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

The Rural Housing Service, hereinafter referred to as Housing and Community Facilities Programs (HCFP), announces the availability of housing funds for fiscal year (FY) 2008. This action is taken to comply with 42 U.S.C. 1490p, which requires that HCFP publish in the Federal Register notice of the availability of any housing assistance.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) announces the dollar amount available for grants is up to $300,000 per application for Rural Economic Development Grants with the aggregate amount of grant funds not to exceed $10,000,000 during fiscal year 2008.

The National Forests in Mississippi is proposing new fees for two motorized trails. Rattlesnake Bay ATV Trail is located on the De Soto Ranger District, De Soto National Forest within Perry County, MS. This site has a trailhead with a restroom, designated improved parking, and bulletin board with trail map. This trail is 31 miles long. Bethel Motorcycle Trail is located on the De Soto Ranger District, De Soto National Forest within Harrison County, MS. This site has a trailhead with designated improved parking, picnic tables, grills, and bulletin board with trail map. This trail is 15 miles long. The Forest Service proposes to charge $5 per operator per day for use of these trails. Funds received from these fees would be used for continued operation and maintenance of these trails and would allow additional amenities to be added in the future. The purpose of this notice is to solicit public input on this proposal. Please contact us or provide written comments (contact information below) within 6 months from the date of this publication.

This action announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) review of the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Program (Program), which is conducted under the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Order (Order), under the criteria contained in section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the regulations concerning the importation of animals and animal products by adding Armenia to the list of regions where African swine fever exists. We took that action because outbreaks of African swine fever had been confirmed in various locations in the northern portion of Armenia. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the introduction of African swine fever into the United States.

This rule proposes to amend the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) regulations to implement provisions from the Agriculture Risk Protection Act of 2000, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2002, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008, that authorize reimbursement to eligible States for a meal (normally a supper) served by at-risk afterschool care programs. The eligible States are Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The intent of this proposed rule is to conform CACFP regulations to statutory amendments that provide an additional meal for at-risk children through age 18 who are participating in afterschool programs in the eligible States. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) implemented the statutory mandates through written policy guidance upon enactment of the statutory provisions.

Business and Cooperative Programs are administered through USDA Rural Development. USDA Rural Development announces the availability of approximately $1.5 million in competitive cooperative agreement funds. USDA Rural Development hereby requests proposals from 1890 Land-Grant Universities and Tuskegee University (1890 Institutions) for competitively awarded cooperative agreements for projects that support USDA Rural Development's goals and objectives of providing technical assistance for business creation in economically challenged rural communities, for educational programs to develop and improve upon the professional skills of rural entrepreneurs, and for outreach and promotion of USDA Rural Development's programs in small rural communities with the greatest economic need. Project proposals must be designed to overcome currently identified economic problems and lead to sustainable economic development. Project proposals that address both traditional and nontraditional business enterprises are encouraged. This initiative seeks to create a working partnership between USDA Rural Development and the 1890 Institutions through cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement requires substantial involvement of the Government agency in carrying out the objectives of the project. Cooperative agreements will be awarded to the project proposals receiving the highest scores as determined by a peer review panel of USDA employees knowledgeable of the subject matter. Awards will be made to the extent that funds are available. However, USDA Rural Development is making no commitment to fund any particular project proposal or to make a specific number of awards. Eligible applicants must provide matching funds equal to at least 25 percent of the total project costs.

The Hayfork District of the Shasta Trinity National Forest is proposing to use vegetation treatments to improve forest health, reduce risks from fire and provide forest products on approximately 1,658 acres within the upper Salt Creek watershed on the South Fork Management Unit of the Shasta Trinity National Forest. Prescribed treatments are expected to produce approximately 4.8 million board feet or 10,600 hundred cubic feet (ccf) of merchantable sawtimber, and an estimated 4,710 bone dry tons of biomass. The Forest Service will analyze these vegetation treatments within the constraints of the Shasta Trinity National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, 1995. The proposed Salt project is in Trinity County, 10 air miles south of Hayfork, California and 3 air miles east of Post Mountain, California. The project area is within the Hayfork Adaptive Management Area (AMA), and Management Area 19, Indian Valley/Rattlesnake, of the Shasta-Trinity Land and Resource Management Plan (USFS 1995, p. 4-64 & 65). Treatment areas in T29N, R11W sections 4-9, T29N, R12W sections 1, 2 and 12, T30N, R11W sections 31 and 32, and T30N, R12W sections 25, 26, 35, and 36 M.D.M.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Farm Service Agency and Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) at Kansas City Commodity Office (KCCO) are seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with revision of a currently approved information collection associated with the Long Term Contracting System. This collection is necessary for the procurement of agricultural commodities by KCCO for domestic feeding programs. Vendors bidding on long-term invitations complete and submit their offers on-line through the Long Term Contracting System (LTCS), which records the system date/time that the offer was submitted and ensures that the data remains secured within the system until bid opening time.

The Ravalli County Resource Advisory Committee will be meeting to review 2007 projects, hold a short public forum (question and answer session), and presentation on Fuel treatment Effects on Fire Behavior. 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.

This notice informs the public that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established a demonstration USDA Rural Development Voucher Program, as authorized under section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 as amended, (without regard to section 542(b)), which is being administered by the USDA. This notice informs the public that USDA shall make $4,965,000.00 available for this purpose, as appropriated under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008. The notice also sets forth the general policies and procedures for use of these vouchers.

This notice announces that the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) plans to review the Regulations (Other than Rules of Practice) under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, 1930, as amended, under the criteria contained in section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).

This NEPA analysis began as an environmental assessment in 2006, then as Interdisciplinary Team discussions took place, it was recognized that completion of an environmental impact statement (EIS) would be more appropriate. The project is analyzing the action to continue to permit livestock (domestic sheep and goats) grazing within the North San Juan Sheep and Goat Allotments Analysis Area (hereinafter referred to as the Analysis Area) under an Adaptive Management strategy.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the reinstated information collection, National Woodland Owner Survey.

On November 5, 2007, the Federal Register published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the North Zone Range 08 Analysis on the Black Hills National Forest (72 FR 62428-62429). The responsible officials for this analysis have decided that the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not warranted for this project. An Environmental Assessment will be prepared for the North Zone Range 08 analysis. The responsible officials will document their rationale in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to be subsequently prepared. The FONSI will accompany the Decision Notice for this project. The Notice of Intent is hereby cancelled.

This rule revises the United States Standards for Grades of Potatoes. These standards are issued under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. The rule provides en route or at destination tolerances for the U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 grades, revises current tolerances in all grades, deletes the U.S. Extra No. 1 grade and ``Unclassified'' section, and defines damage and serious damage by the following defects which will be added to Table III of the External Defects section: Cuts, Clipped Ends, Elephant Hide, Flattened or Depressed Areas/Pressure Bruises, Grub Damage, Nematode (Root Knot), Rodent or Bird Damage, Russeting, Silver Scurf, Sunken Discolored Areas, and Surface Cracks. The following defects and scoring guidelines that are currently listed in Table III of the External Defects section are also revised to reflect current inspection instructions: Air Cracks, Bruises, External Discoloration, Flea Beetle Injury, Greening, Growth Cracks, Rhizoctonia, Pitted Scab, Russet Scab, Surface Scab, and Wireworm or Grass Damage. Also, changes to the current scoring guide for sprouts are being made. In the Internal Defects section, Internal Black Spot is revised by implementing a color chip to assist in the scoring of this defect. Also, Table IV in this section is redesignated as Table I. Additionally, a revised large size is added as well as the inclusion of Chef and Creamer sizes. Most of the changes were the result of the detailed work performed by the Joint U.S./Canadian Potato Council that was charged with harmonizing the U.S. and Canadian Potato Grade Standards. This rule updates and revises the standards to more accurately reflect today's marketing practices.

This rule would add a producer member and alternate from the State of Mississippi to the National Peanut Board (Board). The change was proposed by the Board, which administers the nationally coordinated program, in accordance to the provisions of the Peanut Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) which is authorized under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act). This change is made because Mississippi is now considered a major peanut-producing state based on the Board's review of the geographical distribution of the production of peanuts. The Order requires a review of the geographical distribution of the production of peanuts at least every five years. The addition of a member from Mississippi will provide for additional representation from another primary peanut- producing state.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule changing the handling requirements authorized under the California pistachio marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of pistachios grown in California and is administered locally by the Administrative Committee for Pistachios (committee). This rule continues in effect the action that suspended the minimum quality requirements, including maximum defects and minimum sizes, for California pistachios. This reduces handler costs and provides handlers more flexibility in meeting customer needs.

We are reopening the comment period for our proposed rule that would remove the current ambient temperature requirements in the Animal Welfare Act regulations for various stages in the transportation of live animals other than marine mammals. The proposal would replace those requirements with a single performance standard for climatic and environmental conditions during their transportation. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.

This document announces that the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) plans to review Marketing Order 927 (Pears Grown in Oregon and Washington), Marketing Order 966 (Tomatoes Grown in Florida), and Marketing Order 984 (Walnuts Grown in California) under the criteria contained in section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA).

This rule would increase the assessment rate established for the Vidalia Onion Committee (Committee) for the 2008 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.10 to $0.13 per 40-pound container of Vidalia onions handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of Vidalia onions grown in Georgia. Assessments upon Vidalia onion handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period begins January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This rule sets forth the regulation changes for the Community Facilities Grant program, which is available to rural communities impacted by a Presidentially declared disaster. The rule establishes the requirements to qualify for additional funding. This rule is being issued on an emergency basis due to the severe economic and social conditions caused by disasters, which occur every year in rural America. In order to prepare for these disasters, this rule is being published before the Spring/Summer disasters strike. This will allow USDA to target limited funds to the most devastated communities/counties in rural areas. The revisions will allow USDA to increase potential funding for several essential community facilities in rural communities already designated as a Presidential disaster area.