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

This notice announces a fee of $150 to be charged for the 2011 tariff-rate quota (TRQ) year for each license issued to a person or firm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorizing the importation of certain dairy articles, which are subject to tariff-rate quotas set forth in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) of the United States.

The designations of the official agencies listed below will end on March 31, 2011. We are asking persons or governmental agencies interested in providing official services in the areas presently served by these agencies to submit an application for designation. In addition, we are asking for comments on the quality of services provided by the following designated agencies: J. W. Barton Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (Barton); Central Illinois Grain Inspection, Inc. (Central Illinois); Central Iowa Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (Central Iowa); Farwell Commodity and Grain Services, Inc. (Farwell Southwest); North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (North Dakota); Northern Plains Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (Northern Plains); and Plainview Grain Inspection and Weighing Service, Inc. (Plainview).

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

The Forest Service will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for the continued nationwide aerial application of fire retardant on National Forest System lands. The responsible official for this action is the Chief of the Forest Service. The Forest Service invites comments at this time on the proposed action.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request extension of approval of an information collection associated with the importation of animals and poultry, animal and poultry products, and animal germplasm.

On June 30, 2010, we published a final rule that, among other things, established regulations related to the taking of wildlife for subsistence uses in Alaska during the period 2010-12. We inadvertently made effective date errors, which we correct with this document.

The Wrangell-Petersburg Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Kake, Alaska. 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 review project proposals and make project funding recommendations.

The Southern Arizona Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Tucson, Arizona. The purpose of the meeting is for the committee members to discuss committee protocols, operating guidelines, and project proposal requirements.

This notice pertains to user fees charged for import- and export-related services that we provide for animals, animal products, birds, germ plasm, organisms, and vectors; for certain veterinary diagnostic services; and for export certification of plants and plant products. The purpose of this notice is to remind the public of the user fees for fiscal year 2011 (October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2011).

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) is amending its regulations to add new servicing options to the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program (SFHGLP) that lenders may utilize while still maintaining the SFHGLP loan guarantee. The Agency will allow lenders to extend loans for a term of up to 40 years from the date of modification. The Agency also will allow lenders to advance funds on behalf of borrowers in amounts necessary to bring defaulted loans current, up to 30 percent of the unpaid principal balance of the loan. Upon request, RHS will reimburse the lender for eligible advances. The intended effect is to reduce mortgage foreclosures among SFHGLP borrowers and help stabilize the national housing market. This amendment is being issued as a final rule pursuant to section 101(c)(1) of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009, which authorizes RHS to promulgate this rule without regard to the notice and comment provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553 or the Statement of Policy of the Secretary of Agriculture effective July 24, 1971 (36 FR 13804) relating to notices of proposed rulemaking and public participation in rulemaking.

The Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will hold its last two meetings in 2010 at a new location.

We are adopting as a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that amended the phytosanitary treatment regulations for cold treatment enclosures and procedures, including regulations for precooling temperatures and temperature recording devices. The interim rule as amended by this document requires articles destined for cold treatment to be precooled at or below the highest temperature listed in the prescribed treatment schedule rather than at the intended treatment temperature. The amended interim rule also requires entities performing cold treatment to use measures approved by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service as adequate to ensure the security and integrity of cold treatment temperature data rather than requiring password- protected and tamperproof temperature recording devices specifically. These actions relieve certain requirements that we have determined are not necessary while continuing to ensure the effectiveness of cold treatment and prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the interstate movement into the continental United States of fresh guava fruit from Hawaii. Based on that analysis, we believe that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the interstate movement of guavas from Hawaii. We are making the pest risk analysis available to the public for review and comment.

The Rural Housing Service published a document in the Federal Register on April 14, 2010, announcing the funding available for the Rural Development Voucher Program. A correction to the document is needed to clarify what documentation is required for proof of citizenship and to correct the median income hyperlink.

The Nevada County and Placer County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Truckee, California. 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 projects submitted for funding and the expenditure of Title II funds benefiting National Forest System lands in Nevada and Placer Counties.

The United States Standards for Grades of Pineapple Juice are corrected to include text inadvertently omitted from Tables I and II. The corrections restore text for limiting rules that were inadvertently omitted when the standards were last revised in 1987.

This rule revises the quality regulations for shelled walnuts under the Federal marketing order for California walnuts (order). The order regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California and is administered locally by the California Walnut Board (Board). This rule requires inspection and certification of shelled walnut products after manufacturing instead of before manufacturing. It also establishes a process to specify that manufactured products smaller than eight sixty- fourths of an inch in diameter are derived from walnut pieces that have been inspected and certified to U.S. Commercial grade standards. These changes will result in more efficient and cost-effective handler operations, and will certify the final Size And Grade Of All Manufactured Walnut Pieces.

This rule would increase the assessment rate established for the Prune Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2010-11 and subsequent crop years from $0.16 to $0.27 per ton of salable dried prunes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of dried prunes grown in California. Assessments upon dried prune handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The crop year begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This interim rule amends the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) to incorporate a recommendation submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) on April 29, 2010. Consistent with the recommendation from the NOSB, this interim rule revises the annotation of one substance on the National List, methionine, to extend its use in organic poultry production until October 1, 2012, at the following maximum levels of synthetic methionine per ton of feed: Laying chickens4 pounds; broiler chickens5 pounds; turkeys and all other poultry6 pounds. Comments are requested on this interim rule.

Due to requests from members of the fruit and vegetable industry, notice is hereby given that the comment period on the proposed rule published on June 8, 2010 [75 FR 32306] titled, Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act: Impact of Post-Default Agreements on Trust Protection Eligibility is reopened and extended for an additional 30 days. Reopening the comment period would allow interested parties time to fully analyze the proposed rule and submit comments.

The Ashley Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Vernal, Utah. 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 conduct ``welcomes'' and introductions, review the Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements, brief participants on Payments to States legislative history, discuss the guidelines for Title II and Title III funding and proposals, capture and record preliminary project ideas and receive public comment on the meeting subjects and proceedings.

The North Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie (MBS) Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Sedro Woolley, Washington on September 22, 2010. The committee is meeting to review and rank 2010 and 2011 Title II RAC proposals.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA), with the concurrence of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is issuing an interim rule amending the regulations for Department employees that supplement the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (Standards), as issued by OGE. The interim rule adds additional rules in a new section applicable to employees of the Rural Development (RD) mission area. This section sets forth certain restrictions on financial interests applicable to RD employees and separate, more-extensive prior approval requirements for RD employees.