This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

78113 

Vol. 85, No. 233 

Thursday, December 3, 2020 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

November 30, 2020. 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments are 

required regarding; whether the 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; ways to enhance the 

quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and ways to 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments regarding this information 

collection received by January 4, 2021 

will be considered. Written comments 

and recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

Farm Service Agency 

Title: Certified Mediation Program (7 

CFR part 785). 

OMB Control Number: 0560–0165. 

Summary of Collection: The Farm 

Service (FSA) is administering the 

Certified Mediation Program as 

mandated by Subtitle A and B of Title 

V of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 

(Pub. L. 100–233), as amended, under 

the USDA Agricultural Mediation 

Program. USDA authorized FSA to 

administer the program. FSA makes 

grants to state-designated entitles that 

provide mediation to agricultural 

producers, their lenders and others that 

are directly affected by the action of 

certain USDA agencies. In mediation, a 

trained impartial mediator helps 

participants review and discuss their 

conflicts, identify options to resolve 

disputes and agree on solutions. 

Need and Use of the Information: FSA 

will collect information to determine 

whether the participants meet the 

eligibility requirements to be recipients 

of grant funds, and secondly, to 

determine if the grant is being 

administered as provided by the Act. 

Lack of adequate information to make 

these determinations could result in the 

improper administration and 

appropriation of Federal grant funds. 

Description of Respondents: State, 

Local or Tribal Government. 

Number of Respondents: 42. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

Annually. 

Total Burden Hours: 2,772. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26615 Filed 12–2–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0103] 

Notice of Request for Extension of 

Approval of an Information Collection; 

Commercial Transportation of Equines 

for Slaughter 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Extension of approval of an 

information collection; comment 

request. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service’s intention to 

request an extension of approval of an 

information collection associated with 

the regulations for the commercial 

transportation of equines to slaughtering 

facilities. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before February 1, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2020-0103. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2020-0103, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http://

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2020-0103 or 

in our reading room, which is located in 

Room 1620 of the USDA South 

Building, 14th Street and Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC. Normal 

reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

holidays. To be sure someone is there to 

help you, please call (202) 799–7039 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on the regulations for the 

commercial transportation of equines 

for slaughter, contact Dr. Rory Carolan, 

Equine Specialist, Surveillance, 

Preparedness, and Response Services, 

VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 46, 

Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851–3558. 

For copies of more detailed information 

on the information collection, contact 

Mr. Joseph Moxey, APHIS’ Information 

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851– 

2483. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Commercial Transportation of 

Equines for Slaughter. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0332. 

Type of Request: Extension of 

approval of an information collection. 

Abstract: Sections 901–905 of the 

Federal Agriculture Improvement and 


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78114 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 233 / Thursday, December 3, 2020 / Notices 

Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901) 

authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to 

issue guidelines for regulating the 

commercial transportation of equines to 

slaughter by persons regularly engaged 

in that activity within the United States. 

Specifically, the Secretary is authorized 

to regulate the food, water, and rest 

provided to these equines while the 

equines are in transit and to review 

related issues appropriate to ensuring 

that these animals are treated humanely. 

To implement the provisions of this 

Act, the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) established 

minimum standards to ensure the 

humane movement of equines to 

slaughtering facilities, or to assembly 

points while en route to slaughtering 

facilities, via commercial transportation. 

These standards, contained in 9 CFR 

part 88, require that conveyances 

protect the health and well-being of the 

animals and meet certain other criteria; 

that double-deck conveyances are 

prohibited; and that access to food, 

water, and rest be provided to these 

animals 6 hours prior to shipment. 

APHIS’ regulations also require the 

application of backtags and completion 

of owner/shipper certificates of fitness 

to travel to a slaughter facility with 

identification of the animals and details 

of the transportation and signatures 

attesting to compliance with the 

provision of food, rest, and water and to 

the animal’s fitness to travel. The 

regulations further prohibit the use of 

electric prods and state aggressive 

animals must be separated. Any owner/ 

shipper transporting equines to 

slaughtering facilities outside the 

United States must present the ownershipper certificates to U.S. Department 

of Agriculture representatives at the 

border. 

Implementing these regulations 

entails the use of information collection 

activities such as providing business 

information; completing owner/shipper 

certificates of fitness to travel to a 

slaughter facility; applying backtags, as 

needed; certificates of veterinary 

inspection; and maintaining records of 

the owner/shipper certificates and 

continuation sheets. 

APHIS is asking the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) to 

approve these information collection 

activities for an additional 3 years. The 

activities described are associated with 

APHIS’ efforts to ensure that equines 

being transported commercially for 

slaughter receive adequate food, water, 

and rest and that their health and wellbeing are protected. 

The purpose of this notice is to solicit 

comments from the public (as well as 

affected agencies) concerning our 

information collection. These comments 

will help us: 

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our 

estimate of the burden of the collection 

of information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

(4) Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, through use, as 

appropriate, of automated, electronic, 

mechanical, and other collection 

technologies; e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses. 

Estimate of burden: The public 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 0.465 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Owners and shippers of 

slaughter horses, owners or operators of 

slaughtering facilities, and drivers of the 

transport vehicles. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 302. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 61. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 18,500. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 8,608 hours. (Due to 

averaging, the total annual burden hours 

may not equal the product of the annual 

number of responses multiplied by the 

reporting burden per response.) 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 30th day of 

November 2020. 

Mark Davidson, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26611 Filed 12–2–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Virtual Public Listening Session; 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service Programs and Western Water 

Quantity 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) will host a 

virtual, open, public listening session 

with remote participation only, for 

public input about water quantity in the 

west as it relates to existing NRCS 

programs. There will not be any inperson gathering for this listening 

session. 

DATES: 

Listening Session: The virtual public 

listening session will be held on 

Thursday, December 17, 2020 (also see 

below for Meeting Times section below). 

Registration to comment date: To 

provide oral comments during the 

virtual listening session, you must 

register by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on 

Tuesday, December 18, 2020. 

Registration to view date: You may 

register to view the listening session 

(but not provide oral comments), by 

12:00 p.m. (noon) on Tuesday, 

December 15, 2020. 

Written comment date: You may 

submit written comments by January 19, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: 

Registration: To register and receive 

information on how to attend the virtual 

listening session, please email your 

information to WesternWater@

usda.gov—send your first and last name, 

organization, job title, City, State, email, 

and phone number. 

Written comments: We invite you to 

submit written comments by any of the 

following methods: 

• Mail: Deborah Miles, NRCS, ATTN: 

Western Water Quantity Listening 

Session, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, 

Room 5739, Mail Stop 1600, 

Washington, DC 20250, or 

• Email: WesternWater@usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information about providing 

written comments, joining the virtual 

listening session, or registering to speak 

at the virtual listening session, contact 

Leslie Deavers, telephone: 202–690– 

4616, or by email: Leslie.Deavers@

usda.gov. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for 

communication should contact the 

USDA Target Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On November 5, 2020, NRCS 

announced it had selected 31 priority 

areas to receive $13 million in 

Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program (EQIP) funding as part of the 

WaterSMART Initiative (WSI). These 

investments will help producers on 

private working lands better conserve 

water resources in coordination with 

investments made by water suppliers. 

The Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (NRCS) will host a virtual, open, 

public listening session with remote 


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