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

The Chief is authorized to modify or waive a provision of this part if the Chief deems the application of that provision to a particular limited situation to be inappropriate and inconsistent with the environmental and cost-efficiency goals of the WRP. This authority cannot be further delegated. The Chief may not modify or waive any provision of this part that is required by applicable law.

The State Conservationist will seek advice from the State Technical Committee on the development of the geographic area rate caps of compensation for an easement, a priority ranking process, and related policy matters.

NRCS may delegate at any time easement management, monitoring, and enforcement responsibilities to other Federal or State agencies that have the appropriate authority, expertise, and technical and financial resources, as determined by NRCS to carry out such delegated responsibilities.

NRCS may enter into cooperative agreements with Federal or State agencies, conservation districts, and private conservation organizations to assist NRCS with program implementation, including the provision of technical assistance.

NRCS shall consult with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) at the local level in determinations of land eligibility and as appropriate throughout the program implementation process. NRCS may consult Federal or State agencies, conservation districts, or other organizations in program administration. No determination by these agencies or organizations shall compel NRCS to take any action which NRCS determines will not serve the purposes of the program established by this part.

The Chief may allocate funds for purposes related to: Encouraging enrollment by historically underserved producers as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 3844; special pilot programs for wetland management and monitoring; acquisition of wetland easements with emergency funding; cooperative agreements with other Federal or State agencies for program implementation; coordination of easement enrollment across State boundaries; coordination of the development of conservation plans; or, for other goals of the WRP found in this part. NRCS may designate areas as conservation priority areas where environmental concerns are especially pronounced and to assist landowners in meeting nonpoint source pollution requirements and other conservation needs.