Legal Authorities for Federal (USDA), State and Local Soil and Water Conservation Activities: Background for the Second RCA Appraisal

Chapter 14 of the 1980 RCA Appraisal, Part II, summarized the federal laws that then authorized USDA to carry out its conservation activities for soil, water, and related resources. It grouped them according to resource concerns--such as "Soil and Water Conservation," "Flood Control," and "Research." It listed the laws on tables showing activities covered by each law and the flexibility of each law with regard to program objectives, procedures, and administration. This document is a follow-up to that chapter. It updates the description of enabling authorities for federal conservation programs and briefly describes the programs, grouped by lead agency. Although many other federal laws and programs contain elements that affect soil and water conservation, only those that give specific responsibilities to USDA are discussed.