Program Plan
Department of Agriculture - Emergency Watershed Protection Program - ARRA Recovery Plan
Updated 05/13/2009
Objectives
Program Purpose
The focus of Floodplain Easements projects is to restore, protect, maintain, and enhance the functions of the floodplain, including safeguarding lives and property from floods and the products of erosion. NRCS will utilize ARRA funds designated for the Floodplain Easement program through grants and agreements with individual landowners. These financial awards will be structured to create jobs, stimulate the economy, and accomplish high priority work on flood-prone lands.
Public Benefits
NRCS will utilize ARRA funds designated for the Floodplain Easement program through grants and agreements with individual landowners. These financial awards will be structured to create jobs, stimulate the economy, and accomplish high priority work on flood-prone lands.
A four-step process will be used to ensure projects proposed for funding will provide jobs for people in economically distressed communities and accomplish mission critical conservation work. These steps are outlined below.
1. State Conservationist – all applications are ranked in accordance with national and state criteria. Additionally, the State Conservationist ensures that all data required in the national easement database tool is loaded and is accurate.
2. National Program Leader Review – projects recommended by State Conservationists will be reviewed by the Program Leader. This review will consider geographic distribution, economic impacts, and other benefits of the proposed portfolio of work for balance and to accomplish NRCS strategic goals including the project benefit to an economically distressed community.
3. Deputy Chief for Programs Review –recommendations will be reviewed by the Deputy Chief’ for consistency with Economic Recovery Act priorities and overall balance.
4. Chief’s Final Selection – The Chief will review all projects and make the final decision on projects that will be advanced for concurrence by the Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, for the Secretary’s approval.
Measures
The measures have been revised to enrich the performance metrics for Recovery targets. In some instances, targets will not be available until additional baseline data has been collected.
| Measure | Target/Actual |
|---|
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|
[-]
Floodplain easements closed, acres. | 0/0 | 35,000/0 | - | - |
Measure Information
| Frequency : Annual | | Direction : Increasing | | Type : Output | | Explanation : ARRA funds will be used to purchase conservation easements from willing sellers on floodplain lands that meet program criteria. Purchases are based upon established priorities. This performance measure reports the acres on which floodplain easements have been purchased and recorded at the courthouse. | | Unit : acres |
|
[-]
Floodplain easements fully restored, acres. | 0/0 | 24,500/0 | 10,500/0 | - |
Measure Information
| Frequency : Annual | | Direction : Increasing | | Type : Outcome | | Explanation : ARRA funds will be used to restore and enhance the floodplain's functions to natural conditions to the greatest extent practicable. This effort will include both topographic restoration and vegetative restoration. This performance measure will report the acres of floodplain easements on which restoration has been completed in the fiscal year. | | Unit : acres |
|
| 600/0 | 1280/0 | 120/0 | - |
Measure Information
| Frequency : Annual | | Direction : Increasing | | Type : Outcome | | Explanation : Jobs created through the purchase and subsequent restoration of floodplain easements using ARRA funds. | | Unit : number |
|
Schedule and Milestones
1 March 3 – April 10, 2009 – nationwide sign-up for floodplain easement applications
2. July 3, 2009 – obligate acquisition funds
3. February 3, 2010 - easements closed
4. December 17, 2009 – obligate restoration funds
5. December 30, 2010 – complete all restoration
Milestones
| Milestone |
Completion Date |
| Obligate acquisition funds. |
07/03/2009 |
| Easements closed. |
02/03/2010 |
| Easement restoration fully completed. |
12/30/2010 |
Projects and Activities
The focus of Floodplain Easements (FPE) projects is to restore, protect, maintain, and enhance the functions of the floodplain; conserve natural values including fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, flood water retention, ground water recharge, and open space; reduce long-term federal disaster assistance; and safeguard lives and property from floods and the products of erosion. NRCS actively restores the natural features and characteristics of the floodplain through re-creating the topographic diversity, increasing the duration of inundation and saturation, and providing for the re-establishment of native vegetation.
At the heart of the Floodplain Easement program is the financial assistance awarded to landowners who voluntarily place a perpetual conservation easement on their recently-flooded property. Additionally, the agreement may include technical assistance to restore the floodplain to its natural topographic and/or vegetative state.
Review Process
OMB Guidance addressing the ARRA notes that Agencies should ensure that progress can be tracked against certain accountability measures related to the proper delivery of funds. NRCS is ensuring that it has the capacity to provide, in coordination with the Department as necessary:
1. Audits and investigation of ARRA funds occurring to identify wasteful spending and minimize waste, fraud, and abuse;
2. Qualified personnel overseeing ARRA funds;
3. Opportunities to use competitive awards maximized;
4. Timely award of dollars;
5. Timely expenditure of dollars;
6. Timely completion of planned work;
7. Minimized cost overruns; and
8. Minimized improper payments.
NRCS will use existing measures of performance and monitoring to ensure that its performance goals are being tracked and met. In addition to reducing the burden on grant recipients and contractors, the use of existing measures will allow the public to see the performance impact of ARRA investments.
NRCS will utilize the existing interim easement database that captures accomplishment information on projects which will be funded through the ARRA.
Cost and Performance Plan
The reporting requirements described in Chapter 4 provide the measures required by the ARRA related to accountability and transparency. In addition to these requirements, the Agency has established its own publicly available website which will report additional information on the Agency’s actions in ARRA -related matters: www.nrcs.usda.gov/recovery.
Nationally, the NRCS Oversight and Evaluation Division staff will conduct an assessment of implementation of the Agency’s delivery of ARRA though a comprehensive assessment monitor the status of implementation of funded projects to assure that ARRA requirements are being met. Additionally, the USDA, OIG will conduct an audit of each program. This will include evaluating any projects that are behind schedule to determine appropriate action, including determining whether the project can be completed within the overall timeframe or if funds should be re-allocated or de-obligated to be used on other projects.
The Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) will continue to be utilized to assess the effectiveness of the Floodplain Easements program.
Energy Efficiency Spending Plans
Program Plan Award Types
No Data Available