Department of Agriculture 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) related to providing financial assistance to the Oglethorpe Power Corporation (Oglethorpe) for the construction of a 100 megawatt (MW) biomass plant and related facilities (Proposal) in Warren County, Georgia. The Administrator of RUS has signed the ROD, which was effective upon signing. The EIS was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.) and in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and RUS' Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR part 1794). As the lead federal agency, and as part of its broad environmental review process, RUS must take into account the effect of the Proposal on historic properties in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) and its implementing regulation ``Protection of Historic Properties'' (36 CFR Part 800). Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), RUS used its procedures for public involvement under NEPA, in part, to meet its responsibilities to solicit and consider the views of the public and other interested parties during the Section 106 review process. Accordingly, comments submitted in the EIS process also informed RUS's decision making in the Section 106 review process. The purpose of the Proposal is to provide a reliable, long-term supply of renewable and sustainable energy at a reasonable cost to meet part of the electric energy needs of Oglethorpe's members. The Final EIS evaluated the potential environmental impacts of and alternatives to the Project proposed by Oglethorpe for RUS financing to construct the 100 megawatt (MW) biomass plant and related facilities (Proposal) in Warren County, Georgia

We are amending the regulations regarding the interstate movement of livestock to require approved livestock facilities and listed slaughtering and rendering establishments to maintain certain records for 5 years. Currently, approved livestock facilities are required to retain certain records for 2 years, and there are no record retention provisions that apply to listed slaughtering and rendering establishments. Requiring the retention of certain records for 5 years will allow us to trace the prior movements of diseased livestock further into the past than is currently possible, thus providing the opportunity to locate potentially infected or exposed livestock that might otherwise remain unidentified. We are also requiring the operators of slaughtering and rendering establishments to sign listing agreements to document their agreement to comply with the requirements of the regulations for listed slaughtering and rendering establishments. Such agreements are currently required for approved livestock facilities, but not for slaughtering and rendering facilities. This change will eliminate that inconsistency.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) is amending the regulations utilized to service the Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program in two separate sections, in order to clarify the types of projects that are eligible for a Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan. The intended effect of this action is to strengthen the Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program by limiting the risk to the guaranteed loan portfolio. RHS will prohibit the financing of facilities in which the operation of such facilities have not been supported by the community and have resulted in significant default and loan losses to the agency.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to seek approval to conduct a new information collection, the Wheat and Barley Scab Control Practices Survey.

The Klamath National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to document and publicly disclose the environmental effects of fuels treatments on ridge tops and along roadways, thinning in natural stands and plantations, and meadow treatments to improve ecosystem function and resiliency while contributing to rural economic health. The project area is south of Sawyers Bar, California. Treatments are proposed on approximately 1,950 acres.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is extending to maize line HCEM485, which has been genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, our determination of nonregulated status of Roundup Ready[supreg] corn line GA21. Therefore, APHIS no longer considers maize line HCEM485 to be a regulated article under Agency regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. Our decision is based on our evaluation of data submitted by Stine Seed Farm, Inc., in its request for an extension of a determination of nonregulated status, an analysis of other scientific data, and comments received from the public in response to a previous notice announcing our preliminary determination. This notice also announces the availability of our written determination, final environmental assessment, plant pest risk assessment, and our finding of no significant impact.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), hereinafter referred to as RUS or the Agency, amends its regulations for the Community-Oriented Connectivity Broadband Grant Program (Community Connect Grant Program). The purpose of this regulatory change is to provide the Agency the ability to target limited resources to geographical as well as technological areas of need. This rule is not applicable to Community Connect grant applications filed for funding prior to the publication of a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) under this regulation.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App., the United States Department of Agriculture announces the solicitation for nominations to fill 8 vacancies on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board.

We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of plants and plant products by establishing the controlled import permit as a single type of authorization for the importation into the United States of otherwise prohibited or restricted plant material for experimental, therapeutic, or developmental purposes. Currently, some sections of the regulations provide for those articles to be imported under a departmental permit, while other sections provide for their importation under administrative instructions or conditions specified by the Administrator or Deputy Administrator. This action will consolidate and harmonize the conditions for obtaining authorization for the importation of otherwise prohibited or restricted plant material for scientific or certain other purposes.

We are proposing to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of commercial shipments of fresh beans, shelled or in pods (French, green, snap, and string), from Jordan into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, the beans would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include requirements for packing, washing, and processing. The beans would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate attesting that all phytosanitary requirements have been met and that the consignment was inspected and found free of quarantine pests. This action would allow for the importation of fresh beans, shelled or in pods, from Jordan into the continental United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of plant pests.

This project would remove the historic fire lookout on Green Mountain and relocate it to Circle Peak, authorizing the use of motorized equipment and mechanical transport within the Glacier Peak Wilderness in connection with the removal. Green Mountain Lookout is approximately one air mile inside Glacier Peak Wilderness, Darrington Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Circle Peak is on National Forest land outside Wilderness and approximately six miles southwest of Green Mountain.

The Office of the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is waiving certain provisions in the Refined Sugar Re-Export Program, effective today. These actions are authorized under the waiver authority for the Refined Sugar Re-Export Program regulation at 7 CFR 1530.113. These waivers will facilitate a re-balancing of re-export program license amounts and provide greater flexibility to offset exports and transfers with raw sugar imports.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is announcing the release of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) Request for Applications (RFA) at www.nifa.usda.gov/ vmlrp.

The Tuolumne-Mariposa Counties Resource Advisory Committee will meet on May 6, 2013, (alternate dates May 13, 2013 or May 20, 2013), at the City of Sonora Fire Department, in Sonora, California. The purpose of the meeting is to reprioritize projects due to expected decreases to Title II RAC funding.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites comments on this information collection for which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the California Olive Committee (Committee) for the 2013 and subsequent fiscal years from $31.32 to $21.16 per ton of assessable olives handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order which regulates the handling of olives grown in California. Assessments upon olive handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The fiscal year began January 1 and ends December 31. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the extension of a currently approved information collection, Disposal of Mineral Materials.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the program for ``Section 515 Multi-Family Housing Preservation and Revitalization Restructuring Demonstration Program (MPR) for Fiscal Year 2006.''

We are amending the gypsy moth regulations by adding areas in Wisconsin to the list of generally infested areas based on the detection of infestations of gypsy moth in those areas. As a result of this action, the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas is restricted. This action is necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the gypsy moth to noninfested areas of the United States.