Air Quality Initiative

Environmental Quality Incentives program (EQIP)

Primary Counties eligible
Practice List
Conservation Activity Plans
Documents

The USDA-NRCS Air Quality Initiative is a subset of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. As a participant of this voluntary program, you can be eligible to receive financial and technical assistance to help you plan and apply conservation practices that will preserve or improve air quality on your farm. Farmers in selected counties who are involved in livestock or crop production on eligible land, may apply for the program. Eligible land includes cropland, pasture, private non-industrial forestland and other farmland.

Air Quality Initiative applications will focus on addressing ozone, particulate matter, greenhouse gases and energy conservation concerns in Illinois. Applications for the EQIP Air Quality Initiative are accepted on a continuous basis throughout the fiscal year; however, NRCS has established specific dates where eligible applications will be evaluated, ranked, and approved for funding.

Application Deadlines

For fiscal year 2012, NRCS has established the first application deadline for February 3, 2012 and the second for March 30, 2012. NRCS will then rank all submitted proposals for funding consideration. NRCS will notify all applicants of the results of the rankings and begin developing contracts with selected applicants.

Air Quality funding is limited to 13 priority counties in Illinois that have serious air quality resource concerns related to non-attainment for Ozone and Particulate Matter. An additional 20 secondary counties have been selected if funding is available.
 

Map shows both primary and
secondary counties eligible for
Air Quality Initiative funding.

Larger file (PDF, 114kb)

Primary Counties

Secondary Counties include: Boone, Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, De Kalb, Greene, Jackson, Henry, LaSalle, Livingston, Macon, Macoupin, Mercer, Moultrie, Montgomery, Perry, Piatt, Rock Island, Washington, and Whiteside.

Practice Standards and Codes eligible for the Air Quality Initiative

Conservation Activity Plan (CAP)

A Conservation Activity Plan, or CAP, is a plan developed for specific resource issues with appropriate practices that may be funded under EQIP. These plans are typically developed through a Technical Service Provider.

To be considered for funding under a ranking period, each application must be received, determined eligible and evaluated by the deadlines listed above.

For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center, or visit the USDA-NRCS Air Quality Initiative Web site.
 

Updated 1/30/12

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