Department of Agriculture March 7, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

USDA Rural Development administers rural utilities programs through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces additional Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 funding available through its Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program (TAT). An additional $500,000 in emergency funding will be made available, pursuant to the Secretary's determination of extreme need, to conduct Water Resource Studies in the states affected by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and/or Wilma (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas).

We are advising the public that an environmental assessment has been prepared for a proposed field trial using two transgenic grass lines. The trial consists of Argentine bahiagrass plants that are genetically engineered to express resistance to the herbicide glufosinate and resistance to the antibiotic kanamycin. Each of 4 sets of 12 genetically engineered bahiagrass plants will be encircled with a ring of several untransformed cultivars of bahiagrass. The purpose of the field trial is to study the likelihood of hybrid formation as a result of pollen movement from the transgenic plants to the nontransgenic plants. Data gained from this field experiment will also be used to evaluate current confinement practices for this species of transgenic grass. The environmental assessment is available to the public for review and comment.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service hereby announces the maximum dollar amount on loan and grant awards under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program for fiscal year (FY) 2006. The maximum dollar award on zero-interest loans for FY 2006 is $740,000. The maximum dollar award on grants for FY 2006 is $300,000. The maximum loan and grant awards stated in this notice are effective for loans and grants made during the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2005, and ending September 30, 2006. REDLG loans and grants are available to any electric or telecommunications cooperative eligible to receive guaranteed or direct loans under the Rural Electrification Act, and does not have any delinquent debt with the Federal Government that has not been resolved pursuant to 31 CFR 285.13. REDLG loans and grants are to assist in developing rural areas from an economic standpoint.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to amend the federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations to provide that the Agency will make available to the public lists of the retail consignees of meat and poultry products that have been voluntarily recalled by a federally inspected meat or poultry products establishment if product has been distributed to the retail level. FSIS is proposing to routinely post these retail consignee lists on its Web site as they are developed by the Agency during its recall verification activities. FSIS is proposing this action because it believes that the efficiency of recalls will be improved if there is more information available as to where products that have been recalled were sold. By providing consumers more information about the locations where recalled products have been sold, FSIS believes that consumers will be more likely to identify and return such products to those locations or to dispose of them. This action will apply only to meat and poultry products.

The purpose of this rule is to increase the assessment rate on handlers and importers of potatoes from 2 cents to 2.5 cents per hundredweight. The increase is authorized under the Potato Research and Promotion (Plan). The Plan is authorized by the Potato Research and Promotion Act (Act). In order to sustain the three major programs currently conducted by the National Potato Promotion Board (Board), International Marketing, Domestic Marketing (which includes retail marketing), and a nutrition campaign at their present levels beyond June 2006, additional revenue is required.