Department of Agriculture 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the revision of a currently approved information collection, Volunteer Application and Agreement for Natural and Cultural Resources Agencies. This Information Collection Request also requests categorizing the associated forms as a Common forms, meaning Forest Service will only request approval for its own use of the forms, rather than aggregating the burden estimate across all Federal Agencies, as was done for previous actions on this OMB control number.

In accordance with section 3(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, is transmitting the final boundary description and map of the Sandy Wild and Scenic River, Upper Portion, to Congress.

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 Cotton Ginning Survey. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, and/or questionnaire length.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, gives notice of revised procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and Council on Environmental Quality regulations. These final implementing procedures are being issued in regulations concerning National Environmental Policy Act Compliance, which describes categorical exclusions. Categorical exclusions (CE) are categories of actions that normally will not result in individual or cumulative significant impacts on the quality of the human environment and, therefore, do not require analysis or documentation in either an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement. The revision adds three new categorical exclusions for activities that restore lands negatively impacted by water control structures, disturbance events, and roads and trails. Activities that restore lands occupied by National Forest System Roads and National Forest System Trails are excluded from this final rule. These will allow the Forest Service to more efficiently analyze and document the potential environmental effects of soil and water restoration projects that are intended to restore the flow of waters into natural channels and floodplains by removing water control structures, such as dikes, ditches, culverts, and pipes; restore lands and habitat to pre- disturbance conditions, to the extent practicable, by removing debris and sediment following disturbance events; and restore lands occupied by roads and trails to natural conditions. These categorical exclusions will not apply where resource conditions related to the potential effect of a proposed action constitute an extraordinary circumstance. Activities conducted under these categorical exclusions must be consistent with Agency procedures and applicable land management plans and must comply with all applicable Federal and State laws for protecting the environment. The road and trail restoration category will be used for restoring lands impacted by roads and trails that are not needed, not maintained, and/or where public access is prohibited. This category will not be used to make access decisions about which roads and trails are to be designated for public use.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice announces the Department's intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the Dairy Tariff-rate Import Quota Licensing program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Housing Service (RHS) invites comments on this information collection for which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested. The intention is to request a revision for a currently approved information collection in support of the program for 7 CFR Part 1927-B, Real Estate Title Clearance and Loan Closing.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Processing Sweet Corn Crop Insurance Provisions. The intended effect of this action is to provide policy changes that better meet the needs of insured producers. The changes will be effective for the 2014 and succeeding crop years.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection which concerns the appropriation and use of State funds for the National School Lunch, School Breakfast and Special Milk Programs. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension of a currently approved information collection associated with FSA's Farm Loan Programs (FLP) General Program Administration. The information collected is used to ensure that applicants meet statutory eligibility requirements, loan funds are used for authorized purposes and the Government's interest in security is adequately protected.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with the regulations for the payment of indemnity for sheep, goats, and horses destroyed because of brucellosis.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with credit account approval for reimbursable services.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with the swine health protection program.

We are withdrawing a Privacy Act System of Records notice published on August 9, 2013, (78 FR 48642-48644). The system of records was the Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance and Tracking System, USDA- APHIS-13. The August 9, 2013, notice was a duplicate notice published in error; in this document, we are withdrawing the August 9, 2013, notice from publication.

The Wrangell-Petersburg Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet by video-teleconference in Wrangell, Alaska and Petersburg, Alaska. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the Committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with Title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to review progress of previously funded projects and, if the Act is reauthorized, to review project proposals and make recommendations for allocation of anticipated Title II funding to projects.

This rule decreases the assessment rate established for the California Date Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2013-14 and subsequent crop years from $0.90 to $0.40 per hundredweight of dates handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the handling of dates grown or packed in Riverside County, California. Assessments upon date handlers are used by the Committee to fund reasonable and necessary expenses of the program. The crop year begins October 1 and ends September 30. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) is amending a Notice published May 23, 2013 (78 FR 30854-30860). This action is taken to extend the eligible properties to include Rural Development financed Farm Labor Housing properties. This amendment is to ensure that all eligible properties are included.

This document contains a correction to the proposed rule that was published on August 22, 2013, 78 FR 52100. In the proposed rule, the Regulatory Information Number (RIN) appears as RIN 0581-AD33. This number is incorrect. The correct number is 0581-AD32. This document corrects the proposed rule.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing changes to its procedures for Salmonella verification sampling program of raw beef products. On the date that FSIS will announce in the Federal Register document that responds to any comments on this document, FSIS will discontinue Salmonella sampling set procedures (``HC01'') in ground beef products, except in establishments with results that exceeded the standard for Salmonella in that establishment's most recently completed sample set (i.e., in those establishments in Category 3). At the same time, FSIS will begin analyzing for Salmonella all raw beef samples that it collects for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) analysis. Therefore, FSIS will begin analyzing for Salmonella all samples of raw ground beef, beef manufacturing trimmings, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components that it collects for STEC testing. To be consistent with the Agency's STEC analytic sample portions, FSIS laboratories will increase the raw ground beef analytic sample portion for Salmonella analysis from 25 grams to 325 grams. This notice describes how FSIS intends to use the results from its verification sampling program to develop new Salmonella performance standards for ground beef product and to estimate Salmonella prevalence in raw ground beef and beef manufacturing trimmings products. Finally, this document discusses changes that the Agency is considering related to FSIS Salmonella sampling and testing of other products.

This Notice announces 5 listening sessions to support the Request for Information (RFI) published by FNS regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailer eligibility requirements (78 FR 51136, August 20, 2013). As explained in the RFI, FNS is re- examining SNAP retailer eligibility requirements in part because of concerns raised in a recent FNS report examining the trafficking rates at different types of retail food stores and a 2006 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report suggesting that the minimal stocking requirements in SNAP contribute to corrupt retailers entering the program. The FNS report is available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/ menu/Published/SNAP/FILES/ProgramIntegrity/Trafficking2009_ Summary.pdf. The GAO report is available at: https://www.gao.gov/ products/GAO-07-53. Information on SNAP retailer eligibility requirements is available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailers/ store-eligibility.htm. The scheduled listening sessions provide an opportunity for FNS to seek public input on potential changes to retailer authorization requirements.

This rulemaking establishes requirements to simplify and improve the administration of and expand access to the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and the Food Distribution Program for Indian Households in Oklahoma, both of which are referred to as ``FDPIR'' in this rulemaking. The rulemaking amends FDPIR regulations to promote conformity with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). First, the final rule revises FDPIR regulations to eliminate household resources from consideration when determining FDPIR eligibility. Second, the final rule will expand the current FDPIR income deduction for Medicare Part B Medical Insurance and Part D Prescription Drug Coverage premiums to include other monthly medical expenses in excess of $35 for households with elderly and/or disabled members. Third, the final rule will establish an income deduction for shelter and utility expenses. Finally, the final rule will provide new verification requirements related to the new income deductions, and provide revisions to the household reporting requirements that will more closely align FDPIR and SNAP regulations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has prepared a report containing methods for quantifying entity-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals from the agriculture and forestry sectors. The purpose of this notice is to seek input from the public on the proposed methods. This report was prepared in part to meet requirements of Section 2709 of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. The report was prepared by 38 technical experts and reviewed by 29 scientific reviewers. USDA anticipates that the methods will be used by landowners and USDA to improve management practices and identify actions to reduce GHG emissions and increase carbon sequestration. The guidelines and methods could also be used by farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to facilitate their participation in voluntary state and regional GHG registries and programs. Notice of the project was announced in the Federal Register in February, 2011 (FR Doc. 2011-3731, p. 9534, Feb 18 2011). Comments received under this notice will be used to further refine the methods report in preparation for publication as a USDA Technical Bulletin. Comments submitted will help USDA to gauge the appropriateness and completeness of the proposed methods as well as methodological or data concerns that should be considered. A series of questions have been provided in the supplementary information below to aid review. When submitting responses, please annotate comments using the report section number designations. All information received will be included in the public docket and made available online at https:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Do not include any information that might be considered proprietary or confidential.

The White Pine-Nye Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Eureka, Nevada. The Committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (the Act) (Pub. L. 112-141) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463). The purpose of the RAC is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with the Title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is: (1) Review and approve previous meeting minutes and business expenses; (2) Review and recommend funding allocations for proposed projects; and (3) Public Comments.