Department of Agriculture January 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On December 28, 2009, we published a final rule in the Federal Register to add the Republic of Korea to the list of regions that are considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the list of regions that are subject to certain import restrictions on meat and meat products because of their proximity to or trading relationships with rinderpest- or FMD-affected countries. The final rule was scheduled to become effective on January 12, 2010. However, due to an outbreak of FMD reported by the Republic of Korea on January 6, 2010, we are delaying indefinitely the effective date of the final rule. This delay will allow the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to consider the issues raised by this development and decide what subsequent actions to take.

The Pacific Northwest Recreation Resource Advisory Committee will meet via a conference call. The purpose of the meeting is to review and provide recommendations on recreation fee proposals for facilities and services offered on lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in Oregon and Washington, under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004.

This decision proposes amendments to Marketing Agreement and Order No. 930 (order), which regulates the handling of tart cherries grown in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin, and provides growers and processors with the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if they favor the changes. Seven amendments were proposed by the Cherry Industry Administrative Board (Board), which is responsible for local administration of the order. These amendments would: Authorize changing the primary reserve capacity associated with the volume control provisions of the order; authorize establishment of a minimum inventory level at which all remaining product held in reserves would be released to handlers for use as free tonnage; establish an age limitation on product placed into reserves; revise the nomination and election process for handler members on the Board; revise Board membership affiliation requirements; and update order language to more accurately reflect grower and handler participation in the nomination and election process in districts with only one Board representative. In addition, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposed to make any such changes as may be necessary to the order to conform to any amendment that may result from the hearing.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a draft environmental impact statement in connection with making a determination on the status of the Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International alfalfa lines designated as events J101 and J163 as regulated articles. This notice also provides notice of public meetings.

This rule revises the administrative regulations governing voting procedures for the California Walnut Board (Board). The Board locally administers the marketing order that regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California (order). This rule specifies the voting procedures to be used for expanded types of non-assembled meetings and removes voting by telegraph. This will enable the Board to conduct business using current communication methods, which will result in time and cost savings to the Board and its members.

The USDA Forest Service, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Medford-Park Falls Ranger District intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental effects of proposed land management activities, and corresponding alternatives within the Park Falls Hardwoods project area. The primary purpose of this proposal is to implement activities consistent with direction in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) and respond to specific needs identified in the project area. The project area is located on the Park Falls unit of the Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, approximately 13-15 miles northeast of Phillips, Wisconsin. The legal description for the area is: Portions of the eastern Sections of Township 37 North, Range 3 East; Township 38 North, Range 3 East; and Township 39 North, Range 3 East; Fourth Principal Meridian.

The Agricultural Marketing Service is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register of December 10, 2009. The rule modified the import regulations for Irish potatoes and made minor administrative changes to the potato, onion, and tomato import regulations to update informational references. This document corrects two Code of Federal Regulation citations in the informational references that were cited incorrectly.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the Prune Marketing Committee (Committee), for the 2009-10 and subsequent crop years from $0.30 to $0.16 per ton of salable dried prunes. The Committee locally administers the marketing order that regulates the handling of dried prunes in California. The interim final rule was necessary to align the Committee's expected revenue with decreases in its proposed budget for the 2009-10 and subsequent crop years, which began on August 1. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Office for Food Safety, and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on January 13, 2010. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the 9th Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, February 1-5, 2010. The Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and the AMS recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 9th Session of

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is amending the regulations that specify payment eligibility and payment limitation requirements for participants in CCC-funded programs. The amendments

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's (RHS) intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the program for ``Section 515 Multi-Family Housing Preservation and Revitalization Restructuring Demonstration Program (MPR) for Fiscal Year 2006.''