Department of Agriculture October 27, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that suspended the reporting and assessment requirements prescribed under the Washington-Oregon fresh prune marketing order. The marketing order regulates the handling of fresh prunes grown in designated counties in Washington and in Umatilla County, Oregon, and is administered locally by the Washington-Oregon Fresh Prune Marketing Committee (Committee). On June 1, 2010, the Committee unanimously voted to terminate Marketing Order No. 924. Since the only regulatory actions then in effect were the reporting and assessment requirements, the Committee included a recommendation to immediately suspend those activities while USDA processes the termination request. The reporting and assessment requirements will remain suspended until reinstated or permanently terminated.

This document presents the Record of Decision (ROD) regarding FSA implementation of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) as provided for in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Service Agency (FSA) prepared a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for BCAP. A Notice of Availability (NOA) of that PEIS was published in the Federal Register on June 25, 2010. This decision record summarizes the reasons FSA has selected the Proposed Action Alternatives taking into account the program's expected environmental and socioeconomic impacts and benefits as documented in the PEIS, all of which were considered in this decision.