Department of Agriculture January 28, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document invites comments on a proposed amendment to the Fluid Milk Promotion Order (Order). The proposed amendment, requested by the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board (Board), which administers the Order, would reduce the burden of late-payment charges applied to processors who underreport the amount of assessments which they owe to the Board, provided that the processor has not made more than two reporting errors in the prior 12 months. This amendment would reduce the burden of late-payment charges on processors who underpay assessments due to unintentional errors or miscalculations. The Board believes the late-payment charge is a necessary provision of the Order to encourage payment by all processors subject to the assessment and helps ensure the receipt of assessments owed to the Board. However, the Board also believes that there are instances when unintentional errors and miscalculations occur, and in such cases, the late-payment charge could be viewed as excessive. All other provisions of the Order would remain unchanged.

The Rural Utilities Service, an agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development and/or the Agency, announces the availability of $6.8 million in Fiscal Year 2008 for competitive grants to assist communities with extremely high energy costs. This grant program is authorized under section 19 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (RE Act) (7 U.S.C. 918a) and program regulations at 7 CFR part 1709. The grant funds may be used to acquire, construct, extend, upgrade, or otherwise improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities serving communities in which the average residential expenditure for home energy exceeds 275 percent of the national average. Eligible applicants include persons, States, political subdivisions of States, and other entities organized under State law. Federally-recognized Indian tribes and tribal entities are eligible applicants. This notice describes the eligibility and application requirements, the criteria that will be used by the Agency to award funding, and information on how to obtain application materials. All grants awarded under this NOFA are contingent on the availability of appropriated funds. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number for this program is 10.859. You may obtain the application guide and materials for the Assistance to High Energy Cost Rural Communities Grant Program via the Internet at the following Web site: https://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/. You may also request the application guide and materials from USDA Rural Development by contacting the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

The Rural Utilities Service, an agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development, announces its Household Water Well System (HWWS) Grant Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. In addition to announcing the application window, Rural Development announces the available funding and maximum amounts for HWWS competitive grants for the fiscal year. The HWWS Grant Program is authorized under Section 6012 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the Act), Public Law 107- 171. The Act authorizes Rural Development to make grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to establish lending programs for household water wells. For FY 2008, the HWWS grant funding available is $993,000. Non-profit organizations will use the grants to make loans to individual homeowners to construct or upgrade a household water well system for an existing home. The organizations must contribute an amount equal to at least 10 percent of the grant request to capitalize the loan fund. Applications may be submitted in paper or electronic format. The HWWS Grant Program regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 1776.

The Rural Utilities Service, an agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development and/or Agency, announces its Public Television Digital Transition Grant Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. In addition to announcing the application window, Rural Development announces the available funding and maximum amounts for the Public Television Station Digital Transition Grant Program competitive grants for the fiscal year. The Public Television Digital Transition Grant Program is authorized through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program. Funds from the Public Television Digital Transition Grant Program are awarded to public television stations which are a noncommercial educational television broadcast station that qualify for Community Service Grants by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting under section 396(k) of the Communications Act of 1934. These grants enable public television stations in rural areas to replace current analog television broadcasting equipment with digital television broadcasting equipment as part of the national transition to digital television service.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development, announces its Community Connect Grant Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. In addition, Rural Development announces the minimum and maximum amounts for Community Connect grants applicable for the fiscal year. The Community Connect Grant Program regulations can be found at 7 CFR part 1739, subpart A.

The Chugach National Forest, Seward Ranger District will prepare an environmental impact statement for the implementation of a stream and riparian restoration project along a two-mile segment of Resurrection Creek within active mining claims. The environmental impact statement will evaluate the environmental consequences of the proposed restoration project and will also address a supplemental mining plan of operations proposing mining adjacent to the restoration corridor.