Department of Agriculture 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are adopting as a final rule, with one change, an interim rule that amended the witchweed regulations by adding or removing areas in North Carolina and South Carolina from the list of regulated areas. Based on information provided by the State of South Carolina, this final rule removes one farm from the list of suppressive areas that appeared in the interim rule. This action is necessary to remove restrictions that are no longer necessary on the interstate movement of regulated articles from areas where witchweed has been eradicated.

This decision proposes amending the marketing agreement and order (order) for onions grown in South Texas, and provides growers with the opportunity to vote in a referendum to determine if they favor the changes. The amendments are based on those proposed by the South Texas Onion Committee (committee), which is responsible for local administration of the order. The amendments include: Adding authority to the order to establish supplemental assessment rates on specified containers of onions; authorizing interest and late payment charges on assessments not paid within a prescribed time period; and authorizing the committee to engage in marketing promotion and paid advertising activities. Two additional amendments were proposed by the Department of Agriculture (USDA): Requiring that a continuance referendum be conducted every six years to determine grower support for the order; and, limiting the number of consecutive terms of office a member can serve on the committee. The proposed amendments are intended to improve the operation and functioning of the South Texas onion marketing order program.

This South Gifford Pinchot National Forest Resource Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, September 6th at the Skamania County Courthouse Annex, 170 NW. Vancouver Ave., Stevenson, Washington. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to review ongoing Title II and III projects, elect a chair, set an indirect project percentages, and make recommendations on proposals for Title II funding of projects under the Secure Rural Schools and County Self-Determination Act of 2000. All South Gifford Pinchot National Forest Resources Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend. The ``open forum'' provides opportunity for the public to bring issues, concerns, and discussion topics to the Advisory Committee. The ``open forum'' is scheduled to occur at 9:45 a.m. on September 6, 2007. Interested speakers will need to register prior to the open forum period. The committee welcomes the public's written comments on committee business at any time.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's (RHS's) intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of 7 CFR 3560, Direct Multi-Family Housing Loans and Grants.

The Eastern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee will hold its second meeting at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The purpose of the meeting is to receive recommendations concerning recreation fee proposals on areas managed by the Forest Service in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin; and to discuss other items of interest related to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004. A final detailed agenda, with any additions/corrections to agenda topics and meeting times, will be sent to regional media sources at least 14 days before the 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 Marcia Heymen at 626 East Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI (by phone 414-297-3662) no later than 10 days prior to the meeting.

We are proposing to amend the regulations on importing nursery stock by providing an option in which the postentry quarantine growing period for articles of Chrysanthemum spp., Leucanthemella serotina, and Nipponanthemum nipponicum that are imported from certain locations would be reduced from 6 months to 2 months, provided that the grower of those plants has implemented a systems approach to prevent the imported articles from being infected with chrysanthemum white rust. This proposal replaces part of a previous proposal that would also have provided an option in which the length of the postentry quarantine period for potential hosts of chrysanthemum white rust would have been reduced provided that the grower entered into a disease-prevention program. We are issuing this reproposal to further discuss the evidence that led us to conclude that a 2-month postentry quarantine period is adequate and to clarify how the systems approach would work. We are also proposing to amend the definition of from. The definition proposed in this document would replace the definition of from that was included in a previous proposal. We are proposing the new definition in response to concerns raised by comments on the previous proposal.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with our regulations that govern the importation of nursery stock (plants and plant parts and products for propagation) into the United States.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the Washington Cherry Marketing Committee (Committee) for the 2007-2008 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.50 to $0.40 per ton for Washington sweet cherries. The Committee is responsible for local administration of the marketing order regulating the handling of sweet cherries grown in designated counties in Washington. Assessments upon handlers of sweet cherries are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period for the marketing order begins April 1 and ends March 31. The assessment rate remains in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended or terminated.

The Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Redmond, Oregon. The purpose of the meeting is to review proposed projects and make recommendations under Title II of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

On April 2, 2001, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) program as required by the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (1999 Act). The statutory authority for the program lapsed on September 30, 2005. In October 2006, legislation was enacted to reauthorize the 1999 Act until September 30, 2010, and to amend the swine reporting requirements of the 1999 Act (Pub. L. 109-296) (Reauthorization Act). This rulemaking is necessary to re-establish the regulatory authority for the program's continued operation and incorporate the swine reporting changes contained within the Reauthorization Act as well as make other changes to enhance the program's overall effectiveness and efficiency based on AMS' experience in the administration of the program over the last 6 years.

This rule revises the requirements for interhandler transfers of raisins under the administrative rules and regulations of the California raisin marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California and is administered locally by the Raisin Administrative California (Committee). This rule requires handlers who transfer raisins to other handlers within the State of California to certify to the Committee that only acquired, free-tonnage raisins that meet all applicable order requirements are being transferred to receiving handlers. This action should help maintain the integrity of the order by ensuring that handlers only transfer acquired, free-tonnage raisins that meet applicable order requirements.

Pursuant to the authorities in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463) and under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-393) the Kootenai National Forest's Lincoln County Resource Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 6 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor's Office in Libby, Montana for a business meeting. The meeting is open to the public.

The siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Yreka, California, August 20, 2007. The meeting will include routine business and a presentation on the Community Wildfire Protection Plan by the Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County.

The Rural Utilities Service, an agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Program, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development and/or the Agency, is issuing proposed regulations to amend its Community-Oriented Connectivity Broadband Grant Program (Community Connect Broadband Grant Program). The Agency has determined that expanding the resource materials used to determine community eligibility for the program will result in a larger number of eligible communities. In addition, Rural Development has changed the test for economic hardship, allowing the applicant community's median household income to be compared to that of its state, which is also expected to increase the number of eligible applicants. Lastly, the Agency is proposing to amend its regulations to specify operating expenses which are approved for grant funding. This proposed rule is not applicable to Community Connect grant applications filed for funding during fiscal year 2007. In the Rules and Regulations section of this Federal Register, the Agency is publishing this action as a direct final rule without prior proposal because the Agency views this as a non-controversial action and anticipates no adverse comments. If no adverse comments are received in response to the direct final rule, no further action will be taken on this proposed rule and the action will become effective at the time specified in the direct final rule. If the Agency receives adverse comments, a timely document will be published in the Federal Register and all public comments received will be addressed in a subsequent final rule on this action.

The USDA, Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement to designate a portion of the National Forest roads, trails, and areas open to public motor vehicle use on the Salmon-Challis National Forest (SCNF), and assign the type of use(s) and season of use allowed on each road and trail or portion thereof. Additionally, the Forest Service will designate some previously unauthorized (or user- created) routes for public motor vehicle use and assign the type of use(s) and season of use allowed on each route or portion thereof. Decisions regarding motorized travel do not include motorized travel over snow. A Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) depicting those routes that will be open to public motorized travel on the SCNF will be the primary tool to determine compliance with, and enforcement of, motorized vehicle use designations on the ground. Existing routes and user- created routes not designated as open on the MVUM will be legally closed to motorized travel. The SCNF currently has 980,700 acres open to motorized cross-country travel. Those acres will be closed year- round to motorized cross country travel, excluding over-snow vehicles.

The Manti-La Sal National Forest gives notice of the intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental and human effects of oil and gas leasing on lands administered by the Manti-La Sal National Forest. The Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Reform Act of 1987 (FOOGLRA) requires the Forest Service to evaluate National Forest System (NFS) lands for potential oil and gas leasing. As the agency responsible for lease issuance and administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will participate as a cooperating agency.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with our regulations governing the importation of tomatoes from Spain, Chile, France, Morocco, and Western Sahara.

We are proposing to amend the regulations to allow noncompetitive entertainment horses from countries affected with contagious equine metritis to be temporarily imported into the United States under certain conditions. The regulations currently provide for the temporary importation of horses from countries affected with contagious equine metritis to compete in specified events. In recent years it has become evident that similar provisions are needed for noncompetitive entertainment horses. This action would allow the temporary importation of horses into the United States solely for public exhibition and entertainment purposes while continuing to protect against the introduction and dissemination of contagious equine metritis.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. II), we are giving notice of a meeting of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) will hold a public meeting on August 8-9, 2007, to review and discuss the following issues: (1) Data Collection and Analysis at the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS): Standard Operating Procedures, (2) Linking FSIS Activities to its Public Health Goals, and (3) Pilot Project to Explore Mechanisms for Sharing Industry Data with FSIS. The first issue, Data Collection and Analysis at FSIS: Standard Operating Procedures, will be presented to the entire Committee for discussion during the morning session on August 8, 2007. The other two issues will be presented to the entire Committee in the afternoon session. The committee will then divide into two subcommittees. These subcommittees will meet in the afternoon of August 8, 2007, to discuss the issues Linking FSIS Activities to its Public Health Goals and Pilot Project to Explore Mechanisms for Sharing Industry Data with FSIS. Each subcommittee will provide a report of their comments and recommendations to the full committee on the morning of August 9, 2007.

The Colville National Forest, USDA Forest Service, will prepare an EIS (environmental impact statement) on a proposal to sell a 0.4-acre parcel of land with a residential building, located on the Republic Ranger District administrative compound, within the City of Republic, Ferry County Washington. The parcel and Building are no longer needed to meet public service of Forest Service mission requirements. The Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to sell administrative sites that are no longer needed for National Forest System purposes. Project implementation is scheduled for Fiscal Year 2008. This project is not associated with the proposed Secure Rural Schools Land Sale Initiative. The Colville National Forest invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis. The agency will give notice of the full environmental analysis and decision-making process so interested and affected people may participate and contribute to the final decision.

The Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Willows, California. Agenda items covered include: (1) Introductions, (2) Approve Minutes, (3) Public Comment, (4) Project Proposals/Action, (5) General Discussion, (6) Next Agenda.

In accordance with section 3(d)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the USDA Forest Service, announces the availability of the Ottawa National Forest Comprehensive River Management Plan. On July 13, 2007, Forest Supervisor, Susan J. Spear made a decision to adopt into the Forest Plan, the Comprehensive River Management Plan which required an amendment to the Ottawa National Forest Plan. This management plan outlines use levels, development levels, resource protection measures, and general management direction for the river corridor. This amendment is necessary to implement the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act which required the Forest Service to develop a management plan for the Black, Ontonagon, Presque Isle, Paint, Sturgeon and Yellow Dog Rivers. Interim direction was identified in the Forest Plan as Management Area 8.1. The environmental assessment documents the analysis of alternatives for managing the Black, Ontonagon, Presque Isle, Paint, Sturgeon and Yellow Dog Wild and Scenic Rivers in accordance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This decision is subject to appeal pursuant to Forest Service Regulations 36 CFR part 217. Appeals must be filed within 45 days from the date of publication in the newspaper of record the Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood, Michigan. The environmental assessment is available for public review at the Ottawa National Forest Supervisor's Office in Ironwood, Michigan or on the Ottawa National Forest Web page at https://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa/ recreation/wsr/index.htm.

This rule would revise the regulations governing the inspection and certification for fresh fruits, vegetables and other products by increasing certain fees charged for the inspection of these products at destination markets for the next two fiscal years (FY-2007 and FY-2008) by approximately 15 percent each fiscal year. This rule would increase fees 30 days after publication in FY-2007 and again in March 2008. These revisions are necessary in order to recover, as nearly as practicable, the costs of performing inspection services at destination markets under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA of 1946). The fees charged to persons required to have inspection on imported commodities in accordance with the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937 and for imported peanuts under section 1308 of the Farm Security and Rural Investigation Act of 2002.