36508 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 117 / Tuesday, June 18, 2013 / Notices 

1The Treatment Manual is available on the 

Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 

import_export/plants/manuals/index.shtml or by 

contacting the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Manuals 

Unit, 92 Thomas Johnson Drive, Suite 200, 

Frederick, MD 21702. 

Quarantine (PPQ) Treatment Manual.1

Section 305.3 sets out a process for 

adding, revising, or removing treatment 

schedules in the PPQ Treatment 

Manual. In that section, paragraph (b) 

sets out the process for adding, revising, 

or removing treatment schedules when 

there is an immediate need to make a 

change. The circumstances in which an 

immediate need exists are described in 

§ 305.3(b)(1). They are: 

• PPQ has determined that an 

approved treatment schedule is 

ineffective at neutralizing the targeted 

plant pest(s). 

• PPQ has determined that, in order 

to neutralize the targeted plant pest(s), 

the treatment schedule must be 

administered using a different process 

than was previously used. 

• PPQ has determined that a new 

treatment schedule is effective, based on 

efficacy data, and that ongoing trade in 

a commodity or commodities may be 

adversely impacted unless the new 

treatment schedule is approved for use. 

• The use of a treatment schedule is 

no longer authorized by the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency or by 

any other Federal entity. 

A treatment schedule currently listed 

in the PPQ Treatment Manual (T101–i– 

1–1) requires blueberries to be treated 

with methyl bromide at 70 °F or above 

using 2 lbs gas/1,000 ft3 for 3.5 hours at 

normal atmospheric pressure whether in 

chambers or under tarpaulin to mitigate 

risk from two fruit fly species, Ceratitis 

capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly, or 

Medfly) and Anastrepha fraterculus 

(South American fruit fly). Because the 

70 °F-or-above requirement has 

presented an undue economic hardship 

for the exporters, in 2009 Argentina 

requested and subsequently provided 

the supporting efficacy data for the 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) to approve a new 

methyl bromide treatment to be applied 

in chambers at a lower temperature 

(59 °F or above) for control of Medfly 

and South American fruit fly. After 

reviewing the data provided, APHIS 

found the results to be acceptable with 

a slight modification of temperature. 

In accordance with § 305.3(a)(1), we 

are providing notice that we have 

determined that it is necessary to add 

treatment schedule T101-i-1–2, which 

provides for a methyl bromide treatment 

schedule for blueberries at a 

temperature of 60 °F at a dosage rate of 

2 lbs gas/1,000 ft3 for an exposure 

period of 3.5 hours in a chamber. In 

order to have minimum adverse impact 

on the on-going trade of blueberries and 

using the immediate process as 

provided in § 305.3(b), this change is 

effective immediately upon publication 

of this notice. This treatment schedule 

will be listed in a separate section of the 

PPQ Treatment Manual, which will 

indicate that T101-i-1–2 was added 

through the immediate process 

described in paragraph (b) of § 305.3 

and that it is subject to change or 

removal based on public comment. 

The reasons for the addition of this 

treatment schedule are described in 

detail in a treatment evaluation 

document we have prepared to support 

this action. The treatment evaluation 

document may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

instructions for accessing 

Regulations.gov and information on the 

location and hours of the reading room). 

You may request paper copies of the 

treatment evaluation document by 

calling or writing to the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. Please refer to the subject of 

the treatment evaluation document 

when requesting copies. 

After reviewing the comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the new treatment schedule 

that is described in the treatment 

evaluation document in a subsequent 

notice, in accordance with paragraph 

(b)(3) of § 305.3. If we do not receive any 

comments, or the comments we receive 

do not change our determination that 

the treatment is effective, we will affirm 

the treatment schedule’s addition to the 

PPQ Treatment Manual and make 

available a new version of the PPQ 

Treatment Manual in which T101-i-1–2 

is listed in the main body of the PPQ 

Treatment Manual. If we receive 

comments that cause us to determine 

that T101-i-1–2 needs to be changed or 

removed, we will make available a new 

version of the PPQ Treatment Manual 

that reflects changes to or the removal 

of T101-i-1–2. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781– 

7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 2.22, 

2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 12th day of 

June 2013. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–14468 Filed 6–17–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Office of the Secretary 

Notice of Sugar Purchase and 

Exchange for Re-Export Program 

Credits; and Notice of Re-Export 

Program Time Period Extension 

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation 

and Office of the Secretary, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice concerns two 

separate actions. First, the Commodity 

Credit Corporation (CCC) announces the 

intent to purchase sugar to be offered in 

exchange for Refined Sugar Re-export 

Program credits. CCC will purchase 

sugar from domestic sugarcane 

processors or beet processors under the 

Cost Reduction Options of the Food 

Security Act of 1985, and concurrently 

exchange such sugar for credits under 

the Refined Sugar Re-export Program. 

Second, USDA announces a waiver to 

provide an extension of the time period 

from 90 days to 270 days in which 

licensed refiners must export or transfer 

sugar under the Refined Sugar Re-export 

Program. 

DATES: Effective date: June 18, 2013. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

current market conditions, eligibility, 

and criteria for evaluation information 

contact Daniel Colacicco; telephone 

(202) 690–0734. For sugar purchase and 

general exchange information contact 

Pamela McKenzie; telephone (202) 260– 

8906. For Refined Sugar Re-export 

Program waiver information contact Ron 

Lord; telephone (202) 720–6939. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communications 

(Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) 

should contact the USDA Target Center 

at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

USDA’s Sugar Program and the 

Domestic Sugar Market Conditions 

Under the Sugar Program, domestic 

sugar beet or sugarcane processors may 

borrow from CCC, pledging their sugar 

as collateral, and then satisfy their loans 

either by repaying the loan on or before 

loan maturity or by transferring the 

collateral to CCC immediately following 

loan maturity, also known as 

‘‘forfeiture’’ of collateral (as specified in 

7 CFR 1435.105). The Farm Service 

Agency (FSA) administers the Sugar 

Program for CCC. Under section 156 of 

the Federal Agriculture Improvement 

and Reform Act of 1996, as amended 

(Pub. L. 104–127; 7 U.S.C. 7272), the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 117 / Tuesday, June 18, 2013 / Notices 36509 

is required to operate the Sugar 

Program, to the maximum extent 

practicable, at no cost to the Federal 

government by avoiding forfeitures of 

sugar loan collateral to CCC. Due to 

current market conditions, if no actions 

are taken by CCC, the cost to CCC of 

acquiring sugar by forfeiture later this 

year is projected to range from $110 

million to $320 million. 

The Louisiana cane sugar and the U.S. 

beet sugar crops are setting production 

records for fiscal year (FY) 2013. The 

U.S. FY 2013 ending stocks-to-use ratio 

for sugar was projected at 18.5 percent 

in the May 2013 USDA World 

Agricultural Supply and Demand 

Estimates (WASDE) report, well above 

its historic average. In the past, an 

ending stocks-to-use ratio at or above 18 

percent has been strongly correlated 

with low U.S. sugar prices, and with 

forfeiture of sugar loan collateral to 

CCC. Record FY 2013 sugar production 

has caused domestic sugar prices to fall 

below the support level established by 

USDA’s Sugar Program. 

Refined Sugar Re-Export Program 

The Refined Sugar Re-export Program 

(7 CFR part 1530) permits licensed 

refiners to import low duty or duty-free 

raw cane sugar outside of World Trade 

Organization or bilateral trade 

agreement tariff-rate quota limits and 

requires the licensee to offset the 

quantity imported by exporting refined 

sugar, or transferring refined sugar to 

licensed sugar-containing product (for 

export) or polyhydric alcohol 

manufacturers. A participating refiner 

must maintain a license balance within 

certain limits. Sugar exported or 

transferred is subtracted from the 

license balance, resulting in a license 

‘‘credit;’’ sugar imported is added to the 

balance, resulting in a license ‘‘debit.’’ 

The maximum amount of permitted net 

debits—that is, the maximum positive 

license balance—is 50,000 metric tons 

(MT) raw value. Refiners are not 

required to have a negative license 

balance to offer or to exchange credits 

for sugar offered by CCC. However, 

refiners will only be permitted to 

exchange an amount of credits that 

maintains their license balance at the 

maximum amount of permitted net 

debits, 50,000 MT raw value. 

CCC Sugar Purchase and Exchange 

To reduce the cost of the Sugar 

Program to the Federal government, 

prior to the maturity of loans to sugar 

processors, CCC intends to purchase 

sugar from the U.S. domestic market 

and conduct voluntary exchanges of the 

purchased sugar in return for credits 

from Refined Sugar Re-export Program 

licensees under the Refined Sugar Reexport Program. These exchanges are 

expected to remove sugar from the 

market at a lower cost to the Federal 

government than the cost of acquiring 

sugar through loan collateral forfeiture. 

CCC will invite domestic sugarcane 

and sugar beet processors to offer sugar 

to CCC, as authorized by the Cost 

Reduction Options of the Food Security 

Act of 1985, as amended (7 U.S.C. 

1308a(c)), which permits CCC to 

purchase sugar provided that the price 

paid is below the comparable regional 

or State costs of later acquiring the sugar 

through loan forfeiture under the Sugar 

Program. The purchase invitation will 

describe the information needed from 

sugar sellers, such as sugar type, 

amount, storage location, and CCC 

warehouse code. The purchase 

invitation will also specify additional 

details, such as the opening and closing 

dates for offers and other terms of CCC’s 

sugar purchase. CCC will then post a 

catalog listing the available sugar 

quantities. The purchase invitation and 

catalog will be placed on the FSA 

Commodity Operations Web site at 

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/ 

webapp?area=home&subject=coop&

topic=landing. In order to allow for 

timely market pricing, CCC will permit 

sugarcane and sugar beet processors to 

provide price offers to the catalog to 

coincide with the timing of the 

exchange announcement’s closing bid 

date. 

Subsequently, approximately 10 

calendar days later an exchange 

announcement will be made in which 

CCC will offer available sugar to Refined 

Sugar Re-export Program licensees in 

exchange for credits. The exchange 

announcement will specify a minimum 

bid ratio of credits per MT of CCC sugar. 

The exchange announcement is 

available on the FSA Commodity 

Operations Web site at http:// 

www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/ 

webapp?area=home&

subject=coop&topic=landing. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible to sell sugar to CCC for 

the exchange, the processor must have 

sugar under the CCC Sugar Loan 

Program. The quantity of sugar offered 

by a processor cannot exceed the sugar 

processor’s outstanding loan quantity as 

of the offer due date. 

To be eligible for the exchange, 

licensed refiners must present an 

updated license balance to USDA as 

verification that the proposed sugar 

exchange would not cause the refiner to 

have a positive license balance in excess 

of 50,000 MT. 

Criteria for Evaluation of Tenders 

(Offers and Exchange Bids) 

CCC will combine the sugar offers and 

exchange bids that achieve the greatest 

cost reduction relative to the costs of 

later acquiring the sugar through 

forfeiture. The specific formula that CCC 

will use to evaluate and accept offer and 

bid combinations will be specified in 

the purchase and exchange invitations. 

Refined Sugar Re-Export Program Time 

Period Extension 

In order to allow licensed refiners 

sufficient time to participate in the 

credit exchange described above, 

employing the good cause discretionary 

waiver authority specified in the 

Refined Sugar Re-export Program 

regulation in 7 CFR 1530.113, the time 

period in which licensed refiners must 

export or transfer an equivalent amount 

of refined sugar, after entering a 

quantity of raw cane sugar under the 

Refined Sugar Re-export Program, if 

such entry results in a positive balance 

to their license, is extended as described 

below. A positive balance exists when 

cumulative imports exceed cumulative 

exports and transfers. 

As specified in 7 CFR 1530.105, 

licensed refiners under the Refined 

Sugar Re-export Program normally have 

90 days after entering a quantity of raw 

cane sugar under the Refined Sugar Reexport Program to export or transfer an 

equivalent amount of refined sugar, if 

the entry results in a positive balance to 

their license. For any raw sugar entered 

into U.S. customs territory on a license 

between the effective date of this notice 

and September 30, 2013, which results 

in a positive balance to the license, a 

licensed refiner will now have 270 days 

to export or transfer an equivalent 

amount of sugar. For any sugar entered 

into U.S. customs territory on a license 

between October 1, 2013, and March 31, 

2014, the deadline to export or transfer 

an equivalent amount of sugar will now 

be June 29, 2014. Beginning on April 1, 

2014, the 90-day limit specified in the 

regulation in 7 CFR 1530.105 will apply, 

and licensed refiners will again have 90 

days after any entry that results in a 

positive license balance to export or 

transfer an equivalent amount of sugar. 

This temporary extension of the time 

period from 90 days to 270 days will 

facilitate participation in exchanges for 

CCC sugar by providing licensed 

refiners whose accumulated imports 

may exceed accumulated exports with 

additional time to export or transfer an 

equivalent amount of sugar and 

therefore increase participation in the 

exchange by licensed refiners. 

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36510 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 117 / Tuesday, June 18, 2013 / Notices 

Signed on June 12, 2013. 

Darci L. Vetter, 

Acting Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign 

Agricultural Services. 

Juan M. Garcia, 

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2013–14401 Filed 6–17–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Funds Availability for the 

Section 533 Housing Preservation 

Grants for Fiscal Year 2013 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(RHS), an Agency within Rural 

Development, announces that it is 

soliciting competitive applications 

under its Housing Preservation Grant 

(HPG) program. The HPG program is a 

grant program which provides qualified 

public agencies, private non-profit 

organizations including, but not be 

limited to, faith-based and community 

organizations, and other eligible 

entities, grant funds to assist very lowand low-income homeowners in 

repairing and rehabilitating their homes 

in rural areas. In addition, the HPG 

program assists rental property owners 

and cooperative housing complexes in 

repairing and rehabilitating their units if 

they agree to make such units available 

to low- and very low-income persons. 

This action is taken to comply with RHS 

regulations found in 7 CFR part 1944, 

subpart N, which require RHS to 

announce the opening and closing dates 

for receipt of pre-applications for HPG 

funds from eligible applicants. The 

intended effect of this Notice is to 

provide eligible organizations notice of 

these dates. 

DATES: If submitting a paper preapplication, the closing deadline for 

receipt of all applications in response to 

this Notice is 5:00 p.m., local time for 

each Rural Development State Office on 

August 2, 2013. The application should 

be submitted to the Rural Development 

State Office where the project will be 

located. If submitting the preapplication in electronic format, the 

deadline for receipt is 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

Daylight Time on August 2, 2013. The 

pre-application closing deadline is firm 

as to the date and hour. RHS will not 

consider any pre-application that is 

received after the closing deadline. 

Applicants intending to mail preapplications must provide sufficient 

time to permit delivery on or before the 

closing deadline date and time. 

Acceptance by the United States Postal 

Service or private mailer does not 

constitute delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and 

postage due applications will not be 

accepted. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The reporting requirements contained 

in this Notice have been approved by 

the Office of Management and Budget 

under Control Number 0575–0115. 

Overview 

Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of 

Funds Availability for the Section 533 

Housing Preservation Grants for Fiscal 

Year 2013. 

Announcement Type: Initial Notice 

inviting pre-applications from qualified 

applicants for Fiscal Year 2013. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Numbers (CFDA): 10.433. 

Dates: If submitting a paper preapplication, the closing deadline for 

receipt of all applications in response to 

this Notice is 5:00 p.m., local time for 

each Rural Development State Office on 

August 2, 2013. The applications should 

be sent to the Rural Development State 

Office where the project will be located. 

If submitting the pre-application in 

electronic format, the deadline for 

receipt is 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight 

Time on August 2, 2013. The preapplication closing deadline is firm as 

to the date and hour. RHS will not 

consider any pre-application that is 

received after the closing deadline. 

Applicants intending to mail preapplications must provide sufficient 

time to permit delivery on or before the 

closing deadline date and time. 

Acceptance by the United States Postal 

Service or private mailer does not 

constitute delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and 

postage due applications will not be 

accepted. 

I. Funding Opportunities Description 

The funding instrument for the HPG 

Program will be a grant agreement. The 

term of the grant can vary from one to 

two years, depending on available funds 

and demand. No maximum or minimum 

grant levels have been established at the 

National level. You should contact the 

Rural Development State Office where 

the project will be located to determine 

the state allocation. 

II. Award Information 

For Fiscal Year 2013, $4,248,836.25 is 

available for the HPG Program. Rural 

Economic Area Partnership Zones and 

other funds will be distributed under a 

formula allocation to states pursuant to 

7 CFR part 1940, subpart L, 

‘‘Methodology and Formulas for 

Allocation of Loan and Grant Program 

Funds.’’ Decisions on funding will be 

based on pre-application scores. Anyone 

interested in submitting an application 

for funding under this program is 

encouraged to consult the Rural 

Development Web site periodically for 

updated information regarding the 

status of funding authorized for this 

program. 

III. Eligibility Information 

7 CFR part 1944, subpart N provides 

details on what information must be 

contained in the pre-application 

package. Entities wishing to apply for 

assistance should contact the Rural 

Development State Office where the 

project will be located to receive further 

information, the State allocation of 

funds, and copies of the pre-application 

package. Eligible entities for these 

competitively awarded grants include 

state and local governments, non-profit 

corporations including, but not be 

limited to faith-based and community 

organizations, Federally recognized 

Indian tribes, and consortia of eligible 

entities. 

Federally recognized Indian tribes, 

pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674, are exempt 

from the requirement to consult with 

local leaders including announcing the 

availability of its statement of activities 

for review in a newspaper. 

As part of the application, all 

applicants must also provide a Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and maintain 

registration in the Central Contractor 

Registration (CCR) database in 

accordance with 2 CFR part 25. As 

required by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB), all grant applicants 

must provide a DUNS number when 

applying for Federal grants, on or after 

October 1, 2003. Organizations can 

receive a DUNS number at no cost by 

calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS 

number request line at (866) 705–5711 

or by accessing http: 

//www.dnb.com/us/. Additional 

information concerning this 

requirement is provided in a policy 

directive issued by OMB and published 

in the Federal Register on June 27, 2003 

(68 FR 38402–38405). Similarly, 

applicants may register for the CCR at 

https://www.uscontractor

registration.com/ or by calling (877) 

252–2700. 

The Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) is participating as a partner in 

the Government-wide Grants.gov site. 

Electronic applications must be 

submitted through the Grants.gov Web 

site at: http://www.grants.gov, following 

the instructions found on the Web site. 

Please be mindful that the application 

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