Department of Agriculture November 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 request revision and extension of a currently approved information collection, the Aquaculture Surveys. Revision to burden hours will be needed due to changes in NASS estimates programs, target population sizes, sampling designs, and/or content of questionnaires.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) finalizes the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Sugar Beet Crop Insurance Provisions (Crop Provisions) and makes amendments to the final rule, with request for comment, published in the Federal Register on September 10, 2018, that updated existing policy provisions and definitions to better reflect current agricultural practices. This final rule is amended based on comments received and other issues identified since implementation of the previous final rule. The changes will be effective for the 2020 and succeeding crop years in states with a November 30 contract change date and for the 2021 and succeeding crop years in all other states.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) amends the Common Crop Insurance Regulations, Coarse Grains Crop Insurance Provisions (Crop Provisions). The intended effect of this action is to allow separate enterprise and optional units by the cropping practices Following Another Crop (FAC) and Not Following Another Crop (NFAC). The changes will be effective for the 2020 and succeeding crop years.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending its regulations to remove lists of foreign countries eligible to export meat, poultry, and egg products to the United States. FSIS will maintain a single list of eligible foreign countries on its website. The criteria FSIS uses to evaluate whether a foreign country is eligible to export meat, poultry, or egg products has not changed. This rule will allow FSIS to more efficiently and clearly communicate equivalence determinations by maintaining a single list of exporting countries on its website, rather than maintaining one list on the website and outdated lists in the codified regulations. In addition, the Agency is amending it regulations to remove references to the lists.

This rule implements a recommendation from the Almond Board of California (Board) to revise the almond accepted user program requirements currently prescribed under the Marketing Order for Almonds Grown in California (Order). This rule prohibits the transfer of inedible material between accepted users, implements a new information collection form and makes a conforming change to an existing form.

This proposed rule would implement a recommendation from the Cherry Industry Administrative Board (Board) to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2019-20 and subsequent fiscal years. The proposed assessment rate would remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated.

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is revising the regulations governing the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) Program to add provisions related to the local and regional procurement of commodities under the program, and to make other minor changes. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 amended the statute authorizing the McGovern-Dole Program to provide that not more than ten percent of the funds made available to carry out the program shall be used to purchase agricultural commodities through local and regional procurement. This revision implements this statutory change by setting forth requirements applicable to the local or regional procurement of commodities by an award recipient under the McGovern-Dole Program, and it makes other technical changes to update the regulations.

In accordance with legislation implementing the results of the Uruguay Round of negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, we are informing the public of the international standard- setting activities of the World Organization for Animal Health, the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention, and the North American Plant Protection Organization, and we are soliciting public comment on the standard-setting activities.

The Forest Service published a document in the Federal Register on September 30, 2019, requesting for comments on proposed new recreation fees for three recreation sites on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The document contained incorrect information on the type of fee and features of recreation sites required in order to charge that fee type. The Forest Service is reopening the comment period. The previous comment period ended on October 15, 2019. In addition to comments received under this notice, comments previously submitted in response to the notice published during the comment period announced September 30, 2019, will be considered.

Through this proposed rule, the Rural Housing Service (RHS or Agency) is proposing to amend its regulations to update and improve the direct Single-Family Housing (SFH) loans and grants programs. The proposed changes would increase program flexibility, allow more borrowers to access affordable loans, better align the programs with best practices, and enable the programs to be more responsive to economic conditions and trends.

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation is correcting a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on June 28, 2019, which revised the Catastrophic Risk Protection Endorsement, the Area Risk Protection Insurance Basic Provisions, and the Common Crop Insurance Policy (CCIP) Basic Provisions. This correction is being published to correct an incorrect reference in section 3(g)(3) of the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, intends to grant to Hunter Farms dba Whispering Green Energy of 684 County Road #2 Hillier, Ontario K0K 2J0, Canada, an exclusive license to U.S. Patent Application No. 15/882,078, ``LOW TEMPERATURE AND EFFICIENT FRACTIONATION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS USING RECYCLABLE ORGANIC SOLID ACIDS'', filed on January 29, 2018.

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) proposes to add a new system of records notice to its inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974. This action is necessary to meet the requirements of the Privacy Act to publish in the Federal Register notice of the existence and character of records systems maintained by the agency. The Integrated Management Administrative Resources Tool (iMART) will serve as a comprehensive personnel management system to manage and store all personnel and career data, along with organizational and historical data, in one central and integrated system.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service plans to prepare an environmental impact statement analyzing alternatives for predator damage management in Oregon.

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) announces that the maximum loan amount awarded for applications competing in the Second, Third, and Fourth Quarter funding cycles of fiscal year (FY) 2020 will be $1 million.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with importation of fresh carrots from the Republic of Korea into the United States. Based on the analysis, we have determined that the application of one or more phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of fresh carrots from the Republic of Korea. We are making the pest risk analysis available to the public for review and comment.

This interim rule with request for comment amends the existing regulation for CSP to incorporate programmatic changes as authorized by amendments in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill).

The Flathead Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Kalispell, 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/main/pts/home.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Federal poultry products inspection regulations to add the People's Republic of China (PRC) as eligible to export to the United States poultry products from birds slaughtered in the PRC. FSIS has reviewed the PRC's poultry laws, regulations, and inspection system, as implemented, and has determined that they are equivalent to the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), the regulations implementing this statute, and the United States' food safety system for poultry. Under this final rule, slaughtered poultry, or parts or other products thereof, processed in certified PRC establishments, are eligible for export to the United States. All such products are subject to reinspection at United States ports of entry by FSIS inspectors.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (``USDA'' or ``Department''), with the concurrence of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), is issuing this proposed rule for attorneys of USDA's Office of the General Counsel (OGC). This proposed rule further supplements the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (OGE Standards) issued by OGE by revising USDA's existing supplemental regulation concerning the outside practice of law by USDA OGC attorneys. The current regulation requires OGC attorneys to obtain written approval before engaging in the outside practice of law. To more fully address ethical issues unique to OGC attorneys, the proposed revision retains this prior approval requirement and imposes additional restrictions on the outside practice of law, subject to certain exceptions.

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 Cotton Classification and Market News Service.

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 and revision to the currently approved information collection entitled Cotton Classing, Testing, and Standards.