Department of Agriculture October 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), the Farm Service Agency estimates that during fiscal year 2016, peanuts and peanut products in CCC inventory may be made available for programming under section 416 of the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended, in such quantities as may be determined appropriate for direct human feeding in a manner consistent with United States obligations under its international trade agreements.

We are amending the user fee regulations by adding new fee categories and adjusting current fees charged for certain agricultural quarantine and inspection services that are provided in connection with certain commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international passengers arriving at ports in the customs territory of the United States. We are also adjusting or removing the fee caps associated with commercial trucks, commercial vessels, and commercial railcars. We have determined that revised user fee categories and revised user fees are necessary to recover the costs of the current level of activity, to account for actual increases in the cost of doing business, and to more accurately align fees with the costs associated with each fee service.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, and the National Forest Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are jointly announcing the availability of the Jordan Cove Energy and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline (PCGP) Projects Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Proposed Land Management Plan amendments, and by this notice are announcing their availability.

This rule implements a recommendation from the California Date Administrative Committee (committee) for a decrease in the assessment rate established for the 2015-16 and subsequent crop years from $0.20 to $0.10 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 new assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has reached a preliminary decision to extend our determination of nonregulated status of corn events Bayer/Genective S.A.VCO-01981-5 (hereinafter Genective VCO-01981-5 corn) and Pioneer's DP-004114-3 (hereinafter Pioneer 4114 corn) to Syngenta's corn event MZHG0JG in response to a request from Syngenta Seeds Inc. MZHG0JG corn has been genetically engineered for resistance to the herbicide glyphosate using the same mechanism of action as Genective VCO-01981-5 and also to be resistant to the herbicide glufosinate using the same mechanism of action as Pioneer 4114. We are making available for public comment our preliminary finding of no significant impact for the proposed determination of nonregulated status.

A Notice of Intent (NOI) for this project was first published in the Federal Register (75 FR 81210) on December 27, 2010. Subsequent NOIs were published in the Federal Register noting the passage of time and procedural changes. This NOI is being published (1) to update the project schedule, (2) to note that M. Earl Stewart is the new Forest Supervisor of the Tongass National Forest and is the Responsible Official for this Project, (3) to note that the Proposed Action contains fewer acres for timber harvest, and (4) that the Forest Service is no longer proposing project-specific Forest Plan amendments in the alternatives.

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 to gather data related to the production and marketing of foods directly from farm producers to consumers or retailers. In addition NASS will collect some whole-farm data to be used to classify and group operations for summarizing and publication of results.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request a revision to and extension of approval of an information collection associated with importation of citrus from Peru.

We are adding Croatia to the lists of regions that are considered free of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, and swine vesicular disease, and to the list of regions considered free or low risk for classical swine fever. We are taking this action because we have determined that this region is free of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, and swine vesicular disease, and is low risk for classical swine fever. This action establishes the disease status of Croatia with regard to foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, swine vesicular disease, and classical swine fever while continuing to protect the United States from an introduction of those diseases.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the regulatory language to designate which bona fide cotton spot markets will be used to determine actual commercial differences in value for various grades above or below the basis grade in the settlement of World cotton futures contracts on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Designating bona fide cotton spot markets for the World cotton futures contract in the regulatory language will allow for AMS to collect spot market price data and publish spot quotes for the settlement of these specific contracts.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is establishing the regulation for the Agriculture Priorities and Allocations System (APAS). Food is a critical commodity essential to the national defense (including civil emergency preparedness and response). To avoid civilian hardship during national defense emergencies, it may be necessary to regulate the production, processing, storage, and wholesale distribution of food. Through the APAS rule, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will respond to requests to place priority ratings on contracts or orders (establishing priority on which contracts or orders are filled first) for agriculture commodities up through the wholesale levels, including agriculture production equipment, and allocate resources, as specified in the Defense Production Act (DPA) of 1950, as amended, if the necessity arises. FSA is implementing this rule as a way to redirect the agriculture commodities and resources to areas of hardship or potential hardship due to national emergencies. In most cases, there is likely to be no economic impact in filling priority orders because it would generally just be changing the timing in which orders are completed.

This proposed rule invites public comments on proposed amendments to Marketing Order No. 989, which regulates the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California. The Raisin Administrative Committee (Committee), which is responsible for the local administration of the order and is comprised of producers and handlers of raisins operating within the production area, recommended the amendments that would authorize the Committee to borrow from a commercial lending institution and authorize the establishment of a monetary reserve equal to up to one year's budgeted expenses. Allowing the Committee to utilize these customary business practices would help to improve administration of the order.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) issues its final rule implementing the equitable relief authority, and the procedures set forth in section 1613 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the 2002 Act), relating to relief for participants for covered programs administered by NRCS. The relief applies to cases where the program participant took action to his or her detriment based on action or advice from an NRCS employee, and situations where the participant acted in good faith, but failed to fully comply with program requirements.

The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of commercial and non-commercial vegetation management activities, prescribed burning, road activities, recreation opportunity improvements, and other restoration activities. Other design criteria are included to protect resources and facilitate management activities. The project is located on the Chiloquin Ranger District, Fremont-Winema National Forest, Klamath County, Oregon.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics.

The Daniel Boone Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in London, Kentucky. 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. Additional RAC information, including the meeting agenda and the meeting summary/ minutes can be found at the following Web site:https://cloudapps-usda- gov.force.com/FSSRS/RAC_Page?id=001t0000002JcvEAAS.

The Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Yreka, California. 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. RAC informaiton can be found at the following Web site: https://cloudapps- usda-gov.force.com/FSSRS/RAC_Meeting_Page?id=a2zt00000004CyPA AU.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, Cooperative Forestry staff, requests applications for the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (CFP). This is a competitive grant program whereby local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations, and Indian Tribes are eligible to apply for grants to establish community forests through fee simple acquisition of private forest land from a willing seller. The purpose of the program is to establish community forests by protecting forest land from conversion to non-forest uses and provide community benefits such as sustainable forest management, environmental benefits including clean air, water, and wildlife habitat; benefits from forest-based educational programs; benefits from serving as models of effective forest stewardship; and recreational benefits secured with public access. Eligible lands for grants funded under this program are private forests that are at least five acres in size, suitable to sustain natural vegetation, and at least 75 percent forested. The lands must also be threatened by conversion to non-forest uses, must not be held in trust by the United States on behalf of any Indian Tribe, must not be Tribal allotment lands, must be offered for sale by a willing seller, and if acquired by an eligible entity, must provide defined community benefits under CFP and allow for public access.