[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 234 (Tuesday, December 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 87981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-29187]


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OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY

National Science and Technology Council


Framework for a Federal Strategic Plan for Soil Science

ACTION: Notice of Request for Information.

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SUMMARY: The Soil Science Interagency Working Group (SSIWG) was 
established under the National Science and Technology Council to 
develop a Framework for a Federal Strategic Plan for Soil Science. This 
Framework aims to establish Federal soil research priorities, ensure 
availability of tools and information for improved soil management and 
stewardship, deliver key information to land managers to help them 
implement soil conserving systems, and inform related policy 
development and coordination. The Framework identifies current gaps, 
needs, and opportunities in soil science, and proposes Federal research 
priorities for the future. The Framework will inform a more 
comprehensive Federal Strategic Plan that will provide recommendations 
for improving the coordination of soil science research, as well as the 
development, implementation, and evaluation of soil conservation and 
management practices among Federal agencies and between Federal 
agencies and non-Federal organizations, both domestic and 
international. This notice solicits public comments on the Framework. 
The Framework can be accessed at the following link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/SSIWG_Framework_December_2016.pdf.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 10, 2017 to be considered.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Email (preferred): [email protected]. Include 
[Framework--Soils] in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: (202) 456-6027, Attn: Parker Liautaud.
     Mail: Attn: Parker Liautaud, Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, 1650 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20504.
    Instructions: Response to this Request for Information (RFI) is 
voluntary. Responses exceeding 10 pages will not be considered. If 
responding to a question listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section, please identify the question number(s) in your comment. 
Responses to this RFI may be posted without change online. The Office 
of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) therefore requests that no 
business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or 
personally identifiable information be submitted in response to this 
RFI. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for response 
preparation, or for the use of any information contained in the 
response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Parker Liautaud, (202) 881-7564, 
[email protected], OSTP.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In preparing comments on the contents of the 
Framework, you may wish to consider the following questions:
    (1) What research gaps currently exist in soil science and in soil-
related questions within the earth and life sciences? Do Federal 
research programs adequately address these questions and support the 
necessary research to answer them? If no, where might there be needs 
for further Federal support?
    (2) In general, does the Framework appropriately characterize the 
threats to U.S. soil resources? Are there significant challenges to 
soils that have not been mentioned or addressed in the Framework? Are 
there aspects to the issues explored that have not been considered, 
which should be?
    (3) Land Use and Land Cover Change (LULCC): Have the appropriate 
LULCC issues been discussed and listed? Are there other forms of LULCC 
that are important (as related to impacts on soils) and have not been 
considered?
    (4) Land Management Practices: Does the Framework accurately 
characterize the types of practices that impact agricultural soils? 
Does the Framework neglect any relevant issues related to the effects 
of different land management practices on soil?
    (5) Climate and Environmental Change: Does the Framework identify 
the most important research needs? Does it neglect to mention 
significant opportunities or needs?
    (6) Under each ``Challenge and Opportunity'' subsection, the 
Framework defines needs and opportunities to address threats to U.S. 
soils within four broad categories: Research, Technology, Land 
Management, and Social Sciences. Do these four categories adequately 
characterize the appropriate needs and opportunities in the Challenge 
areas? Are there threats to soils that cannot be addressed through 
programs that fall into one of these four categories?
    (7) Priorities for the Future
    a. Do these priorities adequately reflect the science and 
technology needs for ensuring the long-term sustainable use of soils in 
the United States?
    b. Do you believe the list of priorities is comprehensive, or does 
it neglect one or more important issues?
    c. Are the recommendations achievable?
    d. The process of developing the Framework into a comprehensive 
plan may involve adding specificity to the recommendations, as well as 
suggesting Federal mechanisms for fulfilling them. In what way should 
these recommendations be made more detailed to better protect soils in 
the future? What metrics, targets, and benchmarks should be used, and 
in which soil properties?

Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2016-29187 Filed 12-5-16; 8:45 am]
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