Department of Agriculture 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget for a new information collection: Proposed California Federal Milk Marketing Order; Referendum Procedures.

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 the regulations for the interstate movement of regulated nursery stock and fruit from quarantined areas to prevent the spread of citrus canker.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is making available for public comment an environmental assessment prepared in connection with a permit application for the field release of diamondback moths that have been genetically engineered for repressible female lethality and to express red fluorescence as a marker. The purpose of the proposed field release is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of these moths in reducing populations of diamondback moths that are known plant pests and a serious threat to agriculture.

Notice of intent to start the assessment phase for The Browns Canyon National Monument Management PlanPike/San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron/Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC) Plan amendment and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern Colorado Resource Management Plan update. An assessment report of ecological, social, and economic conditions and trends for Browns Canyon National Monument will be prepared for the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC) Plan Amendment and Bureau of Land Management Resource Management Plan update.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee (LTBFAC) will meet in South Lake Tahoe, California. The Committee is established pursuant to Executive Order 13057, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972. Additional information concerning the Committee can be found by visiting the Committee's Web site at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/ goto/ltbmu/LTFAC.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval, from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of and revision to the currently approved information collection for USDA Farmers Market Application. Copies of this one-time yearly application form to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market may be obtained by calling the AMS Transportation and Marketing Program contact listed or visiting the Web site at www.usda.gov/farmersmarket.

The designation of the official agency listed below will end on June 30, 2017. We are asking persons or governmental agencies interested in providing official services in the areas presently served by this agency to submit an application for designation. In addition, we are asking for comments on the quality of services provided by the following designated agency: Montana Department of Agriculture (Montana).

The designation of the official agency listed below will end on June 30, 2017. We are asking persons or governmental agencies interested in providing official services in the areas presently served by this agency to submit an application for designation. In addition, we are asking for comments on the quality of services provided by the following designated agency: Georgia Department of Agriculture (Georgia).

The Superior National Forest published a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register on January 13, 2017, describing a submitted application to the Secretary of Interior proposing a withdrawal of approximately 234,328 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands, for a 20-year term, within the Rainy River Watershed on the Superior National Forest from disposition under United States mineral and geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights. This proposal will also include an amendment to the Superior National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan to reflect this withdrawal. This notice extends the scoping comment period by 120 days. The purpose of the withdrawal request is protection of the natural resources and waters located on NFS lands from the potential adverse environmental impacts arising from exploration and development of fully Federally-owned minerals conducted pursuant to the mineral leasing laws within the Rainy River Watershed that flow into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Mining Protection Area (MPA) in northeastern Minnesota. The USFS acknowledges this proposed request subjects these NFS lands to temporary segregation for up to 2 years from entry under the United States mineral and geothermal leasing laws. The lands have been and will remain open to such forms of use and disposition as may be allowed by law on National Forest System lands including the disposition of mineral materials. The USFS recognizes that any segregation or withdrawal of these lands will be subject to valid existing rights and therefore inapplicable to private lands owned in fee, private mineral estates, and private fractional minerals interests. This notice also gives the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed request for withdrawal, and announces the opportunity for a future public meeting.

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.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing a meeting of the Plant Variety Protection Board (Board). The meeting is being held to discuss a variety of topics including, but not limited to, work and outreach plans, subcommittee activities, and proposals for procedure changes. The meeting is open to the public. This notice sets forth the schedule and location for the meeting.

We are announcing to the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluating the environmental impacts that may result from the potential approval of an application from Southern Gardens Citrus Nursery, LLC, seeking a permit for the environmental release of genetically engineered Citrus tristeza virus (CTV). The virus has been genetically engineered to express defensin proteins from spinach as an approach to manage citrus greening disease throughout the State of Florida. APHIS considers this genetically engineered CTV to be a biological control agent since it is a biological organism intended to help manage citrus greening disease. Issues to be addressed in the EIS include the potential environmental impacts to managed natural and non-agricultural lands, agricultural production systems, the physical environment, biological resources, human health, socioeconomics, federally listed threatened or endangered species, and cultural or historic resources. We are also requesting public comments to further delineate the scope of the alternatives and environmental impacts and issues to be included in this EIS.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, and the Agricultural Act of 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces a meeting of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board.

This notice announces the Department of Agriculture, Departmental Management, Office of Procurement and Property Management's intention to request an extension and a revision to a currently approved information collection, Voluntary Labeling Program for Biobased Products for Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This is a new collection for the purpose of learning about the types of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) related fraud activity observed by large retailers and the methods they use to prevent fraud and minimize their losses. The goal of the information collection is to learn more about the types of SNAP fraud that occur in large retailer settings; document retailer practices to detect, deter, and deal with fraud (collectively known as loss prevention or loss prevention practices); and determine which practices could provide information that would help FNS in detecting and preventing SNAP fraud.

The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board (Board) will meet in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Board is established consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C. App. II), the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1600 et. seq.), the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 1612), and the Federal Public Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (Pub. L. 108-447). Additional information concerning the Board, including the meeting summary/minutes, can be found by visiting the Board's Web site at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/blackhills/ workingtogether/advisorycommittees.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined the regulatory review period for Lawsonia Intracellularis Bacterin Vaccine and is publishing this notice of that determination as required by law. We have made this determination in response to the submission of an application to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Department of Commerce, for the extension of a patent that claims that veterinary biologic.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with a revision of a currently approved information collection associated with the Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Customer Feedback on FSA Service Delivery. This option is a fast track for approval to streamline the timing to implement certain types of surveys and related collection of information. FSA uses the approval to cover the instruments of collection (such as a survey, a window pop-up survey, a focus group, or a comment card), which are designed to get customer feedback on FSA service delivery for various programs. This request for approval broadly addresses FSA's need for information about what our customers think of our services so that we can improve service delivery; specific information collection activities will be incorporated into the approval as the need for the information is identified. For example, when we implement a new program and provide information about the services for the program on our Web site, we may provide a voluntary customer service questionnaire about how well the program is working for our customers, specifically within the area of customer service. FSA is requesting to increase the number of respondents in the fast track approval due to an anticipated increase in the number of customer respondents responding to customer service surveys that will be sent to a broader scope and greater number of FSA customers.

The Office of Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) are sponsoring a public meeting on April 7, 2017. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions to be discussed at the 38th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Budapest, Hungary, between May 8 and 12, 2017. The Administrator and Acting Deputy Under Secretary, Office of Food Safety, Office of Food Safety and the FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties with the opportunity to obtain background information on the 38th Session of the CCMAS and to address items on the agenda.