[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 192 (Thursday, October 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52868-52869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21481]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

Farm Service Agency


Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment for the Farm Service Agency's Conservation Reserve Program

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), Farm Service Agency (FSA), 
USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA); request for comments.

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SUMMARY: FSA, acting on behalf of the CCC, announces the availability 
for review and comment the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment 
(PEA) assessing the alternatives to and anticipated environmental 
impacts of potential changes from the Agricultural Improvement Act of 
2018 (2018 Farm Bill) to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), in 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 
The intent of this notice is to make the draft PEA available for review 
and request comments by the public, other agencies, and Tribes on the 
proposed alternatives and their potential impacts to the human 
environment. The feedback we receive from this notice will be 
incorporated into the final PEA, as appropriate, prior to FSA's 
decision.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by October 27, 2019. 
Comments received after this date will be considered to the extent 
possible.

ADDRESSES: The CRP draft PEA is available at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/environmental-cultural-resource/nepa/current-nepa-documents/index.
    We invite you to submit comments on the CRP draft PEA. In your 
comments, include the volume, date, and page number of this issue of 
the Federal Register. You may submit comments:
     By mail at Conservation Reserve Program PEA Comments, c/o 
Cardno-GS, 2496 Old Ivy Road, Suite 300, Charlottesville, VA 22903, or
     Electronically at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Robyn Rose, (202) 720-5104. 
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication should contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600 
(voice).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FSA is assessing mandatory and potential 
discretionary changes to CRP resulting from the passage of the 2018 
Farm Bill, by preparing a PEA to provide FSA decisionmakers, other 
agencies, Tribes, and the public with an analysis that evaluates 
effects in appropriate contexts, describes the intensity of adverse as 
well as beneficial impacts, and addresses cumulative environmental 
impacts associated with proposed programmatic changes to these 
programs. CRP was first

[[Page 52869]]

authorized in the Food Security Act of 1985 (Pub. L. 99-198, 99 Stat. 
1509-1514, 16 U.S.C. 3831-3835), and is governed by regulations in 7 
CFR part 1410. CRP is a voluntary program that supports the 
implementation of long-term conservation measures designed to improve 
the quality of ground and surface waters, control soil erosion, and 
enhance wildlife habitat on environmentally sensitive agricultural 
land. In return, CCC provides participants with rental payments and 
cost share assistance under contracts that extend from 10 to 15 years. 
CRP is a CCC program administered by FSA with the support of other 
Federal, State, and local agencies and organizations. More information 
on CRP is available at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/conservation-reserve-program/index.
    The CRP draft PEA is available at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/environmental-cultural-resource/nepa/current-nepa-documents/index. The availability of the CRP draft PEA was 
announced on September 27, 2019, through an FSA news release; that 
announcement started the 30-day public comment period.
    The draft PEA evaluates No Action and Proposed Action Alternatives 
to ensure the full range of mandatory and potential discretionary 
alternatives and impacts are analyzed. The alternatives and impacts 
included in the draft PEA will be amended, as appropriate, based on 
input from the public, other agencies, and Tribes submitted during this 
comment period, in the final PEA and FSA's decision document, which 
will made available at the site listed above under Addresses.

Robert Stephenson,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
Richard Fordyce,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2019-21481 Filed 10-2-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P