Rhode Island State Technical Committee Meeting Notes

November 2, 2006

USDA Conference Room

Warwick, RI

Attending: Rob Swanson, FSA; Tim Pindell,  and J. Eric Scherer, RI NRCS; Kris Stuart, Southern RI Conservation District; Ken Ayars, RI DEM Division of Agriculture; Liz Scott, RI DEM, OWR; Michael Pezza, State Committee, USDA, FSA: and Tom Sandham, Eastern RI Conservation District; Rick Pace, EcoAssets; Loren Thurn, RI Ag Council; Al Bettencourt, RI Farm Bureau; Ton Abbott, RI DEM, DFE; Gene Pepper, RI DEM, Division of Ag; Greg Modesto, US FWS; Stephen Del Pozzo, SRICD.

Introductions, Review Agenda, and Opening Comments

Eric Scherer on behalf of Roylene Rides at the Door, NRCS-RI State Conservationist, welcomed everyone and thanked them for attending. 

NEPA Update and FY 07 Cost List

Reena Shaw, State Economist, presented (see handout) to the STT the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) update on the effort by New England / New York NRCS offices to comply with NEPA requirements for providing technical and financial assistance to producers through the Farm Bill.  Each of the conservation practices used in the Northeast were reviewed using a flow diagram illustrating resource concerns vs. benefits.  A sample flow diagram was provided for use by the Team to see the process by which NRCS is addressing this requirement (handout passed out).

Dr. Shaw also discussed the biggest change in the cost list this year resulting from new rules issued by NHQ stipulating that beginning in FY 2007 States must utilize the average cost type (AC) cost type for all structural practices and the Flat Rate (FR) cost type to provide incentive payments for management practices for all financially-assisted practices through AMA, EQIP, and WHIP (see attachement). 

In prior years our office and other NRCS offices used the Average not to exceed a maximum (AM) cost share type. The AM cost share type was typically listed as requiring an engineer’s estimate. This allowed our staff to price-out a given practice, provide the client with the projected cost information, noting that we would pay some percentage of that cost (usually 50% to 75%). We are no longer allowed to use this cost share type.

The average cost share rate requires that we list in the cost list, our estimate of the average cost of installation for practices or components of the practice. The client will receive a cost share (typically 50% to 75%) of the average cost listed in the cost list.

To transform practices listed as having an AM cost share type to an AC cost type we held several meetings with our engineers and various field staff. In an attempt to break-down larger practices to generate average costs based on the size of the practice such as, we have added components to several practices.

We also tried to project inflationary increases in costs.  Members of the STT were provided with a copy of the drafted FY 2007 Cost List and a glossary of past and current cost share types.

FY 07 Farm Bill Outreach Efforts

Jeanne Comerford, Public Affairs Specialist presented a handout with the FY 07 Farm Bill Outreach events to date (see handout).  Mike Kenyon, District Conservationist, indicated that approximately 12 individuals attended the last October meeting in Northern Rhode Island and the next event was planned for November, 8, 2006 at the USDA Service Center in Warwick.  The Team was asked to spread the work on the next meeting.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Mike Combs, acting EQIP program Manager presented handouts on:  

• Slide Presentation of EQIP FY 2007 Policy;  

• Slide Presentation of Developing State and Local Questions (National slides off of AERT website);  

• Slide Presentation of RI State and Local Questions from FY 2006 Ranking Tool; Handout - Resource Concerns and Conservation Practices On the 2006 Ranking Tool; and

• Handout - The Resource Concerns and Conservation Practices that were on the CPPE website

With these handouts Mr. Combs discussed the ranking criteria and the relationship between the National, State, and Local Questions and the resource concerns and conservation practices and how the points accumulate according to what is selected.

He also passed out handouts;

• Of the Resource Concerns and Conservation Practices that were on the 2006 Ranking Tool; and

• The Resource Concerns and Conservation Practices that were on the CPPE website.

Mr. Combs asked for questions and if the group to compare wanted to change/add anything on the 2006 Ranking Tool from the CPPE website. He explained that this would be easier to do at this point, instead of adding them after the 2007 Ranking Tool was developed.   

It was decided that once the draft FY 2007 Ranking tool was developed that there would be a ‘beta’ test set up at the office and Mr. Combs would invite the Team members to attend to see how the tool worked.  Many of the Team members were interested in attending this session.  Mike would set this up in the third or fourth week of November.

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

On behalf of the WHIP Program Manager, Mr. Scherer presented the FY 2007 WHIP Policy for the STT review in the form of a draft Bulletin (handout).  The policy reflects changes proposed at the last STT meeting:

• Grassland Habitat has a new 15 acre minimum

• Clearing second growth forestland/shrubland can only be done if the land was previously grassland prior to 1976.

• There will be a meeting at the Grange in Exeter on Stream Continuity Project next month.

Mr. Scherer also passed out several handouts, including a WHIP brochure, a fact sheet and the application process for FY 2007.

Field Office Technical Guide Update

Tim Pindell, Soil Conservationist presented a handout on the recent release on Conservation Practice Standards (NHCP Notice 141).  He briefly discussed the changes for 11 updated National Standards.  Additionally, one standard, Wildlife Watering Facility (648) was cancelled, and is to be merged with (614) Watering Facility - to cover both livestock and wildlife.  Also, a new code (431) - Above Ground, Multi-Outlet Pipeline replaces the existing standard (430HH) - Irrigation Water Conveyance, Rigid Gated Pipeline.  Of the 11 standards in  Notice 141, five are currently RI standards and will be scheduled for updating to reflect the changes in the NHCP release.

The STT was informed of two draft NHCP standards posted on the web for review and comment, with the deadline for comments.  342d1 (critical area planting) - comments are due Nov 3, and 393d2 (filter strip) - comments are due Dec 1.   

The Southern Rhode Island Conservation District implementing a study looking at livestock operations and phosphorous loading in the Saugatucket Watershed.   They have been able to identify a number of livestock operations otherwise not known before and have been able to provide these operations with information on programs available to them on manure management.

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