Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP)

On April 27, 2015, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) published an NOA in the Federal Register announcing the availability of a draft EA for VPA-HIP and requesting public comment. The draft EA was available for a 30-day public comment period that ended May 27, 2015. The draft EA was prepared to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and NRCS implementing regulations. Brief comments were received from one State and those comments expressed no concerns about the analysis or the effects of the program. NRCS has determined that implementing VPA-HIP is not a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the context of NEPA and, therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement will not be prepared.