Department of Agriculture 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is implementing changes to the way it solicits public comment when considering petitions for determinations of nonregulated status for genetically engineered organisms to allow for early public involvement in the process. Under the updated process, APHIS will publish two separate notices in the Federal Register for petitions for which APHIS prepares an environmental assessment. The first notice will announce the availability of the petition, and the second notice will announce the availability of APHIS' decisionmaking documents. This change will provide two opportunities for public involvement in the decisionmaking process.

The Land Between The Lakes Advisory Board will hold a meeting on April 19, 2012. 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 April 12, 2012 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.

GIPSA is announcing the designation of Grain Inspection, Inc. (Jamestown); Lincoln Inspection Service, Inc. (Lincoln); Midsouth Grain Inspection Service (Midsouth); and Sioux City Grain Inspection and Weighing Service, Inc. (Sioux City) to provide official services under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA), as amended.

The Salmon-Challis National Forest announces its intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) and revised record of decision (ROD) to the 2009 Salmon-Challis National Forest Travel Planning and OHV Route Designation Project FEIS and ROD as ordered by the District Court of Idaho in a February 4, 2011, memorandum decision and order. The order was filed in response to a January 22, 2010, complaint from The Wilderness Society and the Idaho Conservation League challenging the 2009 decision. Supplemental analysis to correct deficiencies identified by the Court could change the designation of some routes and areas currently open for motor vehicle use and/or change the types of motor vehicle uses and/or seasonal open periods allowed on roads, trails and areas authorized under the 2009 Travel Plan. Any motor vehicle route designation changes resulting from new or supplemental analysis would be dcoumented in a revised record of decision in addition to Court ordered instructions to clarify that a minimum road system determination has not been made (as stated in the original ROD).

This rule would establish the quantity of spearmint oil produced in the Far West, by class, that handlers may purchase from, or handle on behalf of, producers during the 2012-2013 marketing year, which begins on June 1, 2012. This rule invites comments on the establishment of salable quantities and allotment percentages for Class 1 (Scotch) spearmint oil of 782,413 pounds and 38 percent, respectively, and for Class 3 (Native) spearmint oil of 1,162,473 pounds and 50 percent, respectively. The Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee), the agency responsible for local administration of the marketing order for spearmint oil produced in the Far West, recommended these limitations for the purpose of avoiding extreme fluctuations in supplies and prices to help maintain stability in the spearmint oil market.

This rule invites comments on the establishment of final free and restricted percentages for the 2011-12 crop year under the marketing order for tart cherries grown in the states of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin (order). The order is administered locally by the Cherry Industry Administrative Board (Board). This action would establish the proportion of tart cherries from the 2011 crop which may be handled in commercial outlets at 88 percent free and 12 percent restricted. These percentages should stabilize marketing conditions by adjusting supply to meet market demand and help improve grower returns.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Notice of Intent (NOI) on December 9, 2011 [76 FR 77008] to prepare environmental impact statements (EISs) and supplemental environmental impact statements to incorporate greater sage-grouse conservation measures into land use plans and land management plans. The BLM is the lead agency for this action and in the preparation of these EISs and Supplemental EISs and the Forest Service is participating as a cooperating agency. On February 10, 2012 [77 FR 7178] the BLM published a Notice of Correction that changed the names of the regions that are coordinating the Environmental Impact Statements and Supplemental EISs, extended the scoping period, and added 11 Forest Service Land Management Plans to this process. This notice has been published to ensure all stakeholders, interested in Forest Service activities, are aware of the Notice of Intent published by the BLM and are provided a complete list of potentially impacted forests and grasslands.

We are amending the regulations to provide for the importation of wooden handicrafts from China under certain conditions. From 2002 to 2005, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued more than 300 emergency action notices and conducted national recalls to remove infested Chinese-origin wooden handicrafts from the U.S. marketplace. In 2005, APHIS suspended the importation of certain wooden handicrafts until we could more fully analyze the pest risks associated with those articles. Based on evidence from a pest risk analysis, APHIS has determined that these articles can be safely imported from China, provided certain conditions are met. This action allows for trade in Chinese wooden handicrafts to resume while continuing to protect the United States against the introduction of plant pests.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the importation of hams into the United States.

The Stanislaus National Forest proposes to set permanent limitations on recreational target shooting at Candy Rock Quarry near Hathaway Pines, California. The purpose of this proposal is to determine if recreational target shooting is an appropriate activity at Candy Rock Quarry in the context of safety, public health, and applicable law, regulation and policy. If target shooting is found to be appropriate, determine the conditions under which shooting may continue.

The Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on March 21, 2012 at the Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Boulevard, Incline Village, Nevada 89451-9500. 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.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the importation of fresh (frozen or chilled) pork or pork products into the United States.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed information collection for the FNS-245, Negative Case Action Review Schedule and updates the status of the FNS-248, Status of Sample Selection and Completion. The FNS-245 is currently used in the Quality Control process for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the FNS-248 will be removed from this collection as it has been eliminated as a FNS form through regulatory change. The proposed collection is a revision of a collection currently approved under OMB No. 0584-0034.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, the United States Department of Agriculture announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21).

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, intends to hold public scoping meetings and prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) to meet its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and RUS's Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR part 1794) in connection with potential impacts related to a proposed project in Colorado by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (Tri-State). The proposed Burlington-Wray 230-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Project (Proposal) consists of the following: a proposed new single-circuit 230-kV electric transmission line between the existing Burlington Substation in Kit Carson County and the existing Wray Substation in Yuma County. Tri-State is requesting that RUS provide financial assistance for the Proposal.

Mitsubishi Cement Corporation is submitting to the San Bernardino National Forest and San Bernardino County, for permitting, a Plan of Operations and Reclamation Plan for the South Quarry. The South Quarry will total approximately 153.6 acres consisting of a 128-acre quarry, a 2.7 acre landscape berm, a 22.2-acre haul road 1.8 miles in length, and a temporary construction road of 0.7 acres. The South Quarry and haul road will be located almost entirely (147.0 acres) on 440 acres of unpatented claims owned by Mitsubishi Cement Corporation on the San Bernardino National Forest with approximately 6.6 acres of the haul road located on Mitsubishi Cement Corporation fee land where it enters the existing East Pit. Current estimates project the South Quarry could feed the cement plant for approximately 120 years. No change to the throughput or operation of the Cushenbury Cement Plant is proposed as part of this project. Based on drilling conducted during the winter of 2009 and 2010, the South Quarry site has estimated proven and inferred reserves of over 200 million tons of mostly high to medium grade limestone. This higher grade limestone would be blended with lower grade limestone excavated from the West and East Pits at a ratio of approximately 50/50 in order to meet the limestone specifications to feed the adjacent Mitsubishi Cement Corporation Cushenbury Cement Plant. Concurrent reclamation would be conducted throughout the life of the quarry and, at the conclusion of excavations, 5 years of active reclamation and revegetation would be implemented followed by revegetation monitoring and remediation until revegetation goals are achieved. Comments are being requested to help identify significant issues or concerns related to the proposed action, to determine the scope of the issues (including alternatives) that need to be analyzed and to eliminate from detailed study those issues that are not significant. Supporting documentation should be included with comments recommending that the joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (EIS/EIR), to be prepared by the San Bernardino National Forest and County of San Bernardino, as the lead state agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), address specific environmental issues.

Section 7403 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246) (FCEA) amended section 3(d) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) to provide the opportunity for 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, including Tuskegee University and West Virginia State University to compete for section 3(d) funds. Section 7417 of FCEA also provided the University of the District of Columbia the opportunity to compete for section 3(d) funds. The Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Sustainable Community Projects is among the Extension programs funded under this authority. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) plans to consider stakeholder input received from written comments in developing future competitive RFAs for this program.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, intends to grant to North Carolina State University of Raleigh, North Carolina, an exclusive license to the soybean variety named ``N7003CN''.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a revision to a previous data collection to understand better the shopping patterns of SNAP participants at farmers' markets. The purpose of this collection is for the Food and Nutrition Service to understand how private organizations operate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) financial incentive programs for clients purchasing fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. Information collected will be used to examine how these organizations design, operate, and evaluate incentive programs to encourage SNAP clients to shop for fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets. It will also assist in assessing how much these programs influence the purchase of fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets using SNAP benefits.

This final rule adopts changes to Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) regulations as required by section 273(d) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (the Act) as amended by the Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2010. The amendment to the Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish an electronic reporting system for certain manufacturers of dairy products to report sales information for a mandatory dairy product reporting program. The amendment further states that the Secretary shall publish the information obtained for the preceding week not later than 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday of each week.

In accordance with Section 3(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, is transmitting the final boundary of the Sturgeon National Wild and Scenic River to Congress.