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

The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental impacts of proposed actions to harvest trees and associated transportation management activities. The purpose and need identified for the Fishel project area is to: Improve structural diversity (age/size class) and species diversity in the northern hardwood interior block habitats and maintain forest composition while improving riparian habitat, contributing toward satisfying demand for timber products, and to provide an efficient road system that will meet long-term transportation needs to move the Fishel project area towards the desired conditions as described in the 2004 Forest Plan. Actions are proposed to meet or move towards meeting Forest Plan goals 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.5, 3.1, as well as meet Forest Plan objectives through design features and treatment mitigation. The project area is located on public lands administered by the Eagle River-Florence Ranger District approximately 30 miles northeast of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. It is located approximately 10 miles northeast of Eagle River, bordered on the west and north by Big Sand Lake and the Michigan border, on the east by State highway 55 and on the south by State Highway 70. No Action is one alternative that will be considered. Additional alternatives will be formulated based on public issues, and response analysis. The proposed action involves harvesting approximately 16.9 MMBF (million board feet) of green trees from approximately 5,517 acres within an analysis area of about 35,200 acres. Harvest of trees would be by ground based (tractor) methods during the winter months. Most harvested areas would be open to natural regeneration with some areas planted to longer lived white pine near trout streams, and jack pine for age class diversity. Road work would include construction of 2.1 miles of new road and 23.7 miles of road reconstruction to access harvest activity stands. The transportation management proposal includes construction of 2.1 miles of new road, 23.7 miles of road reconstruction and 44.6 miles of road decommissioning to move towards the road densities identified in the Forest Plan. After the project is completed, approximately 107 miles of existing Forest Service Roads are proposed to remain open and be maintained.

The Rural Housing Service, (RHS), an Agency under USDA Rural Development, announces the availability of funds and the timeframe to submit applications for loans to private non-profit organizations, or such non-profit organizations' loan affiliate funds and State and local housing finance agencies, to carry out a housing demonstration program to provide loans for the construction and rehabilitation of housing for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Housing that is assisted by this demonstration program must be financed by USDA Rural Development in accordance with its current housing loan programs as authorized by the Housing Act of 1949. This demonstration program will be achieved through loans made to intermediaries who will then make loans to ultimate recipients for the construction and rehabilitation of housing for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (as determined by the Native American Housing and Self Determination (NAHASDA) Act.)

The Southwest Washington Province Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, April 13, 2006, at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Headquarters, 10600 NE., 51st Circle, Vancouver, WA 98682. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to share information and receive feedback on: Efforts to quantify and monitor biodiversity under the Northwest Forest Plan; the Yakama Nation's timber program; the Gifford Pinchot National Forest's monitoring program, and to share information among Committee members. All Southwest Washington Province Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend. The ``open forum'' provides an opportunity for the public to bring issues, concerns, and discussion topics to the Advisory Committee. The ``open forum'' is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Interested speakers will need to register prior to the open forum period. The committee welcomes the public's written comments to Committee business at any time.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) proposes to amend the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Walnut Crop Insurance Provisions and Almond Crop Insurance Provisions. The intended effect of this action is to reduce the insurable age requirements for almonds and walnuts because of the new varieties available. These changes will be applicable for the 2007 and succeeding crop years.

The Rural Housing Service, (RHS), an Agency under USDA Rural Development, announces the availability of funds and the timeframe to submit applications for loans to private non-profit organizations, or such non-profit organizations' affiliate loan funds and State and local housing finance agencies, to carry out a housing demonstration program to provide revolving loans for the preservation and revitalization of low-income multi-family housing. Housing that is assisted by this demonstration program must be financed by USDA Rural Development through its multi-family housing loan program under section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949. This demonstration program will be achieved through loans made to intermediaries that establish programs for the purpose of providing loans to ultimate recipients for the preservation and revitalization of section 515 multi-family housing as affordable housing.

This notice informs the public that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is establishing a demonstration USDA Voucher Program, as authorized under section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 (without regard to section 542(b)), to be administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), pursuant to an Inter Agency Agreement (IAA) between the two Departments, executed on March 1, 2006. This notice informs the public that USDA, acting under the IAA with HUD, shall make up to $16 million available for this purpose, as appropriated under the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006. The notice also sets forth the policies and procedures for use of these vouchers.

The New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The purpose of the meeting is to provide recommendations to the Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service Southwestern Region, on which forest restoration grant proposals submitted in response to the collaborative Forest Restoration Program Request For Proposals best meet the objectives of the Community Forest Restoration Act (Title VI, Pub. L. No. 106-393).

We are amending the pine shoot beetle regulations to allow pine bark products to be moved interstate from quarantined areas during the shoot feeding stage (July 1 through October 31) of the pine shoot beetle's life cycle without treatment. We are making this change because pine shoot beetles are not present in pine bark products during that stage. We are also establishing a management method to allow pine bark products to be moved interstate from quarantined areas during the overwintering stage (November 1 through March 31) and spring flight stage (April 1 through June 30) of the pine shoot beetle's life cycle. This action relieves restrictions on the interstate movement of pine bark products from quarantined areas during 4 months of the year and provides for the use of a management method as an alternative to fumigation with methyl bromide for pine bark products moved interstate from quarantined areas during the rest of the year.

This NOFA announces the timeframe to submit applications for section 515 Rural Rental Housing (RRH) loan funds, including applications for the nonprofit set-aside for eligible nonprofit entities, the set-aside for the most Underserved Counties and Colonias (Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act), and the set-aside for Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities (EZ/ECs) and Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) zones. This document describes the methodology that will be used to distribute funds, the application process, submission requirements, and areas of special emphasis or consideration.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) announces the availability of housing funds for fiscal year 2006 (FY 2006). This action is taken to comply with 42 U.S.C. 1490p, which requires that RHS publish in the Federal Register notice of the availability of any housing assistance.

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) adopts as final, with change, an interim final rule amending the regulations for the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). Also, a clarification is made in the regulations regarding the submission of acreage reports, and obsolete program provisions are removed.

USDA Rural Development administers rural utilities service through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces its Public Television Digital Transition Grant Program application window for fiscal year (FY) 2006.

USDA Rural Development (RD) administers the programs of Rural Housing Service (RHS). RD announces the availability of funds and the timeframe to submit applications to participate in a demonstration program to preserve and revitalize existing rural rental housing projects financed by RD under section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949. The intended effect is to restructure selected existing section 515 loans expressly for the purpose of ensuring that sufficient resources are available to preserve the rental project for the purpose of providing safe and affordable housing for low-income residents. Expectations are that properties participating in this program will be able to be revitalized and extend affordable use without displacing tenants because of increased rents. No additional Rental Assistance units will be made available under this program.

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the emerald ash borer regulations by adding areas in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio to the list of areas quarantined because of emerald ash borer. As a result of the interim rule, the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas is restricted. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the emerald ash borer from infested areas in the States of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio into noninfested areas of the United States.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending 7 CFR part 2902, Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement, to add six sections to designate the following six items within which biobased products will be afforded Federal procurement preference, as provided for under section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002: Mobile equipment hydraulic fluids; roof coatings; water tank coatings; diesel fuel additives; penetrating lubricants; and bedding, bed linens, and towels. USDA also is establishing minimum biobased content for each of these items. Once USDA designates an item, procuring agencies are required generally to purchase biobased products within these designated items where the purchase price of the procurement item exceeds $10,000 or where the quantity of such items or of functionally equivalent items purchased over the preceding fiscal year equaled $10,000 or more. However, USDA is deferring the effective date for two items (water tank coatings and bedding, bed linens, and towels) until such time that more than one manufacturer of products in these two items is identified. USDA additionally is revising section 2902.2 to add definitions for ``biodegradability,'' ``EPA-designated recovered content product,'' and ``functional unit'' and section 2902.8 to adopt applicable ASTM International performance tests to verify biodegradability.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), an Agency within the Rural Development mission area, announces the availability of two individual grants: one single $495,000 grant from the passenger transportation funds appropriated for the RBS Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program and another single $247,500 grant from the Federally Recognized Native American Tribes' (FRNAT) funds appropriated for RBS under the RBEG program for fiscal year (FY) 2006. Each grant is to be competitively awarded to a qualified national organization. These grants are to provide technical assistance for rural transportation.

USDA Rural Development administers rural utilities programs through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces its fiscal year (FY) 2006 funding and application window for the Household Water Well System (HWWS) Grant Program. The HWWS Grant Program is authorized under Section 6012 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (The Act), Public Law 107-171. The Act authorizes USDA Rural Development to make grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to establish lending programs for household water wells. For FY 2006, the HWWS grant funding available is $990,000. The non-profit organizations will use the grants to make loans to individuals to construct or upgrade a household water well system for an existing home. The organizations must contribute an amount equal to at least 10 percent of the grant request to capitalize the loan fund. Applications may be submitted in paper or electronic format. The HWWS Grant Program regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 1776.

This Notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. These guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and Commodity School Program), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program. The annual adjustments are required by section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The guidelines are intended to direct benefits to those children most in need and are revised annually to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality Guidelines (40 CFR part 1500); and the Natural Resources Conservation Service Guidelines (7 CFR part 650); the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, gives notice that an environmental impact statement is not being prepared for the Southern Washington County Watershed Protection Project, Washington County, Idaho.

This document corrects the preamble to an interim final rule published in the Federal Register on February 8, 2006, amending the Federal meat inspection regulations to provide for a voluntary fee-for- service program under which official establishments that slaughter horses will be able to apply for and pay for ante-mortem inspection. This correction states that the FY 2006 Appropriations Act will be in effect until October 1, 2006 (the first day of FY 2007).

The Wrangell-Petersburg Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) has announced its next two meetings. The first meeting will take place at 1 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. (or until the conclusion of public testimony) on Friday, April 21, and from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., Saturday, April 22, 2006, in Petersburg, Alaska. The second meeting will be a teleconference that will be from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. (or until the conclusion of business) on Tuesday, May 23, 2006. The purpose of these meetings is to review, discuss and potentially recommend for funding proposals received pursuant to Title II, Public Law 106-393, H.R. 2389, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, also called the ``Payments to States'' Act. Public testimony regarding the proposals will also be taken.