Department of Agriculture 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 Agricultural Resources Management Survey and Chemical Use Surveys. A revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in the size of the target population, sampling design, and/or questionnaire length.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible first handlers and importers of honey or honey products to determine whether they favor continuance of the Honey Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (Order).

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announces its Revolving Fund Program (RFP) application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. The RFP is authorized under section 306(a)(2)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (Con Act), 7 U.S.C. 1926 (a)(2)(B). Under the RFP, qualified private, non-profit organizations may receive RFP grant funds to establish a lending program for eligible entities. Eligible entities for the revolving loan fund will be the same entities eligible, under paragraph 1 or 2 of Section 306(a) of the Con Act, 7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(1) or (b)(2), to obtain a loan, loan guarantee, or grant from the RUS Water, Waste Disposal and Wastewater loan and grant programs. This year administrative discretion points may be awarded for work plans that: Direct loans to the smallest communities with the lowest incomes emphasizing areas where according to the American Community Survey data by census tracts show that at least 20 percent of the population is living in poverty. This emphasis will support Rural Development's goal of providing 20 percent of its funding by 2016 to these areas of need; Direct loans to areas that lack running water, flush toilets, and modern sewage disposal systems, and areas which have open sewers and high rates of disease caused by poor sanitation, in particular, colonias or Substantially Underserved Trust Areas; and Direct loans that emphasize energy and water efficient components to reduce costs and increase sustainability of rural systems. RUS will publish on its Web site at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP- revolvingfund.html the amount of funding received in the FY2015 Appropriations Act, if any.

The Tongass Advisory Committee (Committee) will meet in Juneau, Alaska. The Committee is established consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C. App. 2). Committee recommendations and advice may directly inform the development of a proposed action for modification of the 2008 Tongass Land Management Plan. The meeting is open to the public. Additional information concerning the Committee, including the meeting summary/minutes, can be found by visiting the Committee's Web site at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/ goto/R10/Tongass/TAC.

This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible institutions to compete for financial assistance in the form of a grant to establish a Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center (The Center) at an 1890 Institution (as defined in 7 U.S.C. 7601).

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announces its Household Water Well System Grant Program (HWWS) application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. RUS will make grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to establish lending programs for homeowners to borrow up to $11,000 to construct or repair household water wells for an existing home. The HWWS Grant Program is authorized under 7 U.S.C. 1926e. Regulations may be found at 7 CFR part 1776. Of particular note this year, the RUS will assign administrative discretion points to applications that: 1. Direct loans to rural areas where according to the American Community Survey data by census tracts show that at least 20 percent of the population is living in poverty. This emphasis will support Rural Development's goal of providing 20 percent of its funding by 2016 to these areas of need. 2. Direct loans to areas which lack running water, flush toilets, and modern sewage disposal systems, and areas which have open sewers and high rates of disease caused by poor sanitation, in particular, colonias or Substantially Underserved Trust Areas. 3. Direct loans to areas stricken by drought. RUS will publish on its Web site at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP- individualwellsystems.htm the amount of funding received in the final FY2015 Appropriations Act. Successful applications will be selected by the Agency for funding and subsequently awarded to the extent that funding may ultimately be made available to the Agency through appropriations.

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 interstate movement of regulated nursery stock from quarantined areas to prevent the spread of citrus canker, citrus greening, and Asian citrus psyllid.

We are advising the public that proposed changes to the National Poultry Improvement Plan Program Standards are available for review and comment.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 amended the Lacey Act to provide, among other things, that importers submit a declaration at the time of importation for certain plants and plant products. Enforcement of the declaration requirement began on April 1, 2009, and products requiring a declaration are being phased-in. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of another phase of the Federal Government's enforcement schedule.

This document contains technical corrections to the USDA organic regulations (7 CFR part 205) which were published in the Federal Register on December 21, 2000. The correcting amendments are minor, mostly typographical amendments which do not change, or alter the interpretation, of any provision within the USDA organic regulations.

This notice lists the newspapers that Ranger Districts, Forests, and the Regional Office of the Alaska Region will use to publish legal notices of the opportunity to object to proposed projects and activities implementing land and resource management plans, including hazardous fuel reduction projects authorized under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. The intended effect of this action is to inform interested members of the public which newspapers will be used to publish legal notice of actions subject to the pre- decisional administrative review process at 36 CFR 218, thereby allowing them to receive constructive notice of the proposed actions, to provide clear evidence of timely notice, and to achieve consistency in administering the pre-decisional review process.

This rule updates the list of institutions that are granted HSACU certification by the Secretary and are eligible for HSACU programs for the period starting October 1, 2014, and ending September 30, 2015.

Notice is hereby given of the intention of NRCS to issue a new conservation practice standard in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices. This standard is High Tunnel System (Code 325). NRCS State Conservationists who choose to adopt this practice for use within their States will incorporate it into section IV of their respective electronic Field Office Technical Guide. This practice may be used in conservation systems that treat highly erodible land (HEL) or on land determined to be a wetland. Section 343 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 requires NRCS to make available for public review and comment all proposed revisions to conservation practice standards used to carry out HEL and wetland provisions of the law.

We are advising the public that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is holding a 2-day, invitation-only workshop on agricultural coexistence, the concurrent cultivation of conventional, organic, identity-preserved, and genetically engineered crops consistent with farmer choices and consumer preferences. The objective of the workshop is to advance an understanding of agricultural coexistence and discuss how to make coexistence achievable and a basic consideration for all stakeholders. Workshop participants will represent a broad range of interests and experience relating to agricultural coexistence. The public is invited to listen to or watch the workshop sessions via phone and/or Webcast, after which they will have the opportunity to provide comments on the proposals discussed.

In a final rule published in the Federal Register on April 1, 2005, and effective on April 1, 2005, we amended the regulations concerning overtime services provided by employees of the Agency's Plant Protection and Quarantine and Veterinary Services programs by adding or amending commuted traveltime allowances for travel between certain locations in Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. In the final rule, two commuted traveltime allowances that should have appeared in the ``within the metropolitan area'' column were erroneously printed in the ``outside the metropolitan area'' column. This document corrects those errors.

We are advising the public that we determined that the Republic of Croatia is free of foot-and-mouth disease, swine vesicular disease, and rinderpest and is low risk for classical swine fever. We are making our determinations, as well as an evaluation we have prepared in connection with this action, available for review and comment.

The Forest Service proposes ecological restoration in the Tobias Forest Ecosystem Restoration Project (Tobias Project) by encouraging a healthy and diverse forest ecosystem that is resilient to the effects of wildfire, drought, disease, and other disturbances. The Tobias Project is located in the Greenhorn Mountains on the Western Divide Ranger District, between Alta Sierra and Johnsondale in Tulare County, California. This project would commercially thin stands of mature trees, smaller than 30 inches in diameter at breast height (dbh), to increase heterogeneity and resilience on 1,290 acres. Hand thinning or mastication of immature trees and prescribed burning are proposed on 4,130. To restore the historic species composition, areas selected for thinning would favor Jeffrey and sugar pines, oak, and other shade intolerant species.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on a new information collection that will be used to determine the applicant's citizenship.

The Secretaries propose to revise the regulations governing the rural determination process for the Federal Subsistence Program in Alaska. Under current regulations, the Federal Subsistence Board (Board) defines which community or area of Alaska is rural using guidelines and characteristics defined by the Secretaries. This new process will enable the Board to be more flexible in making decisions and take into account the regional differences found throughout the State.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is hosting a public meeting to update stakeholders on IFSAC's work to improve foodborne illness source attribution. Specifically, IFSAC will report on work to develop harmonized foodborne illness source attribution estimates, as well as other analyses IFSAC has undertaken since its formation in 2011. This work can assist in the development of food safety strategies. FSIS, FDA and CDC are also soliciting input from stakeholders to assist in planning for future IFSAC endeavors.

Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is issuing an Environmental Assessment (EA) in connection with potential impacts related to the proposed Big Bend to Witten Transmission Line Project by the Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric). Basin Electric is requesting RUS financial assistance for the proposed action.

On September 30, 2014 the Under Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment created the Current River Unit. This purchase unit comprises 1,868 acres within Ripley County, Missouri. A copy of the establishment document, which includes the legal description of the lands within the purchase unit, appears at the end of this notice.

In a final rule published in the Federal Register on September 18, 2013, and effective on November 18, 2013, we amended the regulations concerning the definition of retail pet store and related regulations in order to ensure that the definition in the regulations is consistent with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), thereby bringing more pet animals sold at retail under the protection of the AWA. As part of that action, we raised from three to four the maximum number of female breeding dogs, cats, or certain other animals that a person can maintain and be exempted from licensing, as long as they sell only the offspring of those animals born and raised on their premises for pets or exhibition and are not otherwise required to obtain a license. In the final rule, we overlooked raising the number of breeding females in one provision in the regulations concerning animal purchases by dealers and exhibitors. This document corrects the oversight.

The Tongass National Forest is working to complete an amendment to the Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (forest plan) by August 2016. The scope of the plan amendment is narrowly focused to accomplish a transition to young growth management as provided in the Secretary's Memorandum (1044-009), and to make renewable energy development more permissive on the Tongass. Changes to the forest plan are being developed under the new National Forest System land management planning rule (36 CFR part 219) (2012 planning rule), and embody the provisions of the National Forest Management Act. The Tongass is the first national forest to amend a plan completed under the 1982 planning rule using the 2012 planning rule. Based on public scoping comments received on the Notice of Intent (NOI) that was published in the Federal Register (FR) on May 27, 2014 (79 FR 30074), as well as comments received on the five-year review of the forest plan, four issues were identified that focus on: (1) Young- growth transition; (2) renewable energy; (3) roadless areas; and (4) wildlife habitat and the old growth conservation strategy. Three public open houses have been planned in Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan, Alaska to share information with the public about the progress being made on the Proposed Forest Plan Amendment and Draft EIS, and to provide opportunity for the public to comment on the Draft Plan Monitoring Program.