Department of Agriculture 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming teleconference meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board. Notice of this meeting is required under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This document is intended to notify the general public of their opportunity to attend the meeting.

This rule revises the administrative rules and regulations governing nominations for the California Walnut Board (Board). The Board locally administers the marketing order that regulates the handling of walnuts grown in California (order). This rule removes references to independent handlers, revises specifications under which groups of growers may submit nominations for certain grower positions on the Board, and corrects numerical references to other sections of the order. This change is needed to bring the administrative rules and regulations into conformance with recently enacted amendments to the order concerning Board structure and nomination procedures.

We are correcting errors in our notice to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for privately owned quarantine facilities for ruminants. The notice was published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2008 (73 FR 65821- 65822, Docket No. APHIS-2008-0116).

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, intends to grant to Cherokee Fabrication of Salem, Alabama, an exclusive license to U.S. Patent No. 7,078,913, ``Multipath Resistant Microwave Moisture Sensor'', issued on July 18, 2006.

This rule amends the regulations for the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program, as authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill), to extend the program from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2012. This rule also increases the percentage rate for the payment calculation after fiscal year (FY) 2008 and increases the payment quantity limitation of eligible pounds of milk per operation beginning in FY 2009. This rule also provides for an adjustment to the MILC payment rate if feed costs increase above a specified level. This rule is needed to extend the MILC program, which is designed to stabilize and generally enhance milk producer revenue, through FY 2012 and to make changes to that program authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. This rule also adjusts the milk price support program regulations to specify that support purchases will only be made from manufacturers and not from third parties such as brokers.

In April 2006 the Forest Service received a proposal from Western Pacific Timber LLC (WPT) in which a major exchange of land was proposed. The WPT proposal included approximately 40,000 acres of checkerboard land intermingled with the Clearwater National Forest near Powell, Idaho. These checkerboard lands are of interest to the Forest Service because they encompass the headwaters of the Lochsa River and hold outstanding values for many fish and wildlife species. The checkerboard lands also hold significant cultural resources including the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and Nez Perce Tribe treaty area. In September 2008 the Clearwater National Forest completed a feasibility analysis of the proposed exchange as a first level screen to review forest management plans, identify public benefit, identify availability of resources to complete the proposed exchange, identify title and property descriptions and identify potential support and opposition. The outcome of the feasibility analysis was a recommendation to enter into an Agreement to Initiate a land exchange with WPT. The agreement, signed by both parties in September, specifies the roles and responsibilities of each party involved in the exchange. In the proposed land exchange the Forest Service would acquire approximately 39,371 acres of land in the upper Lochsa River drainage in exchange for up to approximately 28,212 acres of National Forest System (NFS) land. It is anticipated that this is more than adequate federal acreage to complete an equal value land exchange. The NFS lands are located on the Clearwater, Nez Perce and Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

This proposed rule would amend the regulations used to administer the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program by increasing the amount of funding per proposal to $500,000 in a given year, extending the allowable length of an activity to 5 years; and by allowing up to five approved projects for any one TASC participant at any given time.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this constitutes notice of the upcoming meeting of the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) Grain Inspection Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee). The Advisory Committee meets twice annually to advise the GIPSA Administrator on the programs and services that GIPSA delivers under the U.S. Grain Standards Act. Recommendations by the Advisory Committee help GIPSA better meet the needs of its customers who operate in a dynamic and changing marketplace.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on December 15, 2008 at the U.S. Forest Service Office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. This Committee, established by the Secretary of Agriculture on December 15, 1998 (64 FR 2876), is chartered to provide advice to the Secretary on implementing the terms of the Federal Interagency Partnership on the Lake Tahoe Region and other matters raised by the Secretary.

GIPSA requests comments on the applicants for designation to provide official services in the unassigned areas of east Texas. Central Illinois Grain Inspection d/b/a Lone Star Grain Inspection (Central Illinois). Gulf Country Inspection Service, Inc. (Gulf Country).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the extension with no revision of a currently approved information collection, Grazing Permit Administration Forms.

The Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to disclose the impacts associated with the following proposed actions: Restricting motor vehicles to designated roads and trails, consistent with the national travel management rule. Changes to the forest transportation system, including the recognition and designation of certain user-created routes for motor vehicle use. The Ranger District currently manages about 1500 miles of motor vehicle routes for public use. The proposed action would recognize and adopt an additional 300 additional miles of existing informal (user-created) roads and trails. Most of these have been in existence for many years, but have not been recognized as a part of the forest transportation system.

This notice of intent revises the previously published notice of intent for the Rattlesnake Project (73 FR 65284, Nov. 3, 2008). Due to a printing error, the previously published notice contained an incorrect electronic mail address. This notice corrects the address and extends the comment due date. The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to implement multiple resource management actions in the Rattlesnake Project Area to implement the amended Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. The proposed action includes approximately 11,000 acres of commercial timber harvest, 5,000 acres of non-commercial vegetation management, 6,000 acres of prescribed burning, three miles of road construction, road improvements, and watershed improvements. Prescribed burning is proposed in a roadless area.

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 importation of swine and swine products from the European Union.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) amends the Catastrophic Risk Protection Endorsement, the Group Risk Plan of Insurance Regulations, and the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Basic Provisions to revise those provisions affected by the changes mandated by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill 2008).

The USDA Forest Service, Mt. Hood National Forest is proposing to prepare a forest plan amendment for the proposed Palomar Gasline Transmission Project (PGT). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the lead agency for this proposed natural gas pipeline (Docket No. PFO7-13-000). The FERC is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) that will discuss the environmental impacts that could result from the construction and operation of a new underground natural gas pipeline proposed by the Palomar Gas Transmission, LLC. An initial Notice of Intent (NOT) to prepare an ETS for this Project was issued by the FERC on October 29, 2007. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, is a Cooperating Agency with the FERC in the preparation of the ETS for this project. The initial Notice of Intent issued by the FERC identified the possible need to amend the Mt. Hood National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Mt. Hood Forest Plan) if the Palomar Project is approved and constructed. Through the pre-filing process the Forest Service has determined amendments to the Mt. Hood Forest Plan are needed for this project and will include the analysis in the FERC EIS.

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 an extension of a currently approved collection. The purpose of the Status of Claims Against Households is to provide a standardized format for State agencies submitting reports to the Food and Nutrition Service. Sections 11, 13, and 16 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) are the basis for the information collected on Form FNS-209, Status of Claims Against Households. Section 11 of the Act requires that State agencies submit reports and other information that are necessary to determine compliance with the Act and its implementing regulations. Section 13 of the Act requires State agencies to establish claims and collect overpayments against households. Section 16 of the Act authorizes State agencies to retain a portion of what is collected. The FNS-209 is used as the mechanism for State agencies to report the claim establishment, collection and retention amounts.

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. App., the Agricultural Research Service is requesting nominations for qualified persons to serve as members of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21). The charge for the AC21 is two-fold: to examine the long-term impacts of biotechnology on the U.S. food and agriculture system and USDA; and to provide guidance to USDA on pressing individual issues, identified by the Office of the Secretary, related to the application of biotechnology in agriculture.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Plan of Operations (POO) for the Golden Hand 1 and 2 lode mining claims in the Frank ChurchRiver of No Return (FC-RONR) Wilderness on the Krassel Ranger District, Payette National Forest. The purpose of the POO is to allow for collection of subsurface geological information on the claims. The EIS will disclose the environmental effects of the POO submitted by American Independence Mines and Minerals, Inc. The Forest Service now invites comments on the scope of the Analysis and the issues to address.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will host a series of public meetings to provide the public with an opportunity to offer comments regarding current challenges and new approaches for future tuberculosis control methods and eradication in view of budgetary constraints.

We are amending the animal importation regulations by removing South Carolina from the lists of States approved to receive certain stallions and mares imported into the United States from regions affected with contagious equine metritis. This action is necessary because South Carolina no longer offers contagious equine metritis quarantine or treatment services and has requested removal from the lists.

USDA Rural Development administers rural utilities programs through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces the availability of grants from the Household Water Well System (HWWS) Grant Program for fiscal year (FY) 2009, to be competitively awarded. This notice is being issued prior to passage of a final appropriations bill, which may or may not provide for funding this program, to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing and submit applications. USDA Rural Development will publish a subsequent notice identifying the amount received in the appropriations, if any. The HWWS Grant Program is authorized under Section 6010 of the Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (The Act), Public Law 110-234. The CONACT authorizes USDA Rural Development to make grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to establish lending programs for household water wells. The 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.