82 FR 28469 - Notice of Availability of Proposed Revisions to Section I of the Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota State Technical Guides for Public Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 119 (June 22, 2017)

Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue revisions to the State Offsite Methods (SOSM) for use in Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. The SOSM is used in completing wetland determinations for USDA program eligibility purposes. The existing SOSM's have been in use since July 2015, NRCS is seeking comments only on the proposed revisions to these documents. The revisions are needed to clarify procedures and improve consistency in application. NRCS State Conservationists in each of these States will incorporate their revised SOSM into Section I of their respective electronic Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). As identified in the National Food Security Act Manual these revised methods may be used for completion of wetland determinations. 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 methods and procedures used to carry out the Highly Erodible Land and wetland compliance provisions of the 1985 Food Security Act (as amended).

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 119 (Thursday, June 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28469-28470]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13061]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service

[Docket No. NRCS-2016-0012]


Notice of Availability of Proposed Revisions to Section I of the 
Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota State Technical Guides 
for Public Review and Comment

AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed revisions to Section I of 
the Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota State Technical 
Guides for public review and comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue 
revisions to the State Offsite Methods (SOSM) for use in Iowa, North 
Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. The SOSM is used in completing 
wetland determinations for USDA program eligibility purposes. The 
existing SOSM's have been in use since July 2015, NRCS is seeking 
comments only on the proposed revisions to these documents. The 
revisions are needed to clarify procedures and improve consistency in 
application.
    NRCS State Conservationists in each of these States will 
incorporate their revised SOSM into Section I of their respective 
electronic Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). As identified in the 
National Food Security Act Manual these revised methods may be used for 
completion of wetland determinations. 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 
methods and procedures used to carry out the Highly Erodible Land and 
wetland compliance provisions of the 1985 Food Security Act (as 
amended).

DATES: 
    Effective Date: This is effective June 22, 2017.
    Comment Date: Submit comments on or before June 22, 2017.
    Final versions of these revised State Offsite Methods will be 
adopted after the close of the 30-day period and after consideration of 
all comments.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket Number NRCS-
2016-0012, using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attention:

[[Page 28470]]

Regulatory and Agency Policy Team, Strategic Planning and 
Accountability, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 5601 Sunnyside 
Avenue, Building 1-1112D, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.
     Email: [email protected]. Include Docket Number 
NRCS-2016-0012 or ``comment on proposed revisions to Section I'' in the 
subject line of the email message.
    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: The appropriate NRCS State 
Conservationist as listed below;

Kurt Simon, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation 
Service, 210 Walnut Street, Room 693, Des Moines, Iowa 50309-2180, 
(515) 284-4769, [email protected], NRCS Iowa Web site: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ia/home/.
Mary Podoll, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation 
Service, 220 E. Rosser Ave., Room 278, Bismarck, North Dakota 58502-
1458, (701) 530-2003, [email protected], NRCS North Dakota Web 
site http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/nd/home/.
Cathee Pullman, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation 
Service, 375 Jackson Street, Suite 600, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1854, 
(651) 602-7854, [email protected], NRCS Minnesota Web site: 
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/mn/home/.
Jeff Zimprich, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation 
Service, Federal Building, Room 203, 200 Fourth Street SW., Huron, 
South Dakota 57350-2475, (605) 352-1200, [email protected], 
NRCS South Dakota Web site: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/sd/home/.
    Electronic copies of the proposed revised SOSMs are available in 
the docket information section of this notice. There are separate SOSM 
documents for each state. In general, all documents have similar 
language with the exception that the South Dakota and North Dakota SOSM 
contains procedures for playa wetlands. Playa wetlands do not exist in 
either Minnesota or Iowa. NRCS is seeking comments on the revisions to 
these documents. Each document's revisions (deletions, additions, and 
strike-throughs) can be viewed in a ``track changes'' format. Requests 
for paper versions or inquiries may be directed to Paul Flynn, Wetland 
Project Manager, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, 375 Jackson Street, Suite 600, St. Paul, 
Minnesota 55101.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To fully understand the proposed revisions, 
individuals are encouraged to compare these changes with each State's 
current version as shown on each State's Web site. To aid in this 
comparison, following are highlights of the proposed revisions to each 
State's SOSM by section:

2.1 Develop a Base Map

     Clarifies that sampling unit boundaries as viewed on 
aerial imagery can be adjusted using other references including Light 
Detection and Ranging data.
     Reinforces that for sites without pre-1985 manipulation 
sampling units can be identified using references other than aerial 
imagery.
     Provides clarification that all sampling units recorded on 
the Base Map reflect consideration of Normal Environmental Conditions 
and sites with pre-1985 drainage also accurately reflect the condition 
of the drainage.
     Provides direction that drainage manipulations and their 
approximate year of installation will be identified on the base map or 
another reference.

2.2.1 and 2.3.1 Hydrophytic Vegetation

     Clarifies how the Official Soil Description (OSD) section 
titled ``Use and Vegetation'' can be used in verifying hydrophytic 
vegetation.

2.2.3, 2.3.3, and 2.4.2 Wetland Hydrology

     Clarifies that wetland hydrology for sites without pre-
1985 drainage is determined to be present when wetness signatures are 
found on 50 percent or more of imagery reviewed.
     Explains that the wetland hydrology review for sites 
without pre-1985 drainage consists of all available normal years 
starting with the 2014 image year and going back to 1980.
     Clarifies how wetness signatures are defined and annotated 
on the data sheet.
     Allows that when a normal year image is of poor quality 
such that wetness signatures are not discernable, those image years can 
be excluded from the imagery review.
     Defines the term ``all available'' when used with aerial 
images or photography.

2.4.3 Wetland Hydrology (With Pre-1985 Drainage)

     Explains how the agency expert determines the best 
drainage condition of the sampling unit.
     Explains how, after determining the best drained 
condition, the agency expert uses aerial imagery to determine when 
wetland hydrology is positive or negative.

3.1 Verification of Pre-1985 Cropping History

     Allows verification based on person provided records that 
document cropping history.

3.2 Verification of Pre-December 23, 1985, Manipulation(s)

     Adds additional references that can be used to make this 
determination.

3.3 Verification of Post-1985 Potential Conversion

     Provides that verification will include review of the most 
recent year of aerial photography available.

3.5.1 Verification of Presence of Woody Vegetation as of December 23, 
1985

     Adds this verification as an independent determination.

3.6 Determination of the Required Conditions for the Following WC 
Labels

     Deletes this entire Section including Table 1. Guidance in 
the National Food Security Act Manual will be followed to apply USDA 
wetland labels.

    Dated: May 22, 2017.
Kevin Wickey
Regional Conservationist, Central Region, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-13061 Filed 6-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-16-P