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

This rule changes reporting dates prescribed under the marketing order that regulates the handling of cranberries grown in the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Long Island in the State of New York. The order is administered locally by the Cranberry Marketing Committee (Committee). This rule revises the due dates of handler reports to provide more time for handlers to file their reports with the Committee, and would improve handler compliance with the order's reporting regulations.

The 2008 Farm Bill amended the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct that the Secretary of Agriculture encourage institutions operating Child Nutrition Programs to purchase unprocessed locally grown and locally raised agricultural products. Effective October 1, 2008, institutions receiving funds through the Child Nutrition Programs may apply an optional geographic preference in the procurement of unprocessed locally grown or locally raised agricultural products. This provision applies to institutions in all of the Child Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program, as well as to purchases made for these programs by the Department of Defense Fresh Program. The provision also applies to State Agencies making purchases on behalf of any of the aforementioned Child Nutrition Programs. The purpose of this proposed rule is to incorporate this procurement option in the Programs' regulations and to define the term ``unprocessed locally grown or locally raised agricultural products'' to ensure that both the intent of Congress in providing for such a procurement option is met and that any such definition will facilitate ease of implementation for institutions participating in the Child Nutrition Programs. The proposed rule is intended to be implemented by institutions choosing to apply the geographic preference option for the procurement of locally grown and locally raised agricultural products.

We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of certain animals and animal products by adding the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina to the list of regions we recognize as free of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, swine vesicular disease, classical swine fever, and African swine fever. We are proposing this action at the request of the Government of Brazil and after conducting a risk evaluation that concludes that the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina is free of these diseases. This proposed action would relieve certain restrictions on the importation into the United States of live swine, swine semen, pork meat, pork products, live ruminants, ruminant semen, ruminant meat, and ruminant products from Santa Catarina while continuing to protect against the introduction of these diseases into the United States.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, proposes a program to make payments to eligible biorefineries. These payments would be to encourage the use of renewable biomass as a replacement fuel source for fossil fuels used to provide process heat or power in the operation of these eligible biorefineries. This program is authorized under Title IX, Section 9001, of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246).

Rural Business-Cooperative Service, a mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is proposing a guaranteed loan program for biorefineries. The proposed rule will establish guaranteed loan regulations for the development and construction of commercial-scale biorefineries and for the retrofitting of existing facilities using eligible technology for the development of advanced biofuels.

This notice lists the newspapers that will be used by all Ranger Districts, Grasslands, Forests, and the Regional Office of the Southwestern Region to give legal notice for the availability for comments on projects under 36 CFR 215, notice of decisions that may be subject to administrative appeal under 36 CFR part 215 or Optional Appeal Procedures Available During the Planning Rule Transition Period (formerly 36 CFR part 217), and for opportunities to object to proposed authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects under 36 CFR 218.4. This notice also lists newspapers of record for notices pertaining to plan amendments and revisions under 36 CFR 219. Newspaper publication is in addition to mailings and direct notice made to those who have participated in the planning of projects or plan revisions and amendments by submitting comments and/or requesting notice.

This notice informs the public that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Fiscal Year 2006 established a demonstration Rural Development Voucher Program, as authorized under Section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 as amended, (without regard to Section 542(b)). This notice informs the public that funding is now available for the Rural Development Voucher Program. The notice also sets forth the general policies and procedures for use of these vouchers for fiscal Year 2010. Pursuant to the requirements in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010, Public Law 111-80 (October 16, 2009), Rural Development Vouchers are only available to low income tenants of Rural Development-financed multifamily properties where the section 515 loan has been prepaid, either through prepayment or a foreclosure action, prior to the loan's maturity date and after September 30, 2005.

Notice is hereby given that the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pocatello Field Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (FS), Caribou-Targhee National Forest, will jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine and analyze the effects of a proposed phosphate mine and reclamation plan on people and the environment. The BLM will serve as the lead agency. Plans have been developed and submitted for agency review of proposed open pit mining operations at the Dairy Syncline Phosphate Lease Area in Caribou County, Idaho by the J.R. Simplot Company (Simplot). The Dairy Syncline Phosphate Lease Area is located about 12 miles east of Soda Springs, Idaho.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request for renewal a recordkeeping burden for the information collection for the Export Fruit Acts covering exports of apples and grapes.

This rule revises the nomination and balloting procedures for independent growers on the Cranberry Marketing Committee (Committee). The order regulates the handling of cranberries produced in the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Long Island in the State of New York, and is administered locally by the Committee. This rule revises the nomination and balloting procedures for independent growers to allow them to participate in the election process for either a member or alternate member on the Committee. The current procedures do not provide for an election process for each position separately.

This notice announces the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) intent to request the approval of the Food Safety Education and Training Materials Sharing form from people who work in the food safety education and training fields.

The Shasta County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet at the USDA Service Center in Redding, California, on April 28, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss project updates and proposals, information on monitoring efforts and a timeline for the upcoming year.

Section 2707 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Act) establishes the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) by amending section 1243 of the Food Security Act of 1985 [16 U.S.C. 3843]. The Secretary of Agriculture has delegated the authority to administer CCPI to the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), who is Vice President of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). NRCS is an agency of the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The CCPI is a voluntary conservation initiative that enables the use of certain conservation programs along with resources of eligible partners to provide financial and technical assistance to owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, NRCS will make Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) funds available to owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands who participate in approved CCPI project areas.

This direct final rule updates and reorganizes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly the ``Food Stamp Program'') regulations pertaining to the issuance of SNAP benefits.

This rule establishes procedures which the Department of Agriculture (USDA or the Department) will use in conducting a referendum to determine whether the issuance of the proposed U.S. Honey Producer Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Order (Proposed U.S. Producer Order) is favored by persons to be covered by and assessed under this Order. The Proposed U.S. Producer Order will be implemented if it is approved by a majority of the eligible producers voting in the referendum who also represent a majority of the volume of U.S. honey produced. These procedures will also be used for any subsequent referendum under the Order, if it is approved in the initial referendum. The Proposed U.S. Producer Order is being published separately in this issue of the Federal Register. This program is being implemented under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act).

The Tehama County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Red Bluff, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Introductions, (2) Approval of Minutes, (3) Public Comment, (4) Chairman's Perspective, (5) Project Presentations, (6) Next Agenda.

The Bridger-Teton National Forest will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to analyze the effects of continued authorization of grazing on 16 sheep allotments on the Kemmerer Ranger District in southwest Wyoming. The first Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was published in the Federal Register on 11/17/2008 (Volume 73, 222, pages 67835-67836) and included 15 grazing allotments. This Notice of Intent is revised from the original to include the addition of the Porcupine allotment to the proposed project area. The project area encompasses 176,828 acres of National Forest System lands within Lincoln County of western Wyoming. Most of the project area's east boundary is west of Commissary Ridge; the west boundary is Salt Creek. The center of the project area lies roughly 17 air miles northeast of Cokeville, Wyoming. The allotments included in the analysis are: Porcupine, Lower Salt Creek, Buckskin Knoll, Lake Alice, Smiths Fork, Aspen Springs, Basin Creek, Devil's Hole, Elk Creek, Green Knoll, Indian Creek, Lake Mountain, Pole Creek, Sams Allen Creek, South Fontenelle and Spruce Creek Allotments.

The South Central Idaho RAC will meet in Jerome, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110-343) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss with the County Commissioners arid Sawtooth National Forest District Rangers operating principles and project proposals.

Western Area Power Administration (Western) proposes to improve the way it manages vegetation along its rights-of-way (ROW) on National Forest System lands in the states of Colorado, Utah, and Nebraska. Implementing the proposal would include modifying existing United States Forest Service (Forest Service) authorizations or issuing new authorizations to accommodate Western's vegetation management proposal and maintenance of the electrical transmission facilities. Western and the FS will be joint lead agencies in the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposal in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) NEPA Implementing Procedures, and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA.

The Lake County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will hold a meeting.

The Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) who is Vice President of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), announces the availability of technical and financial assistance funding in fiscal year (FY) 2010 through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) to eligible participants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Special priority consideration will be given to applications/projects in the watersheds of the Susquehanna, Shenandoah, Potomac (North and South), and Patuxent Rivers (see attached map). In FY 2010, NRCS will make Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) funds available to owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands in approved CCPI project areas. This notice is issued to solicit proposals from potential partners who seek to enter into partnership agreements with NRCS to help agricultural

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is changing the annual standard, appeal, overtime, and holiday hourly fee rates for fiscal years 2010-2012 for Science and Technology (S&T) Laboratory Services in order to recover anticipated laboratory program costs. The Agency is raising these rates to reflect, among other factors, national and locality pay increases for Federal employees and inflation, operating costs, instrumentation and training, equipment maintenance costs, and program and agency administrative overhead costs. The