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

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), and the Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the National Forest Management Act 1976 (NFMA), the Forest Service (FS) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to amend the Toiyabe National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan and the Carson City and Battle Mountain Resource Management Plans. This notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues. The FS is the lead agency on the EIS. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is participating as a cooperating agency to insure the NEPA can be used to adequately cover their RMP amendment. This analysis will be the basis of three records of decision. The development of this EIS will be coordinated across management units of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, BLM Carson City District, and BLM Battle Mountain District and include areas in western Nevada and eastern California. These management units include the Bridgeport Ranger District and Carson Ranger Districts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, BLM Carson City and Battle Mountain Districts. These management units include areas identified as habitat for the Greater Sage Grouse Bi- State Distinct Population Segment.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to add the Republic of Korea (Korea) to the list of countries eligible to export poultry products to the United States. Reviews by FSIS of Korea's laws, regulations, and inspection implementation show that its poultry inspection system requirements are equivalent to the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) and its implementing regulations. Under this proposal, slaughtered poultry or parts or other products thereof processed in certified Korean establishments would be eligible for export to the United States. All such products would be subject to re- inspection at United States ports-of-entry by FSIS inspectors.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with no revisions of a currently approved information collection, Flathead Wild and Scenic River Visitor Survey and McKenzie River Visitor Survey.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of issuing Term Grazing Permits to continue authorizing cattle grazing on all or portions of four existing grazing allotments: Bannon, Aeneas, Revis, and Tunk; herein after referred to as BART. The issuance of Term Grazing Permits would continue to authorize grazing at current permitted cattle numbers and seasons of use.

This notice informs the public that the Bristol Bay Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council (Council) will hold a public meeting by teleconference on December 3, 2012. The public is invited to participate and to provide oral testimony. The purpose of the Council is to provide recommendations and information to the Federal Subsistence Board, to review policies and management plans, and to provide a public forum for subsistence issues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement, to add 12 sections to designate product categories 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 product categories.

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

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to request revision and extension of a currently approved information collection, the Cold Storage Survey. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, expected increases in response rates, and modes of data collection. The questionnaires have had some minor modifications to accommodate changes in the products stored by the industry, and to make the questionnaires easier to complete. The target population for cold storage operators (both mandatory and voluntary samples) will be contacted for this data on a monthly basis. Fruit storage operations are contacted on a monthly basis. The capacity survey is conduced once every other year of all operations with refrigerated storage capacity. Most of these surveys are voluntary; the one exception is for operations that store certain manufactured dairy products that are required by Public Law No. 106-532 and 107-171 to respond.

The Prince of Wales Resource Advisory Committee cancelled the Resource Advisory Committee meeting to be held on September 28, 2012. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss potential projects under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2008.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collection to support the FSA Farm Loan Programs (FLP).

This final rule clarifies a provision of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 and the regulations issued thereunder that requires periodic residue testing of organically produced agricultural products by accredited certifying agents. The final rule amends the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) regulations to make clear that accredited certifying agents must conduct periodic residue testing of agricultural products that are to be sold, labeled, or represented as ``100 percent organic,'' ``organic,'' or ``made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)).'' The final rule expands the amount of residue testing of organically produced agricultural products by clarifying that sampling and testing are required on a regular basis. The final rule requires that certifying agents, on an annual basis, sample and conduct residue testing from a minimum of five percent of the operations that they certify. This action will help further ensure the integrity of products produced and handled under the NOP regulations.

The Mountaintop Ranger District, San Bernardino National Forest proposes to reduce fire risk and improve forest health within approximately 19,850 acres around the Barton Flats area of the upper Santa Ana Watershed under the authority of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003. To meet the primary purposes of providing for firefighter safety and community protection, it is proposed to create shaded fuelbreaks along private property boundaries adjacent to communities, along roads, and ridge tops that are strategically important as defensible fire-fighting zones. Outside of these fuelbreaks, it is proposed to reduce the potential for stand- replacing wildfire by reducing tree densities and removing excess fuels, while at the same time maintaining essential forest structure required by wildlife. The proposed action includes the long-term maintenance of the treatments proposed to meet the desired conditions.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), this document announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval, from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of and revision to the currently approved information collection for the National Farmers Market Manager Questionnaire.