§ 610.24 Responsibilities of State Technical Committees.

(a) Each State Technical Committee established under this subpart will meet on a regular basis, as determined by the State Conservationist, to provide information, analysis, and recommendations to appropriate officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) who are charged with implementing and establishing priorities and criteria for natural resources conservation activities and programs under Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 including, but not limited to, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Conservation Security Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Innovation Grants, Conservation of Private Grazing Land, Grassroots Source Water Protection Program, the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The members of the State Technical Committee may also provide input on other natural resource conservation programs and issues as may be requested by NRCS or other USDA agency heads at the State level as long as they are within the programs authorized by Title XII. Such recommendations may include, but are not limited to, recommendations on: (1) The criteria to be used in prioritizing program applications; (2) The State-specific application criteria; (3) Priority natural resource concerns in the State; (4) Emerging natural resource concerns and program needs; and (5) Conservation practice standards and specifications. (b) The role of the State Technical Committee is advisory in nature, and the committee will have no implementation or enforcement authority. The implementing agency reserves the authority to accept or reject the committee's recommendations. However, the implementing USDA agency will give strong consideration to the State Technical Committee's recommendations. (c) State Technical Committees will review whether Local Working Groups are addressing State priorities.