Department of Agriculture January 25, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This rule adds an exemption to the marketing order for Oregon- Washington pears that provides for the sale of fresh pears directly to consumers without regard to regulation. The marketing order regulates the handling of pears grown in Oregon and Washington. Local administration of the marketing order for the fresh pear industry is provided by the Fresh Pear Committee (Committee). For each customer, this rule exempts consumer-direct sales of up to 220 pounds of fresh pears per transaction, for home use only, made directly at orchards, packing facilities, roadside stands, or farmers' markets without regard to the marketing order's assessment, reporting, handling, and inspection requirements. This action is intended to provide regulatory flexibility to small pear handlers, while facilitating the sale of fresh, local pears directly to consumers.

The Coconino and Kaibab National Forests are proposing to conduct restoration activities within a 750,000 acre ponderosa pine ecosystem over approximately 10 years. Treatment areas are located on the Williams and Tusayan districts of the Kaibab National Forest and on the Flagstaff, Mogollon Rim and Red Rock districts of the Coconino National Forest. Project treatments would occur in the vicinity of Flagstaff, Munds Park, Mormon Lakes, Tusayan, and Williams, Arizona. The objective of this project is to re-establish forest structure, pattern and composition, which will lead to increased forest resiliency and function. Resiliency increases the ability of the ponderosa pine forest to survive natural disturbances such as insect and disease, fire and climate change.

This proposed rule would increase the assessment rate established for the Raisin Administrative Committee (committee) for the 2010-11 and subsequent crop years from $7.50 to $14.00 per ton of free tonnage raisins acquired by handlers and reserve tonnage raisins released or sold to handlers for use in free tonnage outlets. The committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of California raisins produced from grapes grown in California. Assessments upon raisin handlers are used by the committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The 2010-11 crop year began August 1 and ends July 31. No volume regulation will be implemented for the 2010-11 crop year, and no reserve pool will be established for this crop. Some committee expenses usually covered by reserve pool revenues must therefore be covered by handler assessments, necessitating an increased assessment rate. The proposed $14.00 per ton assessment would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible producers of Irish potatoes in certain designated counties in Idaho, and Malheur County, Oregon, to determine whether they favor continuance of the marketing order regulating the handling of Irish potatoes grown in the production area.

The Secretary of Agriculture intends to reestablish the charter for 5 Forest Service Recreation Resource Advisory Committees (Recreation RACs) pursuant to Section 4 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act passed into law as part of the 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 108-447) on December 8, 2004. The Recreation RACs operate in the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, Eastern, and Southern Regions of the Forest Service and the State of Colorado, and provide recreation fee recommendations to both the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as appropriate.