Aging Administration 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest will prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the 2009 Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) environmental analysis in response to an August 27, 2015 Order from the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The Court directed the Forest Service to ``properly disclose the information underlying its analysis of snowmobile impacts on big game wildlife'' and ``adequately appl[y] the minimization criteria in the [2005 Travel Management Rule].''

We are proposing to amend the scrapie regulations by changing the risk groups and categories established for individual animals and for flocks, increasing the use of genetic testing as a means of assigning risk levels to animals, reducing movement restrictions for animals found to be genetically less susceptible or resistant to scrapie, and simplifying, reducing, or removing certain recordkeeping requirements. We also propose to provide designated scrapie epidemiologists with more alternatives and flexibility when testing animals in order to determine flock designations under the regulations. We propose to change the definition of high-risk animal, which will change the types of animals eligible for indemnity, and to pay higher indemnity for certain pregnant ewes and early maturing ewes. The proposed changes would also make the identification and recordkeeping requirements for goat owners consistent with those for sheep owners. These changes would affect sheep and goat producers, persons who handle sheep and goats in interstate commerce, and State governments.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) is announcing a meeting of the Minority Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee's (MFAC). The committee is being convened to consider issues involving minorities. The members will deliberate on recommendations to be prepared for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretarial consideration.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has led the development of an interagency assessment report entitled ``Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System.'' The report has been developed to support the National Climate Assessment of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, and is called for under the President's Climate Action Plan. USDA is requesting input from the public. This request is being published in the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period. Public comments will be considered during the preparation of the final report. The final report will be published on USDA's Web site when it becomes available. Comments from the public will be accepted electronically via https://www.globalchange.gov/ notices. Comments may be submitted only online and via this address; instructions for doing this are on the Web site.

The Rogue and Umpqua Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Roseburg, Oregon. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with Title II of the Act. Additional RAC information, including the meeting agenda and the meeting summary/ minutes can be found at the following Web site: https://tinyurl.com/ qjkrxps.

The departments and agencies listed in this document propose revisions to modernize, strengthen, and make more effective the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects that was promulgated as a Common Rule in 1991. This NPRM seeks comment on proposals to better protect human subjects involved in research, while facilitating valuable research and reducing burden, delay, and ambiguity for investigators. This proposed rule is an effort to modernize, simplify, and enhance the current system of oversight. The participating departments and agencies propose these revisions to the human subjects regulations because they believe these changes would strengthen protections for research subjects while facilitating important research.

The Ravalli Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Hamilton, Montana. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with title II of the Act. Additional RAC information, including the meeting agenda and the meeting summary/ minutes can be found at the following Web site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/ main/bitterroot/workingtogether/advisorycommittees.

We are proposing to amend the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act regulations concerning records and reports. This change would require veterinary biologics licensees and permittees to record and submit reports concerning adverse events associated with the use of biological products they produce or distribute. The information that must be included in the adverse event reports submitted to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service would be provided in separate guidance documents. This proposed rule replaces a previously published proposed rule, which we are withdrawing as part of this document.

We are advising the public that an environmental assessment has been prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service relative to a national approach for the control of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks within the United States. Based on our environmental assessment, we have concluded that such an approach will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. We are making this environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact available to the public for review and comment.

This rule expands the membership of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (Council) under the Blueberry Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order). The Council administers the Order with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This rule increases the number of Council members from 16 to 20, adding two producers, one importer, and one exporter. This will help ensure that the Council reflects the geographical distribution of domestic blueberry production and imports into the United States. This rule also adds eligibility requirements for the public member, clarifies the Council's nomination procedures and its ability to serve the diversity of the industry, and increases the number of members needed for a quorum. This rule also prescribes late payment and interest charges for past due assessments. These changes will help facilitate program administration. All of these actions were unanimously recommended by the Council.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations, decreasing the value assigned to imported cotton for the purposes of calculating supplemental assessments collected for use by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. This amendment is required each year to ensure that assessments collected on imported cotton and the cotton content of imported products will be the same as those paid on domestically produced cotton.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes revising 46 U.S. Standards for Grades of fresh fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables for processing, nuts, and specialty crops by removing the ``Unclassified'' category from each standard. This would bring these grade standards in line with other recently amended standards and current terminology. This revision would update the standards to more accurately represent today's marketing practices and provide the industry with greater flexibility.

This document proposes an increase in the fees the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Patent Culture Collection charges, and a revision of the method of payment.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements are sponsoring a public meeting on October 27, 2015. The purpose of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions to be discussed at the 37th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX). The Session will be held in Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany November 23-27, 2015. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 37th Session of the CCNFSDU and to address items on the agenda.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is modifying its existing regulations to establish a separate regulation for making grants to rural or Native Alaskan Villages under the Rural Alaska Village Grant (RAVG) Program. The existing RAVG regulation will be relocated to its own section and modified to conform with streamlined processes established through a Memorandum of Understanding among USDA, RUS; The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Indian Health Service (IHS); The State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC); and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). The grants will be provided directly to a rural or Native Alaskan Village or jointly with either DEC or ANTHC for the development and construction of water and wastewater systems to improve the health and sanitation conditions in those Villages through removal of dire sanitation conditions.

We are advising the public that we are adding European Union (EU) and EU Member State-defined regions of the EU to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) list of regions affected with African swine fever (ASF). We will recognize as affected with ASF any region of the EU that the EU or any EU Member State has placed under restriction because of detection of ASF. These regions currently include portions of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, and all of Sardinia. APHIS will list the EU- and EU Member State-defined regions as a single entity. We are therefore removing Sardinia as an individually listed region from the APHIS list of ASF affected regions. We are taking this action because of the detection of ASF in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

The purpose and need for the land exchange is: the Superior National Forest would acquire land inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) from the Minnesota School Trust with outstanding wilderness/scenic/recreational opportunities, which will consolidate ownership and eliminate the risk of development or uses incompatible with wilderness values and management. The federal land located outside the BWCAW conveyed to the Minnesota School Trust would allow the State to manage lands outside the wilderness to generate revenue to benefit the Minnesota public school system. In February 2015, a scoping process for this project was initiated by the Forest Supervisor. The scoping period lasted until May 15, 2015 and included notification to a wide range of interested persons, adjacent landowners, state, local and tribal government, and organizations. In addition, five open houses were held in the project area and Saint Paul, MN. Over 1,600 comment letters were received from interested persons, adjacent landowners, state, local and tribal government, and organizations. Upon review of scoping comments, the Forest Supervisor decided to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). While further scoping comments will be accepted, it is anticipated that the scoping comments already received have thoroughly described the range of issues of interest to the public, agencies, organizations and governments. Scoping comments already received during the February- May 2015 scoping period are being considered, are part of the project record, and will provide standing to object per requirements of 36 CFR 218.

The Sanders Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Thompson Falls, Montana. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with Title II of the Act. Additional RAC information, including the meeting agenda and the meeting summary/ minutes can be found at the following Web site: https://cloudapps-usda- gov.force.com/FSSRS/RAC_Page?id=001t0000002JcwJAAS.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection. This is an extension of a currently approved collection. Burden hours and total number of responses have not changed. This notice announces the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion's (CNPP) intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's approval of the information collection processes and instruments to be used during consumer research while testing nutrition education messages and products developed for the general public. The purpose of performing consumer research is to identify consumers' understanding of potential nutrition education messages and obtain their reaction to prototypes of nutrition education products, including Internet based tools. The information collected will be used to refine messages and improve the usefulness of products as well as aid consumer understanding of current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and related materials (OMB No.: 0584-0523, Expiration Date 1/ 31/2016).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to request revision and extension of a currently approved information collection, the Bee and Honey Survey. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to a change in the size of the target population, sample design, and the expansion of the questionnaire to accommodate changes to the scope of the survey to include some economic questions.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to request revision and extension of a currently approved information collection, the List Sampling Frame Surveys. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, and/or questionnaire length. Annually, NASS obtains lists of farm and ranch operators from different crop and livestock organizations. Historically we have averaged 500,000 potential new operators each year from these lists. Before adding these names to our list of active operators we will contact the operators to collect basic farming information from them on the size and type of operation. These data will be used to eliminate any duplication we may have with names already on our list. Since the 2017 Census of Agriculture will be conducted in 2018, the sample sizes for 2017 and 2018 will be greatly reduced. Additional questions may need to be added to the questionnaires to accommodate any new trends or changes in the farming community that need to be identified (i.e. Organic farming, renewable energy production, expansion of acreage of alternative or specialty crops, etc.).