Department of Agriculture July 24, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Pursuant to Section 13 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA), the SFSP provides assistance to States to initiate and maintain nonprofit food service programs for needy children during the summer months and at other approved times. Subsection (m) of the statute directs States and service institutions participating in the SFSP to keep accounts and records necessary to enable the Secretary to determine whether there has been compliance with this section and the SFSP regulations. This information collection concerns the efforts required of States and service institutions to comply with the Secretary's requests for information. This proposed collection is a revision of the currently approved collection for the SFSP.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the California Desert Grape Administrative Committee (Committee), for the 2009 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.02 to $0.01 per 18-pound lug of grapes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order for grapes grown in a designated area of southeastern California (order). The interim final rule was necessary to align the Committee's expected revenue with decreases in its proposed budget for the 2009 fiscal period, which began on January 1.

The Rural Development Business and Cooperative Programs are administered through USDA (``the Agency''). This Notice announces the availability of stimulus assistance provided pursuant to Title 1 of Division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) (Pub. L. 111-5).

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest proposes to improve forest health and restore fire-adapted ecosystem characteristics on approximately 3,000 acres of National Forest System Lands in and adjacent to the Harris Mountain Late-Successional Reserve. Ground and ladder fuels would be reduced. In addition, forested stands would be thinned to yield a fire-resilient forest where periodic low-intensity surface fires can be safely reintroduced. Selective removal of trees is proposed to produce forested areas dominated by fire-resilient tree species with sustainable densities and to exhibit stand structure that provides habitat for late-seral dependent species. Reducing overcrowded conditions will enhance tree survival from insects, drought and disease, and natural disturbance. Trees to be removed would generally be smaller in size than trees retained; renewable by-products including commercial sawtimber and energy from biomass are expected. Dying and diseased mature lodgepole stands within the project area would be regenerated through the removal of most overstory trees. Aspen and oak hardwood trees species will be retained. Removal of conifers competing with existing aspen and oak hardwood trees will enhance the overall diversity of forest stands. Surface and ladder fuel loads will be reduced through removal of brush and small-diameter trees in the forest understory and by underburning. Proposed road reconstruction, closure and decommissioning will aid in restoration of drainage patterns and sediment regimes supporting aquatic systems. The project is located in Siskiyou County within portions of T41N, R1E, section 1; T42N R1E section 36; T42N R2E sections 17-21 and 28-36; and T41N R2E sections 1- 6 and 9 Mt. Diablo Meridian.