[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 88 (Monday, May 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37167-37168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09761]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service

[Docket No. NRCS-2024-0004]


Proposed Revisions to Section 1 of the Field Office Technical 
Guides for Louisiana and Wisconsin

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of availability, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NRCS is giving notice that it is proposing revisions to 
Section 1--General Resource References of the Field Office Technical 
Guides in Louisiana and Wisconsin to include revised State Offsite 
Methods for Food Security Act Wetland Identification (SOSM). The 
proposed changes will replace the existing SOSMs in Louisianna and 
Wisconsin, which have been in use since June 2015 and October 2016. The 
revisions are needed to clarify procedures and improve consistency in 
application. SOSM are used in completing wetland determinations for 
USDA program eligibility purposes.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by June 5, 2024.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments in response to this notice. 
You may submit your comments through:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRCS-2024-0004. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments;
    All comments received will be made publicly available on http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For Louisiana: Kris Davis; telephone: 
(318) 473-7680; email: [email protected] and for Wisconsin: Josh 
Odekirk; telephone: (608) 662-4422; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Guidance contained in each state's SOSM will 
be part of the technical documents and procedures that NRCS uses to 
determine if wetlands are present on agricultural land as required by 
16 U.S.C. 3822. NRCS is required by 16 U.S.C. 3862 to make available 
for public review and comment all proposed revisions to standards and 
procedures used to carry out highly erodible land and wetland 
provisions of the law.
    There are separate SOSM documents for each state. To fully 
understand the proposed revisions, commenters are encouraged to compare 
the revised SOSMs with each state's current version, as shown in 
Section 1 of the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide at https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/. The electronic copies of each state's SOSM 
are available through http://www.regulations.gov by accessing Docket ID 
NRCS-20240004. Requests for paper versions or inquiries may be directed 
to the specific State Conservationist as identified in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section above.
    In general, both new documents have similar language and technical 
methodologies with some variations based on natural resource 
information available and state-specific considerations.
    All comments will be considered. If no comments are received, 
guidance contained in each state's SOSM will be considered final at the 
end of the comment period for this notice.

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy

    In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (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.
    Individuals 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 
the USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone 
(TTY)) or dial 711 for Telecommunicaions Relay Service (both voice and 
text telephone users can initiate this call from any phone). 
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-a-program-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: (1) mail to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) 
email: [email protected] is an

[[Page 37168]]

equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Terry Cosby,
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-09761 Filed 5-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P