Department of Agriculture August 30, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.

This rule amends regulations governing the cotton Marketing Assistance Loan Program of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The changes provide that bales of upland cotton pledged as collateral for CCC loans may be stored outside at warehouses approved by CCC subject to special storage, protection, receipting, and reporting requirements and loss of any applicable storage credits for the period stored outside. Second, the rule provides that producers or their agents may transfer cotton loan collateral to another approved location. Third, the rule provides limits on the amount of storage credits provided to producers when an upland cotton marketing assistance loan is repaid. Fourth, the rule requires ginned cotton to meet the definition of good condition and not be wet cotton in order to be eligible for a CCC loan. Fifth, this rule requires any unpaid warehouse compression charges to be billed to producers on loan cotton collateral that is delivered to CCC in satisfaction of the loan obligation. Sixth, this rule defines a minimum acceptable shipping standard for cotton warehouses. This rule also corrects and clarifies the Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL) and Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) Program regulations of CCC regarding loss of beneficial interest in commodities delivered to certain facilities engaged in storing and handling commodities under those programs.

This document amends the delegations of authority from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS) and to the Administrator, Farm Service Agency (FSA), to implement cooperative agreements for Conservation Programs carried out by FSA and to implement the Grassroots Source Water Protection Programs as authorized by section 1240O of the Food Security Act of 1985 (1985 Act).