Department of Agriculture 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Business-Cooperative Service's (RBS) intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the Rural Cooperative Development Grants program.

As directed by the National Forest Management Act, the USDA Forest Service is preparing the Uwharrie National Forest's revised land management plan (forest plan) and will also prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this revised forest plan. This notice briefly describes the nature of the decision to be made, the need for change and proposed action, and information concerning public participation. It also provides estimated dates for filing the ElS and

As directed by the National Forest Management Act, the USDA Forest Service is preparing the National Forests in Mississippi (NFsMS) revised land management plan (Forest Plan) and will also prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for this revised plan. This notice briefly describes the background history of NFsMS plan revision process to date, the nature of the decision to be made, the proposed action and need for change, and information concerning public participation. It also provides estimated dates for filing the EIS and the name and

We are proposing to amend the regulations that allow the importation of Fuji variety apples from Japan to allow all varieties of Malus domestica apples into the United States under the same conditions as those for Fuji variety apples. We have determined that the risk of introducing insects and diseases through the pathway of all varieties of M. domestica fresh apples to be very low under the mitigation measures presently in place for Fuji apples. This action would allow all varieties of M. domestica apples from Japan to be imported into the United States while continuing to protect against the introduction of quarantine pests.

The Shasta County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet at the USDA Service Center in Redding, California, on March 31, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss project updates and proposals, information on monitoring efforts, and a timeline for the upcoming year.

As directed by the National Forest Management Act, the USDA Forest Service is preparing the George Washington National Forest (GWNF) revised land and resource management plan (Forest Plan) and an environmental impact statement (EIS) for this revised plan. This notice briefly describes the purpose and need for change, some proposed actions in response to the need for change, preliminary issues, and preliminary alternatives for the plan revision based on what has been identified from internal and external discussions since the revision of the Forest Plan began in 2007. It also provides information concerning public participation, estimated dates for filing the EIS, the names and

The Del Norte Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Crescent City, California. The committee meeting is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110-343) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purposes of the meeting is orientating new committee members to the Secure Rural Schools Act, Federal Advisory Committees Act, and guidelines for Title II and receive public comment on the meeting subjects and proceedings.

We are adopting as a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that amended the regulations by establishing, under the auspices of the National Poultry Improvement Plan, a voluntary program for the control of the H5/H7 subtypes of low pathogenic avian influenza in commercial poultry. As amended by this document, the rule provides that the amount of indemnity for which contract growers are eligible will be reduced by any payment they have already received on their contracts when poultry in their care are destroyed, clarifies the roles of cooperating State agencies with respect to H5/H7 low pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks, provides that consistency with humane euthanasia guidelines will be considered when selecting a method for the destruction of poultry, and provides additional guidance for cleaning and disinfecting an affected premises. The control program and indemnity provisions established by the interim rule are necessary to help ensure that the H5/H7 subtypes of low pathogenic avian influenza are detected and eradicated when they occur within the United States.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the extension of a currently approved information collection, Timber Purchaser Cost and Sales Data.

On January 24, 2010, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced a second round funding Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) in the Federal Register at 75 FR 3820. The closing date for submission of applications was announced as March 15, 2010, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). In response to requests by a wide variety of stakeholders, RUS is extending the application window for applications under the second round NOFA until March 29, 2010 at 5 p.m. ET.

The Yakutat Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Yakutat, Alaska. The purpose of the meeting is to continue business of the Yakutat Resource Advisory Committee. The committee was formed to carry out the requirements of the Secure Rural Schools and Selt-Determination Act of 2000. The agenda for this meeting is to review submitted project proposals and consider recommending projects for funding. Project proposals were due by March 19, 2010 to be considered at this meeting.

The USDAForest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of transportation system and access management alternatives, vegetation management alternatives, and recreation project alternatives in the Galton Decision Area (Decision Area) on the Fortine Ranger District of the Kootenai National Forest. The Forest Service is seeking comments from Federal, State, and local agencies and individuals and organizations that may be interested in or affected by the proposed actions. The comments will be used to prepare the draft EIS (DEIS).

The Wrangell-Petersburg Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Petersburg, Alaska. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110- 343) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the meeting is to update Committee members on changes in the legislation, elect officers, and develop operating guidelines and project evaluation criteria. The committee may also make funding recommendations at this meeting.

The Office for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is sponsoring a public meeting on March 23, 2010. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the 26th session of the Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Paris, France, April 12-16, 2010. The Office for Food Safety recognizes the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 26th Session of the

Through this action, the Rural Housing Service (RHS) is proposing to amend its regulations for the Direct Single Family Housing Loans by reinstating language to enable full repayment of the entire subsidy in event of foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (voluntary conveyance). This action will clarify that in the event of foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (voluntary conveyance) the RHS will recapture the full subsidy from the value of the property.

This decision proposes that the producer-handler definitions of all Federal milk marketing orders be amended to limit exemption from pooling and pricing provisions to those with total route disposition and sales of packaged fluid milk products to other plants of 3 million pounds or less per month. The exempt plant definition would continue to limit route disposition and sales of packaged fluid milk products to other plants to 150,000 pounds or less per month. This final decision is subject to producer approval by referendum.

Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to meet its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 7 CFR 1794 related to possible financial assistance to Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc (Minnkota) for the construction of a 230 kilovolt (kV) kV transmission line between the Wilton Substation near Bemidji, Minnesota, and the Boswell Substation near Grand Rapids, Minnesota in Beltrami, Hubbard, Itasca, and Cass counties. To minimize duplication of effort pursuant to 40 CFR 1506.2, RUS prepared the Draft EIS jointly with the Minnesota Department of Commerce (Commerce), Office of Energy Security (OES) in compliance with federal responsibilities under NEPA and other federal statutes and regulations, and state responsibilities under the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act and the Minnesota Power Plant Siting Act. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest Service Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe are cooperating agencies for this Draft EIS.

This rule would increase the assessment rate established for the California Olive Committee (Committee) for the 2010 and subsequent fiscal years from $28.63 to $44.72 per assessable ton of olives handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of olives grown in California. Assessments upon olive handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal year began January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), who is Vice President of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), announces the availability of financial assistance funds in fiscal year (FY) 2010 for up to $50 million in the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) and $25 million in the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) through the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) to eligible participants in 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) subwatershed(s) within the 41 designated focus areas (8-digit HUCs) in the following States: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. The purpose of this notice is to solicit proposals from potential partners to enter into partnership agreements with NRCS, and to inform agricultural producers and landowners of the future availability of program funds through approved partnership projects.

This interim rule immediately implements the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Farmers program as reauthorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and provides for the opening of a 30-day comment period. The ARRA modified the TAA for Farmers program as established by Subtitle C of Title I of the Trade Act of 2002, which amended the Trade Act of 1974. The rule establishes the procedures by which producers of raw agricultural commodities can petition for certification, apply for technical assistance, and receive cash benefits for the development and implementation of approved business adjustment plans. The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is issuing this interim rule and providing for the opening of an interim rule comment period to ensure that an adequate opportunity to comment is provided all interested parties. After closure of the interim rule comment period and after consideration is provided to all comments received during the interim rule comment period, this rule will be adopted as final with or without change by publication in the Federal Register.

The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will meet to continue discussions on air quality issues relating to agriculture.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces the availability of approximately $1.1 million (subject to availability of funds) for Commodity Partnerships for Small Agricultural Risk Management Education Sessions (the Commodity Partnerships Small Sessions Program). The purpose of this cooperative partnership agreement program is to deliver training and information in management of production, marketing, and financial risk to U.S. agricultural producers. The program gives priority to educating producers of crops currently not insured under Federal crop insurance, specialty crops, and underserved commodities, including livestock and forage. A maximum of 110 cooperative partnership agreements will be funded, with a minimum of ten in each of the ten designated RMA Regions. The maximum award for any cooperative partnership agreement will be $10,000. Awardees must demonstrate non- financial benefits from a cooperative partnership agreement and must agree to the substantial involvement of RMA in the project. Funding availability for this program may be announced at approximately the same time as funding availability for similar but separate programs CFDA No. 10.455 (Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships), and CFDA No. 10.458 (Crop Insurance Education in Targeted States). Prospective applicants should carefully examine and compare the notices for each program.

This is a request for proposals for loan guarantees under the section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program (GRRHP) pursuant to 7 CFR 3565.4 for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. FY 2010 funding for the section 538 program is $129,130,434.78. Applicants will submit proposals in the form of ``responses.'' Responses to this NOFA will be accepted until December 31, 2010, 12 p.m. Eastern Time. The commitment of program dollars will be made to applicants of selected responses that have fulfilled the necessary requirements for obligation. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant's risk. The following paragraphs outline the timeframes, eligibility requirements, lender responsibilities, and the overall response and application processes.