Department of Agriculture 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with Section 3(d)(1) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the USDA Forest Service announces the completion and availability of the comprehensive river management plan for Black Butte Wild and Scenic River, including portions of Cold Creek. On May 11, 2018, Acting Mendocino Forest Supervisor, Gar Abbas signed a decision notice to adopt a comprehensive river management plan (``CRMP'') for Black Butte Wild and Scenic River (including Cold Creek). The Black Butte Wild and Scenic River CRMP (including Cold Creek) addresses resource protection, development of lands and facilities, user capacities, and other management practices necessary or desirable to achieve the purposes of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This CRMP was prepared after consultation with State and local governments and the interested public. An environmental assessment (EA) was prepared as part of the CRMP development. This EA has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and other relevant federal laws and regulations. The EA discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects that would result from adopting the CRMP. The Black Butte Wild and Scenic River CRMP (including Cold Creek) and the EA are available for review at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/ ?project=50351 and the following offices: Upper Lake Ranger District, 10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake, CA 95484. Mendocino National Forest Supervisor's Office, 825 N Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988.

The Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development (Agency) is seeking applications to support regional economic development planning efforts in rural communities under the Rural Economic Development Innovation (REDI) initiative. This funding opportunity will be administered by the Rural Development Innovation Center, in partnership with the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. The Agency is announcing up to $750,000 in competitive cooperative agreement funds in fiscal year (FY) 2018. Rural Development Agency may select one, multiple, or no award recipients. The Agency reserves the right to withhold the awarding of any funds if no application receives a score of at least 60 points. This Notice lists the information needed to submit an application for these funds. This Notice announces that the Agency is accepting FY 2018 applications to support REDI.

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is issuing this notice to advise the public of the 45-day public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Lee Canyon Ski Area Master Development Plan Phase I (Lee Canyon Project) and the addition of a proposed project-specific amendment to the Toiyabe National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) for the Proposed Action and alternatives other than the No Action alternative. The Notice of Intent for the Lee Canyon Project was published in the Federal Register on March 23, 2017 (82 FR 14865). Today's notice has been published to ensure all persons and entities interested in the Lee Canyon Project are aware of the addition of the proposed amendment and to identify the Forest Service planning rule provisions likely to be directly related and, therefore, applicable to the Forest Plan amendment. The public is advised that during the 45 day comment period for the Lee Canyon Project Draft EIS, comments may also be submitted regarding the substantive requirements that are likely to be directly related to the amendment and the scope and scale to which the substantive requirements would apply. Comments will be considered in the preparation of the Final EIS and Draft Record of Decision for the Lee Canyon Project.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is amending the Cotton Board Rules and Regulations, increasing the value assigned to imported cotton for the purposes of calculating supplemental assessments collected for use by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. This amendment is required each year to ensure that assessments collected on imported cotton and the cotton content of imported products will be the same as those paid on domestically produced cotton. In addition, AMS is updating the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) statistical reporting numbers that were amended since the last assessment adjustment in 2017.

This rule revises the eligibility requirements, enrollment procedures, and payment calculation for ARC and PLC required to conform with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA). BBA amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill) to add seed cotton as a covered commodity and remove generic base acres from ARC and PLC. This rule also amends provisions to include seed cotton yields, allocation of generic base acres, election of ARC-County Option (ARC-CO) or PLC for seed cotton base acres, and enrollment for 2018. This rule also makes some minor, clarifying changes to the administration section.

We are adopting as a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that amended the regulations pertaining to certain diseases of livestock and poultry to specify conditions for payment of indemnity claims for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The interim rule provided a formula allowing us to split such payments between poultry and egg owners and parties with which the owners enter into contracts to raise or care for the eggs or poultry based on the proportion of the production cycle completed. That action was necessary to ensure that all contractors are compensated appropriately. The interim rule also clarified an existing policy regarding the payment of indemnity for eggs destroyed due to HPAI and required a statement from owners and contractors, unless specifically exempted, indicating that at the time of detection of HPAI in their facilities, they had in place and were following a biosecurity plan aimed at keeping HPAI from spreading to commercial premises.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces the opening of the solicitation for nominations to fill vacancies on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economic (NAREEE) Advisory Board and its subcommittees. There are eight vacancies on the NAREEE Advisory Board; three vacancies on the Specialty Crop Committee; six vacancies on the Citrus Disease Subcommittee; and two vacancies on the National Genetics Advisory Council.

The USDA Forest Service, Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2018 a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Snow King Mountain Resort On-mountain Improvements Project. The NOI referenced an incorrect project website address and the date the comment period ends was unclear; this notice provides a technical correction to the NOI to provide the correct website and also clarifies and extends the scoping comment period.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to renew the approved information collection regarding certificates of medical examination. The approval for this information collection will expire on December 31, 2018. FSIS is making no changes to the approved collection.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of and revision to the currently approved information collection ``Application for Plant Variety Protection Certification and Objective Description of Variety.''

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Business-Cooperative Service's intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the program for 7 CFR part 4284, subpart J.

The Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (Recreation RAC) will hold its next meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to receive recommendations concerning recreation fee proposals on areas managed by the Forest Service in Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Texas and South Carolina. A summary of the proposals that may be discussed at this meeting will be posted at least 15 days prior to the meeting at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r8/ recreation/racs. The Southern Region Recreation RAC is established consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. II), and Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 (the Act) (Pub. L. 108-447). Additional information concerning the Southern Region Recreation RAC can be found by visiting the committee's website noted above.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze a variety of resource management actions to implement over the course of 15 years. The purpose of the project is to meet multiple resource goals and objectives (i.e., needs) identified in the 2016 Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) using an integrated approach. Some of the project area needs include improving forest ecosystem health, supporting community resilience through economic development opportunities within Southeast Alaska communities, providing sustainable recreation opportunities to local visitors and the tourism industry, and offering a variety of wood products to regional mills and local communities. A variety of management activities (the Proposed Action) address these needs. Implementation of the management activities will often include one or more Supporting Actions, such as quarry development or sign installation. At the same time that it would approve the proposed project, the Forest Service may approve a project- specific Forest Plan amendment to ensure the project is consistent with the plan. This notices also identifies the substantive provisions of the 2012 Planning Rule that are likely to be directly related to a proposed forest plan amendment.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing a meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to assist the USDA in the development of standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on any other aspects of the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA).

The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the South Revillagigedo Integrated Resource Project (South Revilla IRP) which proposes to harvest timber, restore watershed function, enhance or restore fish and wildlife habitat, and develop recreation opportunities using an integrated approach in the Shelter Cove, Shoal Cove, and Thorne Arm areas within the Ketchikan Misty Fjords Ranger District, Tongass National Forest. The Proposed Action would harvest about 60 million board feet of timber from up to 6,000 acres over the course of 15 years. In addition, transportation management activities such as road construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and decommissioning are proposed. At the same time that it would approve the proposed project, the Forest Service may approve a project-specific Forest Plan amendment to ensure the project is consistent with the Plan.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA), on behalf of Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), is republishing this announcement to extend the application deadline for the availability of competitive grants to conduct a forest inventory analysis, forest management, and economic outcomes modelling, for certain currently enrolled Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land. The analysis is focused on lands enrolled in CRP for at least 8 years and located in areas with a substantial concentration of acres enrolled under the following conservation practices devoted to multiple bottomland hardwood tree species: General tree planting, hardwood tree planting, vegetative cover on previously established tree stands, riparian buffers, bottomland timber establishments, and farmable and aquaculture wetlands. Qualified applicants must be non-profit organizations dedicated to conservation, forestry, and wildlife habitats that have experience in conducting accurate forest inventory analysis through the use of advanced, cost- effective technology, as determined by FSA.

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 new information collection for the voluntary collection of summer meal site information from State agencies.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing funding availability and is soliciting letters of intent for loan applications under the Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), announcing the application process for those loans and deadlines for applications from eligible entities. These loans are made available under the authority of Section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, as amended, (Section 6407) and Title VII, Section 741 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. This notice describes the eligibility requirements, the application process and deadlines, the criteria that will be used by RUS to assess Applicants' creditworthiness, and how to obtain application materials. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 appropriated a budget authority of $8,000,000 and authorized that the Secretary may use this funding to allow eligible entities to offer energy efficiency loans to customers in any part of their service territory and may also use this funding for projects replacing manufactured housing units with another manufactured housing unit if the replacement would be more cost effective in saving energy. The Administrator may approve loans proposing to include these new eligible activities for entities currently in the queue provided they still meet the all application requirements, pursuant to this NOFA. The Agency encourages applications that will support recommendations made in the Rural Prosperity Task Force report to help improve life in rural America, See, www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity. Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships and innovation. Key strategies include: Achieving e-Connectivity for rural America, developing the rural economy, harnessing technological innovation, supporting a rural workforce, and improving quality of life.

This Notice announces the solicitation of applications for funds available under the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program (the Program) to provide guaranteed loans to fund the development, construction, and retrofitting of commercial scale biorefineries using eligible technology and of Biobased product manufacturing facilities that use technologically new commercial scale processing and manufacturing equipment to convert renewable chemicals and other biobased outputs of biorefineries into end-user products, on a commercial scale.

The Forest Service is revising the Inyo National Forest's Land and Resource Management Plan (forest plan). The Forest Service has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for its revised forest plan and a draft Record of Decision (ROD). This notice is to inform the public that the Inyo National Forest is initiating a 60-day period where individuals or entities with specific concerns about the Inyo's revised forest plan and the associated FEIS may file objections for Forest Service review prior to the approval of the revised forest plan. This is also an opportunity to object to the Regional Forester's list of species of conservation concern (SCC) for the Inyo National Forest.

The HelenaLewis & Clark National Forest is proposing to implement new fees at the following sites: Three rental cabins, one campground, and one group campground. The Forest is proposing to charge at the following sites: Indian Meadows Cabin; Lincoln Ranger District: Proposed fee of $65 per night. Mergenthaler Cabin; Helena Ranger District: Proposed fee of $60 per night. Nevada Creek Cabin; Lincoln Ranger District: Proposed fee of $45 per night. Quigley Group Campground; Helena Ranger District: Proposed fee of $50 per night. Hay Canyon Campground; Musselshell Ranger District: Proposed Fee of $10 per night These fees are only proposed and will be determined upon further analysis and public comment.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is making available for public comment a draft plant pest risk assessment (PPRA) and draft environmental assessment (EA) for cotton designated as event TAM66274, which has been genetically engineered for ultra-low gossypol levels in the cottonseed. We are making the draft PPRA and draft EA available for public review and comment.

FSIS is proposing to amend the Federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations to eliminate prescriptive requirements governing the manufacture of uninspected products, such as pet food, in edible product areas of official establishments and to allow official establishments to manufacture such products outside the hours of inspection.

On September 26, 2017 the Under Secretary of Natural Resources and the Environment created the Divided Mountain Unit. This purchase unit comprises 112.3 acres within Grayson County, Virginia. A legal description of lands within the purchase unit appears at the end of this notice.