Department of Agriculture June 17, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are giving notice that the Secretary of Agriculture intends to establish the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health for a 2-year period. The Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the Committee is necessary and in the public interest.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to revise an information collection associated with regulations for the interstate movement of regulated nursery stock and fruit from quarantined areas to prevent the spread of citrus canker and to request an extension of approval of the information collection.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with the importation of fresh mango fruit from Pakistan into the continental United States. Based on that analysis, we have concluded that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the pest risk. We are making the pest risk analysis available to the public for review and comment.

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 Lolo and Kootenai National Forests' Sanders County Resource Advisory Committee will meet on August 12 at 7 p.m. in Thompson Falls, Montana for a business meeting. The meeting is open to the public.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS), lead agency, along with cooperating agencies, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conducting public scoping meetings for construction and right-of-way permits requested from the agencies by PATH Allegheny Transmission Company, LLC; PATH Allegheny Virginia Transmission Corporation; Potomac Edison Company; and PATH West Virginia Transmission Company, LLC, collectively referred to herein as Applicants. The Applicants are seeking permits for proposed construction of a new 765kV electric transmission line that would cross federal lands within Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. In May 2009, the Applicants submitted right-of-way applications (Form 299) for those portions of the PATH project proposed to traverse Harpers Ferry NHP, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP, Appalachian NST, Potomac Heritage NST, all managed by the National Park Service; and Monongahela National Forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service. These applications also serve as the application for Special Use Permits for construction of the proposed project.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that relaxed the handling requirements prescribed under the California table grape marketing order (order) and the table grape import regulation. The interim rule relaxed the one-quarter pound minimum bunch size requirement for the 2010 and subsequent seasons for grapes packed in consumer packages holding 2 pounds net weight or less. Under the relaxation, up to 20 percent of the weight of such containers may consist of single clusters of at least five berries each. This action continues the relaxation that was prescribed on a one-year test basis in 2009 and provides California desert grape handlers and importers the flexibility to respond to an ongoing marketing opportunity to meet consumer needs.

This rule changes the reporting and assessment date requirements prescribed under the marketing order regulating the handling of sweet onions grown in the Walla Walla Valley of southeast Washington and northeast Oregon. The marketing order is administered locally by the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee (hereinafter referred to as the ``Committee''). This rule revises the submission due date for certain handler reports and assessment payments from September 1 to September 30. This change allows handlers additional time to compile requisite information and submit it to the Committee. It is expected that this action will improve handler compliance with the administrative requirements of the marketing order.

We are quarantining the States of Florida and Georgia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, two parishes in Louisiana, and two counties in South Carolina due to the presence of citrus greening and quarantining Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, three counties in South Carolina, portions of one county in Arizona, and all of three and portions of an additional three counties in California due to the presence of Asian citrus psyllid, a vector of the bacterial pathogen that causes citrus greening. This action follows the discovery of these pests in the respective quarantined areas. We are also establishing restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas. This action is necessary on an emergency basis in order to prevent the spread of the disease and its vector to noninfested areas of the United States.

The Trinity County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) met at the Trinity County Office of Education in Weaverville, California, on June 7, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss proposed projects under Title II of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 and vote on projects for recommendation to the Forest Supervisor of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest for final approval.