Department of Agriculture March 7, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The designations of the official agencies listed below will end on September 30, 2007. We are asking persons interested in providing official services in the areas served by these agencies to submit an application for designation. We are also asking for comments on the quality of services provided by these currently designated agencies: Amarillo Grain Exchange, Inc. (Amarillo); Cairo Grain Inspection Agency, Inc. (Cairo); Intercontinental Grain Inspections, Inc. (Intercontinental); Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (Louisiana); North Carolina Department of Agriculture (North Carolina); and D. R. Schaal Agency, Inc. (Schaal).

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces the availability of approximately $500,000 for Commodity Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk Management Education Sessions (the Commodity Partnerships Small Sessions Program). The purpose of this cooperative partnership agreement program is to deliver training and information in the management of production, marketing, and financial risk to U.S. agricultural producers. The program gives priority to educating producers of crops currently not insured under Federal crop insurance, specialty crops, and underserved commodities, including livestock and forage. A maximum of 50 cooperative partnership agreements will be funded, with no more than five in each of the ten designated RMA Regions. The maximum award for any cooperative partnership agreement will be $10,000. Awardees must demonstrate non-financial benefits from a cooperative partnership agreement and must agree to the substantial involvement of RMA in the project. Funding availability for this program may be announced at approximately the same time as funding availability for similar but separate programsCFDA No. 10.455 (Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships), CFDA No. 10.456 (Risk Management Research Partnerships), CFDA No. 10.457 (Commodity Partnerships for Risk Management Education), and CFDA No. 10.458 (Crop Insurance Education in Targeted States). Prospective applicants should carefully examine and compare the notices for each program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to request a revision of an approved information collection regarding Listeria Control for Ready-to-Eat products to reflect its most recent plant data, which support a finding of fewer total burden hours.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces the availability of approximately $4.5 million to fund cooperative agreements under the Crop Insurance Education in Targeted States program (the Targeted States Program). The purpose of this cooperative agreement program is to deliver crop insurance education and information to U.S. agricultural producers in certain States that have been designated as historically underserved with respect to crop insurance. The states, collectively referred to as Targeted States, are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. A maximum of 15 cooperative agreements will be funded, one in each of the 15 Targeted States. Awardees of awards must agree to the substantial involvement of RMA in the project. Funding availability for this program may be announced at approximately the same time as funding availability for similar but separate programsCFDA No. 10.455 (Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships), CFDA No. 10.456 (Risk Management Research Partnerships) CFDA No. 10.457 (Commodity Partnerships for Risk Management Education), and CFDA No. 10.459 (Commodity Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk Management Education Sessions). Prospective applicants should carefully examine and compare the notices for each program.

This rule revises the regulations governing inspection and certification for processed fruits, vegetables, and processed products by increasing the fees charged for these products by 19 to 26 percent. Furthermore, it revises the regulations so applicants entering into an in-plant inspection contract with the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will incur the costs for the plant survey and sanitation inspection. Finally, the revision provides that applicants entering into a year-round inspection contract, less than year-round (four or more consecutive 40 hour weeks) contract, or lot inspection will incur costs for Sunday differential when an employee works on Sunday. Also affected are the fees charged to persons required to have inspections on imported commodities in accordance with the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. In addition, various editorial changes are being made to enhance clarity. These revisions are necessary in order to recover, as nearly as practicable, the costs of performing inspection services under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 and to ensure the program's financial stability.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, intends to grant to Hepalife Technologies, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts, an exclusive license to U.S. Patent No. 5,532,156, ``Hepatocyte Cell Line Derived from the Epiblast of Pig Blastocysts'', issued on July 2, 8, 1996 and to U.S. Patent No. 5,866,420, ``Artificial Liver Device'', issued on February 1, 1999.

This final rule revises existing Onshore Oil and Gas Order Number 1 which was published in the October 21, 1983, edition of the Federal Register. The Order provides the requirements necessary for the approval of all proposed oil and gas exploratory, development, or service wells on all Federal and Indian (other than those of the Osage Tribe) onshore oil and gas leases, including leases where the surface is managed by the U.S. Forest Service (FS). It also covers most approvals necessary for subsequent well operations, including abandonment. The revision is necessary due to provisions of the 1987 Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act (Reform Act), the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Act), legal opinions, court cases since the Order was issued, and other policy and procedural changes. The revised Order addresses the submittal of a complete Application for Permit to Drill or Reenter package (APD), including a Drilling Plan, Surface Use Plan of Operations, evidence of bond coverage and Operator Certification. The final rule ensures that the processing of APDs is consistent with the Act and clarifies the regulations and procedures that are to be used when operating in split estates, including those lands within Indian country. The final rule addresses using Master Development Plans (which address two or more APDs) to approve multiple well development proposals and encourages the voluntary use of Best Management Practices as a part of APD processing. Finally, the rule requires additional bonding on certain off-lease facilities and clarifies the BLM's authority to require this additional bond.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document and disclose the potential environmental effects of proposed invasive plant treatments on the Fremont-Winema National Forests. Treatment methods would include manual, mechanical, cultural, biological, and chemical control. Combinations of methods may be used. Treatments would focus on 4,274 known invasive plant sites currently infesting approximately 7,730 acres. The Proposed Action also includes an Early Detection/Rapid Response (EDRR) process to allow treatment of new or previously undiscovered infestations. Under the EDRR approach, new sites would be evaluated to ensure that effects are within the scope of those already analyzed in the EIS.