Office of the Chief Economist; Strategic Plan for USDA Climate Change Research, Education, and Extension, 45693-45694 [E8-18112]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
45693
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 73, No. 152
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Chief Economist;
Strategic Plan for USDA Climate
Change Research, Education, and
Extension
Office of the Chief Economist,
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
AGENCY:
Request for Public Input on
USDA’s Climate Change Strategic
Planning Priorities and Goals for
Research, Education, and Extension.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is a member of the
United States Climate Change Science
Program (CCSP) and has undertaken
research on issues related to climate
change and natural resources over the
past two decades. USDA recently
prepared a major scientific assessment
of the effects of climate change on
agriculture, land resources, water
resources, and biodiversity in the
United States for the CCSP. USDA is
requesting input from the public on its
effort to prepare a Strategic Plan for
Climate Change Research, Education,
and Extension. This request is being
published in the Federal Register for a
45-day public comment period. Public
comments will be considered during the
preparation of the Strategic Plan. The
final version of the Strategic Plan will
be published on USDA’s Web site.
Public comments received in response
to this request will be made available
upon request.
Comments must be received by
September 19, 2008.
DATES:
Comments should be sent to
Eleanor Rollings, Special Assistant to
the Under Secretary for Research,
Education, and Extension, USDA, Jamie
L. Whitten Building, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250,
Eleanor.rollings@usda.gov, 202–720–
1542.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:46 Aug 05, 2008
Jkt 214001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Eleanor Rollings, Special Assistant to
the Under Secretary for Research,
Education, and Extension, USDA,
Eleanor.rollings@usda.gov, 202–720–
1542.
Draft goals
of the USDA’s Climate Change Strategic
Plan for Research, Education, and
Extension:
Goal 1: Understand the effects of
climate change on natural and managed
ecosystems.
USDA will promote an understanding
of the impacts of climate change on
ecosystems and managed lands,
including forests, grazing lands and
croplands, is needed to enable
continued production of goods and
services and stewardship of natural
resources. Areas of emphasis include:
• Effects of changing precipitation,
temperature and water availability on
productivity and system services;
• Implications of enhanced
atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentrations on system productivity
and services;
• Effects on invasive species, weeds,
pathogens, insects and other factors
limiting natural and managed systems
productivity;
• Effects on natural disturbance
regimes, including wildfires;
• Effects on production, processing,
storage and delivery systems;
• Economic consequences of climate
change on natural and managed
ecosystems;
• Implications for water, soil and air
systems needed for production and
ecosystem sustainability;
• Indicators/metrics from earth
observations for identifying, measuring
and monitoring the effects of climate
change;
• Measurement of changing carbon
content of ecosystems, and of growth by
species;
• Evaluation of social and economic
indicators for impacts of climate change
on production systems, rural
communities, the agricultural workforce
and other human dimensions;
• Incorporating climate change
observations into USDA data systems.
Goal 2: Develop knowledge and tools
to enable adaptation to climate change
and improve the resilience of natural
and managed ecosystems.
Mechanisms for adaptation to climate
changes are critical for continued
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
agricultural production and stewardship
of natural resources. USDA activities
under this goal will focus on the
development of knowledge and
technologies to address detrimental
effects of climate change and to exploit
elements of climate change that are
potentially beneficial to agriculture and
forestry. Risk management and adaptive
management strategies are key elements
of Goal 2. Elements of Goal 2 include:
• Sustainable practices for
agricultural production in the context of
climate change;
• Strategies to enable farmers and
other landowners and managers to cope
with challenges associated with
drought, heat stress, moisture stress, and
changes in disease and pest prevalence;
• Management actions to increase
forest stress resilience focused on
altering forest processes, composition
and structure to better withstand the
suite of environmental stresses from
changing climate, pests, pollutants, and
wildfire;
• Economic costs, benefits, and
feasibility of adaptation at the producer
through the macroeconomic scale;
• Estimation and measurement
techniques and capabilities for assessing
the effectiveness of adaptive practices;
• Strategies to enable farmers and
other landowners to account for longer
growing seasons, increases in carbon
dioxide concentrations, and increases in
precipitation where applicable;
• Management strategies for adapting
to the effects of climate on forest health
and ecosystem services;
• Knowledge and technology to
enhance ecosystem adaptation and
sustainability;
• Technologies for maintenance and
enhancement of ecosystem services
such as water supplies, wildlife,
biodiversity, clean air, and recreation
within the context of global change;
• Alternative strategies for increasing
ecosystem resilience;
• Indicators/metrics for monitoring
the progress of strategies for adapting to
climate change;
• Life-cycle analysis and management
strategy assessments.
Goal 3: Develop knowledge and tools
to reduce the contributions of
agriculture, forestry, and other land
management practices to the build up of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Agriculture, forests, and grazing lands
activities can produce greenhouse gas
E:\FR\FM\06AUN1.SGM
06AUN1
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
45694
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 6, 2008 / Notices
(GHG) emissions to the atmosphere.
Land uses can also reverse the buildup
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
by sequestering and storing carbon in
biomass and soils. The dominant drivers
of land use emissions of carbon are the
conversion of forest and grassland to
crop and pastureland and the depletion
of soil carbon through agricultural and
other land management practices.
Practices such as livestock grazing,
manure management, and fertilizer
application also affect emissions of
other GHGs such as methane (CH4) and
nitrous oxide (N2O). USDA research will
identify opportunities to apply resource
conserving management practices to
reverse past carbon losses and to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. Areas of
focus under Goal 3 include:
• Knowledge and technologies that
will assist resource managers in
enhancing carbon sequestration;
• Management options that increase
forest carbon sequestration by
increasing the carbon stored in forests
and soils, in forest products, and used
as biofuels to replace fossil fuels.
• Costs, benefits, and feasibility of
mitigation options;
• Technologies and strategies for
managing agricultural and forestry
emissions of GHGs, including CO2, N2O,
and CH4;
• Mechanisms to facilitate the
adoption and incorporation of GHG
management technologies into
agricultural and forestry production,
processing, storage and delivery
systems;
• Estimation and measurement
capabilities for assessing the
effectiveness of GHG emission
management.
Goal 4: Deliver climate change
science and technology to USDA
agencies, stakeholders and collaborators
for improved decision making. USDA
maintains research, education, and
extension capabilities which can be
drawn on to meet the challenges of
climate change. USDA seeks comments
on how to best utilize resources to
address questions relevant to
stakeholders and decision makers at
local, regional, national, and
international scales. Goal 4 emphasizes
the delivery and application of the latest
scientific information, including:
• Education of USDA stakeholders,
clients and customers including the
general public, the scientific
community, land managers, producers,
and policy makers about climate change
and agriculture and forestry;
• Scientific collaboration and
technology transfer to integrate climate
change into decision-making for
management of natural and managed
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:46 Aug 05, 2008
Jkt 214001
ecosystems using the products of
research and development from the
three previous goals;
• Distribution and dissemination of
USDA climate change data, information,
and technology to interested users;
• Decision support tools for
policymakers, producers and land
managers charged with implementing
mechanisms for reducing GHG
emissions and enhancing carbon
sequestration, thereby increasing
resilience of natural, agricultural, and
forested ecosystems;
• Risk management paradigms to
balance production, conservation and
climate change, especially in light of
uncertainty regarding the specifics of
future climate and climate variability;
• Incorporation of GHG and carbon
sequestration data into USDA data
collection programs and data base
systems.
Gerald A. Bange,
Chairman of the World Agricultural Outlook
Board.
[FR Doc. E8–18112 Filed 8–5–08; 8:45 am]
and regulations of the Commission and
FACA.
Dated in Washington, DC, July 31, 2008.
Christopher Byrnes,
Chief, Regional Programs Coordination Unit.
[FR Doc. E8–17980 Filed 8–5–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6335–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
[Order No. 1567]
Approval of Expansion of Subzone
161A and Expansion of Manufacturing
Authority, Hospira, Inc.
(Pharmaceutical Products),
McPherson, KS
Pursuant to its authority under the ForeignTrade Zones Act of June 18, 1934, as
amended (19 U.S.C. 81a–81u), the ForeignTrade Zones Board (the Board) adopts the
following Order:
BILLING CODE 3410–38–P
COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS
Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting
of the Utah Advisory Committee
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to
the provisions of the rules and
regulations of the U.S. Commission on
Civil Rights and the regulations of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA), that a meeting of the Utah
Advisory Committee will convene at 6
p.m. and adjourn at 8 p.m. (MST) on
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at the
Hilton City Center, 255 South West
Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101.
The purpose of the meeting is for the
committee to discuss recent
Commission and regional activities,
discuss current civil rights issues in the
state as well as issues raised during the
forum on civil rights issues affecting
American Indians in Utah (held Dec.
2006), and plan future activities.
Persons desiring additional
information, or planning a presentation
to the Committee, should contact Malee
V. Craft, Director of the Rocky Mountain
Regional Office, (303) 866–1040 (TDD
303–866–1049). Hearing-impaired
persons who will attend the meeting
and require the services of a sign
language interpreter should contact the
Regional Office at least ten (10) working
days before the scheduled date of the
meeting.
The meeting will be conducted
pursuant to the provisions of the rules
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Whereas, the Board of County
Commissioners of Sedgwick, Kansas,
grantee of FTZ 161, submitted an
application to the Board for authority to
expand the subzone and the scope of
manufacturing authority under zone
procedures at Subzone 161A at the
Hospira, Inc., pharmaceutical facility in
McPherson, Kansas, adjacent to the
Wichita Customs and Border Protection
port of entry (FTZ Docket 41–2007, filed
8/23/07);
Whereas, notice inviting public
comment was given in the Federal
Register (72 FR 50326, 8/31/07), and the
application has been processed
pursuant to the FTZ Act and the Board’s
regulations; and,
Whereas, the Board adopts the
findings and recommendations of the
examiner’s report, and finds that the
requirements of the FTZ Act and
Board’s regulations are satisfied, and
that the proposal as described in the
application and Federal Register notice
is in the public interest;
Now, therefore, the Board hereby
orders:
The application to expand the
subzone and the scope of manufacturing
authority under zone procedures for
Subzone 161A is approved, subject to
the FTZ Act and the Board’s regulations,
including section 400.28.
E:\FR\FM\06AUN1.SGM
06AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 152 (Wednesday, August 6, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45693-45694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18112]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 6, 2008 /
Notices
[[Page 45693]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Chief Economist; Strategic Plan for USDA Climate
Change Research, Education, and Extension
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Request for Public Input on USDA's Climate Change Strategic
Planning Priorities and Goals for Research, Education, and Extension.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a member of the
United States Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and has undertaken
research on issues related to climate change and natural resources over
the past two decades. USDA recently prepared a major scientific
assessment of the effects of climate change on agriculture, land
resources, water resources, and biodiversity in the United States for
the CCSP. USDA is requesting input from the public on its effort to
prepare a Strategic Plan for Climate Change Research, Education, and
Extension. This request is being published in the Federal Register for
a 45-day public comment period. Public comments will be considered
during the preparation of the Strategic Plan. The final version of the
Strategic Plan will be published on USDA's Web site.
Public comments received in response to this request will be made
available upon request.
DATES: Comments must be received by September 19, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Eleanor Rollings, Special
Assistant to the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and
Extension, USDA, Jamie L. Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20250, Eleanor.rollings@usda.gov, 202-720-1542.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eleanor Rollings, Special Assistant to
the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Extension, USDA,
Eleanor.rollings@usda.gov, 202-720-1542.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Draft goals of the USDA's Climate Change
Strategic Plan for Research, Education, and Extension:
Goal 1: Understand the effects of climate change on natural and
managed ecosystems.
USDA will promote an understanding of the impacts of climate change
on ecosystems and managed lands, including forests, grazing lands and
croplands, is needed to enable continued production of goods and
services and stewardship of natural resources. Areas of emphasis
include:
Effects of changing precipitation, temperature and water
availability on productivity and system services;
Implications of enhanced atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentrations on system productivity and services;
Effects on invasive species, weeds, pathogens, insects and
other factors limiting natural and managed systems productivity;
Effects on natural disturbance regimes, including
wildfires;
Effects on production, processing, storage and delivery
systems;
Economic consequences of climate change on natural and
managed ecosystems;
Implications for water, soil and air systems needed for
production and ecosystem sustainability;
Indicators/metrics from earth observations for
identifying, measuring and monitoring the effects of climate change;
Measurement of changing carbon content of ecosystems, and
of growth by species;
Evaluation of social and economic indicators for impacts
of climate change on production systems, rural communities, the
agricultural workforce and other human dimensions;
Incorporating climate change observations into USDA data
systems.
Goal 2: Develop knowledge and tools to enable adaptation to climate
change and improve the resilience of natural and managed ecosystems.
Mechanisms for adaptation to climate changes are critical for
continued agricultural production and stewardship of natural resources.
USDA activities under this goal will focus on the development of
knowledge and technologies to address detrimental effects of climate
change and to exploit elements of climate change that are potentially
beneficial to agriculture and forestry. Risk management and adaptive
management strategies are key elements of Goal 2. Elements of Goal 2
include:
Sustainable practices for agricultural production in the
context of climate change;
Strategies to enable farmers and other landowners and
managers to cope with challenges associated with drought, heat stress,
moisture stress, and changes in disease and pest prevalence;
Management actions to increase forest stress resilience
focused on altering forest processes, composition and structure to
better withstand the suite of environmental stresses from changing
climate, pests, pollutants, and wildfire;
Economic costs, benefits, and feasibility of adaptation at
the producer through the macroeconomic scale;
Estimation and measurement techniques and capabilities for
assessing the effectiveness of adaptive practices;
Strategies to enable farmers and other landowners to
account for longer growing seasons, increases in carbon dioxide
concentrations, and increases in precipitation where applicable;
Management strategies for adapting to the effects of
climate on forest health and ecosystem services;
Knowledge and technology to enhance ecosystem adaptation
and sustainability;
Technologies for maintenance and enhancement of ecosystem
services such as water supplies, wildlife, biodiversity, clean air, and
recreation within the context of global change;
Alternative strategies for increasing ecosystem
resilience;
Indicators/metrics for monitoring the progress of
strategies for adapting to climate change;
Life-cycle analysis and management strategy assessments.
Goal 3: Develop knowledge and tools to reduce the contributions of
agriculture, forestry, and other land management practices to the build
up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Agriculture, forests, and grazing lands activities can produce
greenhouse gas
[[Page 45694]]
(GHG) emissions to the atmosphere. Land uses can also reverse the
buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by sequestering and
storing carbon in biomass and soils. The dominant drivers of land use
emissions of carbon are the conversion of forest and grassland to crop
and pastureland and the depletion of soil carbon through agricultural
and other land management practices. Practices such as livestock
grazing, manure management, and fertilizer application also affect
emissions of other GHGs such as methane (CH4) and nitrous
oxide (N2O). USDA research will identify opportunities to
apply resource conserving management practices to reverse past carbon
losses and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Areas of focus under
Goal 3 include:
Knowledge and technologies that will assist resource
managers in enhancing carbon sequestration;
Management options that increase forest carbon
sequestration by increasing the carbon stored in forests and soils, in
forest products, and used as biofuels to replace fossil fuels.
Costs, benefits, and feasibility of mitigation options;
Technologies and strategies for managing agricultural and
forestry emissions of GHGs, including CO2, N2O,
and CH4;
Mechanisms to facilitate the adoption and incorporation of
GHG management technologies into agricultural and forestry production,
processing, storage and delivery systems;
Estimation and measurement capabilities for assessing the
effectiveness of GHG emission management.
Goal 4: Deliver climate change science and technology to USDA
agencies, stakeholders and collaborators for improved decision making.
USDA maintains research, education, and extension capabilities which
can be drawn on to meet the challenges of climate change. USDA seeks
comments on how to best utilize resources to address questions relevant
to stakeholders and decision makers at local, regional, national, and
international scales. Goal 4 emphasizes the delivery and application of
the latest scientific information, including:
Education of USDA stakeholders, clients and customers
including the general public, the scientific community, land managers,
producers, and policy makers about climate change and agriculture and
forestry;
Scientific collaboration and technology transfer to
integrate climate change into decision-making for management of natural
and managed ecosystems using the products of research and development
from the three previous goals;
Distribution and dissemination of USDA climate change
data, information, and technology to interested users;
Decision support tools for policymakers, producers and
land managers charged with implementing mechanisms for reducing GHG
emissions and enhancing carbon sequestration, thereby increasing
resilience of natural, agricultural, and forested ecosystems;
Risk management paradigms to balance production,
conservation and climate change, especially in light of uncertainty
regarding the specifics of future climate and climate variability;
Incorporation of GHG and carbon sequestration data into
USDA data collection programs and data base systems.
Gerald A. Bange,
Chairman of the World Agricultural Outlook Board.
[FR Doc. E8-18112 Filed 8-5-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-38-P
