Department of Agriculture March 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), this notice announces the National Agricultural Library's intent to request approval for a new electronic mailing list subscription form from those working with water quality and water resources. This voluntary form gives individuals an opportunity to receive and post messages to an electronic discussion list maintained by the Water Quality Information Center (WQIC).

The New Mexico Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel will meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Panel is meeting as authorized under the Community Forest Restoration Act (Title VI, Pub. L. 106-393) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the meeting is to provide recommendations to the Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service Southwestern Region, on which applications submitted in response to the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Request For Applications best meet the program objectives.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites comments on the following information collections for which the Agency intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to request revision and extension of a currently approved information collection, the Agricultural Resources Management Survey and Chemical Use Surveys. A revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, and/or questionnaire length.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service has re- established the Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board (Board). The purpose is to obtain advice and recommendations on a broad range of forest issues such as forest plan revisions or amendments, forest health including fire management and mountain pine beetle infestations, travel management, forest monitoring and evaluation, recreation fees, and site-specific projects having forest wide implications. In an earlier notice, the Forest Service indicated it was seeking nominations for individuals to be considered as committee members, and the public was invited to submit nominations for membership. That notice, ``Notice of intent to re-establish the Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board and call for nominations,'' was published in the Federal Register, Volume 77, No. 30, page 8214, on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 and indicated that nominations and applications to the Board must be received by March 15, 2012. This revised notice extends the deadline for nominations and applications to April 30, 2012.

The Department announces adjusted income eligibility guidelines to be used by State agencies in determining the income eligibility of persons applying to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC). These income eligibility guidelines are to be used in conjunction with the WIC Regulations.

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. The proposed collection is a revision of a currently approved collection.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hosting a match making day at the USDA, to promote the necessary connections between agricultural producers of energy feedstocks (and their related businesses) with biorefiners seeking to produce biofuels for commercial sale and consumption. Officials from the U.S. Department of Navy, U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Transportation will also be attending, making presentations and answering questions. The objectives of this match making session will be to improve awareness and increase understanding of the biofuels supply chain links between all those involved in feedstock production and the processors of that feedstock into biofuels. This includes logistical challenges, potential roles of ancillary service providers, and potential pitfalls and blindspots. At this meeting, federal officials will provide a short profile of each section of the supply chain and representatives from the participating stakeholders will respond with short formal presentations that outline their experiences in that respective supply chain sector, barriers and lessons learned, and potential growth and opportunities. Short presentations will be made at the top of each hour followed by table discussions, at which a representative from each of the sectors of the biofuels supply chain should be seated, as well as one or more government officials.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection which FNS employs to determine public participation in the National School Lunch Program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection which FNS employs to determine public participation in the School Breakfast Program.

This Notice announces the availability of $8,611,000 of FYs 2011 and 2012 funding of competitive grant funds for the RCDI program through the Rural Housing Service (RHS), an agency within the USDA Rural Development mission area (Agency). Appropriation Acts made available $4,990,000 in FY 2011 and $3,621,000 in FY 2012 for the RCDI program for a total of $8,611,000 for the two fiscal years. The RCDI grant program includes an initiative called the Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. For FY 2011 and the FY 2012 RCDI funds will be divided between the traditional RCDI Program and the Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge as follows: $2,500,000 of the FY 2011 funds and $1,811,000 of the FY 2012 funds will be available for the traditional RCDI program and $2,490,000 of the FY 2011 funds and $1,810,000 of the FY 2012 will be reserved for awards through a Federal Funding Opportunity Announcement in partnership with the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. An application for ``Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge'' funds must be submitted to both USDA and EDA by an organization or a team of organizations that is individually or collectively eligible to receive funding from USDA and EDA. Additional information regarding the Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge can be found in Part VI and Part VII of this NOFA. Requirements outlined in Parts II, III, VIII, IX, X, and XI of this NOFA apply to both the Traditional RCDI Program and the Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. All applicants must provide matching funds in an amount at least equal to the Federal grant. These grants will be made to qualified intermediary organizations that will provide financial and technical assistance to recipients to develop their capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development. This Notice lists the information needed to submit an application for these funds.

In September 2010, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) implemented the new Conservation Loan (CL) Program authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). FSA added the CL Program provisions to the existing direct and guaranteed loan regulations. The provisions provide CL program eligibility and servicing options for the direct and guaranteed loans made through the CL Program. FSA is amending the Farm Loan Programs (FLP) direct and guaranteed loan regulations for the CL Program based on public comments received on the interim rule.

The Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee will hold a meeting via teleconference. The purpose of the teleconference is to discuss committee roles and responsibilities and to set a meeting date to consider fee proposals for areas managed by the Forest Service in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the territory of Puerto Rico; and to discuss other items of interest related to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004. A final agenda will be sent to regional media sources at least 7 days before the teleconference, and hard copies can also be mailed or sent via FAX. Individuals who need special, or who wish a hard copy of the agenda, should contact Caroline Mitchell at PO Box 1270, Hot Springs, AR 71902 or by phone at 501-321-5318 prior to the meeting.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to amend the meat and poultry products regulations pertaining to the schedule of operations. FSIS is proposing to amend these regulations to define the 8-hour workday as including time that inspection program personnel need to prepare the inspection station, if necessary, or retrieve and return lot tally sheets; the time necessary for FSIS inspection program personnel to sharpen knives, if necessary; and the time necessary to conduct duties scheduled by FSIS, including administrative activities. The activities are integral and indispensable to inspectors' work and are part of the continuous workday as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Therefore, they are activities that need to be part of the Agency's regulatory definition for the 8-hour workday.

We are proposing to amend the regulations that govern the importation of animals and animal products to revise the conditions for the importation of live bovines and products derived from bovines with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). We are proposing to base importation conditions on the inherent risk of BSE infectivity in specified commodities, as well as on the BSE risk status of the region from which the commodities originate. We are proposing to establish a system for classifying regions as to BSE risk that is consistent with the system employed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the international standard-setting organization for guidelines related to animal health. The conditions we are proposing for the importation of specified commodities are based on internationally accepted scientific literature and, except in a few instances, are consistent with guidelines set out in the OIE's Terrestrial Animal Health Code. We are also proposing to classify certain specified countries as to BSE risk and are proposing to remove BSE restrictions on the importation of cervids and camelids and products derived from such animals. We are proposing to make these amendments after conducting a thorough review of relevant scientific literature and a comprehensive evaluation of the issues and concluding that the proposed changes to the regulations would continue to guard against the introduction of BSE into the United States, while allowing the importation of additional animals and animal products into this country. In this document we are also affirming the position we took in removing the delay of applicability of certain provisions of the rule entitled ``Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Minimal-Risk Regions and Importation of Commodities,'' published in the Federal Register on January 4, 2005 (70 FR 460-553). The delay of applicability was removed in a final rule entitled ``Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Minimal-Risk Regions; Importation of Live Bovines and Products Derived from Bovines,'' published in the Federal Register on September 18, 2007 (72 FR 53314-53379).

This notice proposes to revise the Privacy Act System of Records titled Farm Records File (Automated) USDA/FSA-2. The records include information about the majority of agricultural producers in the United States. In general, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) proposes to revise the system of records to make minor corrections and updates to meet additional requirements.

This document revises the delegations of authority from the Secretary of Agriculture and general officers of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reflect changes in the coordination of Departmental remote sensing activities. These responsibilities are consolidated within the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to create a single focal point for coordinating all Departmental geospatial activities.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) are requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a new information collection request associated with the Economic Assessment of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Lands for Hunting.

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 privately owned quarantine facilities for ruminants.

A Notice of Intent (NOI) was first published for this proposal in the Federal Register (75 FR 81210) on December 27, 2010. This NOI is being published due to the length of time that has passed since the first NOI was published and due to changes made to the Purpose and Need and Proposed Action in response to public input received during the initial scoping period.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice announces the Office of Advocacy and Outreach/1890 Programs intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection for the USDA/1890 National Scholars Program.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of policy guidance for federally inspected establishments in the selection of commercial and private microbiological testing laboratories. FSIS has posted this policy guidance on its Web page https://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_ Policies/Compliance_Guides_Index/index.asp#Micro. FSIS encourages establishments that prepare meat, poultry, or processed egg products to follow the criteria in the guidelines in selecting commercial or private microbiological testing laboratories and in determining their capability to provide accurate and reliable results. Regulated establishments are required to enter into commerce food products that are safe and not adulterated or misbranded. Establishments that select laboratories that do not apply appropriate testing methods or maintain effective Quality Control or Quality Assurance (QC/QA) practices may not receive reliable or useful test results from the laboratory and run the risk of producing food that is unsafe.