Aging Administration September 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On April 29, 2015, the Rural Housing Service (RHS) published a final rule to create a certified loan application packaging process for the direct single family housing loan program. On June 5, 2015, the final rule's effective date was deferred to October 1, 2015. The final rule's effective date is further delayed until October 1, 2016.

We are advising the public of our decision to authorize the importation of fresh cranberries from Chile into the continental United States. Based on the findings of a pest risk assessment, which we made available for the public to review and comment through a previous notice, we have concluded 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 importation of fresh cranberries from Chile.

The Forest Resource Coordinating Committee (Committee) will meet via teleconference. The Committee is established consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. II), and the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the Act) (Pub. L. 110-246). Additional information concerning the Committee, including the meeting agenda, supporting documents and minutes, can be found by visiting the Committee's Web site at https://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/ frcc/.

This Notice announces that the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Agency) is accepting fiscal year (FY) 2015 applications for the Delta Health Care Services Grant (DHCS) Program as authorized by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 (Pub.L. 113-235). Approximately $5 million is available to be competitively awarded. The purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance to address the continued unmet health needs in the Delta Region through cooperation among health care professionals, institutions of higher education, research institutions and economic development entities in the Delta Region. The Agency is encouraging applications that grants to projects based in or serving census tracts with poverty rates greater than or equal to 20 percent. This emphasis will support Rural Development's (RD) mission of improving the quality of life for Rural Americans and its commitment to directing resources to those who most need them.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes to establish a new system of records titled USDA/FSIS-03 Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) II. The mission of FSIS is to protect public health by ensuring that meat, poultry, and processed egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. Thus, the Agency must detect food safety vulnerabilities as early and as specifically as possible so that the potential for harm can be promptly prevented, reduced, or eliminated. The CCMS II helps FSIS to effectively identify potentially unsafe meat, poultry, or processed egg products regulated by FSIS by recording, sorting, analyzing, and tracking consumer complaints regarding products' potential adverse effects, and by tracking any subsequent analyses and investigations of those complaints.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, (5 U.S.C. App.), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Department of Agriculture, is announcing a meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to assist the Department in the development of standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on any other aspects of the implementation of Organic Foods Production Act.

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the gypsy moth regulations by adding areas in Minnesota, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin to the list of generally infested areas based on the detection of infestations of gypsy moth in those areas. As a result of the interim rule, the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas was restricted. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the gypsy moth to noninfested areas of the United States.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment concerning authorization to ship for the purpose of field testing, and then to field test, an unlicensed Swine Influenza Vaccine, H1N1 & H3N2, Modified Live Virus. The environmental assessment, which is based on a risk analysis prepared to assess the risks associated with the field testing of this vaccine, examines the potential effects that field testing this veterinary vaccine could have on the quality of the human environment. Based on the risk analysis and other relevant data, we have reached a preliminary determination that field testing this veterinary vaccine will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment, and that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared. We intend to authorize shipment of this vaccine for field testing following the close of the comment period for this notice unless new substantial issues bearing on the effects of this action are brought to our attention. We also intend to issue a U.S. Veterinary Biological Product license for this vaccine, provided the field test data support the conclusions of the environmental assessment and the issuance of a finding of no significant impact and the product meets all other requirements for licensing.

Through this action, the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, the Rural Utilities Service, and the Farm Service Agency are reopening the comment period for the interim rule, published on May 20, 2015 ``Strategic Economic and Community Development''.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or Program) regulations to codify certain nondiscretionary provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the ``2014 Farm Bill''). This final rule excludes medical marijuana from being treated as an allowable medical expense for the purposes of determining the excess medical expense deduction under SNAP. This rule also amends multiple SNAP regulations pursuant to nondiscretionary changes under the 2014 Farm Bill related to Quality Control (QC). This rule updates the QC error tolerance threshold to no more than $37 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. For FY 2015 and thereafter, the QC tolerance level will be set annually based on an adjustment in the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP). In addition, this rule eliminates USDA's ability to waive any portion of a State's QC liability amount, except as provided in SNAP regulations that requires State agencies to use SNAP High Performance Bonus Payments only for SNAP administrative expenses including investments in technology, improvements in administration and distribution, and actions to prevent fraud, waste and abuse. Finally, this rule amends SNAP regulations pertaining to the use of SNAP benefits to pay for container deposit fees. The 2014 Farm Bill prohibits SNAP benefits from being used to pay for container deposit fees in excess of any State fee reimbursement required to purchase food in a returnable bottle or can.

AMS proposes to amend the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations by decreasing the value assigned to imported cotton for calculating supplemental assessments collected for use by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. The 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. AMS is publishing this amendment as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the action is contemplated by statute and required by regulation and the agency anticipates no significant adverse comment. AMS has explained its reasons in the preamble of the direct final rule. If AMS receives no significant adverse comment during the comment period, no further action on this proposed rule will be taken. If, however, AMS receives significant adverse comment, AMS will withdraw the direct final rule and it will not take effect. In that case, AMS will address all public comments in a subsequent final rule based on this proposed rule. AMS will not institute a second comment period on this rule. Any parties interested in commenting must do so during this comment period. This proposed rule is a companion document to the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) direct final rule (published today in the ``Rules and Regulations'' section of the Federal Register).

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Raisin Administrative Committee (committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2015-16 and subsequent crop years from $14.00 to $17.00 per ton of California raisins handled under the marketing order (order). The committee locally administers the order and is comprised of producers and handlers of raisins operating within the area of production. Assessments upon raisin 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.

We are advising the public of our determination that Innate\TM\ Potato designated as Russet Burbank event W8, which has been genetically engineered for late blight resistance, low acrylamide potential, reduced black spot bruising, and lowered reducing sugars, is no longer considered a regulated article under our regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of data submitted by J.R. Simplot Company, in its petition for a determination of nonregulated status, our analysis of available scientific data, and comments received from the public in response to our previous notices announcing the availability of the petition for nonregulated status and its associated environmental assessment and plant pest risk assessment. This notice also announces the availability of our written determination and finding of no significant impact.

In June of 2003, the Dakota Prairie Grasslands (DPG) Record of Decision (ROD) for Oil and Gas Leasing on the Little Missouri and Cedar River National Grasslands was signed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The ROD identified lands open for lease, including areas subject to leasing stipulations to protect Dakota Prairie Grassland resources and uses. The ROD was based upon the environmental review completed for the 2001 Northern Great Plains Management Plans Revision. In the 14 years since the previous analysis was completed there has been new information and changed circumstances that warrant environmental analysis to see what, if any, changes need to be made to the DPG's and BLM's decisions about oil and gas leasing and whether or not there is a need to change DPG's Land and Resource Management Plan direction relative to oil and gas development on the Little Missouri National Grassland unit of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands. New information and changed circumstances include a change in the manner and pace of oil and gas development and the listing of the Dakota Skipper and Northern Long-Eared Bat as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).