Justification memo

Farm Production
And Conservation
(FPAC)
Farm Service
Agency (FSA)
1400 Independence
Avenue, SW
Stop 0540
Washington, DC
20250-0540

DATE:

March 21, 2022

TO:

Eylse Greenwald
OMB Desk Officer

THROUGH: Ruth Brown
USDA Information Collection Officer
FROM:

Leslie Deavers
Acting Director LESLIE DEE DEAVERS
Office of Urban Agriculture and
Innovative Production, NRCS

SUBJECT:

Request for Emergency Approval for an Information Collection Package,
Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) Cooperative
Agreements.

Digitally signed by LESLIE DEE
DEAVERS
Date: 2022.03.22 09:32:17 -04'00'

The Natural Conservation Resources Service (NRCS) is requesting OMB review and
emergency approval of a collection of information for the FY22 Composting and Food
Waste Reduction (CFWR) Cooperative Agreement Program. This program, authorized
as a pilot project by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill; Pub L.
115-334), directs the Secretary to carry out pilot projects under which local units of
government, schools, and tribal communities enter into cooperative agreements to
develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal composting plans
and food waste reduction plans. In FY20 and FY21, NRCS made 37 awards totaling just
over $3 million to local units of government across the United States. To improve the
ability of communities across the United States to implement projects that increase
compost, improve soil quality, and reduce food waste, the CFWR program is
substantially increasing its public investment via additional funding and awards in FY22.
NRCS could not obtain OMB approval under the normal clearance under the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) to initiate the FY22 CFWR proposal process quickly enough to
receive, review, and select proposals, and to execute agreements, by the end of FY22 on
September 30. Also, this collection of information is needed sooner than the regular time
periods of the PRA to spend the CFWR fund by the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (Pub
L. 117-2) to assist local units of government, schools, and tribal communities in
implementing projects that help their communities generate compost, improve soil
quality, and reduce food waste. Information collected under this funding announcement
remains the same as that collected under the prior two years’ funding announcements.
Applications for the FY22 CFWR program will be accepted between March 31 and June
31, 2022. The Notification of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be published in the
Federal Register to provide guidance and notify applicants of the sign-up period.
Eligibility requirements, program objectives, and application procedures for CFWR are
included in the NOFO. An informational webinar will be recorded and posted for
applicants. NRCS expects between 300-400 applications under this announcement.

NRCS needs to collect the following information from all applicants:
• Standard Form-424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance (OMB #40400020);
• SF-424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (OMB #40400006);
• SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (OMB #4040-0013); and
• Project Summary (No standard form; narrative determined by applicant).
NRCS needs to collect the following information from some applicants:
• SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (OMB #4040-0013), required only of
the small group of applicants who may be engaging in lobbying activities;
• Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (No OMB control number), only for
applicants with a NICRA who are requesting reimbursement of indirect costs; or
• De Minimus Rate Agreement (No OMB control number), only for applicants who
do not have a NICRA and who are requesting reimbursement of direct costs.
NRCS needs to collect the following information only from awardees:
• Annual progress reports – No standard form; required annually of each awardee;
• Form SF425 Federal Financial Report (OMB #4040-0014), required annually of
each awardee);
• Form SF270 Request for Advance or Reimbursement (OMB #4040-0012), required
quarterly of awardees in support of payment requests); and
• Notification of Award (NRCS-ADS-093), requires awardee signature before
agreement is considered final.
We are requesting emergency approval of an information collection package by March
31, 2022, to quickly provide assistance to local governments, schools, and tribal
communities that wish to implement CFWR projects.
If there are any questions or concerns, please call Deirdre Holder at (202) 205-5851or
Mary Ann Ball at (202)720-4283.