75504 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2004 / Notices 

—Salvage operations and prescribed 

burning would expedite the transition 

toward a more natural appearing 

landscape and help promote oakhickory regeneration on the Forest, 

thus encouraging diversity of species. 

—There is a need to provide timber to 

meet people’s demand for wood 

products such as furniture, paper, 

fiber, and construction materials. The 

Forest Plan identifies areas suitable 

for timber production. 

Proposed Action 

The Forest proposes to salvage harvest 

trees that are recently down or leaning, 

severely damaged, or identified as 

hazard trees throughout the project area. 

Trees deemed hazardous are those that 

adversely affect public safety, including 

logging operations and management 

activities, facilities, and public visitors 

using the forest. Trees would be 

retained to provide wildlife habitat and 

long-term snag recruitment. Salvage 

activities would occur on approximately 

3,100 acres. 

This project proposes prescribed 

burning. General activities to be 

undertaken in preparing or executing 

prescribed fires could include fire line 

construction, hazard tree mitigation, 

and mop-up. Where possible, roads, 

trails, and streams would be used as 

natural breaks to minimize fire line 

construction. Any rehabilitation 

measures for fire lines would be 

determined by Forest Service 

specialists. All proposed prescribed 

fires would have a prescribed fire plan 

prior to the burn. This activity would 

occur on approximately 5,590 acres. 

Road construction activities are 

anticipated on approximately 27 miles 

to facilitate the removal of salvage 

material and minimize resource damage. 

This could include road reconstruction 

and road maintenance on existing road 

corridors. Temporary roads may be built 

to minimize resource damage and later 

decommissioned. 

Responsible Official 

Kenneth G. Day, Forest Supervisor; 

Hoosier National Forest; 811 

Constitution Avenue; Bedford, Indiana 

47421. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The decision to be made is whether 

the activities should proceed as 

proposed, proceed as modified by an 

alternative or be deferred at this time. 

Scoping Process 

The Hoosier National Forest proposes 

to scope for information by contacting 

persons and organizations on the 

Hoosier’s mailing list and publishing a 

notice in the local newspaper. The 

present solicitation is for comments on 

this Notice of Intent and scoping 

material available elsewhere, such as on 

the Forest Web page. 

Comment Requested 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement.

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A draft 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for comment. The comment 

period on the draft environmental 

impact statement will be 45 days from 

the date the Environmental Protection 

Agency publishes the notice of 

availability in the Federal Register. 

The Forest Service believes, at this 

early stage, it is important to give 

reviewers notice of several court rulings 

related to public participation in the 

environmental review process. First, 

reviewers of draft environmental impact 

statements must structure their 

participation in the environmental 

review of the proposal so that it is 

meaningful and alerts an agency to the 

reviewer’s position and contentions. 

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. 

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, 

environmental objections that could be 

raised at the draft environmental impact 

statement stage but that are not raised 

until after completion of the final 

environmental impact statement may be 

waived or dismissed by the courts. City 

of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 

1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin 

Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp. 

1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of 

these court rulings, it is very important 

that those interested in this proposed 

action participate by the close of the 45-

day comment period so that substantive 

comments and objections are made 

available to the Forest Service at a time 

when it can meaningfully consider them 

and respond to them in the final 

environmental impact statement. 

To assist the Forest Service in 

identifying and considering issues and 

concerns on the proposed action, 

comments on the draft environmental 

impact statement should be as specific 

as possible. It is also helpful if 

comments refer to specific pages or 

chapters of the draft statement. 

Comments may also address the 

adequacy of the draft environmental 

impact statement or the merits of the 

alternatives formulated and discussed in 

the statement. Reviewers may wish to 

refer to the Council on Environmental 

Quality Regulations for implementing 

the procedural provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act at 40 

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. 

Comments received, including the 

names and addresses of those who 

comment, will be considered part of the 

public record on this proposal and will 

be available for public inspection.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21)

Dated: December 10, 2004. 

Kenneth G. Day, 

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 04–27591 Filed 12–16–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and 

Stockyards Administration 

United States Standards for Beans

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and 

Stockyards Administration, USDA.

ACTION: Notice with opportunity to 

comment. 

SUMMARY: The Grain Inspection, Packers 

and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) 

is proposing to remove the special grade 

designation ‘‘off-color’’ from the United 

States Standards for Beans. GIPSA will 

continue to offer assessments for color 

uniformity on a request only basis. This 

action will facilitate the marketing of 

beans from many different regions.

DATES: Comments must be received by 

January 18, 2005.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit 

comments on the proposed rule. You 

may submit comments by any of the 

following methods: 

• E-mail: Send comments via 

electronic mail to 

comments.gipsa@usda.gov.

• Mail: Send hardcopy written 

comments to Tess Butler, GIPSA, USDA, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 

1647–S, Washington, DC, 20250–3604. 

• Fax: Send comments by facsimile 

transmission to: (202) 690–2755. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver 

comments to: Tess Butler, GIPSA, 

USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Room 1647–S, Washington, DC, 

20250–3604. 

All comments should make reference 

to the date and page number of this 

issue of the Federal Register. 

To read comments: All comments 

received will be made available for 

public inspection at the above address 

during regular business hours (7 CFR 

1.27(b)). 

The current United States Standards 

for Beans are available by accessing 

GIPSA’s Home Page on the Internet at:

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2004 / Notices 75505

http://www.usda.gov/gipsa/referencelibrary/standards/stds.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Giler, Deputy Director, Field 

Management Division, USDA, GIPSA, 

Room 2429–S, Stop 3632, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC, 20250–3632, telephone 

(202) 720–0252; or e-mail to: 

John.C.Giler@usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act 

of 1946, as amended, directs and 

authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture 

‘‘to develop and improve standards of 

quality, condition, quantity, grade, and 

packaging and recommend and 

demonstrate such standards in order to 

encourage uniformity and consistency 

in commercial practices * * *’’. GIPSA 

is committed to carrying out this 

authority in a manner that facilitates the 

marketing of agricultural commodities. 

The United States Standards for Beans 

do not appear in the Code of Federal 

Regulations but are maintained by the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

GIPSA is proposing to change the 

United States Standards for Beans using 

the procedures that appear at 7 CFR 

Section 868.102. GIPSA representatives 

work closely with the National Dry Bean 

Council (NDBC) and others in the bean 

industry to examine the effectiveness of 

the U.S. Standards for Beans in today’s 

marketing environment. Through 

discussions, it appears that the current 

standards continue to meet consumer/

processor needs. However, the bean 

industry has indicated the special grade 

‘‘off-color’’ in dry beans is not needed 

to market dry beans. 

The special grade designation ‘‘offcolor’’ has been in the U.S. Standards 

for Beans for many years. Because it is 

a special grade designation, it does not 

affect the numerical grade designation. 

The current written description for ‘‘offcolor’’ is: ‘‘Beans that, after removal of 

total defects, are distinctly off-color due 

to age or other natural causes but are not 

materially weathered.’’

Off-color is determined on a 

representative sample of approximately 

500 grams after the removal of total 

defects (i.e., splits, damaged beans, 

contrasting classes, and foreign 

material). Beans are considered as ‘‘offcolor’’ if they are not of a good natural 

color or are stained to an extent that 

they seriously affect the appearance of 

the lot. Beans that are discolored by 

dust or a slight amount of dirt, which 

can be removed by processing methods, 

are not considered as ‘‘off-color.’’

Bean color is dependent upon 

environmental conditions, varietal 

differences, moisture, storage, and age. 

Beans grown in various regions may 

vary greatly in general appearance. As 

beans mature and are ready for harvest, 

outside forces such as dew, rain, and 

sunlight, can greatly affect the color of 

the beans. These same forces cause 

beans in the same regions to vary in 

color from season to season. 

Further, beans of one class and variety 

grown in the Pacific Northwest may 

have an entirely different color than the 

same beans grown in the Midwest 

regions, yet both would be of good 

natural color for their regions. For 

example, the Colorado/Idaho grown 

pinto bean generally has a lighter seed 

coat color than the pinto beans grown in 

North Dakota. Both color types appeal to 

consumers and are considered a ‘‘good 

natural color.’’

Further, there is no visual reference 

for off-color, and, due to the many 

variances, attempts to develop a visual 

reference have been difficult. This can 

make assessment for off-color 

sometimes difficult. 

The majority of suppliers know their 

customer and their specific quality 

preferences. When asked to furnish a 

light, uniformly colored bean, suppliers 

generally know the implied color 

parameters, for their respective areas, 

that the customer is setting due to the 

supplier/buyer relationship. However, 

when the supplier is not clear as to the 

needs of the customers, they use ‘‘type 

samples.’’ That is, the supplier forwards 

a sample representing the color and 

quality they have available to 

prospective customers for examination 

and approval. If the color and quality 

are acceptable, comparable quality is 

shipped to the customer without 

incident. 

GIPSA recognizes that color is, at 

times, a concern to buyers. 

Consequently, GIPSA will provide, 

upon request, an analysis for color to 

determine if color is uniform or is 

representative of a ‘‘type’’ sample. When 

a request for color analysis is made, a 

statement will be added to the 

certificate in the ‘‘Remarks’’ section 

stating whether the color is uniform, not 

uniform, or meets the requirements of 

the type sample. 

GIPSA is proposing to remove the 

special grade designation ‘‘off-color’’

from the United States Standards for 

Beans. GIPSA will continue to offer 

assessments for color uniformity on a 

request only basis. This action will 

facilitate the marketing of beans from 

many different regions. 

GIPSA will solicit comments for 30 

days. This comment period is 

considered appropriate given the 

upcoming production season for beans. 

All comments received within the 

comment period will be made part of 

the public record maintained by GIPSA, 

will be available to the public for 

review, and will be considered by 

GIPSA before final action is taken on the 

proposal.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.

Donna Reifschneider, 

Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and 

Stockyards Administration.

[FR Doc. 04–27626 Filed 12–16–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–EN–P

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM 

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR 

SEVERELY DISABLED 

Procurement List; Additions and 

Deletions

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled.

ACTION: Additions to and deletions from 

Procurement List. 

SUMMARY: This action adds to the 

Procurement List products and a service 

to be furnished by nonprofit agencies 

employing persons who are blind or 

have other severe disabilities, and 

deletes from the Procurement List a 

product and services previously 

furnished by such agencies.

DATES: Effective Date: January 16, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase 

From People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 

1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, 

Arlington, Virginia, 22202–3259.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sheryl D. Kennerly, (703) 603–7740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Additions 

On October 15, and October 22, 2004, 

the Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled published notice (69 FR 61202 

and 62020) of proposed additions to the 

Procurement List. 

After consideration of the material 

presented to it concerning capability of 

qualified nonprofit agencies to provide 

the products and services and impact of 

the additions on the current or most 

recent contractors, the Committee has 

determined that the products and 

service listed below are suitable for 

procurement by the Federal Government 

under 41 U.S.C. 46–48c and 41 CFR 51–

2.4. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification 

I certify that the following action will 

not have a significant impact on a 

substantial number of small entities.