Department of Agriculture December 19, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board will meet in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Board is established consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C. App. II) (FACA); and the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et.seq.) (RPA); the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 1612) (NFMA), and the Federal Public Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (Pub. L. 108-447) (REA). The purpose of the Board is to provide advice and recommendations on a broad range of forest issues such as forest plan revisions or amendments, forest health including fire and mountain pine beetle epidemics, travel management, forest monitoring and evaluation, recreation fees, and site-specific projects having forest-wide implications. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is: (1) To accomplish the required annual Ethics Training; (2) to provide an update on the Sheridan Lake Valve Situation; (3) to provide an update on the Record of Decision for the Mountain Pine Beetle Response Project; and (4) to review Travel Management Plan Goals and Implementation for the purpose of planning fee schedules and program for the year 2014.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other interested parties to comment on a proposed information collection. This collection is an extension, without change, of a currently approved collection. This information collection will conduct research in support of FNS' goal of delivering science-based nutrition education to targeted audiences. From development through testing of materials and tools with the target audience, FNS plans to conduct data collections that involve formative research including focus groups, interviews (dyad, triad, telephone, etc.), surveys and Web-based collection tools.

We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of sand pears (Pyrus pyrifolia) from China into the United States. As a condition of entry, sand pears from areas in China in which the Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) is not known to exist will have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that includes requirements for registration of places of production and packinghouses, sourcing of pest-free propagative material, inspection for quarantine pests at set intervals by the national plant protection organization of China, bagging of fruit, safeguarding, labeling, and importation in commercial consignments. Sand pears from areas in China in which Oriental fruit fly is known to exist may be imported into the United States if, in addition to these requirements, the places of production and packinghouses have a monitoring system in place for Oriental fruit fly and the pears are treated with cold treatment. All sand pears from China will also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that all conditions for the importation of the pears have been met and that the consignment of pears has been inspected and found free of quarantine pests. This action will allow for the importation of sand pears from China into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

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 Generic Clearance for Survey Research Studies. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, and/or questionnaire length.

In June of 2003, the Dakota Prairie Grasslands Record of Decision for Oil and Gas Leasing on the Little Missouri and Cedar River National Grasslands was signed. This decision spelled out leasing stipulations, consistent with the Revised Dakota Prairie Grasslands Land and Resource Management Plan, based on the 2001 Northern Great Plains Management Plans Revision FEIS which included a Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenario (RFDS) for Oil and Gas for the Little Missouri and Cedar River National Grasslands. In the 11 years since the analysis was completed there has been a change in the manner in which oil and gas development has occurred on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, primarily that multiple (4-6) wells can be drilled from a single well pad rather than just one; as was most common in the past. The improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies to improve the ability to access oil and gas located deep underground are the primary reasons for these changes in development. At this time it is necessary to review the analysis to determine whether or not the effects of the changed pattern of oil and gas development are different from those effects considered in the 2001 FEIS, and whether or not there is a need to change Land and Resource Management Plan standards and guidelines (and possibly leasing stipulations) in order to continue oil and gas development on the Little Missouri and Cedar River National Grassland units of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands.