Department of Agriculture March 9, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule invites comments on a proposed partial exemption to the minimum grade requirements under the tomato import regulation. The Florida Tomato Committee (Committee) which locally administers the marketing order for tomatoes grown in Florida (order) recommended the change for Florida tomatoes. The change in the import regulation is required under section 8e of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. A separate rule amending the rules and regulations under the order to exempt Vintage Ripes TM tomatoes (Vintage Ripes TM) from the shape requirements associated with the U.S. No. 2 grade is being issued by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). This rule would provide the same partial exemption under the import regulation so it would conform to the regulations under the order.

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. This information collection is based on the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and Section 5(h) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which provide the Secretary of Agriculture with the authority to develop a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) to address the needs of families temporarily in need of food assistance after a disaster. The information collection under this notice is required for the establishment and operation of a D-SNAP.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to disclose environmental effects on proposed resource management actions in South George project planning area. This project would improve the health and vigor of upland forest stands by managing vegetation composition, structure, stand density, and diversity, and decrease the susceptibility to future wildland fires of uncharacteristic intensity by reducing ladder, surface, and canopy fuels. The project planning area is approximately 21,000 acres in size. Proposed project activities consist of commercial timber harvest, including treatment of activity and natural fuels within harvest units, non commercial thinning for fuels reduction purposes, temporary road construction (that will be decommissioned after project use), danger tree removal along haul routes, and landscape prescribed burning.