System (Code 442), Vegetated Treatment Area (Code 635), and Vegetative 
Barrier (Code 601).
    NRCS State Conservationists who choose to adopt these practices for 
use within their States will incorporate them into Section IV of their 
respective electronic Field Office Technical Guide. These practices may 
be used in conservation systems that treat highly erodible land (HEL) 
or on land determined to be a wetland. Section 343 of the Federal 
Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 requires NRCS to make 
available for public review and comment all proposed revisions to 
conservation practice standards used to carry out HEL and wetland 
provisions of the law.

DATES: This is effective May 6, 2015. Submit comments on or before June 
5, 2015. Final versions of these new or revised conservation practice 
standards will be adopted after the close of the 30-

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day period and after consideration of all comments.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand-deliver comments to Public Comments Processing, 
Attention: Regulatory and Agency Policy Team, Strategic Planning and 
Accountability, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 5601 Sunnyside 
Avenue, Building 1-1112D, Beltsville, Maryland 20705. Submit electronic 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. All submitted comments should be identified by 
Docket Number NRCS-2015-0003.
    NRCS will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. In 
general, personal information provided with comments will be posted. If 
your comment includes your address, phone number, email, or other 
personal identifying information, your comments, including personal 
information, may be available to the public. You may ask in your 
comment that your personal identifying information be withheld from 
public view, but this cannot be guaranteed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne Bogovich, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, 1400 Independence Avenue Southwest, South 
Building, Room 6136, Washington, DC 20250.
    Electronic copies of the proposed revised standards are available 
through http://www.regulations.gov by accessing Docket No. NRCS-2015-
0003. Alternatively, copies can be downloaded or printed from the 
following Web site: http://go.usa.gov/TXye. Requests for paper versions 
or inquiries may be directed to Emil Horvath, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, Central National Technology Support Center, 501 
West Felix Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The amount of the proposed changes varies 
considerably for each of the conservation practice standards addressed 
in this notice. To fully understand the proposed changes, individuals 
are encouraged to compare these changes with each standard's current 
version as shown at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/technical/cp/ncps/?cid=nrcs143026849. To aid in 
this comparison, the following are highlights of some of the proposed 
revisions to each standard:
    Amending Soil Properties with Gypsum Products (Code 333): This is a 
new conservation practice standard using the technology of gypsum 
products to improve soil structure, and to reduce phosphorus runoff 
from fields and buffer areas.
    Animal Mortality Facility (Code 316): Criteria for catastrophic 
animal mortality has been removed and placed in Emergency Animal 
Mortality Management (368). The information provided on composting has 
been expanded. The language was changed to improve the readability of 
the standard.
    Contour Orchards and Other Perennial Crops (Code 331): Wind erosion 
was removed as one of the purposes, and the technology addresses only 
sheet and rill erosion from water. Edits were made to the purposes to 
align with NRCS' list of natural resource concerns. The criteria for 
additional temporary erosion control measures on sites that are 
disturbed was added. The allowable contour row grade was reduced from 
10 percent to 4 percent. The criteria to improve sediment trapping on 
the slopes of inward-sloping benches was added. Minor edits where made 
throughout the standard to improve clarity.
    Controlled Traffic Farming (Code 334): This is a new conservation 
practice where heavy axle loads are confined to designated lanes or 
tramlines that will cover no more than 33 percent of the surface area 
of the field. The primary purpose is to reduce soil compaction.
    Denitrifying Bioreactor (Code 605): This proposed National standard 
is based on interim standards from Illinois and Iowa. These States have 
been using and refining this standard since 2009. As the interim 
standards are revised each year, new data becomes available. This 
summary of changes is brief.
    Emergency Animal Mortality Management (Code 368): This is a new 
conservation practice standard defined as a means or method for the 
management of animal carcasses from catastrophic mortality events.
    Field Operations Emissions Reduction (Code 376): This is a new 
conservation practice standard to address air particulate emissions (10 
micrometers in diameter or smaller), especially in designated air 
quality impaired zones. The standard provides criteria to reduce 
emission of particulate matter from field operations; primarily from 
tillage and harvest operations.
    Forest Stand Improvement (Code 666): The agency added new language 
to the definition: ``. . . to achieve a desired future condition or 
obtain ecosystem services.'' Two purposes that refer to forest products 
where deleted because they do not refer to an environmental benefit. 
Purposes that refer to renewable energy systems, and aesthetics and 
recreation are moved to ``Considerations'' because they are not primary 
purposes for this practice. NRCS changed ``Conditions where Practice 
Applies'' from ``All Forest land'', (with exceptions for some 
agroforestry practices), to ``All land where the quantity and quality 
of trees can be enhanced.'' Under ``General Criteria Applicable to All 
Purposes,'' NRCS changed the emphasis from silvicultural systems to 
achieving desired future conditions by altering the species composition 
or tree density. ``Additional Criteria to Improve and Sustain Forest 
Health and Productivity'' were added. Several new ``Considerations'' 
were added, including descriptions of silvicultural and carbon 
sequestration options. Several new references were also added.
    Herbaceous Wind Barriers (Code 603): The purpose and criteria to 
enhance snow deposition was removed because the vegetation during the 
winter period is not conducive to uniform snow deposition. Minor edits 
were made throughout the standard to improve clarity. The criteria for 
barrier height for the wind erosion period was increased to 1.5 feet 
from 0.5 feet.
    Irrigation System, Micro-irrigation (Code 441): The purpose of 
reduced energy use was removed. It would not be the primary purpose of 
planning a micro-irrigation system. There are also some minor editorial 
changes.
    Roofs and Covers (Code 367): The definition for the ``Roofs and 
Covers'' practice added agrichemical handling facilities to the waste 
management facilities specified. Criteria was added to include treated 
wood products and the type of associated fasteners, as was a table for 
geomembrane materials specified by cover purpose. Criteria was also 
added for appurtenant equipment associated with cover over liquid 
manure storage facilities for the safe collection, conveyance, 
treatment, or utilization of biogases.
    Sprinkler System (Code 442): ``In absence of manufacturer's 
recommendations for pressure regulator operation, ensure line pressure 
upstream of regulators is at least 5 psi above rated regulator 
pressure'' was added. There are also some minor editorial changes.
    Vegetated Treatment Area (Code 635): This standard was edited to 
improve clarity. Additionally, criteria was added to address 
pretreatment and erosion control measures, and the minimum flow length 
that affected the design of small facilities was removed.
    Vegetative Barrier (Code 601): The purpose and the criteria to use 
the vegetative barrier to control concentrated flow erosion was removed

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due to poor performance. Minor edits here made throughout the standard 
to improve clarity.

    Signed this 22nd day of April, 2015, in Washington, DC.
Jason A. Weller,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-10476 Filed 5-5-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-16-P