Department of Agriculture 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 accrediting nongovernment facilities to perform services related to the export of plants or plant products.

Uinta Express Pipeline Company LLC, a subsidiary of Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC, has submitted a special use application requesting authorization to construct and maintain a crude oil pipeline from the Uinta Basin to Salt Lake City, Utah. The project is known as the Uinta Express Pipeline (``Project''). The Uinta- Wasatch-Cache National Forest (UWCNF) is responding to the application to determine if a special use authorization should be granted, what terms and conditions such an authorization should contain, and evaluate if any project specific land use plan amendments may be required. The objective of Project proponents is to transport crude oil from the Uinta Basin and transport it via pipeline rather than trucks for refining in Salt Lake City. The pipeline and its alternatives are comprised of approximately 120 to 135 miles of underground 12-inch pipeline and ancillary facilities.

We are proposing to amend the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. As a condition of entry, the bananas would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include requirements for importation of commercial consignments, monitoring of fruit flies to establish low-prevalence places of production, harvesting only of hard green bananas, and inspection for quarantine pests by the national plant protection organization of the Philippines. The bananas would also have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that they were grown, packed, inspected, and found to be free of quarantine pests in accordance with the proposed requirements. This action would allow the importation of bananas from the Philippines while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

We are proposing to amend the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP, the Plan) and its auxiliary provisions by removing the descriptions of specific tests and sanitation procedures from the regulations. Instead, we would require tests to be performed and sanitation to be maintained in a manner approved by the Administrator. Approved procedures would be listed in an NPIP Program Standards document, which we would make available on the NPIP Web site. In addition, we are proposing to establish new compartment classifications for defined subpopulations of primary breeding turkeys, primary egg- type chickens, and primary meat-type chickens. We would also provide new or modified sampling and testing procedures for Plan participants and participating flocks. The proposed changes were voted on and approved by the voting delegates at the Plan's 2010 and 2012 National Plan Conferences. These changes would streamline the provisions of the Plan, keep those provisions current with changes in the poultry industry, and provide for the use of new sampling and testing procedures.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to request an extension of an approved information collection regarding the regulatory requirements associated with the production of meat from Advanced Meat Recovery systems because the OMB approval will expire on March 31, 2014.

We are advising the public that we have determined that a region of Argentina, consisting of the areas of Patagonia South and Patagonia North B, is free of foot-and-mouth disease. We are making that determination, as well as an evaluation we have prepared in connection with this action, available for review and comment. In addition, we have prepared an evaluation assessing the rinderpest status of South America, which includes Argentina, and have determined, based on our evaluation, that rinderpest is not present in the entirety of Argentina. We are also making that determination, as well as our evaluation, available for review and comment.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the currently approved information collection for OMB 0581-0235, an extension and revision of forms ``TM- 29, FMPP Project Proposal Narrative Form'' and ``TM-30, FMPP Supplemental Budget Summary Form.'' An electronic version of these mandatory forms will be posted within the Grants.gov forms library for application submission.

This rule establishes a Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order). The purpose of the program is to maintain and expand markets for paper and paper-based packaging. The program will be financed by an assessment on paper and paper-based packaging manufacturers (domestic producers) and importers and administered by a board of industry members appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary). The assessment rate will initially be $0.35 per short ton. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (Department or USDA) conducted a referendum among eligible manfacturers and importers from October 28 through November 8, 2013. Eighty-five percent of those voting in the referendum representing 95 percent of the volume of paper and paper-based packaging represented in the referendum favored implementation of the program.

GIPSA is announcing the designation of Sioux City Inspection and Weighing Service Company (Sioux City) to provide official services under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA), as amended. Sioux City's geographical territory is amended to include the part of the area previously designated to Fremont Grain Inspection Department, Inc. (Fremont).

Central Illinois Grain Inspection, Inc. (Central Illinois) geographical area is amended to include the area previously designated to Decatur Grain Inspection, Inc. (Decatur).

In a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on June 7, 2012, and effective on July 9, 2012, we amended the horse protection regulations to require horse industry organizations or associations that license Designated Qualified Persons to assess and enforce minimum penalties for violations of the Horse Protection Act. One of the minimum penalties was for violations related to shoeing the horse, but we neglected to include a citation to one of the shoeing violations for which the penalty should be assessed. This document corrects that error.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on the proposed collection of data for the WIC Nutrition Education Study. This is a NEW information collection. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Through Federal grants to States, WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non- breastfeeding postpartum women and to infants and children who are found to be at nutritional risk. The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-296, Sec. 305) mandates programs under its authorization, including WIC, to cooperate with USDA program research and evaluation activities. WIC's mission is to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care. Nutrition education is the program feature often viewed as pivotal to WIC's success in achieving its mission to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children. By Federal directive, all participants have the opportunity to participate in nutrition education at least two times during a 6-month period of eligibility or quarterly for a 12-month period. State and local WIC agencies have significant flexibility to design nutrition education appropriate for the demographics of their participants within established goals. This flexibility has yielded a range of messages, delivery systems and approaches, qualifications and training for educators, and quality. The WIC Nutrition Education Study will provide a nationally representative description of how nutrition education is currently being provided to WIC recipients across the country. It will also conduct a pilot study of the impact of nutrition education on WIC recipients' nutrition and physical activity behaviors. This study will provide FNS with a better understanding of nutrition education practices and methods used by WIC and of the effectiveness of current WIC nutrition education services. The study will document how nutrition education is being provided subsequent to several program changes, including the 2009 food package changes, the implementation of the initiative to Revitalize Quality Nutrition Services (RQNS), and the use of new technology, among a racially and ethnically diverse population. Understanding optimal educational topics and methods, how to maximize participant engagement, the best approaches for delivery and reinforcement of messages, and how to effectively prepare and support WIC nutrition educators is key to informing WIC nutrition education improvements.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are sponsoring a public meeting on February 11, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that will be discussed at the 46th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Hong Kong, China, March 17-21, 2014. The Acting Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 46th Session of the CCFA and to address items on the agenda.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible producers of peanuts to determine whether they favor continuance of the Peanut Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval of a new collection, titled: Local Food Directories and Survey, from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Upon approval, we request that this collection be merged into OMB 0581-0169, National Farmers Market Directory and Survey with Modules, which was approved April 19, 2013.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) held meetings of the Universal Cotton Standards Advisory Committee in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 19, 20 and 21, 2013. This notice announces the Advisory Committee's recommendation to adopt USDA's HVI (High Volume Instrument) Cotton Trash Standards as Universal Standards and to change the frequency of Universal Cotton Standards Conferences from once every three years to once every four years. The meeting agenda, minutes, and recommendations from the Advisory Committee are posted at the following Web address: https://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ AdvisoryCommitteeonUniversalStandards.

Notice is hereby given that the comment period on the proposed rule establishing an industry-funded promotion, research and information program for hardwood lumber and hardwood plywood is reopened and extended. The comment period is also extended for the new hardwood lumber and hardwood plywood information collection requirements by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the operation of the proposed program. The proposed Hardwood Lumber and Hardwood Plywood Promotion, Research and Information Order, was submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by the Blue Ribbon Committee, a committee of 14 hardwood lumber and hardwood plywood industry leaders representing small and large manufacturers and geographically distributed throughout the United States.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), published a final rule in the Federal Register on January 3, 2014 (79 FR 325), concerning necessary changes made to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to conform to requirements contained in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This document corrects/replaces an appendix that was added at the end of the rule that offered a detailed Regulatory Impact Analysis. All other information in this rule remains unchanged.

The Southern Montana Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Columbus, Montana. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110-343) (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 the title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to review project submissions, and vote and recommend projects to Forest Supervisor.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has issued a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for Basin Electric Power Cooperative's (Basin Electric) proposed Antelope Valley Station (AVS) to Neset 345-kV Transmission Project (proposed Project) in North Dakota. RUS is issuing the SDEIS to inform the public and interested parties about a change in the proposed Project and invite the public to comment on the scope, proposed action, and other issues addressed in the SDEIS. RUS also will use the SDEIS to meet its responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 470, and its implementing regulations, ``Protection of Historic Properties'' (36 CFR Part 800). RUS made the decision to prepare a SDEIS for the AVS Project to evaluate significant project changes. These changes in the scope of the proposed Project are due to an increase in the electric load forecast for western North Dakota. To accommodate this change, the SDEIS will evaluate additional alternatives for the siting of the transmission line. The SDEIS addresses the construction, operation, and maintenance of approximately 278 miles of new 345-kV single pole transmission line (approximately 85 miles more than the project identified in the Draft EIS https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-AVS-Neset.html), 230-kV single pole transmission line and double circuit 345/115-kV transmission lines, 4 new substations and a switchyard, modifications to 4 existing substations, maintenance access roads, temporary construction roads, river crossings, temporary construction staging sites, and other facilities to be described in the SDEIS. The overall project area encompasses parts of Dunn, McKenzie, Mercer, Mountrail, and Williams counties in western North Dakota. Portions of Basin Electric's proposed Project may affect floodplains and wetlands. This NOA also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or wetland action. RUS will hold a public hearing meeting to share information and receive comments on the SDEIS.

The Department of Agriculture is seeking nominations for the Forest Resource Coordinating Committee (Committee) pursuant to Section 8005 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Act) (Pub. L. 110-246), and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), (5 U.S.C. App. 2). Additional information on the Committee can be found by visiting the Committee's Web site at: https://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/frcc/.