(a) The funds, facilities, and authorities of the CCC are available to NRCS for carrying out EQIP. Accordingly, where NRCS is mentioned in this part, it also refers to the CCC's funds, facilities, and authorities where applicable.
(b) NRCS supports locally-led conservation by soliciting input from the State Technical Committee and the Tribal Conservation Advisory Council at the State level, and local working groups at the county, parish, or Tribal level to advise NRCS on issues relating to EQIP implementation. Recommendations from the State Technical Committee and the Tribal Conservation Advisory Council may include but are not limited to:
(1) Recommendation for program priorities and criteria;
(2) Identification of priority resource concerns;
(3) Recommendation of which conservation practices will be effective to treat identified priority resource concerns; and
(4) Recommendation of program payment percentages for payment schedules.
(c) No delegation in the administration of this part to lower organizational levels will preclude the Chief from making any determinations under this part, re-delegating to other organizational levels, or from reversing or modifying any determination made under this part. The Chief may modify or waive a discretionary provision of this part with respect to contracts entered into under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), if the Chief determines that such an adjustment is necessary to achieve the purposes of EQIP. Consistent with section 1271C(c)(3) of the 2014 Act, the Chief may also waive the applicability of the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limitation in section 1001D(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 for program participants if the Chief determines that the waiver is necessary to fulfill RCPP objectives.
(d) NRCS may enter into agreements with other Federal or State agencies, Indian Tribes, conservation districts, units of local government, public or private organizations, and individuals to assist NRCS with implementation of the program in this part.