Department of Agriculture March 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Development's intention to request clearance for continuation of information collection to measure the quality of loan servicing provided by the Rural Development, Centralized Servicing Center (CSC) in St. Louis, MO.

This rule revises the United States Standards for Grades of Almonds in the Shell. These standards are issued under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is revising the standards by changing the determination of internal defects from count to weight. These revisions will align the inspection procedures for incoming inspections (based on the marketing order) and outgoing inspections (based on the standards). These changes will promote greater uniformity and will provide consistency with current marketing practices.

The Kaibab National Forest is proposing to charge fees for the overnight rental of three historic facilities on the North Kaibab Ranger District. Jumpup cabin is the oldest Ranger Station on the North Kaibab Ranger District. The cabin was recently rehabilitated with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and Forest Service funds and is a popular overnight stop for hikers in the Kanab Creek Wilderness Area. The new fee is proposed at $60.00 per night for Jumpup Cabin with a maximum capacity of eight people. Pleasant Valley Cabin is located on Highway 67, a few miles north of the Grand Canyon National Park. The cabin will require substantial rehabilitation work over the next two years to prepare it for public use. The new fee is proposed at $140.00 per night for Pleasant Valley Cabin with a maximum capacity of four people. Big Springs Administrative Center is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been used by homesteaders, and later the Forest Service, since the 1800's. The complex consists of a historic office, dining hall, shower house, group kitchen, seven residential units, and several administrative structures. The residential units were recently restored using ARRA funds. While Big Springs serves as an active administrative site for the U.S. Forest Service, rental cabins available to the public are in a discrete location separated from administrative structures. The proposed fee is $65.00 per night for an individual cabin at Big Springs. Individual cabins vary in occupancy from two to four people per cabin and includes use of the shower house, kitchen and dining hall. Other cabin rentals within the Arizona National Forests have shown that the public appreciates and enjoys the availability of historic rental facilities. Funds from the rentals will be used for the continued operation and maintenance of these facilities and other properties in the Arizona ``Rooms with a View'' Cabin Rental Program.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations to remove sodium benzoate, sodium propionate, and benzoic acid from the list of substances that the regulations prohibit for use in meat or poultry products. New uses of these substances in meat or poultry products will continue to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety and by FSIS for suitability. FSIS will add approved uses of these substances to the list of approved substances contained in the Agency's directive system.

We are affirming our earlier determination that it was necessary to immediately add to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual a treatment schedule for methyl bromide fumigation of cottonseed for the fungal plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (FOV). In a previous notice, we made available to the public for review and comment a treatment evaluation document that described the new treatment schedule and explained why we have determined that it is effective at neutralizing FOV, certain strains of which are quarantine pests.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact relative to the release of Aphelinus glycinis for the biological control of soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, in the continental United States. Based on its finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has prepared a document that describes the revised methodology that APHIS will use to conduct plant health pest risk assessments for imported fruit and vegetable commodities. These new guidelines are necessary to incorporate advancements in pest risk assessment methods, provide clearer and more transparent analyses, and streamline the market access analysis process.

The USDA Forest Service, Eldorado National Forest will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposal to modify vegetation on approximately 7,000 acres of National Forest System land. The purpose of the project is to modify the forest vegetation in order to put it on a trajectory toward the desired conditions for: (1) Reduced tree density; (2) sustained old forest conditions; (3) enhanced wildlife habitat; (4) reduced wildfire risk; (5) improved long-term scenic sustainability; (6) increased recreational opportunities; (7) enhanced riparian conservation areas; and, (8) maximized revenue derived from commercial products to perform essential and costly biomass removal, and to support the retention of local industrial infrastructure. The project area is located south-east of the community of Grizzly Flat, including the area surrounding Leoni Meadows, west of Caldor, and north of Big Mountain. The project is located entirely in El Dorado County, California in T.8N., R.13 E., in all or portions of Sections 1 and 2; T.8N., R.14 E., in all or portions of Sections 4-6; T.9N., R.13E., in portions of Section 1-3, 11-16, 19-30, 33-36; T.9N., R.14E., in all or portions of Sections 5-10, 14-22, 28-33; and T.10 N, R.13E., in all or portions of Sections 35 and 36; M.D.B & M.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is adopting, without change, an interim rule that amended the regulations governing the selection and functions of State and county committees. The amendments in the interim rule were needed to make the regulations consistent with the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the 2002 Farm Bill) and the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). The intent of the amendments was to ensure that socially disadvantaged (SDA) farmers and ranchers are appropriately represented on county committees, to make the county committee election process more open and accountable, and to clarify requirements for committee membership in the situation where existing county committees are consolidated or combined. All of these amendments have already been implemented by FSA, except for the new provisions specifying that the Secretary may appoint a voting member to the county committee when required to ensure fair representation of SDA farmers and ranchers. Those appointments will be made starting in 2013. There will be no change in State and county committee functions and election procedures as a result of this rule.

This final rule redefines districts, reapportions representation, and modifies the qualifications for membership on the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee). The Committee is responsible for local administration of the Federal marketing order for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida (order). This final rule reduces the number of districts, reapportions representation among the districts, and allows up to four growers who are shippers or employees of a shipper to serve as grower members on the Committee. These changes adjust grower representation to reflect the composition of the industry, provide equitable representation from each district, and create the opportunity for more growers to serve on the Committee.