REGULATORY:
Notice of open meeting: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; This notice announces an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee under Section 9008(d) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 amended by the Agricultural Act of 2014. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that agencies publish these notices in the Federal Register. INFO HERE
Notice of filing of petitions and request for comment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); This document announces the Agency’s receipt of several initial filings of pesticide petitions requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities. Info HERE
Notice of filing of petitions and request for comment: This document announces the Agency’s receipt of several initial filings of pesticide petitions requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities. Info HERE
Notice: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This notice announces EPA’s receipt of application 45728-EUP-R from Taminco US LLC, requesting an experimental use permit (EUP) for chlormequat chloride. EPA has determined that the permit may be of regional or national significance. Therefore, because of the potential significance, EPA is seeking comments on this application. Info HERE
Notice: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); This notice announces the availability of EPA’s interim registration review decision for the following chemicals: Ammonia and Ammonium Sulfate, Azoxystrobin, Benfluralin, Chloropropham, Clomazone, Cytokinins, Dichlobenil, Diflufenzopyr and Diflufenzopyr-sodium, Fenhexamid, Fluopicolide, Fluridone, Indole-3-Butyric Acid, Indoxacarb, Naphthenate Salts, Nuranone, Prometryn, Spinetoram, Spinosad, Trifloxystrobin, and (Z)-9-tricosene. It also announces the amended interim decisions for Ethalfluralin and Hexazinone. In addition, it announces the closure of the registration review case for triforine because the last U.S. registrations for this pesticide have been canceled. Info HERE
Notice: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); EPA has received applications to register pesticide products containing active ingredients not included in any currently registered pesticide products. Pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is hereby providing notice of receipt and opportunity to comment on these applications. Info HERE
Notice: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); EPA has received applications to register new uses for pesticide products containing currently registered active ingredients. Pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is hereby providing notice of receipt and opportunity to comment on these applications. Info HERE
Notice: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); This notice announces the availability of EPA’s proposed interim registration review decisions and opens a 60-day public comment period on the proposed interim decisions for the following pesticides: Aviglycine hydrochloride, buprofezin, diflubenzuron, lufenuron, oxytetracycline, prohexadione calcium, pymetrozine, streptomycin, tebuthiuron, and thiobencarb. This notice also announces the availability of EPA’s human health and ecological risk assessments for the pesticides oxytetracycline and streptomycin and opens a 60-day public comment period on the risk assessments. Info HERE
Final rule: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA; This rule implements a recommendation from the California Date Administrative Committee (Committee) to increase the assessment rate for the 2018-19 and subsequent crop years for California dates handled under Marketing Order 987. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely unless modified, suspended, or terminated. Info HERE
Notice: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.; The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces that soybean producers may request a referendum to determine if producers want the Secretary to conduct a referendum on the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order), as authorized under the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act (Act). Participation in the Request for Referendum is voluntary. Producers should participate only if they wish to request a referendum on the program. If at least 10 percent (not in excess of one-fifth of which may be producers in any one State) of the 515,008 eligible producers, as determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), participate in the Request for Referendum, a referendum will be held within 1 year from that determination. If results of the Request for Referendum indicate that a referendum is not supported, a referendum would not be conducted. The results of the Request for Referendum will be published in a Notice in the Federal Register. Info HERE
Notice: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA; In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this information collection. This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection for State administrative expense funds expended in the operation of the Child Nutrition Programs administered under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. Info HERE
Final rule: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA; FSIS is amending the Federal meat inspection regulations to eliminate the requirement that livestock carcasses be marked with the official inspection legend at the time of inspection in a slaughter establishment, if the carcasses are to be further processed in the same establishment. Info HERE
Notice and request for comments: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.; 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 renew the approved information collection regarding the importation and transportation of meat, poultry, and egg products. The approval for this information collection will expire on June 30, 2019. FSIS is making no changes to the approved collection. Info HERE
Notice and request for comments: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.; 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 collect information in the form of an exploratory Web-based survey of consumers to evaluate food safety education and communication activities and to inform the development of food safety communication products. Info HERE
Notice: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); This notice announces EPA’s order for the cancellations and amendments to terminate uses, voluntarily requested by the registrants and accepted by the Agency, of the products listed in Table 1 and Table 2 of Unit II, pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This cancellation order follows a July 10, 2018 Federal Register Notice of Receipt of Requests from the registrants listed in Table 3 of Unit II to voluntarily cancel and amend to terminate uses of these product registrations. In the July 10, 2018 notice, EPA indicated that it would issue an order implementing the cancellations and amendments to terminate uses, unless the Agency received substantive comments within the 180-day comment period that would merit its further review of these requests, or unless the registrants withdrew their requests. The Agency received one anonymous public comment on the notice, but it didn’t merit its further review of the requests. Two registrants requested to withdraw their requests to cancel registrations. The registrant for 81964-4, requested via letter to withdraw their voluntary cancellation request. Also, the registrant for 2596-150 and 2596-151, requested via letter to withdraw their voluntary cancellation requests. Accordingly, EPA hereby issues in this notice a cancellation order granting the requested cancellations and amendments to terminate uses. Any distribution, sale, or use of the products subject to this cancellation order is permitted only in accordance with the terms of this order, including any existing stocks provisions. Info HERE
Final rule: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA; This final rule amends Marketing Order No. 929, which regulates the handling of cranberries grown in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Long Island in the State of New York. The amendment, which was proposed by the Cranberry Marketing Committee (Committee), was approved by growers and processors in the referendum. This action authorizes the Committee to accept contributions from domestic sources for research and development activities authorized under the marketing order that would be free from any encumbrances as to their use by the donor. Info HERE
Notice: call for nominations: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA; The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) was established to assist in the development of standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the Secretary on the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA). Through this Notice, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing its call for nominations to fill five vacancies. Descriptions of the five positions are listed below under supplementary information. Appointees will serve a five-year term beginning January 24, 2020 and ending January 23, 2025. Additionally, the USDA seeks nominations for a pool of candidates that the Secretary of Agriculture can draw upon as replacement appointees if unexpected vacancies occur. Info HERE
Notice; request for nominations: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA; The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) requires the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to establish a Peanut Standards Board (Board) for the purpose of advising the Secretary on quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for individuals to be considered for selection as Board members for a term of office ending June 30, 2022. Info HERE
Notice: Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Office of the Chief Scientist, USDA; In preparing to implement the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (commonly referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill), USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area will host a listening session for public input regarding new programs and changes to existing programs implemented by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). Info HERE
Notice of availability: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.; We are notifying the public that we have prepared an evaluation of the State of Baja California, Mexico for fever ticks. The evaluation concludes that this region is free from fever ticks, and that ruminants imported from the area pose a low risk of exposing ruminants within the United States to fever ticks. We are making the evaluation available for review and comment. Info HERE
Notice of availability: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA; We are advising the public that we are proposing to recognize Singapore as being free of foot-and-mouth disease. This proposed recognition is based on an evaluation we have prepared in connection with this action, which we are making available for review and comment. Info HERE
Notice: Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Office of the Chief Scientist, USDA. In preparing to implement the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (commonly referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill), USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area will host a listening session for public input regarding new programs and changes to existing programs implemented by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). Info HERE
Notice: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); 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 is a new information collection. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest domestic nutrition assistance program in the United States, having served approximately 20.1 million low-income households in 2018, with $60.1 billion in benefits provided during that time. Section 11(e)(8) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 requires that these millions of households must submit personally identifiable information (PII) in order to receive SNAP benefits. PII includes information that directly identifies individuals, such as individuals’ names and Social Security numbers, as well as information like home addresses, which can be used to deduce the identity of an individual. While State agencies (SAs) implement policies to safeguard SNAP PII, little is systematically known about the policies and practices that SAs have in place. Accordingly, FNS wants to assess the ways that States safeguard SNAP PII and identify best practices to protect such information. Info HERE
Notice: Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Office of the Chief Scientist, USDA; In preparing to implement the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (commonly referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill), USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area will host a listening session for public input regarding new programs and changes to existing programs implemented by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). Info HERE
Notice: Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Office of the Chief Scientist, USDA; In preparing to implement the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (commonly referred to as the 2018 Farm Bill), USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area will host a listening session for public input regarding new programs and changes to existing programs implemented by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research Service (ERS), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). Info HERE