December 16, 2024    financial, hurricane

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking steps to streamline and provide flexibilities for environmental compliance requirements for 2024 hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. It is allowing its Farm Service Agency (FSA) to expedite approval of payments and practice implementation for Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) and Tree Assistance Program (TAP) applicants impacted by the three storms.

Additionally, USDA is waiving certain requirements for ECP and EFRP to provide restoration cost share assistance payments more quickly to producers impacted by hurricanes occurring Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2023. FSA is waiving the requirement that producers impacted by hurricanes submit receipts and documentation related to land restoration.

WHAT THE PROGRAMS PROVIDE

ECP provides financial and technical assistance to help agricultural producers rehabilitate ag land and conservation structures damaged by natural disasters.

EFRP provides financial and technical assistance to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forestland to complete forest restoration activities to restore forest resources and forest health.

TAP provides financial assistance to orchardists and nursery tree growers to help cover the cost of replanting or rehabilitating eligible trees, bushes and vines that produce annual crops that were damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster.

In response to the 2024 hurricanes, FSA provided flexibility for ECP and EFRP applicants to start non-ground disturbingactivities like surface debris removal and fence restoration without FSA prior approval or on-site inspection. The announcement of additional flexibilities allows FSA to streamline the environmental compliance process for certain ground-disturbing practices related to hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.

The program flexibilities will allow FSA to more quickly complete an environmental review to determine the impact to natural and cultural resources for the disaster area as a whole rather than on an individual case-by-case basis.

These flexibilities also allow participants to restore private agriculture and forestland to pre-disaster conditions and prevent subsequent damage.

DOCUMENTATION WAIVERS

Typically, ECP and EFRP applicants must submit a cost-share performance certification and payment request with supporting receipts and documentation after restoration activities are complete. To expedite emergency conservation program payments, FSA is authorizing a documentation waiver for approved applicants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Puerto Rico. This waiver applies to hurricanes occurring Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2023.

Through this waiver, approved ECP and EFRP participants are no longer required to submit supporting documentation to verify restoration activities. Instead, the technical agency, FSA or the producer will certify that practices are complete and meet USDA practice standards.

APPLY OR ASK QUESTIONS

For questions on ECP, EFRP and TAP, or to apply for disaster recovery assistance, producers should call their FSA county office. Visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator to find an FSA county office. More information on hurricane recovery assistance and additional flexibilities is available here.

Source: USDA