Department of Agriculture February 26, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bridger-Teton National Forest is planning to charge a $40 fee for the overnight rental of each of the Sherman Guard Station Cabins. The cabins have not been available for recreation use prior to this date. Rentals of other cabins on the Bridger-Teton National Forest have shown that people appreciate and enjoy the availability of historic rental cabins. Funds from the rental will be used for the continued operation and maintenance of the Sherman Guard Station Cabins.

We published an interim rule on August 25, 2006, amending the foreign quarantine and user fee regulations by removing the exemptions from inspection for imported fruits and vegetables grown in Canada and the exemptions from user fees for commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international air passengers entering the United States from Canada. That interim rule had an effective date of November 24, 2006. Subsequently, we published a notice announcing the delay of the effective date of the removal of the user fee exemption for international air passengers until January 1, 2007, and the effective date for the remaining provisions of the rule, including the removal of the exemption from user fees for commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, and commercial aircraft entering the United States from Canada, until March 1, 2007. We are now further delaying the effective date of the removal of the exemption from user fees for commercial trucks and railroad cars from Canada until June 1, 2007. We are making this change to allow additional time for us to conclude discussions with the Government of Canada regarding risks, inspections, and costs associated with land-border traffic entering the United States from Canada.

This is a request for proposals for guaranteed loans under the section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program (GRRHP) pursuant to 7 CFR 3565.4 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 subject to the availability of funding. FY 2006 funding for the section 538 was $99 million. This Notice is being issued prior to passage of a final appropriations bill to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing and submit proposals in the form of ``RESPONSES'', and give the Agency maximum time to process applications within the current fiscal year. A Notice of Funding Availability will be published announcing the funding level for GRRHP for FY 2007 once an appropriations act has been enacted. The commitment of program dollars will be made to applicants of selected responses that have fulfilled the necessary requirements for obligation, to the extent an appropriation act provides funding for GRRHP for FY 2007. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant's risk. The following paragraphs outline the timeframes, eligibility requirements, lender responsibilities, and the overall response and application processes. The GRRHP operates under 7 CFR part 3565. The GRRHP Origination and Servicing Handbook (HB-1-3565) is available to provide lenders and the general public with guidance on program administration. HB-1-3565, which contains a copy of 7 CFR part 3565 in Appendix 1, can be found at the Rural Development Instructions Web site address https:// www.rurdev.usda.gov/regs/hblist.html#hbw6. Eligible lenders are invited to submit responses for the development of affordable rural rental housing, the acquisition with rehabilitation of affordable rural rental housing, and the revitalization, repair, and transfer (as stipulated in 7 CFR 3560.406) of existing direct section 515 housing (transfer costs are subject to Agency approval and must be an eligible use of loan proceeds as listed in 7 CFR 3565.205). Equity payment, as stipulated 7 CFR 3560.406, in the transfer of existing direct section 515 housing, is an eligible use of loan proceeds. In order to be considered, direct section 515 housing projects must need repairs and/or undergo revitalization of a minimum of $6,500 per unit. The Rural Housing Service (RHS) will review responses submitted by eligible lenders, on the lender's letterhead, and signed by both the prospective borrower and lender. Although a complete application is not required in response to this Notice of requests for proposals, eligible lenders may submit a complete application concurrently with the response. However, submitting a complete application will not have an effect on the respondent's score.