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

The Caribou-Targhee National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for invasive plant management. Invasive plants are a major threat to the biological diversity and ecological integrity within and outside the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and the Curlew National Grassland (Forests). The Forests propose to implement adaptive and integrated invasive plan management on current and potential infested areas forest-wide. A clear and comprehensive integrated invasive plant management strategy would allow for the implementation of timely and effective invasive plant management and prevention projects and programs on the Forests. In the absence of an aggressive invasive plant management program, the number, density, and distribution of invasive plants on both Forests is expected to increase.

Forest Service administrative review procedures require agency officials to publish legal notices in newspapers of record for certain opportunities to comment and opportunities to file pre-decisional objections. Forest Service officials in the Eastern Region will publish those legal notices in the newspapers listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. The Eastern Region consists of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Maine, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New York, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The public shall be advised through Federal Register notice, of the newspaper of record to be utilized for publishing legal notice of comment and objection opportunities required by those Parts and their associated procedures. This notice fulfills that requirement for the Eastern Region.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Siluriformes fish inspection regulations to list Thailand as a country eligible to export Siluriformes fish and fish products to the United States. FSIS has reviewed Thailand's laws, regulations, and inspection system as implemented and has determined that Thailand's Siluriformes fish inspection system is equivalent to the system that the United States has established under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and its implementing regulations. Under this final rule, only raw Siluriformes fish and fish products produced in certified Thailand establishments are eligible for export to the United States. All such products are subject to re-inspection at U.S. points-of-entry by FSIS inspectors.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Siluriformes fish inspection regulations to list the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a country eligible to export Siluriformes fish and fish products to the United States. FSIS has reviewed the PRC's laws, regulations, and inspection system as implemented and has determined that the PRC's Siluriformes fish inspection system is equivalent to the system that the United States has established under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and its implementing regulations. Under this final rule, only raw Siluriformes fish and fish products produced in certified PRC establishments are eligible for export to the United States. All such products are subject to re-inspection at U.S. points- of-entry by FSIS inspectors.

This Notice supersedes the notice published in the August 7, 2019 issue of the Federal Register entitled National School Lunch, Special Milk, and School Breakfast Programs, National Average Payments/ Maximum Reimbursement Rates (FR Doc. 84-38590). It establishes new reimbursement rates for Guam and Virgin Islands to match the reimbursement rate provided to Puerto Rico, and corrects an incorrect date. Similar to FR Doc. 84-38590, this Notice announces the annual adjustments to the national average payments, the amount of money the Federal Government provides States for lunches, afterschool snacks, and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; to the maximum reimbursement rates, the maximum per lunch rate from Federal funds that a State can provide a school food authority for lunches served to children participating in the National School Lunch Program; and to the rate of reimbursement for a half-pint of milk served to non-needy children in a school or institution that participates in the Special Milk Program for Children. The annual payments and rates adjustments for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs reflect changes in the Food Away From Home series of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. As stated above, Food and Nutrition Service is establishing new reimbursement rates for Guam and the Virgin Islands: It has approved a 17-percent increase in school meal reimbursement rates for Guam and the Virgin Islands to reflect their higher cost of providing school meals. The rate adjustment will take effect beginning July 1, 2019, for school year 2019-2020. This increase is based on data indicating that the cost of producing school lunches, breakfasts, and snacks are higher than those in the continental United States, as well as other factors impacting both Guam and the Virgin Islands school meal programs. The annual rate adjustment for the Special Milk Program reflects changes in the Producer Price Index for Fluid Milk Products. The payments and rates are prescribed on an annual basis each July. Overall, reimbursement rates this year for the National School Lunch, Breakfast Programs and the Special Milk Program either remained the same or increased compared to last year. Of note, the performance- based reimbursement for lunches certified as meeting the meal pattern increased from 6 cents to 7 cents.

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 domestic quarantine regulations for preventing the spread of plant pests and diseases within the United States.