Department of Agriculture 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are amending the regulations concerning communicable diseases of livestock and poultry, interstate transportation and importation of animals (including poultry) and animal products, and permits for biological products to remove references to the animal disease rinderpest. This action reflects recognition by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that rinderpest has been eradicated worldwide, and removes restrictions that are no longer necessary due to eradication of the disease. This action better aligns our regulations with World Organization for Animal Health guidelines for international trade as they pertain to rinderpest.

The purpose of this notice is to ensure that all persons and entities interested in Forest Service activities are aware of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) January 16, 2018 Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) (83 FR 2181). The BLM is preparing Monument Management Plans (MMPs) for the Indian Creek Unit and the Shash J[aacute]a Unit of the Bears Ears National Monument. The Shash J[aacute]a Unit includes National Forest System lands, under management and decision-making authority of the Forest Service and managed under the land management plan for the Manti-La Sal National Forest (Forest Plan). The Forest Service and BLM will jointly prepare the MMP for the Shash J[aacute]a Unit. The BLM will prepare a single EIS to satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for the planning process for both units. The BLM is the lead agency for the preparation of the EIS, and the Forest Service is participating as a cooperating agency. The Forest Service intends to use the BLM's EIS to make its decision for the part of the Shash J[aacute]a Unit MMP it administers. That decision may include approving a Forest Plan amendment, if analysis leads the Forest Service to conclude that an amendment is necessary or appropriate. In the event that the Forest Service determines that it intends to amend the Forest Plan, this notice also identifies the Forest Service planning rule provisions likely to be directly related and, therefore, applicable to the Forest Plan amendment. The notice also identifies the applicable administrative review process for the Forest Plan amendment.

We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) by updating and clarifying several provisions, including those concerning NPIP participation, voting requirements, testing procedures, and standards. These proposed changes were voted on and approved by the voting delegates at the NPIP's 2016 National Plan Conference.

We are amending the fruits and vegetables regulations to list lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.) from Chile as eligible for importation into the continental United States subject to a systems approach. Under this systems approach, the fruit will have to be grown in a place of production that is registered with the Government of Chile and certified as having a low prevalence of Brevipalpus chilensis. The fruit will have to undergo pre-harvest sampling at the registered production site under the direction of Chile's national plant protection organization. Following post-harvest processing, the fruit will have to be inspected in Chile at an APHIS-approved inspection site. Each consignment of fruit will have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the fruit had been found free of B. chilensis based on field and packinghouse inspections. This final rule will allow for the safe importation of lemons from Chile using mitigation measures other than fumigation with methyl bromide.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) intent to request an extension of currently approved information collection form related to the Animal Welfare Information Center's (AWIC) workshop, Meeting the Information Requirements of the Animal Welfare Act. This workshop registration form requests the following information from participants: contact information, current profession and professional experience, affiliation, basic demographic information, and database searching experience. Participants include principal investigators, members of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees, animal care technicians, facility managers, veterinarians, and administrators of animal use programs.

This proposed rule invites comments on amending the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) regulations regarding a fresh mango national research and promotion program to include frozen mangos as a covered commodity. Additionally, this proposal announces AMS' intent to request approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of new information collection requirements necessary to include frozen mangos under the program.

AMS is asking for comments on the quality of services provided by this Delegated State: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Virginia). The realignment of offices within the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized by the Secretary's Memorandum dated November 14, 2017, eliminates the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA) as a standalone agency. The grain inspection activities formerly part of GIPSA are now organized under AMS.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the California Olive Committee (Committee) to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2018 fiscal year and subsequent fiscal years. The assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Department of Agriculture adopts as final without change, an interim rule implementing a recommendation from the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee) to relax the minimum size requirements currently prescribed under the Marketing Order for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and pummelos grown in Florida (Order). This final rule also continues in effect administrative revisions to the subpart heading to bring the language into conformance with the Office of Federal Register requirements.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), proposes to establish a new system of records entitled, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) Requests and Administrative Appeals Files, to cover both electronic and paper files created during the processing of access requests and appeals under the FOIA and PA and amendment requests under the PA in all USDA components with the exception of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) whom maintains its own system of records for these types of files. The OCIO is also deleting USDA/OCIO-01Freedom of Information Act Express (FX) published at 76 FR 54190 (August 31, 2011) because the new system would be duplicative.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, is revising the existing Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests' Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its revised Forest Plan. This notice briefly describes the preliminary needs for change that will be used to develop a revised Forest Plan, the nature of the decision to be made, and information concerning public participation. This notice also describes estimated dates for filing the EIS, the name and address of the responsible agency officials, and the individuals who can provide additional information. Finally, this notice identifies the applicable planning rule that will be used for completing the plan revision.

The Siskiyou (OR) Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Harbor, Oregon. 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 the Title II of the Act. RAC information can be found at the following website: https://cloudapps-usda- gov.secure.force.com/FSSRS/RAC_Page?id=001t0000002Jcv6AAC.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), herein referred to as RUS or the Agency, announces its Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. The Agency is publishing the amount of funding received in the appropriations act on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices- solicitation-applications-nosas. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant's risk. In addition to announcing the application window, RUS announces the minimum and maximum amounts for DLT grants applicable for the fiscal year. The DLT Grant Program regulation can be found at 7 CFR part 1734, subpart B. This DLT Grant Program regulation replaced the previous DLT Grant Program regulation, 7 CFR part 1703, subpart E, on December 27, 2017.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks comments on the intent of the USNA to renew an information collection that expires August 31, 2018. The information collection serves as a means to collect for certain use of the facilities, grounds, programs and services. This includes fees for educational programs and workshops and for use of the grounds and facilities, as well as for commercial photography and cinematography. Fees generated will be used to defray USNA expenses or to promote the missions of the USNA.

This notice announces the surplus and purchased foods that the Department expects to make available for donation to States for use in providing nutrition assistance to the needy under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. The foods made available under this notice must, at the discretion of the State, be distributed to eligible recipient agencies (ERAs) for use in preparing meals and/or for distribution to households for home consumption.

This document contains technical corrections to the Code of Federal Regulations regarding the final rule and interim final rule published in the Federal Register on January 6, 2017, ``Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008.''

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 payment of indemnity due to infectious salmon anemia.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to renew the approved information collection for Animal Disposition Reporting entered into the Public Health Information System. There are no changes to the existing information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on August 31, 2018.

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 obtain labor related data from contractors who provide laborers to the farming industry. This data will supplement the labor data that NASS currently collects from farmers under OMB docket number 0535-0109. This new survey is in response to a USDA departmental request. The data collection periods will be aligned with the current Agricultural Labor Survey, so that the estimates will represent the same data reference periods.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received a petition from BASF Plant Science, LP, seeking a determination of nonregulated status of canola designated as event LBFLFK, which has been genetically engineered (GE) to allow for the synthesis of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), from oleic acid in canola seed. The GE canola has also been genetically engineered for resistance to an imidazolinone herbicide. The petition has been submitted in accordance with our regulations concerning the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. We are making the BASF Plant Science, LP petition available for review and comment to help us identify potential environmental and interrelated economic issues and impacts that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service may determine should be considered in our evaluation of the petition.

This proposal invites comments on changing the assessment rate computation under the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) regulations regarding a national research and promotion program for U.S. peanuts. This proposal would change the basis for assessment under the regulations from value to volume (per ton). Two rates of assessment would be established instead of using a formula currently specified in the regulations. This proposal would also update the definition for ``fiscal year'' specified in the regulations to reflect current practices.

We are advising the public that we are making available for review and comment a revised version of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Program Standards. The CWD Program Standards provide guidance on how to meet CWD Herd Certification Program and interstate movement requirements. We are taking this action to address concerns of State and industry participants about the existing standards.