The regulations in this part will be administered under the general supervision and direction of the NRCS Chief.

NRCS will—

Provide overall program management and implementation leadership for FRPP;

Develop, maintain, and ensure that policies, guidelines, and procedures are carried out to meet program goals and objectives;

Ensure that the FRPP share of the cost of an easement or other deed restrictions in eligible land will not exceed 50 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement;

Determine eligibility of the land, landowner, State government, local government, Indian Tribe, or nongovernmental organization;

Ensure a conservation plan is developed in accordance with 7 CFR part 12;

Make funding decisions and determine allocations of program funds;

Coordinate with the Office of the General Counsel to ensure the legal sufficiency of the cooperative agreement and the easement deed or other legal instrument;

Sign and monitor cooperative agreements for the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) with the selected eligible entity;

Monitor and ensure conservation plan compliance with highly erodible land and wetland provisions in accordance with 7 CFR part 12; and

Provide leadership for establishing, implementing, and overseeing administrative processes for easements, easement payments, and administrative and financial performance reporting.

NRCS will enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to assist NRCS with implementation of this part.