F r o m: J o hn s o n

, S te ph a n i e

- OGC [ m ail t o : S t e ph a n i e .J o h n s o n@ OGC

. U S D A. GOV ]

S en t: M o nd a y

, M arc h 3 1

, 2 0 1 4 3 : 2 3 PM

T o: D ra k e

, K e rr y

S ub j e c t: Su m m ari e s o f 1 6 1 9 a nd EQ I P

.

K e rr y

, B e l o w a r e m y i n i t ia l a tt e m p t s a t s h o r t p ara g r a ph s e x p lai n i ng EQ I P a nd 16 19

. L e t m e k n o w if y o u

n ee d d iff e r e n t la ngu a g e / d e scri p t i o n s f o r t h e r u l e p r e a m b l e

. F e e l fr e e t o c o n t a c t m e o f y o u w o u l d lik e t o

d isc u ss :

T h e U n i te d S t a t e s D e p ar t m e n t o f Ag ric u l t u r e (U S D A ) a d m i n is te r s t h e E n v i r o n m e n t al Q u ali t y

In c e n t i v e s P r o g r a m ( EQ I P ), w h ic h t h e U n i te d S t a te s C o ng r e ss e s t a b lis h e d und e r s e c t i o n 3 3 4 o f t h e

F e d e ral Ag ric u l t u r e I m p r o v e m e n t a nd R e f o r m A c t o f 1 9 9 6 ( P ub. L

. 1 0 4

- 1 2

, 16 U .S. C

. §§ 3 8 39 a a – 3 83 9 aa9 )

. U S D A h a s d e l e g a t e d a u t h o ri t y t o a d m i n is te r t h e p r o g ra m t o t h e N a t u ral R e s o u rc e s C o n s e r v a t i o n

S e r v ic e ( N RC S )

. 7 C F R 2

. 6 1 (a)( 1 3 ) ( v iii)

. T h e pu r p o s e o f EQ I P is t o p r o m o te a g ric u l t u ral p r o du c t i o n

, f o r e s t

m a n a g e m e n t

, a nd e n v ir o n m e n t a l qu ali ty a s c o m p a t i b l e g o als

, a nd t o o p t i m i z e e n v ir o n m e n t a l b e n e fi t s

.

16 U .S. C

. § 3 8 39 aa

. T h r o ugh t h is v o l un t ar y p r o g r a m

, N RC S assis t s e n r o l l e d a g ri c u l t u ral p r o du c e r s i n

i m p l e m e n t i ng c o n s e r v a t i o n m e as u r e s o n t h e ir p ri v a te l a nd t o a dd r e ss s o il, w a te r

, air, a nd r e la t e d

n a t u ral r e s o u rc e s c o n c e r n s

, w il d lif e h a b i t a t

, s u rfa c e a nd g r o und w a te r c o n s e r v a t i o n

, a nd r e l a te d n a t u ra l

r e s o u r c e c o n c e r n s

. 7 C .F. R

. 1 4 66

. 1 (a)

. T h e fi n a n cia l a nd te c hn ical ass i s t a n c e p r o v i d e d b y N RC S und e r

t h e p r o g r a m h e l p s p r o du ce rs c o m p l y w i t h e n v i r o n m e n t al r e gu la t i o n s a nd e nh a n c e a g ric u l t u ral a nd

f o r e s te d la nd s i n a c o s t

- e f f e c t i v e a nd e n v i r o n m e n t all y b e n e ficial m a nn e r

. Id.

U nd e r s e c t i o n 1 6 1 9 o f

t h e F o o d

, C o n s e r v a t i o n

, a nd E n e r g y A c t o f 2 0 0 8 ( P ub. L

. 1 1 0

- 2 46

, 7

U .S. C

. § 8 7 9 1 ), t h e U n i t e d S t a te s C o ng r e s s p r o h i b i t e d t h e S e c r et a r y o f Ag ric u l t u r e a nd a n y o ffi c e r o r

e m p l o y ee o f

t h e U n i t e d S t a te s D e p ar t m e n t o f Ag ric u l t u r e (U S D A ) f r o m d iscl o si ng i n f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d

b y a n a g ric u l t u ral p r o du c e r o r o w n e r o f a g ric u l t u ral l a nd c o n c e r n i ng t h e a g ric u l t u ral o p e r a t i o n

, far m i ng

o r c o n s e r v a t i o n p rac t i c e s

, o r t h e la nd i t s e lf, i n o r d e r t o p ar t ici p a te i n a U S D A p r og ra m

. 7 U .S. C

. § 8 7 9 1

.

An y c o n t rac t o r o r c o o p e ra t o r o f t h e U S D A is s i m ilarl y p r o h i b i te d f r o m d iscl o si ng s u c h i n f o r m a t i o n. Id.

T h e r e a r e s e v e ral e xc e p t i o n s t o t h is p r o h i b i t i o n

, i n cl u d i ng t h a t U S D A m a y d isc l o s e i n f o r m a t i o n if i n t o a

t ra n sf o r m e d i n t o a s t a t is t i c al o r a gg r e g a te f o r m w i t h o u t n a m i ng a n y i nd i v i du al o w n e r, o p e ra t o r o r

p r o du c e r o r a s p e cifi c d a t a g a t h e ri ng si te

. Id. Add i t i o n all y

, U S D A m a y d i s cl o s e i n f o r m a t i o n if t h e

a g ric u l t u ral p r o du c e r o r o w n e r o f t h e a g ric u l t u ral la nd c o n s e n t s t o t h e d isc l o s u r e

. Id.

S t e p han i e V. J o hn so n

Na t u r a l R e so u r ce s an d E n v iro nmen t D i v isio n

O ff i ce o f t he Gene r a l C o un s e l, USDA

R m

. 3344B S o u t h Bu i l di n g

1400 In d e p en d ence A

v e

, S .W

. W a s h i n g t o n

, D

. C

. 2025 0

202-720-1997 dir ec t

202-690-2730 fa x