Department of Agriculture 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Fresno County Resource Advisory Committee will be meeting

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement, to add 14 sections to designate items within which biobased products will be afforded Federal procurement preference, as provided for under section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, as amended by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (referred to in this document as ``section 9002''). USDA is also establishing minimum biobased contents for each of these items.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) proposes to replace the Group Risk Plan (GRP) provisions in CFR part 407, which includes the: GRP Basic Provisions, GRP Barley Crop Provisions, GRP Corn Crop Provisions, GRP Cotton Crop Provisions, GRP Forage Crop Provisions, GRP Peanut Crop Provisions, GRP Sorghum Crop Provisions, GRP Soybean Crop Provisions, and GRP Wheat Crop Provisions, with a new Area Risk Protection Insurance (ARPI) Basic Provisions and ARPI Crop Provisions for each of these crops except Barley and Peanuts. The new ARPI provisions will also replace the Group Risk Income Protection (GRIP) Basic Provisions, the GRIP Crop Provisions, and the GRIP-Harvest Revenue Option (GRIP-HRO). ARPI will offer producers a choice of Area Revenue Protection, Area Revenue Protection with the Harvest Price Exclusion, or Area Yield Protection, all within one Basic Provision and the applicable Crop Provisions. This will reduce the amount of information producers must read to determine the best risk management tool for their operation and will improve the provisions to better meet the needs of insured's. The changes will apply for the 2013 and succeeding crop years.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the interstate movement of sheep and goats and an indemnity program to control the spread of scrapie.

The Forestry Research Advisory Council will meet in Washington DC August 16-17, 2011. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss emerging issues in forestry research.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) proposes to amend the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Onion Crop Insurance Provisions. The intended effect of this action is to provide policy changes, to clarify existing policy provisions to better meet the needs of insured producers, and to reduce vulnerability to program fraud, waste, and abuse. The proposed changes will be effective for the 2013 and succeeding crop years.

This notice announces the national average value of donated foods or, where applicable, cash in lieu of donated foods, to be provided in school year 2012 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012) for each lunch served by schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and for each lunch and supper served by institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

This Notice announces the annual adjustments to the ``national average payments,'' the amount of money the Federal Government provides States for lunches, afterschool snacks and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; to the ``maximum reimbursement rates,'' the maximum per lunch rate from Federal funds that a State can provide a school food authority for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program; and to the rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served to non-needy children in a school or institution which participates in the Special Milk Program for Children. The payments and rates are prescribed on an annual basis each July. The annual payments and rates adjustments for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs reflect changes in the Food Away From Home series of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. The annual rate adjustment for the Special Milk Program reflects changes in the Producer Price Index for Fluid Milk Products.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice invites the public and other public agencies to comment on a proposed information collection burden for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) Program, currently approved under OMB No. 0584-0339. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection, which proposes to increase the currently approved burden of 21,755 by 4,328 hours. The adjusted burden is 26,083 hours. An increase in the estimated number of annual work registrants accounts for most of the increase.

The Davy Crockett Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Ratcliff, Texas. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L 110-343) (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with the title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to review, identify, prioritize and approve RAC Title II projects.

The Amador County Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Sutter Creek, California. 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 RAC will review project proposals and recommend projects for funding.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to initiate an information collection to support our smuggling, interdiction, and trade compliance program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the extension, with revision, of a currently approved information collection, Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) Inventory.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service is proposing to amend its regulations for the Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program to ensure the Agency has sufficient right(s) for reimbursement when an Agency guaranteed portion of a loan is sold to a holder. This action is necessary because the rule is not sufficiently clear that the use of loan funds for purposes not approved by the Agency is a reason to find the guarantee unenforceable regardless of whether the guaranteed portion of the loan has been sold to a holder. This action ensures the Agency has sufficient rights for reimbursement when an Agency guaranteed portion of the loan is sold to a holder.

The Department of Agriculture's (USDA), Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is proposing to revise the regulations that cover the official grain inspection and weighing service procedures that GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) performs under the authority of the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA), as amended. Specifically, GIPSA proposes to update the regulations issued under the USGSA pertaining to grain exported in large reusable containers typically loaded onto export ships. GIPSA proposes to add new definitions of composite and average grades, limit the number of such containers that could be averaged or combined to form a single lot, restrict the inspection and weighing of such container lots to the official service provider's area of responsibility, specify a 60-day retention period for file samples representing such container lots, and make consistent the weighing certification procedures for container lots with those for inspection certification procedures. GIPSA believes that these proposed revisions would enhance the integrity of the Federal grain export certification process and the uniformity of USDA-certified export grain shipped in large reusable containers as to grade, thus facilitating the marketing of all U.S. grain shipped for export.

The Humboldt (NV) Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Winnemucca, Nevada. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110-343) (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with the title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to review projects and to decide on the implementaion and recommend funding allocations for selected projects.

This proposed rule invites comments on changes to the grower diversion regulations prescribed under the marketing order for tart cherries (order). The order regulates the handling of tart cherries grown in the States of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin and is administered locally by the Cherry Industry Administrative Board (Board). This rule would suspend indefinitely the regulations establishing random row as a method of grower diversion. With growers consistently choosing other diversion methods which offer more flexibility and fewer potential problems, the Board recommended this suspension to bring grower diversion requirements in line with current industry practices.

This rule increases the desirable carryout used to compute the yearly trade demand for Natural (sun-dried) Seedless (NS) raisins covered under the Federal marketing order for California raisins (order). The order regulates the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California and is administered locally by the Raisin Administrative Committee (committee). This rule increases the amount of tonnage available early in the season when volume regulation is implemented, and is expected to help the industry meet its market needs.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that decreased the assessment rate established for the State of Washington Potato Committee (Committee) for the 2011-2012 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.0035 to $0.003 per hundredweight of potatoes handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order for Irish potatoes grown in Washington. The interim rule was necessary to allow the Committee to reduce its financial reserve while still providing adequate funding to meet program expenses.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service announces that the funds available under the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) Program to provide Technical Assistance for Rural Transportation Systems are $499,000 for one single grant from the passenger transportation funds appropriated for the RBEG program and $249,767 for another single grant for Federally Recognized Native American Tribes' from funds appropriated for the RBEG program.

The Bass Lake Ranger District is proposing a series of ecological restoration treatments, north of the community of Bass Lake, California, south of Soquel Meadow, east of Nelder Grove Historical Area and west of Graham Mountain. Treatment areas have been initially identified to provide a ``strategic'' means to modify intensity and spread of wildland fires across the landscape and near communities. This is commonly known as the ``SPLAT'' (Strategically Placed Area Treatment) strategy. Additional treatments within these SPLATs have been identified where stands are densely stocked and thinning is needed to reduce inter-tree competition and improve tree vigor to increase stand resiliency to large scale mortality from insects and disease. In addition to the SPLATS, other areas will be treated for the specific purpose of creating defensible fuel profiles near key transportation corridors and within the defense zones of the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Restoration treatments are also planned for degraded aquatic features such as meadows, wildlife structures/habitat improvement, noxious weed eradication and monitoring, and tracks created by motorized vehicles and forest road improvements. Additional aspects of the project include monitoring for designated Off Highway Vehicles (OHV) trails to ensure consistency with forest service best management standards, cultural resource improvements and range management improvements.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) intends to request an extension for a currently approved information collection procedure for entry of specialty sugars into the United States as described in 7 CFR part 2011.

In February of 2009, The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Kootenai National Forest, in conjunction with Montana Department of Environmental Quality, issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Montanore Project. In response to public comment, the agencies revised the agencies' mine alternatives (Alternatives 3 and 4), and transmission line alignments (Alternatives C, D, and E). Most of the revisions to the mine alternatives addressed issues associated with water quality. The agencies' proposed monitoring and mitigation plans were also revised. Additional information and analyses concerning these alternatives and their effects on resources are contained in a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS). The project is located on public and private lands approximately 18 miles south of Libby, Montana. Mines Management, Inc. (MMI) submitted a proposed Plan of Operations and an application for a Hard Rock Operating Permit on January 3, 2005, pursuant to Forest Service locatable mineral regulations 36 CFR Part 228, Subpart A, and the State of Montana Metal Mine Reclamation Act MCA 82-4-301 et.seq.