Bill > S4931

This bill, the NRCS Wetland Compliance and Appeals Reform Act, aims to reform the programs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The key provisions include: allowing the removal of woody vegetation without being considered as making agricultural production possible, prohibiting retroactive penalties for wetland conversion, shifting the burden of proof to the Secretary to show clear and convincing evidence of a violation, restricting the Secretary from using new rationales for wetland determinations previously refuted, establishing an appeals process for non-accepted wetland certification requests, and requiring the Secretary to conduct multiple on-site visits for preliminary wetland determinations. The bill also mandates customer satisfaction surveys, creates state oversight committees to review wetland determination appeals, and directs the Secretary to make various reforms to the appeals process. Additionally, the bill requires regulations related to subtitles B and C of the Food Security Act to be promulgated through the standard notice-and-comment process, and prohibits the NRCS from acquiring permanent easements.