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March 17, 2009
NACD Files Technical Service Provider Comments
Today, NACD filed comments with the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) regarding the 2008 Farm Bill
alterations to the Technical Service Provider (TSP) Program.
Under the new law, eligible farm bill conservation program
participants have the option of a technical service contract
or the traditional contract with financial assistance. This
new option will allow those participants not seeking
financial assistance to receive technical assistance for
conservation planning, design, layout and other assistance.
In addition, NRCS can contract with TSPs to assist in
conservation program delivery and development, processing or
implementation of a program contract. Conservation districts
are currently considered TSPs through their contribution or
cooperative agreements with NRCS.
In the comment letter, NACD stressed the role of conservation
districts in delivering technical assistance and actions to
assist in conservation program delivery. NACD’s full
commments are available at http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/input/comments/tsp_3-17-09.pdf.
Have You Placed Your Order for 2009 Stewardship Week?
The 2009 NACD Stewardship Week is fast approaching. This
year’s Stewardship Week will be celebrated April 26 to
May 3 and is themed “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil.” Have
you placed your order for the corresponding “Dig It!”
education materials yet? If you answered no, you should go
to the NACD Marketplace (www.nacdstore.org) and place your
order today to ensure you receive your materials in time
for Stewardship Week.
If you plan to pay for your “Dig It!” education materials
by credit card, you must place your order by April 3 to
receive the materials by April 20. If you are paying by
check, your order should be placed by March 27. Also keep in
mind these materials are also great for programs at any time
of the year, not just during Stewardship Week.
Additional soils activities, education resources, outreach
tools and information are available on the NACD website at
http://nacdnet.org/stewardship/2009/. And as you celebrate
Stewardship Week, don’t forget to send your stewardship
success stories and photos to stewardship@nacdnet.org so
NACD can share them with others.
Stimulus Funding Available for Green Infrastructure
Projects
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
dedicates $1.2 billion to green infrastructure, the natural
systems and practices for managing stormwater runoff and
other ecological benefits. A portion of the Clean Water
State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving
Fund (SRF) is set aside for these efforts. Under the ARRA,
20 percent of the funds provided for the Revolving Funds
are for projects to address green infrastructure, water or
energy efficiency improvements, or other environmentally
innovative activities. If projects are not currently
identified, states must solicit them within a three-month
period before using the funds for conventional
infrastructure purposes.
State associations and districts are encouraged to visit
promptly with their lead state agency for SRF to learn how
their ARRA funds are being used and what opportunities for
on-the-ground projects are still available. For details on these
funds and eligibility can be found in the EPA Guidance for
Award of Recovery Act Funding to State Revolving Funds, click here.
As a service to state associations and conservation
districts, NACD has prepared a chart outlining this and
other potential conservation funding opportunities in the
economic stimulus. Click here to download a copy of the chart.
NACD Expands Urban and Community Conservation Web Pages
This week, NACD launched a “new and improved” section on
urban and community (U&C) conservation. This initiative,
identified in NACD’s Urban and Community Conservation
Strategy, has two goals. The first is to better support
members in their U&C efforts, and the second is to showcase
districts’ broad natural resource services to the general
public. These updated pages are one of several ongoing
projects of the NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy
Group (RPG).
The expanded Urban and Community Conservation section offers
valuable U&C information, including district showcases,
briefings on NACD and state association activities,
resources, training opportunities and funding sources in
the following nine topic areas:
• Locally led in developing areas
• Urban erosion and sediment control
• Stormwater management
• Urban-rural initiatives
• Small acreage
• Urban and community forestry/green infrastructure
• Smart growth
• Waste management
• Disaster Recovery and land reclamation
The first three of the topics listed above were posted
online this week, and the remaining six will be added over
the next two weeks. To view the updated Urban and Community Section, got to NACD's website at
http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/urban.
EPA Proposes Rule Requiring Greenhouse Gas Emission
Reporting
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
announced proposed rulemaking to require reporting of
greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors of the economy,
including suppliers of fossil fuels and industrial gases,
as well as direct greenhouse gas emitters such as certain
livestock operations.
The new reporting requirements under the proposed rule
would apply to emitters of greenhouse gases with emissions
equal to or greater than a threshold of 25,000 metric tons
per year. Related to reporting greenhouse gas emissions
from livestock production, EPA is proposing that livestock
facilities utilizing manure management systems with
emissions greater than the 25,000 metric ton threshold
would be required to report. To determine the threshold,
EPA is recommending calculation based on several factors
including number of livestock, type of manure management
system and percentage of manure handled by each system,
annual average volatile solids and methane producing
potential of managed manure. Reporting requirements for
greenhouse gases come as the Administration and Congress
continue discussions on climate change.
A comment period will be open on the proposed rule for sixty
days following publication in the federal register. More
information is available on EPA’s website.
USDA Accepting Energy Audit Applications
Late last week, the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) announced that the department is accepting funding
applications from eligible entities for grants to conduct
energy audits under the Rural Energy for America Program
(REAP).
The audits are intended to help rural small businesses and
agricultural producers determine where to make changes in
their operations to enable them to reduce energy
consumption. Audits are required for REAP funded energy
efficiency projects funded that exceed $50,000. States,
tribal and local governments, land grant colleges or
universities, other institutions of higher learning, and
electric cooperatives and public power entities are eligible
to receive funds to conduct the audits. Parties seeking
audits from the grantees must pay 25 percent of audit costs.
Applications for grants must be completed and submitted on
paper or electronically no later than June 9. For further
details about eligibility rules and application procedures,
see page 10533 of the March 11 Federal Register,
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-5154.htm.
NACD developed a partnership with EnSave, Inc. in 2008 to
provide districts interested in providing energy audits for
their customers with energy audit resources and training.
EnSave has been partnering with conservation districts and
RC&D Councils to assist producers with energy reductions
on their farms. If your district is interested in
providing energy audits and would like more information on
EnSave, go to http://www.ensave.com.
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