(a) Application for participation. To apply for enrollment, a person must submit an application for participation in the WBP.

(b) Preliminary agency actions. The NRCS must certify that the designated acreage that would be placed under an agreement constitutes a viable wetland unit, contains sufficient adjacent land to protect the wetland, and provides essential habitat for the nesting, breeding or feeding of migratory waterfowl.

(c) Where funds allocated to the State do not permit accepting all requests which are filed, the State Conservationist, in consultation with the State Technical Committee, may establish ranking criteria and limit the approval of requests for agreements in accordance with the ranking scheme. Any ranking scheme shall consider estimated costs of the agreement, costs of protection, availability of matching funds, significance of wetland functions and values, and estimated success of protection measures.

(d) The NRCS may place higher priority on certain geographic regions of the State where the protection of wetlands may better achieve NRCS State and regional goals and objectives.

(e) Notwithstanding any limitation of this part, the State Conservationist may enroll eligible lands at any time in order to encompass total wetland areas subject to multiple ownership or otherwise to achieve program objectives. Similarly, the State Conservationist may, at any time, exclude otherwise eligible lands if the participation of the adjacent landowners is essential to the successful protection of the wetlands and those adjacent landowners are unwilling to participate.