Department of Agriculture June 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This agenda provides summary descriptions of the significant and not significant regulatory and deregulatory actions being developed in agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in conformance with Executive orders (E.O.) 12866 ``Regulatory Planning and Review,'' 13563, ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review,'' 13771 ``Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,'' and 13777, ``Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.'' The agenda also describes regulations affecting small entities as required by section 602 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Public Law 96-354. This agenda also identifies regulatory actions that are being reviewed in compliance with section 610(c) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. We invite public comment on those actions as well as any regulation consistent with Executive Order 13563. USDA has attempted to list all regulations and regulatory reviews pending at the time of publication except for minor and routine or repetitive actions, but some may have been inadvertently missed. There is no legal significance to the omission of an item from this listing. Also, the dates shown for the steps of each action are estimated and are not commitments to act on or by the date shown. USDA's complete regulatory agenda is available online at www.reginfo.gov. Because publication in the Federal Register is mandated for the regulatory flexibility agendas required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602), USDA's printed agenda entries include only: (1) Rules that are likely to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities; and (2) Rules identified for periodic review under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposed action to promote more resilient forest conditions closer to their historic range of variability, which would contribute to desirable recreation experiences, conserve and enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce impacts to streams and aquatic habitat within the 40,000 acres Twin project area. The project area is located south and southwest of Bend, Oregon and includes the areas surrounding Wickiup and Crane Prairie Reservoirs, North and South Twin Lakes, Browns Mountain and Round Mountain Late Successional Reserves. An analysis has been initiated that takes a landscape approach to managing the vegetation to meet objectives for resilient forests.

This final rule establishes a Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) regulating the handling of milk in California. This final rule issues a marketing order incorporating the entire state of California and adopts the same dairy product classification and pricing provisions used throughout the current FMMO system. The California FMMO provides for the recognition of producer quota as administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. More than the required number of producers for the California marketing area have approved the issuance of the order. This final rule also announces AMS's intention to merge the information collection forms used to conduct the producer referendum with the reporting forms used in the other dairy marketing orders.

We are advising the public of our determination that Japan is free of classical swine fever (CSF) and swine vesicular disease (SVD). Based on an evaluation of the CSF and SVD status of Japan, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, the Administrator has determined that CSF and SVD are not present in Japan and that live swine, pork, and pork products may safely be imported into the United States from Japan subject to conditions in the regulations.

The Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (Recreation RAC) will meet in Atlanta, Georgia. The Recreation RAC is authorized pursuant with the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 (the Act) and operations in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to provide recommendations to the Secretary on recreation fees on lands and waters managed by the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the regions covered by each Committee. Recreation RAC information can be found at the following website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r8/recreation/racs.

In accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) intention to revise a currently approved information collection, 0524-0039 entitled, ``NIFA Application Kit''. NIFA does not plan to make any language changes to this information collection.

We are amending the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations to implement amendments to the Act that broadened the scope of the exemptions from the licensing requirements for dealers and exhibitors. Specifically, we are broadening the licensing exemption for any person who maintains four or fewer breeding female dogs, cats, and/or small exotic or wild mammals and only sells the offspring of these animals for pets or exhibition to include additional types of pet animals and domesticated farm-type animals. In addition, we are adding a new licensing exemption for any person who maintains eight or fewer pet animals, small exotic or wild animals, and/or domesticated farm-type animals for exhibition. These actions will allow the Agency to focus its limited resources on situations that pose a higher risk to animal welfare and public safety. Finally, we are making conforming changes to the definitions of dealer and exhibitor to reflect the amendments to the Act and making several miscellaneous changes to the regulations for consistency and to remove redundant and obsolete requirements.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is announcing the opportunity for interested veterans to apply for a new pilot program, Veteran Farmer Streamlined Eligibility Pilot Program (``Pilot Program''), which will assist veterans in meeting the management experience requirements at a faster pace for either a Microloan or Downpayment Loan through the Farm Ownership Loan (FO) Program. As set forth in a cooperative agreement between FSA and Texas A&M University, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program employees will expand their existing veterans training program, ``Battleground to Breaking Ground,'' to incorporate the requirements of the Pilot Program through a cooperative agreement with FSA. FSA will be involved in helping develop and review curriculum, review applications, participate in orientation, and monitor participants' progress throughout the Pilot Program. The purpose of the Pilot Program is to provide an educational opportunity for veterans so that they can obtain agricultural production, financial, and managerial training at an accelerated pace that will then result in the veteran to be considered conditionally eligible for either a Microloan or Downpayment Loan through the FO Program.

In order to accurately estimate improper payments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has undertaken significant steps to strengthen its measurement process, the SNAP Quality Control system. Improvements include new training, policy clarifications, procedural improvements, and clarification of existing documentation requirements necessary to substantiate case findings. FNS has also implemented new policies to improve accountability and eliminate the potential for bias in the reporting system. FNS is considering proposals for a regulatory reform of its SNAP's Quality Control system in order to align the regulations with new policy and procedural requirements. FNS's intent is to achieve three objectives from reforming the Quality Control system: (1) Strengthen the integrity and accountability of the Quality Control system, (2) increase transparency in the process, and (3) use technology to improve improper payment estimates. Thus, FNS is issuing this Request for Information in order to obtain State government and other stakeholder perspectives as the Agency considers how to best to proceed with reforming the SNAP Quality Control system.

This document contains necessary amendments to address corrections in the General Administrative Regulations; Administrative Remedies for Non-Compliance regulations which contain outdated references.