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

We are amending the regulations regarding the importation of animals and animal products to remove several restrictions regarding the identification of animals and the processing of ruminant materials from regions that present a minimal risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy into the United States. We are removing these restrictions because they are not necessary to prevent the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy into the United States.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the anticipated environmental effects of the Breckenridge Ski Resort Peak 6 Terrain Development proposal. This proposal is designed to provide for an improved balance of services to meet the needs and expectations of guests.

The Federal Advisory Committee for the Expert Review of Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3 (CERSAP) will be meeting in Washington, DC. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the lead agency for Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3 (SAP 4.3) titled, The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity. CERSAP will provide advice to the Secretary of Agriculture on the conduct of this study.

The purpose of this notice is to notify all interested parties that the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will hold a Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting that is open to the public. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) established the Committee to examine the full spectrum of issues faced by the fruit and vegetable industry and to provide suggestions and ideas to the Secretary of Agriculture on how USDA can tailor its programs to meet the fruit and vegetable industry's needs. This notice sets forth the schedule and location for the meeting.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, notice is hereby given that the Forest Service, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to disclose the environmental consequences of the proposed Spruce Gulch Bark Beetle and Fuels Reduction project (Spruce Gulch). The Spruce Gulch analysis area encompasses approximately 32,000 acres of National Forest System (NFS) land, 390 acres of interspersed private land, and 150 acres of State of Wyoming land. The majority of the analysis area is situated within the Ecological RestorationForest Products Management Area (MA 5.15). MA 5.15 is managed to maintain or restore healthy ecological conditions through a variety of management activities, including timber harvest, while providing a mix of ecological and human needs. The remaining area is situated within a WildlandResidential Interface Management Area (MA 7.1). National Forest System (NFS) lands adjacent to the residential interface areas are managed to minimize risks of catastrophic fires and insect and disease epidemics. Mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) are at epidemic levels in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming and are causing significant mortality of lodgepole pine trees. In response to this situation, a Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic Declaration was issued by the Rocky Mountain Regional Office on June 25, 2007. The declaration was based on analysis of aerial survey data and ground survey data sets of forests containing lodgepole pine at risk for mountain pine beetle infestation. The mountain pine beetle epidemic declaration encompasses the Spruce Gulch analysis area in southern Wyoming. Proposed treatments associated with the Spruce Gulch project will focus on salvaging dead and dying timber to promote regeneration of future lodgepole pine stands and reducing hazardous fuel concentrations adjacent to private lands and egress routes. The Forest Supervisor of the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests has determined that the Spruce Gulch project is authorized under sections 102(a)(1) (Federal land in wildland-urban interface areas) and 102(a)(4) (insect and disease epidemics) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003. HFRA provides for expedited environmental analysis and treatments of lands that are at risk of wildland fire, have experienced windthrow or blowdown or are at risk of insect and disease epidemics. Accordingly, the environmental analysis associated with the Spruce Gulch project will proceed according to section 104 of the HFRA. To move toward the desired future condition, as described in the Medicine Bow Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (Revised Forest Plan 2003), and meet the purpose and need of the project proposal, proposed silvicultural treatments include: (1) Clearcutting; (2) commercial thinning; (3) shelterwood removal; (4) shelterwood preparatory cut; (5) shelterwood seed cut; (6) group selection; (7) individual tree selection; (8) sanitation/salvage; and (9) salvage treatments. Transportation activities associated with the project proposal consist of road construction and road reconstruction.

The Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, intends to renew the Provincial Advisory Committees (PACs) for the five provinces in California, Oregon, and Washington. This renewal is in response to the continued need for the PACs to provide advice on coordinating the implementation of the Record of Decision (ROD) of April 13, 1994, for Management of Habitat for Late-Successional and Old-Growth Forest Related Species Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl. The PACs also provide advice and recommendations to promote integration and coordination of forest management activities between Federal and non-Federal entities.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring a public meeting on February 5, 2008. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the First Session of Ad Hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods (TFQFF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on February 25-29, 2008. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the First Session of TFQFF and to address items that will be on the agenda.

The Ravalli County Resource Advisory Committee will be meeting with presenter on Bitterroot Composite Lumber Company and to hold a short public forum, along with voting for new chairperson. The meeting is being held pursuant to the authorities in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92-463) and under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 Pub. L. 106-393). The meeting is open to the public.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring a public meeting on January 16, 2008. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the 8th Session of the Codex Committee on Natural Mineral Waters (CCNMW) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Lugano, Switzerland on February 11-15, 2008. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 8th Session of the CCNMW and to address items that will be on the agenda.

The purpose of the Nebraska Travel Management Rule Implementation project is to implement direction in the Travel Management; Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use; Final Rule, (36 CFR Parts 212, 251, 261, 295) commonly known as the Travel Management Rule and designate roads, trails, and areas open to motor vehicle use. The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental impacts of proposed land management activities, and corresponding alternatives, within the Nebraska Travel Management Project area. The Nebraska Travel Management Rule Implementation project area is located primarily on National Forest System lands, administered by the Nebraska National Forest in northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota.

The Oregon Coast Province Advisory Committee will meet at Siuslaw National Forest Headquarters, Siuslaw River Room. The theme of the meeting is 2008 overview. The agenda includes: Brief WOPR Public involvement, Recreation Facility Assessment, WOPR Progress, Monitoring Field Trip and Public comments.

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is issuing this notice to publish the final 2006-crop cane state allotments and company allocations to sugarcane and sugar beet processors for the period from October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007 (fiscal year (FY) 2007). This notice also publishes the 2007-crop (FY 2008) cane state allotments and company allocations based on an 8.450 million short tons, raw value (STRV) overall allotment quantity (OAQ) of domestic sugar. This applies to all domestic sugar marketed for human consumption in the United States from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008.

The USDA, Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement to authorize livestock grazing within the Westside Rangeland Analysis Area on the Wallowa Valley Ranger District of the Wallowa- Whitman National Forest.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service intends to prepare an environmental impact statement in connection with making a determination on the status of the Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International alfalfa lines designated as events J101 and J163 as regulated articles. This notice identifies potential issues and alternatives that will be studied in the environmental impact statement and requests public comment to further delineate the scope of the issues and regulatory alternatives.

The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is proposing to establish a State-specific rule to provide management direction for conserving and enhancing the roadless characteristics for designated roadless areas in Idaho. The agency is particularly interested in receiving public input regarding the following topics: to what extent should the Forest Service allow building roads for the purpose of conducting limited forest health activities in areas designated as backcountry; are the limitations on sale of common variety minerals and discretionary mineral leasing appropriate; and will the proposed mechanism for administrative corrections and modifications be sufficient to accommodate future adjustments necessary due to changed circumstances or public need?

We are advising the public of our decision to begin issuing permits for the importation into the continental United States of arugula leaves with stems from Panama. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we believe that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of arugula leaves with stems from Panama.

We are proposing to amend the Animal Welfare Act regulations regarding transportation of live animals other than marine mammals by removing the current ambient temperature requirements for various stages in the transportation of those animals. We would replace those requirements with a single performance standard under which the animals would be transported under climatic and environmental conditions that are appropriate for their welfare. The regulations currently require that ambient temperatures be maintained within certain ranges during transportation, but animals may be transported at ambient temperatures below the minimum temperatures if their consignor provides a certificate signed by a veterinarian certifying that the animals are acclimated to temperatures lower than the minimum temperature. This proposal would make acclimation certificates for live animals other than marine mammals unnecessary. This proposal replaces a previously published proposed rule, which we are withdrawing as part of this document, that would have required that the acclimation certificate for a dog or cat be signed by the owner of the dog or cat being transported rather than by a veterinarian. This proposal does not address marine mammals due to their unique requirements for care and handling. These changes would remove potentially confusing temperature requirements and acclimation certificate provisions from the regulations governing the transportation of animals other than marine mammals and focus those regulations on ensuring that climatic and environmental conditions are maintained appropriately during transportation of those animals.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. The proposed collection is a revision of a collection currently approved for the Food Stamp Program and the Food Distribution Program and revises the collection into two reports that provide information specific to each program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections.