Department of Agriculture 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice is announcing that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), are hosting a public meeting to seek input on pre-harvest pathogen control strategies designed to reduce the likelihood that beef will be contaminated with pathogens of public health concern, such as Shiga toxin- producing E. coli and Salmonella, during the slaughter process.

The Colorado Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RRAC) will meet by telephone conference call. The purpose of the meeting is to orient RRAC members and alternates to the laws, rules and regulations that pertain to the operation of the RRAC. No fee proposals will be discussed at this meeting.

The Land Between The Lakes Advisory Board will hold a meeting on November 3, 2011. Notice of this meeting is given under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App 2. The meeting agenda will focus on existing Environmental Education programs and improving engagement with regional school groups. The meeting is open to the public. Written comments are invited and should be sent to William P. Lisowsky, Area Supervisor, Land Between The Lakes, 100 Van Morgan Drive, Golden Pond, KY, 42211 and must be received by October 27, 2011 in order for copies to be provided to the members for this meeting. Board members will review written comments received, and at their request, oral clarification may be requested for a future meeting.

This is a notice to inform the public of an upcoming meeting of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health. The meeting is organized by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to discuss matters of animal health.

We are advising the public of our determination that a genetically engineered cotton developed by Bayer CropScience LP, designated as TwinLinkTM cotton (events T304-40 and GHB119), which has been genetically engineered to be tolerant to the herbicide glufosinate and resistant to several lepidopteran pests, is no longer considered a regulated article under our regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of data submitted by Bayer CropScience LP in its petition for a determination of nonregulated status, our analysis of available scientific data, and comments received from the public in response to our previous notice announcing the availability of the petition for nonregulated status and its associated environmental assessment and plant pest risk assessment. This notice also announces the availability of our written determination and finding of no significant impact.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on October 20, 2011. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that will be discussed at the 33rd Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU)of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany from November 14-18, 2011. In addition, two working groups will meet on November 12 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to discuss the Proposed Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Formulated Supplementary Foods for Older Infants and Young Children, and the Proposed Draft Revision of the Codex General Principles for the Addition of Essential Nutrients to Foods. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 33rd Session of the CCNFSDU and to address items on the agenda.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on proposed information collections. This is a new information for the ``Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth Study,'' part of the USDA's People's Garden program. This study will use the network of Cooperative Extension Educators to collect information from children in schools that have agreed to participate in the study in four states: Arkansas, Iowa, New York, and Washington. The information collected will build on existing knowledge by examining how school gardens affect children's fruit and vegetable consumption and other outcomes.

The Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is proposing to update, rename, and relocate the administrative appeal regulations governing occupancy or use of National Forest System (NFS) lands and resources. The appeal process for decisions related to occupancy or use of NFS lands and resources has remained substantially unchanged since 1989. The proposed rule simplifies the appeal process, shortens the appeal period, and reduces the cost of appeal while still providing a fair and deliberate procedure by which eligible individuals and entities may obtain administrative review of certain types of Forest Service decisions affecting their occupancy or use of NFS lands or resources. The proposed rule also relocates the provision entitled ``Mediation of Term Grazing Permit Disputes'' to a more appropriate location in the range management regulations. Finally, conforming technical revisions to other parts of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) affected by this proposed rule are being made.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is a new information collection for the School Foodservice Indirect Cost Study.

We are advising the public of our decision to begin allowing the interstate movement into the continental United States of fresh rambutan fruit from Puerto Rico. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we believe that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the interstate movement of rambutan from Puerto Rico.

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is issuing this notice to publish the fiscal year (FY) 2012 State sugar marketing allotments and company allocations to sugarcane and sugar beet processors, which apply to all domestic sugar marketed for human consumption in the United States from October 1, 2011, through September 30, 2012. Although CCC already has announced most of the information in this notice through a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) news release, CCC is required to publish the determinations establishing, adjusting, or suspending sugar marketing allotments in the Federal Register.

The Deschutes Provincial Advisory Committee will meet on September 29, 2011 to conduct a field review of stream and riparian restoration projects. The meeting will also discuss the Forest Service and BLM integrated weed management programs. Members will meet at the Deschutes National Forest Supervisor's office, Upper Deschutes Conference Room (1001 SW. Emkay Drive, Bend, Oregon) from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. All Deschutes Province Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public.

The Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee meeting that was to be held on October 21 or 24, 2011 at the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 is cancelled. This Committee, established by the Secretary of Agriculture on December 15, 1998 (64 FR 2876), is chartered to provide advice to the Secretary on implementing the terms of the Federal Interagency Partnership on the Lake Tahoe Region and other matters raised by the Secretary.

This rule revises the quantity of Class 1 (Scotch) and Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2011-2012 marketing year. This rule increases the Scotch spearmint oil salable quantity from 693,141 pounds to 733,913 pounds, and the allotment percentage from 34 percent to 36 percent. In addition, this rule increases the Native spearmint oil salable quantity from 1,012,949 pounds to 1,266,161 pounds, and the allotment percentage from 44 percent to 55 percent. The marketing order regulates the handling of spearmint oil produced in the Far West and is administered locally by the Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee). The Committee recommended this rule for the purpose of avoiding extreme fluctuations in supplies and prices and to help maintain stability in the Far West spearmint oil market.

The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) Advisory Committee will meet in person. The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate proposals submitted in response to the Fiscal Year 2011 CFLRP Request for Proposals and make recommendations for project selection to the Secretary of Agriculture.

The Eastern Washington Cascades Provincial Advisory Committee and the Yakima Provincial Advisory Committee will meet on October 19, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Headquarters Office, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, WA and also on November 9, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Washington State Park office, 270 9th Street, NE., East Wenatchee, WA. During these meetings information will be shared about Access Travel Management. All Eastern Washington Cascades and Yakima Province Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public.

We are amending the bovine tuberculosis regulations regarding State and zone classifications by reclassifying a zone in New Mexico consisting of Curry and Roosevelt Counties. We have determined that the zone meets the criteria for accredited-free status. Since the remainder of the State is already classified as accredited free, the entire State of New Mexico is now classified as accredited free. This action relieves certain restrictions on the interstate movement of cattle and bison from Curry and Roosevelt Counties in New Mexico.

This rule increases the assessment rate established for the Texas Valley Citrus Committee (Committee) for the 2011-12 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.12 to $0.14 per 7/10-bushel carton or equivalent of oranges and grapefruit handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of oranges and grapefruit grown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Assessments upon orange and grapefruit handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal period began on August 1 and ends July 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

We are advising the public of our decision to authorize the importation into the continental United States of dragon fruit (multiple genera and species) from Thailand. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we believe that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of dragon fruit from Thailand.

In accordance with the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002, we are proposing to amend and republish the list of select agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to animal or plant health, or to animal or plant products. The Act requires the biennial review and republication of the list of select agents and toxins and the revision of the list as necessary. This action would implement the findings of the third biennial review of the list. In addition, we are proposing to reorganize the list of select agents and toxins based on the relative potential of each select agent or toxin to be misused to adversely affect human, plant, or animal health. Such tiering of the list would allow for the optimization of security measures for those select agents or toxins that present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with the most significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy, critical infrastructure, or public confidence. We are also proposing a number of amendments to the regulations, including the addition of definitions and clarification of language concerning security, training, biosafety, biocontainment, and incident response. These changes would increase the usability of the select agent regulations as well as provide for enhanced program oversight.

This notice announces a fee of $170 to be charged for the 2012 tariff-rate quota (TRQ) year for each license issued to a person or firm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorizing the importation of certain dairy articles, which are subject to tariff-rate quotas set forth in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) of the United States.