Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?mc=true&node=pt7.6.623&rgn=div5
Timestamp: 2020-01-23 09:40:19
Document Index: 57379181

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', '§623', 'art 12', 'arts 704', '§623', 'art 614']

Title 7 → Subtitle B → Chapter VI → Subchapter C → Part 623
§623.3 Eligible person.
§623.5 Ineligible land.
§623.6 Transfer of lands from the CRP to the EWRP.
§623.7 Terms of the easement.
§623.8 Easement value.
§623.9 Easement priority.
§623.12 Payments to landowners by NRCS.
§623.14 Easement modifications.
§623.16 Monitoring and enforcement of easement terms and conditions.
§623.17 Violations and remedies.
§623.18 Access to land.
§623.19 Assignments.
§623.20 Appeals.
§623.21 Scheme and device.
§623.22 Filing of false claims.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 3837-3837f; Pub. L. 103-75, Chapter 1, 107 Stat. 739, 742.
Source: 58 FR 62497, Nov. 29, 1993, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Agricultural commodity—means any crop planted and produced by annual tilling of the soil, or on an annual basis by one trip planters, or alfalfa and other multiyear grasses and legumes in rotation as approved by the Secretary. For purposes of determining crop history, as relevant to eligibility to enroll land in the program, land shall be “considered planted to an agricultural commodity” during a crop year if, as determined by ASCS, as action of the Secretary prevented land from being planted to the commodity during the crop year.
(b) Applicant—means a person who submits to NRCS an application to participate in the EWRP.
(c) Commodity Credit Corporation—a wholly owned government corporation within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
(d) Conservation District (CD)—means a subdivision of a State or local government organized pursuant to applicable State law to promote soil and water conservation practices.
(e) Conservation Reserve Program—means the program under which long-term payments and cost-share assistance is provided to individuals to establish permanent vegetative cover on cropland that is highly erodible or environmentally sensitive.
(f) Prior converted wetland—means wetland that has been drained, dredged, filled, leveled, or otherwise manipulated (including any activity that results in impairing or reducing the flow, circulation, or reach of water) prior to December 23, 1985, for the purpose, or that has the effect, of making the production of agricultural commodities possible if such production would not have been possible but for such action.
(g) Cost-share payment—means the payment made by NRCS to assist program participants in establishing the practices required in a WRPO.
(h) Chief—means the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, or the Chief's designee.
(i) Easement—means the real property interest acquired by NRCS under this part for wetland restoration and maintenance and which is properly filed with the appropriate local or State government official.
(j) Easement area—means the land to which the approved wetland restoration practices and wetland conservation restrictions are to be applied.
(k) Fair market value (FMV)—means the price that a willing seller would accept and a willing buyer would pay in an open, informed transaction.
(l) Farmed wetland—means wetland that was drained, dredged, filled, or otherwise manipulated prior to December 23, 1985 to the extent that the production of agricultural commodities was made possible, but which continues to meet wetland criteria [refer to 7 CFR 12.32(a)(3) for descriptions of farmed wetlands].
(m) Floodwater control systems—means dikes, levees, or other similar structural measures for the protection of cropland from flooding.
(n) FWS—means the Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States Department of the Interior.
(o) Local NRCS office—means the office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service serving the county or combination of counties in which the landowner's farm or ranch is located.
(p) Participant—means a person(s) owning land subject to a perfected easement purchased by the Natural Resources Conservation Service under this part.
(q) Offer—means the total payment NRCS will make to a landowner to purchase an easement.
(r) Permanent easement—means an easement in perpetuity.
(s) Substantially altered lands—means lands which have not been and are not now wetlands but could likely develop wetland characteristics in the future, as a result of the Midwest floods of 1993.
(t) Practice—means the wetland and easement area development restoration measures agreed to in the WRPO to accomplish the desired program objectives.
(u) Technical assistance—means the assistance provided to land owners to facilitate implementation of the WRPO.
(v) Wetland—means land that (1) has a predominance of hydric soils; (2) is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions; and (3) does support a prevalence of such vegetation under normal circumstances.
To be eligible to participate in the EWRP, a person must be the owner of eligible land for which enrollment is sought and must have been the owner of such land for at least the preceding 12 months prior to the time the enrollment offer is declared by NRCS, as provided in this part. The person shall provide to NRCS adequate proof of ownership of the land. NRCS may waive the 12 month ownership requirement if:
(a) The land was acquired by will or succession as a result of the death of the previous owner; or
(b) Adequate assurances have been presented that the new owner of such land did not acquire such land for the purpose of placing it in the EWRP.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this part, the following land is not eligible for enrollment in the EWRP:
(a) Land that contains either timber stands or trees established in connection with a CRP contract;
(b) Lands owned or acquired by an agency of the Federal Government;
(c) Land already subject to a deed restriction prohibiting the production of agricultural commodities or the alternation of existing wetland hydrologic conditions;
(d) Land located between the pre-flood mainstem levees and the river; or
(e) Land that was restored to wetland conditions, as required under Part 12 of this title, to mitigate the conversion of wetland to cropland use.
Land that is subject to an existing CRP contract administered under 7 CFR parts 704 and 1410 may be transferred into the EWRP only if:
(a) The land and landowner(s) meet the requirements of this part; and
(b) The application for transfer into the EWRP is approved by Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), if found to be in the interest of the program. If such transfer is requested by the owner and approved by CCC, the CRP contract for the property will be terminated or otherwise modified subject to such terms and conditions as are mutually agreed by the landowner, CCC, and NRCS.
Landowners will grant to NRCS an easement which shall run with the land and be in favor of NRCS and its assigns or delegates. The easement shall require the land to be monitored as specified by the WRPO to promote the purposes of this part, including but not limited to maintenance of the restored wetland for entire length of the easement. Such easement shall: (a) be a permanent reserve interest easement; (b) require that the maintenance of the land be in accordance with the terms of the easement and with the terms of the WRPO and shall be the responsibility of the owners of the property and their successors of any kind, including, but not limited to, the owners' heirs and assigns; (c) grant to NRCS a right of access in favor of NRCS and its delegates, assigns and successors of any kind, to the portion of the property which is subject to the provisions of the easement. Maintenance of such access shall be the responsibility of the owner and their successors of any kind; (d) reserve to NRCS the right to permit such compatible uses of the easement area as may be identified in the WRPO; (e) reserve to the landowner those compatible uses identified in the WRPO that are permitted to be pursued by the landowner; (f) be signed by each person with an interest of any kind in the land covered by the easement; (g) permanently prohibit use of the easement area for cropland, except to harvest an agricultural commodity planted before the easement is perfected; and (h) require permanent maintenance of the wetland conditions, except in the case of natural disaster.
NRCS offers for easements will be based on the fair market value, as determined by the NRCS State Conservationist, of the land covered by the easements. Fair market value will be based on post-flood conditions as if reclaimed. Land easement values will be determined by the State Conservationist in consultation with a technical committee. A technical committee shall included representatives of: ASCS, Extension Service, and FWS. Additionally, the State Conservationist may collect information from other sources as he deems necessary. Coordination between States will be provided by the Chief, NRCS.
The State Conservationist, in consultation with the FWS and with input from a technical committee and other interested Federal agencies, will establish a ranking process to establish the priority of parcels offered into the EWRP. This process will rank the floodway enhancement and environmental benefits per dollar of government expenditure on restoration and easement purchase. The factors for determining the priority for selection will consider the following:
(a) Protection and enhancement of habitat for migratory birds and wildlife, including the contribution the restoration may make to the recovery of threatened and endangered species,
(b) Floodway expansion,
(c) Proximity to other protected wetlands,
(d) Level of hydrology restored,
(e) Wetland function or values,
(f) Likelihood of successful restoration of wetland values,
(g) Cost of restoration and easement purchase, and
(h) Other factors as determined appropriate by NRCS.
(a) NRCS will share the cost with landowners of rehabilitating the enrolled land in the EWRP as provided in the WRPO. The amount of the cost-share assistance shall be specified in the contract. Eligible costs for such cost-share assistance by NRCS shall only include those costs which NRCS determines are appropriate and shall be subject to the following restrictions:
(1) The State Conservationist will establish cost-share rates of between 75 to 100 percent of the historical cost of establishing or installing the practices specified in the WRPO; or pay the average cost of establishing the practices specified in the WRPO, based on the historical cost of establishing the practices in the State;
(2) Cost-share payments may be made only upon a determination that an approved practice or an identifiable unit of the practice has been completed in compliance with NRCS approved standards and specifications; and
(3) Cost-share payments may not be made for the maintenance of the practice except as specifically permitted in writing by the State Conservationist.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(3) of this section, cost share payments may be authorized for the replacement or restoration of practices for which cost share assistance has been previously allowed under the EWRP, but only if:
(1) Replacement or restoration of the practice is needed to meet the objectives for which the easement was established; and
(2) The failure of the original practice was due to reasons beyond the control of the participant.
(c)(1) NRCS shall pay the amount agreed upon by NRCS and the landowner for the purchase of the easement in a lump-sum amount after the easement is perfected in compliance with State law, except in the case of paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
(2) For all easements, NRCS shall pay no more than 75 percent of the total easement price pending completion of the practices to restore the wetlands as provided under the WRPO. The remaining amount shall be paid when NRCS determines the restoration is complete.
(d) After an easement is perfected, NRCS will reimburse landowners for fair and reasonable expenses incurred for title searches, filing expenses, and related costs, as determined by NRCS.
After the easement has been perfected, no change will be made in the easement without a written request by the participant and the written consent of the Chief. Approval may be granted to achieve the goals of EWRP or facilitate the practical administration and management of the easement area or the program and the approval will not adversely affect the functions and values for which the easement was established. A modified easement shall be perfected in accordance with State law and NRCS superior interest shall be reserved by the landowner in accordance with §§623.7 and 623.11(a)(3).
(a) If a violation of the terms and conditions of the contract, the WRPO, or the recorded EWRP easement occurs, the easement shall remain in force and NRCS may:
(1) Require the owner to fully restore the easement area to fulfill the terms and conditions of the easement and WRPO; and
(2) Require the owner, who received payments from NRCS for any purpose under this part, to refund all or part of such payments received together with interest, as determined appropriate by NRCS.
(b) If an owner fails to carry out the terms and conditions of an easement, appropriate legal action may be initiated. The owner of the property shall reimburse NRCS for all costs incurred including, but not limited to, legal fees.
In order to determine eligibility and compliance with respect to this part, representatives of the Department, or designee thereof, shall have the right of access to:
(a) Land which is the subject of an application made in accordance with this part,
(b) Land which is subject to an easement made in accordance with this part, and
(c) Records of the participant showing status of all ownership interest in lands subject to this part.
Any participant entitled to any cash payment under this program may assign the right to receive such cash payments, in whole or in part.
A participant in the EWRP may obtain a review of any administrative determination concerning land eligibility, development of a WRPO, or any adverse determination under this part in accordance with the administrative appeal regulations provided in part 614 of this title.
If it is determined by NRCS that any participant has knowingly supplied false information or has knowingly filed a false claim, such participant shall be ineligible for any payment under this part. False information or false claims include claims for payment for practices which do not meet the specifications of the applicable WRPO. Any amounts paid under these circumstances shall be refunded, together with interest as determined by NRCS, and any amounts otherwise due such participant shall be withheld.