Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, 18491-18492 [08-1097]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 66 / Friday, April 4, 2008 / Notices
activity, you must follow, as
appropriate, the procedures described in
the Antidiscrimination Laws and
Whistleblower Protection Laws sections
or, if applicable, the administrative or
negotiated grievance procedures in
order to pursue any legal remedy.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Disciplinary Actions
AGENCY:
Under the existing laws, each agency
retains the right, where appropriate, to
discipline a Federal employee for
conduct that is inconsistent with
Federal Antidiscrimination and
Whistleblower Protection Laws up to
and including removal. If OSC has
initiated an investigation under 5 U.S.C.
1214, however, according to 5 U.S.C.
1214(f), agencies must seek approval
from the Special Counsel to discipline
employees for, among other activities,
engaging in prohibited retaliation.
Nothing in the No FEAR Act alters
existing laws or permits an agency to
take unfounded disciplinary action
against a Federal employee or to violate
the procedural rights of a Federal
employee who has been accused of
discrimination.
Additional Information
For further information regarding the
No FEAR Act regulations, refer to 5 CFR
724. You may also contact the USAID
Office of Equal Opportunity Programs
(EOP). Additional information regarding
Federal antidiscrimination,
whistleblower protection and retaliation
laws can be found at the EEOC Web site
https://www.eeoc.gov and the OSC Web
site https://www.osc.gov.
Existing Rights Unchanged
Pursuant to section 205 of the No
FEAR Act, neither the Act nor this
notice creates, expands or reduces any
rights otherwise available to any
employee, former employee or applicant
under the laws of the United States,
including the provisions of law
specified in 5 U.S.C. 2302(d).
Lisa
M. Lawler by telephone at (202) 712–
0111; by FAX at (202) 216–3370; or by
e-mail at llawler@usaid.gov.
ebenthall on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dated: March 28, 2008.
Jessalyn L. Pendarvis,
Director, Office of Equal Opportunity
Programs.
[FR Doc. E8–6990 Filed 4–3–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6116–01–P
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS–TM–08–0021; TM–08–04]
Notice of Meeting of the National
Organic Standards Board
Agricultural Marketing Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended, the Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) is announcing a
forthcoming meeting of the National
Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
DATES: The meeting dates are Tuesday,
May 20, 2008, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 8 a.m. to 5
p.m.; and Thursday, May 22, 2008, 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. Requests from individuals
and organizations wishing to make oral
presentations at the meeting are due by
the close of business on May 5, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place
at The Holiday Inn Inner Harbor Hotel,
301 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD
21201.
• Requests for copies of the NOSB
meeting agenda, may be sent to Ms.
Valerie Frances, Executive Director,
NOSB, USDA–AMS–TMP–NOP, 1400
Independence Ave., SW., Room 4008–
So., Ag Stop 0268, Washington, DC
20250–0268. The NOSB meeting agenda
and proposed recommendations may
also be viewed at https://
www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
• Comments on proposed NOSB
recommendations may be submitted by
May 5, 2008 in writing to Ms. Frances
at either the postal address above or via
the internet at https://
www.regulations.gov only. The
comments should identify Docket No.
AMS–TM–08–0021. It is our intention
to have all comments to this notice
whether they are submitted by mail or
the internet available for viewing on the
https://www.regulations.gov Web site.
• Requests to make an oral
presentation at the meeting may also be
sent by May 5, 2008 to Ms. Valerie
Frances at the postal address above, by
email at valerie.frances@usda.gov, via
facsimile at (202) 205–7808, or phone at
(202) 720–3252.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Valerie Frances, Executive Director,
NOSB, National Organic Program
(NOP), (202) 720–3252, or visit the NOP
Web site at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/
nop.
Section
2119 (7 U.S.C. 6518) of the Organic
Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA),
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:24 Apr 03, 2008
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Frm 00002
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Sfmt 4703
18491
as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.)
requires the establishment of the NOSB.
The purpose of the NOSB is to make
recommendations about whether a
substance should be allowed or
prohibited in organic production or
handling, to assist in the development
of standards for substances to be used in
organic production, and to advise the
Secretary on other aspects of the
implementation of the OFPA. The
NOSB met for the first time in
Washington, DC, in March 1992, and
currently has six subcommittees
working on various aspects of the
organic program. The committees are:
Compliance, Accreditation, and
Certification; Crops; Handling;
Livestock; Materials; and Policy
Development.
In August of 1994, the NOSB
provided its initial recommendations for
the NOP to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Since that time, the NOSB has
submitted 154 addenda to its
recommendations and reviewed more
than 327 substances for inclusion on the
National List of Allowed and Prohibited
Substances. The Department of
Agriculture (USDA) published its final
National Organic Program regulation in
the Federal Register on December 21,
2000, (65 FR 80548). The rule became
effective April 21, 2001.
In addition, the OFPA authorizes the
National List of Allowed and Prohibited
Substances and provides that no
allowed or prohibited substance would
remain on the National List for a period
exceeding 5 years unless the exemption
or prohibition is reviewed and
recommended for renewal by the NOSB
and adopted by the Secretary of
Agriculture. This expiration is
commonly referred to as sunset of the
National List. The National List appears
at 7 CFR Part 205, Subpart G.
The principal purposes of the NOSB
meeting are to provide an opportunity
for the NOSB to receive an update from
the USDA/NOP and hear progress
reports from NOSB committees
regarding work plan items and proposed
action items. The last meeting of the
NOSB was held on November 28–30,
2007 in Arlington, VA.
At its last meeting, the Board
recommended the addition of 3
materials to the National List § 205.601
for use in crops and § 205.605 for use in
handling. In addition, the Board also
nearly completed the sunset review
process for 11 of the 13 materials for use
in crops and handling which are due to
expire on November 3, 2008 and
November 4, 2008. Of these 11
materials, there are 9 substances for use
in crops and handling placed on the
National List on November 3, 2003, and
E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM
04APN1
ebenthall on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
18492
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 66 / Friday, April 4, 2008 / Notices
are scheduled to expire on November 3,
2008. Four substances for use in
handling were placed on the National
List on November 4, 2003, and are
scheduled to expire on November 4,
2008. They will be making final
recommendations on these 11 materials
at this meeting. Two forms of Tartaric
acid, for use in handling in § 205.605(a)
and (b) for which the Board has not
completed its review, were placed on
the National List on November 3, 2003,
and are scheduled to expire on
November 3, 2008. The sunset review
process for these two forms of Tartaric
acid must be concluded no later than
November 3, 2008. If renewal is not
concluded by this date, the use or
prohibition of these 2 forms of Tartaric
acid will no longer be in compliance
with the National Organic Program.
The Policy Development Committee
will present recommendations regarding
revisions to the NOSB Policy and
Procedures Manual and the Guide for
new NOSB members as well as discuss
their on-going collaboration with the
NOP to review the NOP responses to
prior NOSB recommendations.
The Compliance, Accreditation, and
Certification Committee and the Crops
Committee will jointly present their
recommendation offering guidance for
accredited certifying agents regarding
annual commercial availability
determinations for organic seed
sourcing by farmers under § 205.204.
The Crops Committee will present
recommendations on the materials
Tetracycline, Cheesewax, Dextrin, and
Sorbitol octanoate petitioned for use on
§ 205.601. The Committee will also
present their recommendations on the
continued use or prohibition of Copper
sulfate, Ozone gas, Peracetic acid, and
EPA List 3—Inerts of unknown toxicity,
with their respective annotations and
limitations. These exemptions are due
to expire on November 3, 2008, from
§ 205.601. The Committee will also
present their recommendation on the
continued use or prohibition of Calcium
chloride for use as a brine-sourced foliar
spray. Calcium chloride is otherwise
considered a prohibited natural
substance in § 205.602 and is also due
to expire on November 3, 2008.
The Crops Committee and the
Livestock Committee will jointly
present their recommendation on the
development of standards for organic
aquatic plants in organic aquaculture.
The Livestock Committee will present
its recommendation on the material
Fenbendazole petitioned for use in
§ 205.603. The Committee will present
its recommendations on the petition to
remove the expiration date of October
21, 2008 on the following three
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:24 Apr 03, 2008
Jkt 214001
substances: DL–Methionine, DL–
Methionine–Hydroxy Analog; and DL–
Methionine–Hydroxy Analog Calcium—
for use only in organic poultry
production in § 205.603. The Committee
will also present recommendations on
the use of fish feed and open net pens
in regards to the development of organic
aquaculture standards for finfish.
The Handling Committee will present
their recommendations on the materials
Sodium chlorite, acidified and Calcium,
derived from seaweed petitioned for
inclusion in § 205.605 for use in organic
products. The Committee will present
their recommendations on the 24
materials Black Pepper, Buck Hull
Powder, Camu Camu Extract, Caramel
Color, Chinese Thistle Daisy Extract,
Chlorella algae, Codonopsis Root
Extract, Dumontiacae algae, Ginger Root
Extract, Jujube Fruit Extract, Kombu
seaweed, Ligusticum Root Extract,
Marsala Cooking Wine, Oatbran, Okra,
Pectin, low methoxy, non-amidated,
Peony Root Extract, Polygala Root
Extract, Polygonum Root Extract, Poria
Fungus Extract, Rehmannia Extract,
Sherry Cooking Wine, Tangerine Peel
Extract, and Tragacanth Gum petitioned
for inclusion in § 205.606 for use in
organic products depending on final
commercial availability determinations
performed by accredited certifying
agents.
The Handling Committee will present
their recommendations on the
continued use or prohibition of the
material exemptions in § 205.605(a)
which is Agar-agar and due to expire on
November 3, 2008, and Animal
enzymes, Calcium sulfate, and Glucono
delta-lactone, with their respective
annotations and limitations, due to
expire on November 4, 2008. The
Committee will also present their
recommendations on the continued use
or prohibition of the material exemption
in § 205.605(b) which is Cellulose with
its respective annotations and
limitations, due to expire on November
4, 2008. They will also present their
recommendations on the continued use
or prohibition of the material
exemptions for the two forms of Tartaric
acid in § 205.605(a) and (b) which are
due to expire on November 3, 2008.
The Meeting is Open to the Public.
The NOSB has scheduled time for
public input for Tuesday, May 20, 2008,
from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, May
21, 2008, from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., and
Thursday, May 22, 2008, from 8 a.m. to
9:30 a.m. Individuals and organizations
wishing to make oral presentations at
the meeting may forward their requests
by mail, facsimile, email, or phone to
Valerie Frances as listed in ADDRESSES
above. Individuals or organizations will
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
be given approximately 5 minutes to
present their views. All persons making
oral presentations are requested to
provide their comments in writing.
Written submissions may contain
information other than that presented at
the oral presentation. Anyone may
submit written comments at the
meeting. Persons submitting written
comments are asked to provide 30
copies.
Interested persons may visit the
NOSB portion of the NOP Web site at
https://www.ams.usda.gov/nop to view
available meeting documents prior to
the meeting, or visit https://
www.regulations.gov to submit and view
comments as provided for in ADDRESSES
above. Documents presented at the
meeting will be posted for review on the
NOP Web site approximately 6 weeks
following the meeting.
Dated: April 1, 2008.
Lloyd C. Day,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing
Service.
[FR Doc. 08–1097 Filed 4–1–08; 4:21pm]
BILLING CODE 3410–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
National Agricultural Library; Notice of
Intent To Seek Approval To Collect
Information
USDA, Agricultural Research
Service, National Agricultural Library.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.
L. 104–13) and Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR
Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29,
1995), this notice announces the
National Agricultural Library’s intent to
request renewal for information
collection relating to existing nutrition
education materials (i.e. recipes and
cookbooks) targeting low-income and
Food Stamp Program-eligible persons.
This voluntary form gives Food Stamp
Nutrition Education (FSNE) providers
the opportunity to share resources that
they have developed or used.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by 65 days after date of
publication in the Federal Register to be
assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments
concerning this notice to Gina Hundley
Gomez, Technical Information
Specialist, Food and Nutrition
Information Center, National
Agricultural Library, 10301 Baltimore
Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705–2351,
E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM
04APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 66 (Friday, April 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18491-18492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 08-1097]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS-TM-08-0021; TM-08-04]
Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing a
forthcoming meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
DATES: The meeting dates are Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Thursday, May 22, 2008,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Requests from individuals and organizations wishing to
make oral presentations at the meeting are due by the close of business
on May 5, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at The Holiday Inn Inner Harbor
Hotel, 301 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.
Requests for copies of the NOSB meeting agenda, may be
sent to Ms. Valerie Frances, Executive Director, NOSB, USDA-AMS-TMP-
NOP, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4008-So., Ag Stop 0268,
Washington, DC 20250-0268. The NOSB meeting agenda and proposed
recommendations may also be viewed at https://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
Comments on proposed NOSB recommendations may be submitted
by May 5, 2008 in writing to Ms. Frances at either the postal address
above or via the internet at https://www.regulations.gov only. The
comments should identify Docket No. AMS-TM-08-0021. It is our intention
to have all comments to this notice whether they are submitted by mail
or the internet available for viewing on the https://www.regulations.gov
Web site.
Requests to make an oral presentation at the meeting may
also be sent by May 5, 2008 to Ms. Valerie Frances at the postal
address above, by email at valerie.frances@usda.gov, via facsimile at
(202) 205-7808, or phone at (202) 720-3252.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Frances, Executive Director,
NOSB, National Organic Program (NOP), (202) 720-3252, or visit the NOP
Web site at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 2119 (7 U.S.C. 6518) of the Organic
Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.)
requires the establishment of the NOSB. The purpose of the NOSB is to
make recommendations about whether a substance should be allowed or
prohibited in organic production or handling, to assist in the
development of standards for substances to be used in organic
production, and to advise the Secretary on other aspects of the
implementation of the OFPA. The NOSB met for the first time in
Washington, DC, in March 1992, and currently has six subcommittees
working on various aspects of the organic program. The committees are:
Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification; Crops; Handling;
Livestock; Materials; and Policy Development.
In August of 1994, the NOSB provided its initial recommendations
for the NOP to the Secretary of Agriculture. Since that time, the NOSB
has submitted 154 addenda to its recommendations and reviewed more than
327 substances for inclusion on the National List of Allowed and
Prohibited Substances. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) published
its final National Organic Program regulation in the Federal Register
on December 21, 2000, (65 FR 80548). The rule became effective April
21, 2001.
In addition, the OFPA authorizes the National List of Allowed and
Prohibited Substances and provides that no allowed or prohibited
substance would remain on the National List for a period exceeding 5
years unless the exemption or prohibition is reviewed and recommended
for renewal by the NOSB and adopted by the Secretary of Agriculture.
This expiration is commonly referred to as sunset of the National List.
The National List appears at 7 CFR Part 205, Subpart G.
The principal purposes of the NOSB meeting are to provide an
opportunity for the NOSB to receive an update from the USDA/NOP and
hear progress reports from NOSB committees regarding work plan items
and proposed action items. The last meeting of the NOSB was held on
November 28-30, 2007 in Arlington, VA.
At its last meeting, the Board recommended the addition of 3
materials to the National List Sec. 205.601 for use in crops and Sec.
205.605 for use in handling. In addition, the Board also nearly
completed the sunset review process for 11 of the 13 materials for use
in crops and handling which are due to expire on November 3, 2008 and
November 4, 2008. Of these 11 materials, there are 9 substances for use
in crops and handling placed on the National List on November 3, 2003,
and
[[Page 18492]]
are scheduled to expire on November 3, 2008. Four substances for use in
handling were placed on the National List on November 4, 2003, and are
scheduled to expire on November 4, 2008. They will be making final
recommendations on these 11 materials at this meeting. Two forms of
Tartaric acid, for use in handling in Sec. 205.605(a) and (b) for
which the Board has not completed its review, were placed on the
National List on November 3, 2003, and are scheduled to expire on
November 3, 2008. The sunset review process for these two forms of
Tartaric acid must be concluded no later than November 3, 2008. If
renewal is not concluded by this date, the use or prohibition of these
2 forms of Tartaric acid will no longer be in compliance with the
National Organic Program.
The Policy Development Committee will present recommendations
regarding revisions to the NOSB Policy and Procedures Manual and the
Guide for new NOSB members as well as discuss their on-going
collaboration with the NOP to review the NOP responses to prior NOSB
recommendations.
The Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification Committee and the
Crops Committee will jointly present their recommendation offering
guidance for accredited certifying agents regarding annual commercial
availability determinations for organic seed sourcing by farmers under
Sec. 205.204.
The Crops Committee will present recommendations on the materials
Tetracycline, Cheesewax, Dextrin, and Sorbitol octanoate petitioned for
use on Sec. 205.601. The Committee will also present their
recommendations on the continued use or prohibition of Copper sulfate,
Ozone gas, Peracetic acid, and EPA List 3--Inerts of unknown toxicity,
with their respective annotations and limitations. These exemptions are
due to expire on November 3, 2008, from Sec. 205.601. The Committee
will also present their recommendation on the continued use or
prohibition of Calcium chloride for use as a brine-sourced foliar
spray. Calcium chloride is otherwise considered a prohibited natural
substance in Sec. 205.602 and is also due to expire on November 3,
2008.
The Crops Committee and the Livestock Committee will jointly
present their recommendation on the development of standards for
organic aquatic plants in organic aquaculture.
The Livestock Committee will present its recommendation on the
material Fenbendazole petitioned for use in Sec. 205.603. The
Committee will present its recommendations on the petition to remove
the expiration date of October 21, 2008 on the following three
substances: DL-Methionine, DL-Methionine-Hydroxy Analog; and DL-
Methionine-Hydroxy Analog Calcium--for use only in organic poultry
production in Sec. 205.603. The Committee will also present
recommendations on the use of fish feed and open net pens in regards to
the development of organic aquaculture standards for finfish.
The Handling Committee will present their recommendations on the
materials Sodium chlorite, acidified and Calcium, derived from seaweed
petitioned for inclusion in Sec. 205.605 for use in organic products.
The Committee will present their recommendations on the 24 materials
Black Pepper, Buck Hull Powder, Camu Camu Extract, Caramel Color,
Chinese Thistle Daisy Extract, Chlorella algae, Codonopsis Root
Extract, Dumontiacae algae, Ginger Root Extract, Jujube Fruit Extract,
Kombu seaweed, Ligusticum Root Extract, Marsala Cooking Wine, Oatbran,
Okra, Pectin, low methoxy, non-amidated, Peony Root Extract, Polygala
Root Extract, Polygonum Root Extract, Poria Fungus Extract, Rehmannia
Extract, Sherry Cooking Wine, Tangerine Peel Extract, and Tragacanth
Gum petitioned for inclusion in Sec. 205.606 for use in organic
products depending on final commercial availability determinations
performed by accredited certifying agents.
The Handling Committee will present their recommendations on the
continued use or prohibition of the material exemptions in Sec.
205.605(a) which is Agar-agar and due to expire on November 3, 2008,
and Animal enzymes, Calcium sulfate, and Glucono delta-lactone, with
their respective annotations and limitations, due to expire on November
4, 2008. The Committee will also present their recommendations on the
continued use or prohibition of the material exemption in Sec.
205.605(b) which is Cellulose with its respective annotations and
limitations, due to expire on November 4, 2008. They will also present
their recommendations on the continued use or prohibition of the
material exemptions for the two forms of Tartaric acid in Sec.
205.605(a) and (b) which are due to expire on November 3, 2008.
The Meeting is Open to the Public. The NOSB has scheduled time for
public input for Tuesday, May 20, 2008, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday, May
22, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Individuals and organizations
wishing to make oral presentations at the meeting may forward their
requests by mail, facsimile, email, or phone to Valerie Frances as
listed in ADDRESSES above. Individuals or organizations will be given
approximately 5 minutes to present their views. All persons making oral
presentations are requested to provide their comments in writing.
Written submissions may contain information other than that presented
at the oral presentation. Anyone may submit written comments at the
meeting. Persons submitting written comments are asked to provide 30
copies.
Interested persons may visit the NOSB portion of the NOP Web site
at https://www.ams.usda.gov/nop to view available meeting documents
prior to the meeting, or visit https://www.regulations.gov to submit and
view comments as provided for in ADDRESSES above. Documents presented
at the meeting will be posted for review on the NOP Web site
approximately 6 weeks following the meeting.
Dated: April 1, 2008.
Lloyd C. Day,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 08-1097 Filed 4-1-08; 4:21pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
