Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation
Abstract
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending its regulations to ensure that wetland determinations issued after November 28, 1990, have been and will be certified as sufficient to serve as the basis for determining ineligibility for certain USDA program benefits under the Wetland Conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended. Certification requires notifying the affected person at the time of the determination and informing them of their appeal rights. This interim rule addresses inconsistencies in how wetland determinations certified and issued between November 28, 1990, and July 3, 1996, have been treated. It also responds to a February 22, 2024, Federal court ruling that determined that Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) did not fully meet procedural requirements in its 2020 final rule concerning certification of pre-1996 determinations. This interim rule aligns USDA's regulations with the governing statute, legislative history, and congressional intent.
Federal Register Source
This document is published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration. Access the full regulatory text, preamble, and docket comments below.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2026-15284 Federal Register document?
Document 2026-15284 is a Final Rule published by the Department of Agriculture in the Federal Register on July 29, 2026, with an effective date of July 29, 2026. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending its regulations to ensure that wetland determinations issued after November 28, 1990, have been and will be certified as sufficient to serve as the basis for determining ineligibility for certain USDA program benefits under the Wetland Conservation provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended. Certification requires notifying the affected person at the time of the determination and informing them of their appeal rights. This interim rule addresses inconsistencies in how wetland determinations certified and issued between November 28, 1990, and July 3, 1996, have been treated. It also responds to a February 22, 2024, Federal court ruling that determined that Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) did not fully meet procedural requirements in its 2020 final rule concerning certification of pre-1996 determinations. This interim rule aligns USDA's regulations with the governing statute, legislative history, and congressional intent. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/29/2026-15284/highly-erodible-land-and-wetland-conservation.
Is document 2026-15284 an economically significant rule?
No. Document 2026-15284 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.