Department of Agriculture September 16, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the North Yuba Landscape Resilience Project. The purpose of the Project is to improve and restore forest health and resilience, reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire, protect and secure water supplies, and protect communities from the effects of high-severity wildfire and climate change in the North Yuba River watershed. Actions to reduce hazardous forest fuels and enhance forest resilience to severe disturbances from wildfire, insect and disease infestation, drought, and anticipated future climate change are intended to provide long-term benefits to the Landscape's communities and ecosystems. These actions include several project-specific amendments to the Land Management Plan for the Tahoe National Forest related to management of California spotted owl habitat. The amendments are based on the Conservation Strategy for the California Spotted Owl in the Sierra Nevada (USDA Forest Service 2019) and rely on the best available science.

This proposal invites comments on amendments to the Potato Research and Promotion Plan (Plan) as recommended by the National Potato Promotion Board (Board) and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Board administers the Plan with oversight provided by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The Board recommends changing approved sources of potato production data used to determine the number of Board seats, expanding payment methods used to remit assessments to include electronic submission, and updating the table of Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) codes and assessment rates for imported potatoes and potato products. Finally, proposed amendments would insert new language eliminating the need to amend the Plan just to update the list of relevant HTS codes.