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

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to initiate a new information collection activity for Tribal participants in premises registration for the National Animal Identification System.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, the United States Department of Agriculture announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21).

The Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee (RACNAC) will meet in Washington, DC. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the status of the state specific rulemaking for inventoried roadless area management in the State of Idaho and to discuss temporary roads and other related issues.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to document and disclose the potential environmental effects of a proposed winter travel plan for the Selkirk Mountain Range on the Bonners Ferry, Priest Lake and Sandpoint Ranger Districts, Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNF). The Selkirk Mountain Range is located immediately northwest of Sandpoint, Idaho. The geographic area for this travel plan is defined as the National Forest System lands on the INPF that are bounded by US Highway 2 on the south, the Pend Oreille Divide on the west, the international border with Canada on the north, and US Highway 95 on the east. The proposal was designed using science from assessments including the Situation Summary and Management Strategy for caribou and winter recreation prepared by the IPNF in 2004. The proposal will result in a Selkirk Mountain Range winter travel plan reflecting designated areas and routes of travel, and applicable restrictions and types of use for each route or area by: (1) Responding to court direction relating to winter recreation use within the woodland caribou recovery area. (2) Adapting management actions and land uses to changed information and conditions in wildlife management, particularly for threatened, endangered and sensitive species. (3) Providing for public access and motorized winter recreation travel in the Selkirk Mountain Range considering both the quantity and quality of opportunities provided. (4) Establishing objectives and/or restrictions to prevent and/or correct any unacceptable resource impacts that are occurring. Activities would include: (1) Developing a winter motorized travel plan for public access and recreation use considering both the quantity and quality of experiences provided, in balance with resource management objectives, (2) identifying the types of use and restrictions associated with each resource management objective, and (3) developing a new travel map reflecting winter motorized use, designated areas and routes of travel, and applicable restrictions and types of use for each route or area. Specifically the proposal will allow winter motorized travel on 46 miles of designated routes, 90,028 acres will be closed to winter motorized use based on existing yearlong closures, 13,639 acres would be closed seasonally to winter motorized use from 4/1 until 6/30, and 40,404 acres would be added as closed to winter motorized use. Under the proposal the remaining 434,760 acres of National Forest Lands within the project area would be open to winter motorized use. The Idaho Panhandle National Forests in Bonner and Boundary Counties, Idaho and Pend Oreille County, Washington will administer these activities. The EIS will tier to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests Forest Plan. (September 1987).

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has changed the method used to calculate interest on reparation awards under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (P&S Act). The P&S Act calculation will be consistent with interest awarded on monetary judgments in Federal courts.

We are announcing designation of the following organizations to provide official services under the United States Grain Standards Act, as amended (USGSA):

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces the availability of approximately $5.0 million for Commodity Partnerships for Risk Management Education (the Commodity Partnerships 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 of the 50 cooperative partnership agreements will be $100,000. Applicants must demonstrate non-financial benefits from a cooperative partnership agreement and must agree to the substantial involvement of RMA in the project.

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board.

This rule proposes an increase in the assessment rate established for the California Olive Committee (committee) for the 2007 and subsequent fiscal years from $11.03 to $47.84 per assessable ton of olives handled. The committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of olives grown in California. Assessments upon olive handlers are used by the committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal year began January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, intends to grant to Accent Engineering, Inc. of Lubbock, Texas, an exclusive license to U.S. Patent No. 5,539,637, ``Biologically-Identified Optimal Temperature Interactive Console (BIOTIC) for Managing Irrigation,'' issued on July 23, 1996.

The Pacific Northwest Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (Recreation RAC) will hold its first meeting April 2007 in Portland, Oregon. The purpose of this initial meeting is to develop the process for making recommendations on recreation fee proposals for facilities and services offered on lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in Oregon and Washington.

This proposed rule would amend the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) regulations to reflect recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) from November 17, 2005 through October 19, 2006. The recommendations addressed in this proposed rule pertain to the continued exemption (use) and prohibition of 169 substances in organic production and handling. Consistent with the recommendations from the NOSB, this proposed rule would renew 166 of the 169 exemptions and prohibitions on the National List (along with any restrictive annotations), and remove 3 exemptions from the National List.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule which increased the assessment rate established for the Walnut Marketing Board (Board) for the 2006-07 and subsequent marketing years from $0.0096 to $0.0101 per kernelweight pound of assessable walnuts. The Board locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California. Assessments upon walnut handlers are used by the Board to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The marketing year begins August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is establishing January 1, 2010, as the uniform compliance date for new food labeling regulations that are issued between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008. FSIS periodically announces uniform compliance dates for new meat and poultry food labeling requirements to minimize the economic impact of label changes. On December 14, 2004, FSIS issued a final rule announcing that it will adopt uniform compliance dates and established January 1, 2008, as the uniform compliance date for food labeling regulations that issued between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2006.

GIPSA requests comments on the applicants for designation to provide official services in Minnesota.

In accordance with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 (FLREA), the Recreation Subcommittee will hold a meeting to establish guidelines for the newly formed Recreation Subcommittee, to discuss a proposal for establishing a fee at Bob Scott campground managed by the Forest Service and to discuss a proposal to raise fees at BLM campgrounds managed by the BLM Nevada Elko Field Office. Date and Time: The Recreation Subcommittee will meet on Thursday, March 29, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Office. All meetings are open to the public. A general public comment period, where the public may submit oral or written comments to the Recreation Subcommittee will begin at approximately 11 a.m. unless otherwise listed in the final meeting agenda. A final detailed agenda, with any additions/corrections to agenda topics, location, field trips and meeting times, will be sent to local and regional media sources at least 14 days before each meeting, and hard copies can also be mailed or sent via FAX. Individuals who need special assistance such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, or who wish a hard copy of each agenda, should contact Barbara Keleher no later than 10 days prior to each meeting.

The Eastern Washington Cascades Provincial Advisory Committee and the Yakima Provincial Advisory Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 21, Monday, April 23, and Friday, May 18, 2007 at the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests Headquarters office, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, WA. These meetings will begin 9 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. During these meetings Provincial Advisory Committee members will continue discussion on Roadless Area considerations and potential Wilderness recommendations in conjunction with Forest Plan Revision for the Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests. All Eastern Washington Cascades and Yakima Province Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public.

It is the intention of NRCS in Maryland to issue new or revised conservation practice standards for Section IV of the Field Office Technical Guide. These standards include, but are not limited to, the following: Animal Mortality Facility (Code 316); Brush Management (Code 314); Composting Facility (Code 317); Field Border (Code 386); Filter Strip (Code 393); Fish Passage (Code 396); Fishpond Management (Code 399); Forage Harvest Management (Code 511); Forest Stand Improvement (Code 666); Heavy Use Area Protection (Code 561); Hedgerow Planting (Code 422); Irrigation Water Management (Code 449); Manure Transfer (Code 634); Nutrient Management (Code 590); Pasture and Hay Planting (Code 512); Pest Management (Code 595); Pond Sealing or Lining, Compacted Clay Treatment (Code 521D); Prescribed Forestry (Code 409); Streambank and Shoreline Protection (Code 580); Stream Habitat Improvement and Management (Code 395); Structure for Water Control (Code 587); Surface Drain, Field Ditch (Code 607); Tree/Shrub Establishment (Code 612); Use Exclusion (Code 472); Waste Storage Facility (Code 313); Waste Utilization (Code 633); Water and Sediment Control Basin (Code 638); Watering Facility (Code 614); Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (Code 380). Some of these practice standards may be used in conservation systems to comply with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions of the Farm Bill.