Department of Agriculture April 12, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection.

The National Forests and Grasslands in Texas, located in central and east Texas, is initiating the first phase of the forest planning process pursuant to the 2012 National Forest System land management planning rule. This process will result in a revised land management plan (Forest Plan) which describes the strategic direction for management of forest and grassland resources on the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas for the next ten to fifteen years. The planning process encompasses three stages: Assessment, plan revision, and monitoring. The first phase of the process, the assessment phase, is beginning on the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas and involves assessing ecological, social, and economic conditions of the planning area, which is documented in an assessment report. The Forest is inviting the public to contribute to the development of the assessment. The Forest will be hosting public forums where the public will be invited to share information relevant to the assessment, including existing information, current trends, and local knowledge.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is delaying the effective date of the rule published on December 20, 2016, for an additional six months to October 19, 2017, in response to a comment received from a national general farm organization that requested an extension of time and to allow time for further consideration by USDA. The effective date for this rule was originally February 21, 2017, and subsequently delayed to April 22, 2017, by a document published in the Federal Register on February 7, 2017. The interim final rule addresses the scope of sections 202(a) and (b) of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, as amended and supplemented (P&S Act) in order to clarify that conduct or action may violate sections 202(a) and (b) of the P&S Act without adversely affecting, or having a likelihood of adversely affecting, competition.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended; the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended; and the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (NFMA), as amended; the Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) have participated as cooperating agencies with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in the preparation of the WB XPress Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA addresses the impacts of the project and the proposal for authorization from the Forest Service to construct, operate, maintain, and eventually decommission a natural gas transmission pipeline that crosses National Forest System (NFS) lands. With this agency-specific Notice of Availability, the FS is announcing the opening of the FERC comment period. Comments submitted to the FERC concerning FS actions need to be timely and specific, showing a direct relationship to the proposal and include supporting reasons.