Department of Agriculture February 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to seek reinstatement of the 2019 Organic Survey. Response to this survey will be mandatory.

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is withdrawing the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Lower McCloud Fuels Management Project. The original NOI was published in the Federal Register on March 22, 2016. No significant issues were identified during this scoping period or any other opportunity to comment. Upon further evaluation, it also appears that there are no potential significant impacts to the human environment associated with the project. As a result, the Forest is withdrawing its intent to prepare an EIS and is now preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA). All comments previously received regarding this project will be retained and considered in the development of the EA. If it is determined that the project may have significant impacts, the EIS process will be reinitiated and a NOI will be published.

The Klamath National Forest is withdrawing the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Elk Creek Watershed Project. The original NOI was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2017. The project is being canceled and will be combined with a new project for which an Environmental Assessment will be prepared.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, published a notice of availability, public meetings, and Section 106 notification on December 7, 2018 (83 FR 63149) Federal Register for the Cardinal-Hickory Creek 345-kV Transmission Line Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Meetings were scheduled for January 2019 and the public review period was to conclude on February 5, 2019. On February 12, 2019 (84 FR 3412), RUS published a notice announcing an extension of the public comment period to April 1, 2019 due to the lapse in federal funding. Previously cancelled Draft EIS public comment meetings in January 2019 are rescheduled for six days in March.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice announces an invitation from the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture for nominations to the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics.

The U.S Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on March 7, 2019. 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 51st Session of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China, April 8-13, 2019. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 51st Session of the CCPR and to address items on the agenda.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites comments on this information collection for which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites comments on this information collection for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program, which it intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request an extension for and revision to a currently approved information collection for Almonds Grown in California, Marketing Order No. 981.

The Eastern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (Recreation RAC) will meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Recreation RAC is established consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Additional information concerning the Recreation RAC, including details on all fee proposals, can be found by visiting the Recreation RAC's website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/r9/recreation/racs.

This rule amends the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) regulations regarding a fresh mango national research and promotion program to include frozen mangos as a covered commodity under the Mango Promotion, Research and Information Order. The importers of frozen mangos will be assessed one cent ($0.01) per pound on frozen mangos. Also, the National Mango Board's (Board) membership will be expanded from 18 to 21 with the addition of two importers of frozen mangos and one foreign processor.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request a reinstatement of an information collection associated with the regulations for import and transport permits.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment concerning authorization to ship for the purpose of field testing, and then to field test, an unlicensed Bursal Disease-Marek's Disease-Newcastle Disease Vaccine, Serotype 3, Live Marek's Disease Vector. Based on the environmental assessment, risk analysis, and other relevant data, we have reached a preliminary determination that field testing this veterinary vaccine will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. We are making the documents available to the public for review and comment.

This document directs that a referendum be conducted among eligible first handlers and importers of mangos to determine whether they favor the inclusion of frozen mangos as a covered commodity under the Mango Promotion, Research and Information Order (Order).

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 importation of Phalaenopsis spp. plants for planting in approved growing media from China into the continental United States.

This rule removes the requirement in the Processed Raspberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) that each eligible producer of raspberries for processing and eligible importer of processed raspberries pay to the National Processed Raspberry Council (Council) an assessment in the amount of one cent per pound as specified in the Order. The remaining provisions of the Order and regulations issued thereunder will terminated at a later date. This action is necessary because termination of the Order was favored by a majority of the eligible producers and eligible importers voting in a referendum conducted from September 10 through October 5, 2018.

The U.S Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on May 6, 2019. 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 40th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in Budapest, Hungary, May 27-31 2019. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary, Office of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 40th Session of the CCMAS and to address items on the agenda.

NRCS gives notice of the deauthorization of Federal funding for the Lick Creek Watershed project, Russell, Dickenson and Wise Counties, Virginia.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request the reinstatement of an information collection associated with the National Animal Health Reporting System.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request the reinstatement of an information collection associated with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Student Outreach Program.

This final rule amends the SNAP regulations to update procedures for accessing SNAP benefits in drug addiction or alcoholic treatment centers (DAA treatment centers) and group living arrangements (GLAs) through electronic benefit transfer (EBT). The final rule implements the changes indicated in the proposed rule, but never finalized, regarding accessing SNAP benefits in these centers, but does not incorporate any of the substantive changes in the interim final rule regarding how benefits are returned to clients departing these centers due to adverse comments received on the interim final rule. This final rule also implements provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 regarding nomenclature changes to reflect the electronic issuance of benefits through EBT at these centers. RIN 0584- AE54 is a continuation of the prior rulemakings published under RIN 0584-AD87.

This rule implements a recommendation from the California Olive Committee (Committee) to establish procedures to conduct meetings and voting using electronic means of communication.