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

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is soliciting nominations of veterinary service shortage situations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) for fiscal years (FY) 2020-2022, as authorized under the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA). This notice initiates the nomination period for FY 2020 and prescribes the procedures and criteria to be used by eligible nominating officials (State, Insular Area, DC and Federal Lands) to nominate veterinary shortage situations for fiscal years 2020-2022. Each year all eligible nominating officials may submit nominations, up to the maximum indicated for each entity in this notice. NIFA is conducting this solicitation of veterinary shortage situation nominations under an approved information collection (OMB Control Number 0524-0050).

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has issued a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Supplemental Draft EIS) for Central Electric Power Cooperative's (Central Electric) proposed McClellanville Area 115-kV Transmission Project (Project) in South Carolina. In this document, RUS analyzes the environmental impacts associated with an anticipated decision request to approve or deny funding for Central Electric's proposed Project. The Supplement Draft EIS was prepared to address substantial changes to the proposed action and assesses new circumstances and information relevant to potential environmental impacts originally evaluated in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS). In April 2014, RUS issued a Draft EIS that evaluated six 115-kV transmission line corridors originating in Georgetown County, South Carolina and terminating in the McClellanville area of Charleston County, South Carolina. Since publication of the Draft EIS, updated engineering data has resulted in substantial changes to the proposed action, including the need to evaluate new transmission line corridors originating from the Jamestown and Charity areas of Berkeley County, South Carolina, and to account for a new winter weather operating agreement between the former South Carolina Electric and Gas (now Dominion Energy South Carolina) and Berkeley Electric Cooperative that addresses load concerns during the winter months. In addition, the following changes made it necessary to supplement the Draft EIS: The promulgation of a new environmental regulation applicable to RUS (7 CFR part 1970, which replaced the former 7 CFR part 1794, RUS Environmental Policies and Procedures), issuance and implementation of Executive Order 13807: ``Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure Projects'' (known as the ``One Federal Decision Executive Order''), and publication of the Francis Marion National Forest's Forest Plan. The Supplemental Draft EIS addresses the construction, operation, and maintenance of Central Electric's proposed Project. The Project includes the construction of a new 115 kV transmission line needed to energize the new McClellanville Substation located near the McClellanville service area. The Supplemental Draft EIS considers three alternatives, encompassing three potential corridor locations with one corridor including two different alignments. The overall project area encompasses parts of Berkeley, Georgetown and Charleston counties in coastal South Carolina, and potentially crosses the Francis Marion National Forest. The Supplemental Draft EIS has identified the potential for impacts to various resources, including wetlands, biological resources and cultural resources (including historic properties). Central Electric does not hold easements across these areas. Once a final right-of-way (ROW) is selected within the preferred corridor, coordination with federal and state agencies and other interested parties would occur to identify, evaluate and, if needed, mitigate any adverse effects. RUS will compile public comments received on the Supplemental Draft EIS and produce a Final EIS that considers and responds to those substantive public comments. Based on this analysis in additional to technical and financial reviews, RUS will decide to approve or deny an application for funding.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) invites comments on a proposal to reduce the fees for the sampling, inspection, weighing, and certification of rice performed under authority of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA), as amended. Under the proposal, fees would decrease by 20 percent for fiscal year (FY) 2020 and by another 20 percent for FY 2021. The proposed changes are necessary to lower the balance in the program's operating reserve to a level adequate to cover three to six months' expenses. AMS is also proposing to adopt standardized AMS user-fee calculations used in other AMS programs for rice inspection services beginning in FY 2022.

The U.S Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on November 21, 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 7th Session of the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (TFAMR) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, December 9-13, 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 7th Session of the TFAMR and to address items on the agenda.

This notice announces the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1994 Tribal Scholars Program.

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 revise the approved information collection regarding import inspection applications. The approval for this information collection will expire on October 31, 2020. FSIS is updating this collection, based on new information about burden, and adding a new application for the return of exported products to the United States. The Agency has increased the burden estimate by 21,932 hours due to updated information and the addition of this form.

The National Forests in North Carolina is proposing to charge new fees at two recreation sites. All sites have recently been reconstructed or improvements are being added to enhance services and experiences. Fees are assessed based on the level of amenities and services provided, cost of operation and maintenance, market assessment, and public comment. Funds from fees would be used for the continued operation and maintenance of these recreation sites.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing Service (RHS) invites comments on this information collection for which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate established for the 2019-2020 and subsequent marketing years. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

We are advising the public that we have added Cambodia to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We are taking this action because of the confirmation of ASF in Cambodia.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service proposes to add a system of records to its inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The system of records being proposed is the Agricultural Quarantine Activity System, USDA/APHIS-20. This notice is necessary to meet the requirements of the Privacy Act to publish in the Federal Register notice of the existence and character of record systems maintained by the agency. Although the Privacy Act requires only that the portion of the system which describes the ``routine uses'' of the system be published for comment, we invite comment on all portions of this notice.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending 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. These prescriptive regulations are no longer necessary and are inconsistent with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and sanitation regulations. Removal of these unnecessary provisions will provide establishments the flexibility to be innovative and operate in the most efficient, cost effective manner.

This final rule revises regulations for seasons, harvest limits, methods, and means related to taking of fish for subsistence uses in Alaska during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) completes the biennial process of revising subsistence hunting and trapping regulations in even-numbered years and subsistence fishing and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable biennial cycle. This rule also revises fish customary and traditional use determinations.

On June 13, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (Agency) published a proposed rule to revise its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. The Agency is extending the comment period on the proposed rule, which was scheduled to close on August 12, 2019, for 14 days until August 26, 2019.

This final rule revises the regulations for seasons, harvest limits, and methods and means for the subsistence taking of fish in the Cook Inlet Area of Alaska. This action also reorganizes specific regulations addressing the Kenai River, which will provide clarity for the public, and allow the Federal Subsistence Board to correct regulatory conflicts that have arisen based on recent rulemaking.

The National Forests in Alabama are proposing to charge a new fee at the Conecuh Shooting Range. Fees are assessed based on the level of amenities and services provided, cost of operation and maintenance, market assessment and public comment. Funds from fees would be used for the continued operation and maintenance of this shooting range including lead abatement, berm maintenance, and removal of shell casings and debris. The proposed new fees to help maintain this site would be: $5 per person per day and $50 for an annual permit.

This notice announces the transfer of amounts for certain dairy articles from the historical license category (Appendix 1) to the lottery (nonhistorical) license category (Appendix 2) pursuant to the Dairy Tariff-Rate Quota Import Licensing regulations, 7 CFR part 6, for the 2019 quota year.

We are advising the public of our determination that canola designated as event LBFLFK, which has been genetically engineered to allow for the synthesis of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, from oleic acid in canola seed, is no longer considered a regulated article under our regulations governing the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms. Our determination is based on our evaluation of data submitted by BASF Plant Science, LP, in its petition for a determination of nonregulated status, our analysis of available scientific data, and comments received from the public in response to our previous notices announcing the availability of the petition for nonregulated status and its associated environmental assessment and plant pest risk assessment. This notice also announces the availability of our written determination and finding of no significant impact.

This notice announces the annual adjustments to the national average payment rates for meals and snacks served in child care centers, outside-school-hours care centers, at-risk afterschool care centers, and adult day care centers; the food service payment rates for meals and snacks served in day care homes; and the administrative reimbursement rates for sponsoring organizations of day care homes, to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. Further adjustments are made to these rates to reflect the higher costs of providing meals in Alaska and Hawaii. The adjustments contained in this notice are made on an annual basis each July, as required by the laws and regulations governing the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

We are advising the public that we have added Scotland, a region within the United Kingdom, to our list of regions classified as having controlled risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and have removed Scotland from our list of regions considered negligible risk for BSE. We are taking this action because of the confirmation of classical C-type BSE in an indigenous cow in Scotland.

We are giving notice of a meeting of the National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee.

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

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 bovine and captive cervid tuberculosis regulations.