Tagged: NRCS

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is offering money to help ag producers comply with an Environmental Protection Agency rule regarding oil spills.

The rule requires producers who store more than 10,000 gallons of oil on their property to have a plan drawn up by an engineer for how to prevent and contain oil spills.

Cheryl Grapes with the NRCS says getting those plans drawn up can cost thousands of dollars, which can be a burden for producers.

Wyoming’s snowpack is roughly 20% lower than it was at this time last year. It’s currently at 83% of what is considered normal. But state water supply specialist Lee Hackleman says forecasts indicate that 2013 will be a “neutral year”, meaning we may end up with only slightly below average snowpack going into the summer.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are offering a new incentive to get farmers and ranchers to protectcertain species – including sage grouse – on their properties.

Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman says they want ranchers to do things like shifting their grazing patterns, in order to preserve sage grouse habitat. If a rancher signs on, he or she would get certain protections, if sage grouse end up on the Endangered Species List.