[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 223 (Monday, November 21, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70770-70772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25292]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service

[Docket ID: NRCS-2022-0015]


Request for Public Input About Implementation of the Inflation 
Reduction Act Funding

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) requests 
public input for NRCS to use to inform how NRCS will implement funds 
received under the Inflation Reduction

[[Page 70771]]

Act (IRA) to fund the deployment of climate-smart practices on US 
farms, ranches, and forestlands through four Farm Bill conservation 
programs. NRCS is also requesting input on funding to quantify carbon 
sequestration and carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions 
at the field scale. NRCS is specifically interested in public input and 
recommendations that NRCS can use to improve, expand, and/or build on 
scientifically-designed quantification systems to monitor and quantify 
improvements in soil carbon, reductions in nitrogen losses, and the 
reduction, capture, avoidance, or sequestration of carbon dioxide, 
methane, or nitrous oxide emissions, associated with agricultural 
production. In implementing the IRA, NRCS is interested in supporting 
program implementation and improving program delivery by effectively 
leveraging partners to increase outreach and expand access to 
underserved producers. This effort will help NRCS identify and 
prioritize process improvements for the delivery of funding made 
available under IRA and the overall administration of the NRCS 
conservation programs. NRCS will look to identify immediate changes 
that can be implemented for funding available for fiscal year (FY) 2023 
and will continue to identify and adopt additional changes in future 
years.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by December 21, 2022. 
Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent 
possible.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to send comments in response to this notice. 
You may send comments through the method below:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID: NRCS-2022-0015. Follow 
the online instructions for submitting comments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On August 12, 2022, President Biden signed IRA, (Pub. L. 117-169) 
into law. IRA builds on the Biden-Harris Administration's historic 
investments in rural America and furthers the commitment to rural 
communities demonstrated in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. 
L. 117-2) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also known as 
``Bipartisan Infrastructure Law'' (Pub. L. 117-58). IRA is a once-in-a-
generation opportunity to build critical infrastructure, to protect 
communities from wildfire and extreme heat and to drive climate-smart 
agriculture and renewable energy initiatives nationwide.
    Agriculture, in particular, is at the forefront of the United 
States' effort to address climate change. From incentivizing the 
adoption of climate-smart agriculture, to supporting healthy forests 
and conservation, to clean energy tax credits, to biofuels, 
infrastructure and beyond, IRA provides the United State Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) with significant additional resources to lead this 
historic charge.
    IRA provides unprecedented funding levels targeted to improve soil 
carbon, reduce nitrogen losses, or reduce, capture, avoid, or sequester 
carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide emissions, associated with 
agricultural production for several NRCS programs. The increased 
funding levels begin in FY 2023, and rapidly build over 4 years, 
resulting in the following total additional funds by program and NRCS 
administrative costs:
     Environmental Quality Incentives Program--$8.45 billion;
     Conservation Stewardship Program--$3.25 billion;
     Regional Conservation Partnership Program--$4.95 billion;
     Agricultural Conservation Easement Program--$1.4 billion;
     Conservation Technical Assistance--$1 billion;
     Greenhous Gas (GHG) Monitoring--$300 million; and
     Administrative costs--$100 million.
    These funds provide NRCS with an unprecedented opportunity to 
implement practices and quantify greenhouse gas emission reductions. 
NRCS is soliciting public input and recommendations to determine how 
NRCS can maximize, target, monitor, and quantify improvements to soil 
carbon, reductions in nitrogen losses, and the reduction, capture, 
avoidance, or sequestration of carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous 
oxide emissions, associated with agricultural production. To minimize 
complexity and ensure equity across NRCS program implementation, NRCS 
also requests recommendations on how to streamline and improve program 
delivery while also expanding access for underserved producers. NRCS 
will use the input provided in response to this request to implement 
IRA funding over the next several years.

List of Questions for Commenters

    The list of questions below is non-exhaustive, but meant to assist 
members of the public in formulating comments on some of the most 
important issues that NRCS is considering as they implement the 
program. This list of questions is not intended to restrict the 
feedback that members of the public may provide:
    (1) What systems of quantification should NRCS use to measure the 
carbon sequestration and carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide 
emissions outcomes associated with activities funded through IRA?
     How should NRCS design a scientifically-based framework 
for field-based quantification and analysis that can integrate into 
USDA's Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Assessment Program?
     What methods should NRCS use to quantify carbon 
sequestration and carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions?
     What sources of information should NRCS consider in 
developing protocols or what preexisting, standardized protocols should 
be used to support field-based data collection and analysis?
     What types of field-based data should be collected and 
analyzed to assess carbon sequestration and reduction in carbon 
dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions outcomes associated with 
agricultural and conservation activities?
     How should USDA monitor and track carbon sequestration and 
greenhouse gas emissions trends and the effects of NRCS supported 
activities?
     How or should the framework developed by NRCS to provide 
field-based quantification integrate with satellite data to provide a 
comprehensive picture of GHG emissions and removals from agricultural 
activities and conservation practice implementation?
    (2) How can NRCS engage the private sector and private philanthropy 
to leverage the IRA investments, including for systems of 
quantification?
    (3) How should NRCS target IRA funding to maximize improvements to 
soil carbon, reductions in nitrogen losses, and the reduction, capture, 
avoidance, or sequestration of carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous 
oxide emissions, associated with agricultural production?
    (4) How should NRCS streamline and improve program delivery to 
increase efficiencies and expand access to IRA funded programs and 
projects for producers, particularly underserved producers?
    (5) How can NRCS expand capacity among partners to assist in 
providing outreach and technical assistance to support the 
implementation of IRA funding?

[[Page 70772]]

Maximizing the Value of Public Feedback

    NRCS plans to use the answers provided by the public to inform the 
approach to determining the best delivery of the IRA funds and the 
overall administration of NRCS conservation programs. NRCS encourages 
public comment on these questions and requests any other information or 
data commenters believe are relevant to this document. The type of 
feedback that is most useful to NRCS will be comments that identify 
specific data, policies, procedures or processes, and include 
actionable information and data, or viable alternatives that meet IRA 
and other programmatic goals and requirements. To be most useful to 
NRCS, comments need to do more than simply state that the commenter 
feels strongly that NRCS should change processes. Instead, to be most 
helpful, comments should state in plain language what change NRCS 
should consider or how a suggested change will meet specific goals and 
requirements, or otherwise improve existing processes.
    We highlight a few of those points here, noting that comments that 
will be most useful to NRCS are those that are guided by the following 
principles. Commenters should consider these principles as they respond 
to the questions in this document:
     Specify, to the extent possible, the NRCS program, 
regulation, or policy at issue and provide the Code of Federal 
Regulation (CFR) and NRCS Manual citation, where available or 
applicable. See https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov for NRCS current 
policy manuals and handbooks.
     Explain, in the most specific and concise language, why an 
NRCS regulation, policy, form, or program process should be modified, 
streamlined, expanded, or removed, as well as specific suggestions 
about how NRCS can better achieve IRA objectives and reduce unnecessary 
burdens on producers and partners.
     Provide data to support how specific recommendations would 
increase benefits achievable by the IRA funding. Commenters may also 
address how NRCS can best quantify or otherwise obtain and consider 
accurate, objective information and data about outcomes achieved 
through IRA funding.
    You may contact us by sending an email to: [email protected] 
if you have questions or concerns. Please specify the docket ID Docket 
ID: NRCS-2022-0015 in the subject line.

Review of Public Feedback

    NRCS will use the public comments to improve our program delivery 
with the funds made available by IRA and to consider NRCS conservation 
program improvements more broadly.
    This document is issued solely for information and program-planning 
purposes. Public comments provided in response to this document will 
not bind NRCS to any further actions, including publication of any 
formal response or agreement to initiate a recommended change. NRCS 
will consider the feedback and make changes or process improvements at 
our sole discretion.
    Finally, comments submitted in response to this document will not 
be considered as petitions for rulemaking submitted as specified in the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553(e)).

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy

    In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights 
regulations and policies, USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, 
and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are 
prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, 
religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual 
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family or parental 
status, income derived from a public assistance program, political 
beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in 
any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases 
apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by 
program or incident.
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of 
communication for program information (for example, braille, large 
print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 
responsible Agency or USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and 
text telephone (TTY)) or dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Service 
(both voice and text telephone users can initiate this call from any 
telephone). Additionally, program information may be made available in 
languages other than English.
    To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA 
Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD- 3027, found online at 
https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA 
and provide in the letter all the information requested in the form. To 
request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your 
completed form or letter to USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or email: 
[email protected].
    USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Terry Cosby,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-25292 Filed 11-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P