Department of Agriculture 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the new information collection: Subsistence Harvest Patterns in Prince William Sound.

USDA Forest Service, Coronado National Forest is soliciting the interest and eligibility of potential federal and non-federal (tribal, state, and local governments and their agencies) in participating as cooperating agencies in the environmental study of the Mine Plan of Operation for the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine, Pima County, Arizona.

The Ravalli County Resource Advisory Committee will be meeting about a presentation ``Climate Change Solutions: Where do we go from here?'' given by Dr. Faith Ann Heinsch, and hold a short public forum (question and answer session). The meeting is being held 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 meeting is open to the public.

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is inviting proposals for the 2009 Emerging Markets Program (EMP). The intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications from the private sector and from government agencies for FY 2009 and award funds in October 2008. The EMP is administered by personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is inviting proposals for the 2009 Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program. The intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications from the private sector and from government agencies for FY 2009 and award funds in October 2008. The TASC program is administered by personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is inviting proposals for the 2009 Foreign Market Development Cooperator (Cooperator) program. The intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications from eligible applicants and award funds in October 2008. The Cooperator program is administered by personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., the United States Department of Agriculture announces solicitation for nominations to fill 6 vacancies on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board.

The USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region, is notifying the public of the process for making travel management decisions on National Forest System (NFS) lands in Alaska, consistent with both Subpart B of the Travel Management Rule (36 CFR 212) and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Title VIII, Sections 810 and 811. The Tongass National Forest initiated travel management analyses, and will be completing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and producing Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) over the next 18 months, pursuant to 36 CFR 212 Subpart B. The analysis and associated NEPA will evaluate the effects on subsistence uses (Section 810 of ANILCA) and subsistence access (Section 811 of ANILCA); the public involvement requirements of ANILCA 810 and 811 will run concurrent with the NEPA public comment period, including notice and hearings; the NEPA documentation (for example, environmental assessment) and decision document (for example, Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact) will be prepared to document the travel management route and area designation decisions. The prohibition on motor vehicle use off the designated system (36 CFR 261.13) and the closures or restrictions to access for subsistence purposes (Section 811(b) of ANILCA) will go into effect and are enforceable when each MVUM is completed, published, and made available to the public. The Chugach National Forest and Sitka Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, completed their NEPA process and associated MVUM's pursuant 36 CFR 212 Subpart B. The Wrangell Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, completed their travel management NEPA, and is scheduled to publish their MVUM in 2009. The prohibition on motor vehicle use off the designated system (36 CFR 261.13) and closures or restrictions to access for subsistence purposes (Section 811(b) of ANILCA) go into effect and are enforceable when the MVUMs are published and made available to the public.

Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue a series of revised conservation practice standards in its National Handbook of Conservation Practices. These standards include: Residue Management, Seasonal (Code 344); Grassed Waterway (Code 412); Mulching (Code 484); Stripcropping (Code 585); Cross Wind Ridges (Code 588); Terrace (Code 600); Underground Outlet (Code 620); and Water and Sediment Control Basin (Code 638). NRCS State Conservationists who choose to adopt these practices for use within their States will incorporate them into Section IV of their respective electronic Field Office Technical Guide. These practices may be used in conservation systems that treat highly erodible land or on land determined to be a wetland.

Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service, an agency delivering the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, hereinafter referred to as Rural Development and/or the Agency, is issuing an Environmental Assessment (EA) in connection with possible impacts related to the construction and operation of a second 500 megawatt combined-cycle combustion turbine generation unit at Brazos Electric Power Cooperative's (Brazos) existing Jack County Plant Site, as proposed by Brazos, of Waco, Texas.

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) on November 30, 2007, and May 22, 2008. The recommendations addressed in this proposed rule pertain to the continued exemption (use) and prohibition of 12 substances in organic production and handling. Consistent with the recommendations from the NOSB, this proposed rule would renew the 11 exemptions and 1 prohibition on the National List (along with any restrictive annotations) and correct the Tartaric acid listings by adding annotations originally recommended to the Secretary on November 1, 1995.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is soliciting comments on its proposal to revise the voluntary United States Standards for Grades of Beet Greens. AMS is proposing to remove ``Unclassified'' category from the standards. The proposed revisions will update the beet greens grade standards.

The Department of Agriculture (Department) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule that added 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) will hold a public meeting for interested stakeholders to provide an open forum to solicit feedback on the establishment of the BioPreferred voluntary labeling program. This program will allow USDA to authorize manufacturers and vendors of qualifying biobased products to use a ``USDA Certified Biobased Product'' label.

This notice announces the national average value of donated foods or, where applicable, cash in lieu of donated foods, to be provided in school year 2009 (July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009) for each lunch served by schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and for each lunch and supper served by institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

This notice announces our intention to request a revision of a currently approved information collection in support of the reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the Packers and Stockyards Act. This approval is required under the Paperwork Reduction Act.

We are proposing to amend the regulations regarding the interstate movement of livestock to require approved livestock facilities and listed slaughtering and rendering establishments to maintain certain records for 5 years. Currently, approved livestock facilities are required to retain certain records for 2 years, and there are no record retention provisions that apply to listed slaughtering and rendering establishments. Requiring the retention of certain records for 5 years would allow us to trace the prior movements of diseased livestock further into the past than is currently possible, thus providing the opportunity to locate potentially infected or exposed livestock that might otherwise remain unidentified. We are also proposing to require the operators of slaughtering and rendering establishments to sign listing agreements to document their agreement to comply with the requirements of the regulations for listed slaughtering and rendering establishments. Such agreements are currently required for approved livestock facilities, but not for slaughtering and rendering facilities. The proposed change would eliminate that inconsistency.

This proposed rule would amend regulations for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). The changes are intended to improve program service, ensure consistency between FDPIR and the Food Stamp Program, and respond to concerns expressed by the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations (NAFDPIR) that the current FDPIR resource limit was insufficient for the target population and served as a barrier to participation. The proposed rule would increase the maximum level of allowable resources to the same level permitted under the Food Stamp Program (including annual adjustments for inflation in accordance with Section 4104 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-234)), allow a resource exclusion for the first $1,500 of the value of one pre-paid funeral arrangement per household member, and allow households in which all members are elderly and/or disabled to be certified for up to 24 months. The rule would also implement Section 4107 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171), which established a resource limit of $3,000 for Food Stamp Program households with a disabled member.

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the Asian longhorned beetle regulations by expanding the boundaries of the quarantined areas in New York and restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles from these areas. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the Asian longhorned beetle to noninfested areas of the United States.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service, an agency delivering the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, invites comments on this information collection for which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested.

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 regulations for the interstate movement of fruits and vegetables from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to help ensure that injurious plant pests are not spread to noninfested areas of the United States.

As announced by this notice, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is implementing the provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) regarding direct and counter- cyclical payments for the 2008 crop year. The 2008 Farm Bill authorizes direct and counter-cyclical payments, with some changes, that were previously authorized for preceding crops under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the 2002 Farm Bill). As a result of this notice, CCC will be able to commence administration of the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) for the 2008 crop. Through a subsequent rule, CCC will implement DCP for the 2009 through 2012 crops.