Department of Agriculture February 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-113) and Office of Management and Budget regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to request approval to conduct a new information collection, the Distillers Grains Survey.

Pursuant to the authorities in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463) and under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-393) the Black Hills National Forests's Crook County Resource Advisory Committee will meet Monday, February 20th, 2006 in Sundance, Wyoming for a business meeting. The meeting is open to the public.

We are advising the public of our determination that the Monsanto Company corn designated as transformation event LY038, which has been genetically engineered to express a lysine-insensitive dihydrodipicolinate synthase (cDHDPS) enzyme to allow for the accumulation of higher levels of lysine in the germ of the seed, 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 the Monsanto Company in their petition for a determination of nonregulated status, our analysis of other scientific data, and comments received from the public in response to a previous notice announcing the availability of the petition for nonregulated status and an environmental assessment. This notice also announces the availability of our written determination and our finding of no significant impact.

The Manti-La Sal National Forest (Forest) will exercise its option to adjust the land management plan revision process from compliance with the 1982 planning regulations, to conform to new planning regulations adopted in January 2005. This adjustment will have the following effects: 1. The 2005 Planning Rule redefines forest plans to be more strategic and flexible to better facilitate adaptive management and public collaboration. 2. The 2005 Planning Rule focuses more on the goals of ecological, social, and economic sustainability and less on prescriptive means of producing goods and services. 3. The Responsible Official who will approve the final plan will be the Forest Supervisor instead of the Regional Forester. 4. The Forest will establish an Environmental Management System (EMS) (per ISO 14001:2004(E)) prior to approval of the revised forest plan. 5. The emphasis of public involvement will be a collaborative effort between the public and the Forest Service to incorporate the most desirable management options into a single broadly supported management direction package that will become the forest plan. 6. Administrative review will change from a post-decision appeals process to a pre-decision objection process. 7. Because the Forest will not be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for revision of the forest plan, interim management strategies will be developed for the fourteen river segments identified as eligible for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic River (WSR) System. The suitability of these river segments for inclusion in the WSR System will be addressed in an appropriate environmental document after the revised forest plan is approved. 8. Because an environmental impact statement will not be prepared for this revision, oil and gas leasing decisions will not be made. Instead, the revised forest plan will include general guidelines for mineral operations, including oil and gas, which will be considered as appropriate for areas currently available for leasing to protect resource values while providing appropriate access for exploration and development activities. Decisions regarding areas administratively available for lease and lease stipulations will be addressed in a separate environmental document(s) prepared either concurrently with the revision process or following approval of the revised forest plan. Public Involvement: Public participation and collaboration (including more than 34 public meetings) has been ongoing. Current information and details of public participation opportunities are posted on the Forest Web site at https://www.fs.fed.us/r4/mantilasal/ projects. Contact Linda Crawley at (435) 636-3558, or e-mail lcrawley@fs.fed.us to be added to the forest plan revision mailing list.

The Secretary of Agriculture is considering the renewal of the charter of the Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee, chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, to provide advice to the Secretary of Agriculture on implementing the terms of the Federal Interagency Partnership on the Lake Tahoe Region. Nominations of persons to serve on the LTFAC are invited.

The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Helicopter Use in Wilderness. The Alaska Region and Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station are proposing to inventory 913 plots in wilderness areas over a 10-year span, with about 540 plots accessed by helicopter and 373 plots accessed by day hiking. Inventory protocol includes completing 10 percent of the plots each year. This means that approximately 91 plots will be inventoried each year. Of these 91 plots, about 54 plots will be accessed by helicopter. Each inventory plot accessed by helicopter will require two landings. In any given year, these 54 plots will spread out across 7.8 million acres in 19 wilderness areas on the Tongass National Forest and one wilderness study area on the Chugach National Forest.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on March 2, 2006, at the U.S. Forest Service Office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. This Committee, established by the Secretary of Agriculture on December 15, 1998 (64 FR 2876), is chartered to provide advice to the Secretary on implementing the terms of the Federal Interagency Partnership on the Lake Tahoe Region and other matters raised by the Secretary.

Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue a series of new or revised conservation practice standards in its National Handbook of Conservation Practices. These standards include: ``Cover Crop (Code 340)'', ``Nutrient Management (Code 590)'', ``Prescribed Forestry (Code 409)'', ``Silvopasture Establishment (Code 381)'', and ``Spring Development (Code 574)''. NRCS State Conservationists who choose to adopt these practices for use within their states will incorporate them into Section IV of their respective electronic Field Office Technical Guides (eFOTG). These practices may be used in conservation systems that treat highly erodible land or on land determined to be wetland.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS), Science and Technology Program's intention to include three new public information collection request forms when submitting its request for approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for an extension of and revision to OMB 0581-0055, ``Application for Plant Variety Protection Certification and Objective Description of Variety.'' Copies of the proposed forms may be obtained by calling the Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) contact listed.

The USDA Forest Service, Hoosier National Forest has made a decision on a final environmental impact statement for German Ridge Restoration project. The Acting Forest Supervisor has selected Alternative A for implementation. The DEIS discloses the environmental consequences of replacing nonnative pine plantations in the German Ridge area of Perry County, Indiana with native hardwood communities. The DEIS was available for comment during two comment periods. A previous decision was withdrawn so that a second comment period could be provided in case someone had not been aware of the original opportunity to comment. No additional substantive comments were received during the additional comment period.

The Oregon Coast and Willamette Province Advisory Committee will meet in Corvallis, OR, February 22, 2006. The theme of the meeting is Introduction/Overview and Business Planning. The agenda includes: NW Forest Plan, BLM RMP Presentation, and Public Comment.

The United States Grain Standards Act, as amended (Act), provides that official agency designations will end not later than triennially and may be renewed. Global Grain Inspection Services, Inc. (Global) (as a subsidiary of BSI Inspectorate America Corporation), is designated to provide domestic official inspection services until November 30, 2006, according to the Act. Global advised the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) that they will cease providing official services on April 9, 2006. Accordingly, GIPSA is announcing that Global's designation will be canceled effective April 9, 2006. GIPSA is asking for applicants to provide domestic official inspection services in all or part of the specified geographic area in Texas.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's (RHS) intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the Housing Preservation Grant Program.

This rule increases the assessment rate established for the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2005-06 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.006 to $0.008 per \4/5\ bushel carton of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida. Assessments upon Florida citrus handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.