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

NRCS gives notice that an environmental impact statement is not being prepared for the rehabilitation of Johns Creek Watershed Dam No. 1, Craig County, Virginia and Finding of No Significant Impact.

The Missouri River Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Helena, Montana. 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 Title II of the Act. RAC information can be found at the following website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/hlcnf.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS), invites comments on this information collection for which the Agency 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 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 introduction of organisms and products altered or produced through genetic engineering.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and rules and regulations of the USDA, the Office of Partnership and Public Engagement (OPPE) announces a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers (ACBFR). The purpose of the ACBFR meeting is to deliberate upon matters concerning beginning farmers and ranchers that provide advice and recommendations through OPPE for the Secretary. The most up-to-date agenda details and documents will be made available to the public before and after the meeting at: https:// www.outreach.usda.gov/committees/ACBFR.htm.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval, from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of and revision to the currently approved information collection for report forms under the Federal milk marketing order program.

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 revision of a currently approved collection. This information collection addresses the State agency reporting burden associated with the following State agency options under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Establishing and reviewing standard utility allowances (SUAs) and establishing methodology for offsetting cost of producing self-employment income.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is giving this notice that it intends to issue a series of revised conservation practice standards in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices (NHCP), and NRCS is also giving the public an opportunity to provide comments on specified practice conservation standards in NHCP.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency of 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). RUS published a Notice of Intent and Availability on August 30, 2019, that provided a 60-day comment period, ending on the date announced in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) EIS receipt notice on October 22, 2019. RUS is extending the public comment period for the Draft EIS by an additional 30 days to November 21, 2019.

This final rule amends the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) section of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) organic regulations to implement recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). This rule adds elemental sulfur for use as a molluscicide in organic crop production, adds polyoxin D zinc salt to control fungal diseases in organic crop production, and reclassifies magnesium chloride from an allowed synthetic to an allowed nonsynthetic ingredient in organic handling.

This notice announces the following: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) intent to renew the Charter of the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC); the solicitation of nominations for membership to fill three known vacancies on the FVIAC for appointment in 2020; and the solicitation of nominations for a pool of candidates to fill future unexpected vacancies in any of the position categories should that occur. FVIAC is seeking members who represent the fruit and vegetable industry including growers, shippers, wholesalers/distributors, brokers, retailers/restaurant representatives, state agencies, state departments of agriculture, foodservice suppliers, and fresh-cut and other fruit and vegetable processors. It should also include representatives of farmers markets and food hubs, organic and non- organic fruit and vegetable representatives, farmer organizations, and produce trade associations. Please note that federally registered lobbyists cannot be considered for USDA advisory committee membership. Members can only serve on one USDA advisory committee at a time. All nominees will undergo a USDA background check. The following must be submitted to nominate yourself or someone else to the FVIAC: A resume (required), a USDA Advisory Committee Membership Background Information Form AD-755available online at https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-755 (required), a cover letter (required), and a list of endorsements or letters of recommendation (optional). The resume or curriculum vitae must be limited to five one- sided pages and should include a summary of the following information: Current and past organization affiliations; areas of expertise; education; career positions held; and any other notable positions held. For submissions received that are more than five one-sided pages in length, only the first five pages will be reviewed.

This rule revises the U.S. Department of Agriculture (``USDA or the Department'') Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA'') regulations. The revisions clarify and update procedures for requesting information from USDA, as well as procedures that USDA follows in responding to requests from the public. The revisions also incorporate clarifications and updates resulting from changes to the FOIA and case law.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, intends to grant to East 30 Sensors, 1601 Kitzmiller Rd., Pullman, WA 99163, an exclusive license to U.S. Patent No. 10,282,955, ``FOREST FIRE FUEL HEAT TRANSFER SENSOR'', issued on May 7, 2019.

NRCS announces the availability of the agency's Record of Decision (ROD) to adopt the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), ``Feral Swine Damage Management: A National Approach EIS'', prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), under the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) adoption provisions of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

We are advising the public of our determination to recognize Singapore as being free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Based on our evaluation of the FMD status of Singapore, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, the Administrator has determined that Singapore is free of FMD.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits tree harvest and road construction/reconstruction within inventoried roadless areas with certain limited exceptions. In addition, the proposed rule would provide an administrative procedure for correcting and modifying inventoried roadless area boundaries on the Chugach National Forest. The USDA invites written comments on the proposed rule and the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). The proposed rule would not directly authorize any ground-disturbing activities. Substantive comments received during the comment period will be considered in developing the final rule and final environmental impact statement (FEIS). The final rule will be published in the Federal Register.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget, for an extension of the currently approved information collection National Organic Program (NOP) Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements.

This Notice announces that the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Agency) is accepting fiscal year (FY) 2019 applications for the Agriculture Innovation Demonstration Center (AIC) program. In FY 2019, the program has $3,500,000 available for funding. If additional funds are appropriated during fiscal year 2020 prior to the selection of awards, funding amounts will be posted on the Agency website and we will utilize those additional FY 2020 funds to make awards under this Notice. The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to agricultural producers seeking to engage in the marketing or the production of Value-Added products. Eligible applicants include nonprofit and for-profit corporations, public bodies, and institutions of higher education. This program supports Rural Development's (RD) mission of improving the quality of life for rural Americans and commitment to directing resources to those who most need them.

The Rural Housing Service (RHS or Agency) published a proposed rule December 12, 2018, proposing to amend its regulation to eliminate the requirement for the annual publication of Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). Through this action, RHS finalizes the proposed rule without any substantive revisions.

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 2018.

We are updating the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Program Standards. In a previous notice, we made available to the public for review and comment proposed changes to the NPIP Program Standards. These changes will be added to the NPIP Program Standards.