This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

78667 

Vol. 75, No. 241 

Thursday, December 16, 2010 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Cooperative Conservation Partnership 

Initiative—Chesapeake Bay Watershed 

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation 

and Natural Resources Conservation 

Service, Department of Agriculture. 

ACTION: Notice of Request for proposals. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this request 

for proposals is to solicit proposals from 

potential partner applicants who seek to 

enter into partnership agreements with 

the Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (NRCS) through the Cooperative 

Conservation Partnership Initiative— 

Chesapeake Bay Watershed (CCPI–CBW) 

in order to provide assistance to 

producers enrolled in a conservation 

program. The NRCS is the administrator 

of CCPI–CBW. 

CCPI–CBW was established by the 

Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 

2008 (2008 Act). CCPI–CBW is a 

voluntary conservation initiative that 

enables the use of certain conservation 

programs, combined with resources 

from eligible partners who have entered 

into partnership agreements with NRCS, 

to provide financial and technical 

assistance to owners and operators of 

agricultural and nonindustrial private 

forest lands. Through fiscal year (FY) 

2011 CCPI–CBW, NRCS will make 

Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat 

Incentive Program (WHIP) funds 

available to eligible producers in 

approved CCPI–CBW project areas. 

Special priority consideration will be 

given to applications/projects in the 

river basins of the Patuxent, Potomac 

(North and South), Shenandoah, and 

Susquehanna (see attached map). In 

addition, priority will be given to 

applications/projects in the NRCS 

Chesapeake Bay Watershed priority 

areas (see attached map). 

DATES: Effective Date: The notice of 

request is effective December 16, 2010. 

Proposals must be received on or before 

January 31, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Applicants are highly 

encouraged to submit proposals 

electronically to cbwi@wdc.usda.gov. 

Identify the proposal is for CCPI–CBW. 

Paper proposals may be submitted via 

courier service to Dana D. York, 

Director, Watershed and Landscape 

Programs Division, Department of 

Agriculture, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 6015 

South Building, Washington, DC 20250. 

CCPI–CBW proposal should be marked 

on the envelope. 

Do not send submissions via 

registered or certified mail. Do not send 

the same proposal to both the e-mail 

and mailing address; use only one 

method to submit a proposal. If 

submitting more than one project 

proposal, submit each one separately. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dana D. York, Director, Watershed and 

Landscape Programs Division, 

Department of Agriculture, Natural 

Resources Conservation Service; 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 5239 

South Building, Washington, DC 20250; 

Telephone: (202) 720–8851; Fax: (202) 

720–2998; E-mail: cbwi@wdc.usda.gov. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

(Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) 

should contact the USDA TARGET 

Center at: (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TDD). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Cooperative Conservation 

Partnership Initiative—Chesapeake Bay 

Watershed 

Overview of the Cooperative 

Conservation Partnership Initiative— 

Chesapeake Bay Watershed 

The CCPI–CBW is a voluntary 

conservation initiative that enables the 

use of certain conservation programs, 

combined with resources from eligible 

partners, to provide financial and 

technical assistance to owners and 

operators of agricultural and 

nonindustrial private forest lands in 

order to enhance conservation outcomes 

and achieve resource conservation 

objectives. The functions of CCPI–CBW 

are described in two parts: CCPI–CBW 

partners and CCPI–CBW program 

participants. 

CCPI–CBW Partners 

Under CCPI–CBW, eligible potential 

partners may submit proposals 

addressing the criteria outlined in this 

request for proposals. Partners who may 

enter into partnership agreements with 

NRCS include federally recognized 

Indian tribes, State and local units of 

government, producer associations, 

farmer cooperatives, institutions of 

higher education, and nongovernmental 

organizations with a history of working 

cooperatively with producers to 

effectively address conservation 

priorities related to agricultural 

production and nonindustrial private 

forest land. Individual agricultural 

producers are not an eligible partner 

entity and may not submit CCPI–CBW 

proposals. 

When Submitting a Proposal and Being 

a Partner 

Proposals will be evaluated in a 

competitive review process. NRCS will 

use the proposal ranking score along 

with other review commentary to select 

proposals for funding. After selection, 

the partners will enter into a 

partnership agreement with NRCS. The 

partnership agreement will not obligate 

funds, but will address: 

1. The role of the partner; 

2. The role of NRCS; 

3. The responsibilities of the partner 

as it relates to the monitoring and 

evaluation; 

4. The frequency and duration of 

monitoring and evaluation to be 

completed by the partner; 

5. The format and frequency of reports 

(semi-annual, annual, and final) 

required as a condition of the 

partnership agreement; 

6. Budget which includes other 

funding sources (if applicable) for 

financial and technical assistance; 

7. The specified project schedule and 

timeframe; and 

8. Other requirements deemed 

necessary by NRCS to further the 

purposes of the CCPI–CBW project. 

Where flexibility is needed to meet 

project objectives, the partner may 

request that program adjustments be 

allowed, provided such policy 

adjustments are within the scope of the 

applicable program’s statutory and 

regulatory program authorities. An 

example of a program adjustment may 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
78668 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 

be to expedite the applicable program 

ranking process in a situation where a 

partner has identified the producers 

approved to participate in the project. 

Another example of a program 

adjustment may include flexibility in 

payment rate, or using a single areawide plan of operations rather than 

individual plan of operations. An 

example of program authority that 

cannot be waived under the provision of 

CCPI–CBW flexibility includes program 

payment limits, maximum practice 

payment percentages, and participant 

eligibility requirements. Questions 

regarding proposed requests for CCPI– 

CBW flexibility may be directed to: 

CCPI@wdc.usda.gov. 

CCPI–CBW is not a grant program, 

and all Federal funds made available 

through this request for proposals will 

be paid directly to producers through 

program contract agreements. No 

technical assistance funding may be 

provided to a partner through the CCPI– 

CBW partnership agreement. However, 

if requested by a partner, the State 

Conservationist may consider 

developing a separate contribution 

agreement to provide funding for 

delivery of technical services to 

producers participating in an approved 

CCPI–CBW project. 

CCPI–CBW Program Participants 

Once the agency approves and 

announces the selected partner projects, 

eligible agricultural producers located 

within the approved project areas may 

apply directly to NRCS for funding 

through one or more of the following 

programs: EQIP and WHIP. The CCPI– 

CBW uses the funds, policies, and 

processes of these programs to deliver 

assistance to eligible producers to 

implement approved conservation 

practices, enhancements, and activities. 

Producers interested in applying must 

meet the eligibility requirements of the 

program for which they are applying. 

Individual applications from eligible 

producers will be evaluated and ranked 

to ensure that the producer applications 

selected for funding are most likely to 

achieve project objectives. Once 

applications are selected, the producers 

may enter into a contract or cost-share 

agreement with NRCS. Participants may 

enter into multiple program contracts 

through CCPI–CBW if more than one 

program is needed to accomplish the 

project objectives. 

During FY 2011, an objective of CCPI– 

CBW is to deliver EQIP and WHIP 

assistance to producers to achieve highpriority conservation objectives in 

geographic areas defined by the partner. 

Depending upon the program available 

in the project area, the assistance 

provided enables eligible producers to 

implement conservation practices and 

enhancements, including the 

development and adoption of 

innovative conservation practices and 

management approaches. 

Availability of Funding 

Effective on the publication date of 

this notice, the CCC announces the 

availability of up to $3.5 million in 

EQIP and WHIP financial assistance for 

CCPI–CBW during FY 2011. 

Proposal Information 

Proposal Format 

It is highly recommended that the 

proposal be submitted via e-mail. 

Consult the NRCS national CCPI Web 

site for an example of an acceptable 

proposal document at: http:// 

www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CCPI/. Do 

not submit other documents or letters of 

endorsement. The entire proposal may 

not exceed 12 pages in length including 

summary, maps, reference materials, 

and related reports. 

Required Information 

The proposal must include the 

following: 

1. Proposal Cover Sheet and Summary 

(not to exceed two pages): 

a. Project Title. 

b. Project director/manager name, 

telephone number, and mailing and email addresses. 

c. Name and contact information for 

lead partner entity submitting the 

proposal. 

d. Name and contact information for 

other collaborating partners. 

e. Short summary of project 

including: 

i. Project start and end dates (not to 

exceed a period of 5 years); 

ii. Site map; 

iii. Project objectives and resource 

concerns to be addressed; and 

iv. Amount of CCPI–CBW financial 

assistance being requested by program. 

2. Partner Background and 

Experience: 

a. A description of the partner or 

partners’ history of working with 

agricultural producers to address 

conservation priorities. 

b. A description of how the partner(s) 

will collaborate to achieve the objectives 

of the agreement. Include: 

i. The roles, responsibilities, and 

capabilities of the partner(s); and 

ii. The financial or technical 

commitments of each of the partners 

and how they will be leveraged by the 

Federal contribution through EQIP or 

WHIP. If partners are not the submitter 

of the proposal and intend to commit 

resources, a letter or other 

documentation from these partners 

confirming a commitment of resources 

is required. Partners need to clearly 

state, by project objective, how they 

intend to leverage Federal funds along 

with resources. The funding and time 

contribution by agricultural producers 

to implement agreed-to conservation 

practices in program contracts may not 

be considered any part of a match from 

the potential partner for purposes of 

CCPI–CBW. 

3. Project Objectives and Natural 

Resource Concerns: 

a. Identify and provide details about 

the project objectives. Objectives should 

be specific, measureable, achievable, 

and results-oriented. 

b. Identify and provide details about 

the natural resource concern(s) to be 

addressed in this project. Include in this 

description how the proposal objectives 

will address the listed resource 

concerns. 

Note: A complete list of NRCS approved 

natural resource concerns may be found on 

the CCPI Web site at: http:// 

www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ccpi/. 

4. Project Description: 

a. A detailed description of the 

geographic area covered by the proposal 

including: 

i. Types of lands to be treated; 

ii. The location and size of the 

proposed project area; and 

iii. Twelve digit Hydrologic Unit 

Coordinates (12 digit HUCs). (Note: 

Contact the appropriate State 

Conservationist(s) serving the State(s) 

where the proposed project is located to 

obtain information on 12 digit HUCs. 

The State Conservationists contact 

information is at the end of this request 

for proposals). 

b. A detailed map showing the project 

area. Include on the map: 

i. Outlined areas which need 

conservation treatments; 

ii. What conservation treatments are 

needed in what areas; and 

iii. The order of priority for the 

different areas to be treated. 

c. A description of the project 

timeline. Include: 

i. Duration of the project, not to 

exceed 5 years in length; 

ii. Project implementation schedule 

that details when different objectives 

and conservation practices will be 

completed; 

iii. When partner and Federal 

resources will be used within the 

timeframe of the project. Include the 

total amount of financial assistance 

funds requested for each fiscal year of 

the project to be made available for 

producer contracts and cost-share 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 78669 

agreements (for multi-State projects, 

provide the funds or acres by State as 

appropriate). The proposal must request 

NRCS program funds for obligation in 

producer contracts during FY 2011 

(October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011). 

Proposals which request funding 

starting after FY 2011 (September 30, 

2011), will not be evaluated or 

considered during this funding cycle; 

and 

iv. When the final project report will 

be submitted. 

d. A description of the plan for 

monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on 

progress made toward achieving the 

objectives of the agreement. 

e. Identify potential criteria to be used 

by NRCS to prioritize and rank 

agricultural producers’ applications for 

EQIP and WHIP in the project area. 

Potential partners should collaborate 

with NRCS to develop meaningful 

criteria that NRCS can use to evaluate 

and rank producer’ program 

applications. This will ensure that 

applications which will best accomplish 

the project’s objectives will be selected. 

f. An estimate of the percentage of 

producers, including nonindustrial 

private forest landowners, in the project 

area that may participate in the project 

along with an estimate of the total 

number of producers located in the 

project area. Provide details such as 

how the partner will encourage 

producer participation; whether the 

project includes any tribal producers, 

beginning farmers or ranchers, socially 

disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, or 

limited resource farmers or ranchers; 

and whether there are groups of 

producers who may submit joint 

applications to address resource issues 

of common interest and need. 

g. A listing and description of the 

conservation practices, conservation 

activity plans, enhancements, and 

partner activities to be implemented 

during the project timeframe and the 

general sequence of implementation of 

the project. Also address technical 

assistance efforts that will be made by 

the partner. Describe any activities that 

are innovative or include outcomebased performance measures 

implemented by the partner. 

Information about approved NRCS 

practice standards is found at: http:// 

www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ 

standards/nhcp.html. For each 

conservation practice, estimate the 

amount of practice extent (feet, acres, 

number, etc.) the partner expects 

producers to implement and the amount 

of financial assistance requested to 

support implementation of each practice 

through producer contracts. 

h. Indicate whether the project will 

address regulatory compliance and any 

other outcomes that partner expects to 

complete during the project period. 

i. A detailed description of any 

requested policy adjustments, by 

program, with an explanation of why 

the adjustment is needed in order to 

achieve the objectives of the project. 

j. A description of how the partner 

will provide for outreach to beginning 

farmers or ranchers, limited resource 

farmers or ranchers, socially 

disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, and 

Indian tribes. 

k. A description of how the proposal’s 

objectives may provide additional 

benefits to address renewable energy 

production, energy conservation, 

mitigating the effects of climate change, 

facilitating climate change adaptation, 

or fostering carbon sequestration, if 

applicable. 

Ranking Considerations 

The agency will evaluate proposals 

using a national competitive process. A 

higher priority may be given to 

proposals that: 

1. Have a high percentage of 

producers actively farming or managing 

working agricultural or nonindustrial 

private forest lands included in the 

proposed project area; 

2. Are in the river basins of the 

Patuxent, Potomac (North and South), 

Shenandoah, and Susquehanna; 

3. Control erosion and reduce 

sediment and nutrient levels in ground 

and surface waters in designated 12 

digit HUC priority watersheds (Note: 

Contact the appropriate State 

Conservationist(s) serving the State(s) 

where the proposed project is located to 

obtain information on 12 digit HUCs. 

The State Conservationist contact 

information is at the end of this request 

for proposals); 

4. Significantly leverage non-Federal 

financial and technical resources; 

5. Coordinate with other local, State, 

or Federal efforts; 

6. Deliver high percentages of applied 

conservation practices to address water 

quality; water conservation; or State, 

regional, or national conservation 

initiatives; 

7. Provide innovation in approved 

conservation practices, conservation 

methods, and delivery including 

outcome-based performance measures 

and methods; 

8. Complete the application of the 

conservation practices and activities on 

all of the covered program contracts or 

cost-share agreements in 5 years or less; 

9. Assist the participants in meeting 

local, State, and Federal regulatory 

requirements; 

10. Provide for monitoring and 

evaluation of conservation practices, 

enhancements, and activities; 

11. Provide for matching financial 

funds or technical assistance to assist 

participants with the implementation of 

their EQIP contracts and WHIP costshare agreements; 

12. Provide for outreach to, and 

participation of, beginning farmers or 

ranchers, socially disadvantaged farmers 

or ranchers, limited resource farmers or 

ranchers, and Indian tribes within the 

proposed project area; and 

13. Identify other factors and criteria 

which best achieve the purposes of 

CCPI–CBW. 

General CCPI–CBW Proposal 

Information 

State Conservationist Letter of Review 

Once a project proposal is received, 

the agency will provide a copy to the 

appropriate State Conservationist(s) for 

evaluation and ranking. The State 

Conservationist(s) will submit a letter of 

review to the NRCS National 

Headquarters to address: 

1. Potential duplication of efforts with 

other projects or existing programs; 

2. Adherence to, and consistency 

with, program regulations including 

requirements related to land and 

producer eligibility and use of approved 

NRCS resource concerns and 

conservation practices, enhancements, 

and other program requirements; 

3. Expected benefits for project 

implementation in their State(s); 

4. Other issues or concerns the State 

Conservationist is aware of that should 

be considered by the agency; and 

5. A general recommendation for 

support or denial of project approval. 

Proposal Submission, Review, and 

Notification 

When submitting a proposal either by 

email or courier service, mark on the 

email or courier service envelope that 

the proposal is for CCPI–CBW. Your 

proposal must address, in sufficient 

detail, all the criteria outlined in the 

‘‘Proposal Information’’ section of this 

notice. This will enable agency 

reviewers to understand your proposal’s 

priority resource concerns, objectives, 

and expected outcomes. 

State Conservationists are expected to 

provide, once requested, guidance to 

potential partners regarding resource 

concerns that may be addressed in the 

proposed project area, local working 

group and State Technical Committee 

natural resource priorities, approved 

conservation practices and activities, 

and other program requirements the 

partner should consider when 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
78670 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 

developing a proposal. NRCS may not 

assist in writing or submission of any 

proposal. 

CCPI–CBW proposals submitted to 

NRCS become the property of the 

agency for use in the administration of 

the program, may be filed or disposed 

of by the agency, and will not be 

returned to the potential partner. Once 

proposals have been submitted for 

review and ranking, there will be no 

further opportunity to change or resubmit the proposal. Incomplete 

proposals or those that do not meet the 

requirements set forth in this notice will 

not be considered, and notification of 

elimination will be mailed to the 

applicant. Partner proposals may be 

withdrawn by written notice to the 

Director, Watershed and Landscape 

Programs Division at any time prior to 

selection (see ‘‘Addresses’’ section in 

this notice). 

NRCS will review and evaluate the 

proposals based on the criteria set forth 

in the respective ‘‘Proposal Information’’ 

section of this notice for CCPI–CBW. 

Positive consideration will be given to 

proposals that thoroughly address the 

issues outlined in the respective 

‘‘Ranking Considerations’’ section. 

Partners whose proposal is selected 

will receive a letter of official 

notification. Upon notification of 

selection, the partner should contact the 

appropriate State Conservationist to 

develop the required partnership 

agreement and other project 

implementation requirements. Potential 

partners should note that, depending 

upon available funding and agency 

priorities, NRCS may offer a reduced 

amount of program financial assistance 

from what was requested in the 

proposal. Partner submissions of 

proposals that were not selected will 

also be notified. 

Waiver Authority 

To assist in the implementation of 

CCPI–CBW projects, the NRCS Chief 

may waive the applicability of the 

Adjusted Gross Income Limitation in 

producer program contracts, on a caseby-case basis, in accordance with 7 CFR 

§ 1400.500(d)(2). Such waiver requests 

must be submitted in writing from the 

program applicant, addressed to the 

Chief, and submitted through the local 

designated conservationist. 

Signed this 9th day of December, 2010, in 

Washington, DC. 

Dave White, 

Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation and Chief, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service. 

Addresses and phone number of 

NRCS State Conservationists in States 

having land in the Chesapeake Bay 

Watershed: 

Delaware: Russell Morgan 

Suite 100, 1221 College Park Drive 

Dover, DE 19904–8713 

Phone: (302) 678–4160 

Fax: (302) 678–0843 

russell.morgan@de.usda.gov 

Maryland: Jon Hall 

John Hanson Business Center, Suite 301 

339 Busch’s Frontage Road 

Annapolis, MD 21409–5543 

Phone: (410) 757–0861 Ext. 315 

Fax: (410) 757–6504 

jon.hall@md.usda.gov 

New York: Astor Boozer 

Suite 354, 441 South Salina Street 

Syracuse, NY 13202–2450 

Phone: (315) 477–6504 

Fax: (315) 477–6560 

astor.boozer@ny.usda.gov 

Pennsylvania: Denise Coleman 

Suite 340, One Credit Union Place 

Harrisburg, PA 17110–2993 

Phone: (717) 237–2203 

Fax: (717) 237–2238 

denise.coleman@pa.usda.gov 

Virginia: Jack Bricker 

Culpeper Building, Suite 209 

1606 Santa Rosa Road 

Richmond, VA 23229–5014 

Phone: (804) 287–1691 

Fax: (804) 287–1737 

jack.bricker@va.usda.gov 

West Virginia: Kevin Wickey 

Room 301, 75 High Street 

Morgantown, WV 26505 

Phone: (304) 284–7540 

Fax: (304) 284–4839 

kevin.wickey@wv.usda.gov 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 78671 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICESEN16DE10.002</GPH>
78672 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICESEN16DE10.003</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 78673 

[FR Doc. 2010–31648 Filed 12–15–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–C 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request—Study To Assess 

the Effect of Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP) 

Participation on Food Security in the 

Post-American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Environment 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service 

(FNS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice invites the general public and 

other public agencies to comment on 

this proposed collection. This is a new 

collection for the contract Assessing the 

Effect of Supplemental Nutrition 

Assistance Program (SNAP) 

Participation on Food Security in the 

Post-American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Environment. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before February 14, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on: 

(a) Whether the proposed data 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information has practical 

utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions that were used; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; and 

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments may be sent to: Steven 

Carlson, Director, Office of Research and 

Analysis, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, 

3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, 

Alexandria, VA 22302. Comments may 

also be submitted via fax to the attention 

of Steven Carlson at 703–305–2576 or 

via e-mail to 

Steve.Carlson@fns.usda.gov. Comments 

will also be accepted through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and follow 

the online instruction for submitting 

comments electronically. 

All written comments will be open for 

public inspection at the office of the 

Food and Nutrition Service during 

regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday) at Room 

1014, 3101 Park Center Drive, 

Alexandria, Virginia 22302. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) approval. All comments will also 

be a matter of public record. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information 

should be directed to Steven Carlson on 

703–305–2017. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Study To Assess the Effect of 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP) Participation on Food 

Security in the Post-American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 

Environment. 

OMB Number: [0584–NEW.] 

Expiration Date: [Not Yet Assigned.] 

Type of Request: New collection. 

Abstract: The Food and Nutrition 

Service (FNS) administers the food and 

nutrition assistance programs in the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. SNAP, 

the new name of the Food Stamp 

Program, remains the cornerstone of the 

Nation’s nutrition assistance safety net. 

SNAP provides nutrition assistance 

benefits and nutrition education 

services to low-income individuals and 

families in an effort to reduce hunger 

and improve the health and well-being 

of low-income people and families. 

The implementation of ARRA 

presents a unique opportunity to 

measure the impact of increased 

benefits on food insecurity. For decades, 

policy makers, advocates, and those 

implementing the program have 

hypothesized that increasing benefit 

amounts would reduce food insecurity 

and, perhaps, draw more individuals 

into the program who may have been 

reticent to apply. The ARRA increases 

the maximum allotments of SNAP 

participants by 13.6 percent, eases 

eligibility requirements for childless 

adults without jobs, and provides 

additional funding to State agencies 

responsible for administering the 

program. The natural experiment 

offered by the ARRA’s benefit increase 

will be used to measure its impact on 

reducing food insecurity and hunger. 

This collection notice pertains to this 

effort, The Study To Assess the Effect of 

SNAP Participation on Food Security in 

the Post-American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Environment, 

which is funded by the FNS to 

determine whether and to what extent 

food insecurity declines with SNAP 

participation in a post-ARRA 

environment. 

The study has several objectives: (1) 

Determine how, if at all, the prevalence 

of household food insecurity and 

amount of food expenditures vary with 

SNAP participation; (2) determine how, 

if at all, the observed results vary by key 

household characteristics and 

circumstances; and (3) determine what 

factors distinguish between food secure 

and food insecure SNAP households 

with children. 

To meet the first two objectives, FNS 

will collect information from two 

representative samples: One from new 

SNAP households and one from SNAP 

households who in their current spell 

have participated in the program 6–7 

months. The new SNAP households 

will be interviewed twice—first, the 

baseline survey will occur soon after 

they have been approved to receive 

benefits and the second, the follow-up 

survey, will occur approximately 6–7 

months later for those new entrants who 

continue to participate in the SNAP 

program. 

Among households participating in 

SNAP at the time of the baseline survey, 

samples of new entrants and ongoing 

participants will be chosen for 

individual in-depth in-person 

interviews. The purpose of these 

interviews is to supplement the 

quantitative analysis of the household 

interview data by developing tentative 

generalizations and hypotheses about 

the causes and results of food 

insecurity. 

SNAP participants from 30 states will 

be sampled via a two-stage sampling 

process where the states are the first 

stage and sampled with probability 

proportional to size based on the 

number of SNAP participant households 

in each state. Within the selected states 

that agree to participate, SNAP 

participants will be randomly sampled. 

To ensure sufficient sample for the 

follow-up interviews, an oversample 

will be drawn of the new SNAP 

households for the baseline survey. 

Affected Public: Individuals/ 

Household. 

Type of Respondents: SNAP 

Participants. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

Out of the estimated 17,100 individuals 

initially sampled, 1,710 will not be 

contacted due to invalid or incomplete 

contact information. The remaining 

15,390 individuals in a total of 30 states 

are expected to be contacted (see table 

below). Of those, 3,770 will refuse or be 

determined to be ineligible. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1 to 2 responses. 7,529 

respondents will have participated in 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES