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 

### 45494

Vol. 78, No. 145

Monday, July 29, 2013

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Plant Breeding Listening Session meeting** 

**ACTION :**  Notice of a Plant Breeding Listening Session Meeting.

**SUMMARY :**  The Office of the Chief Scientist of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces a Plant Breeding Listening Session stakeholder meeting for all interested plant breeding and cultivar development stakeholders.

**DATES :**  The Plant Breeding Listening Session will be held August 15, 2013. The public may file written comments up to one week after the meeting with the Contact Person.

**ADDRESSES :**  The meeting will take place at the Jamie L. Whitten Building, 12th Street and Jefferson Drive SW., Washington, DC 20250. Written comments from the public may be emailed to the Contact Person identified in this notice.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Jenna Jadin, Advisor, Office of the Chief Scientist; telephone: (202) 260–8318; or email: jenna.jadin@osec.usda.gov.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  The Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics, Dr. Catherine Woteki, and the Director of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, have been invited to provide brief remarks and welcome stakeholders during the meeting.

On Thursday, August 15, 2013, the listening session will be held from 8:30 a.m.—5:30 p.m. in room 107–A of the Jamie L. Whitten building. Specific topics of discussion in the morning session will include an introduction to the plant breeding portfolio of all of USDA’s relevant mission areas, including a discussion of relevant work, goals, and results.

In the late morning, the audience will listen to 10 minute presentations from stakeholders that discuss their plant breeding and cultivar development programs and/or their perception of needs and potential improvements in publicly-funded plant breeding and cultivar development research. Following lunch, stakeholder presentations will continue, and will be followed by a summary and discussion session in which participants will be asked to discuss their reactions to the information presented earlier in the day, as well as respond to a set of questions presented by the organizers which are aimed at getting feedback on plant breeding and cultivar development needs. The meeting will adjourn by 5:30

p.m.

All stakeholders are welcome to apply for a 10-minute presentation slot, however, due to time constraints, a limited number will be selected on a first come, first served basis. To apply for a slot, please email the Contact Person listed above. All presentations may be simple oral presentations or given in PowerPoint, however, the organizers request that a written transcript of the talk be submitted no later than one week after the event. Written comments by attendees or other interested stakeholders will be welcomed before and up to one week following the listening session (by close of business Thursday, August 22, 2013). All statements will become a part of the official record of the Office of the Chief Scientist and will be kept on file in that office.

All parties interested in attending this event must RSVP no later than August 8, 2013 to the Contact Person listed above.

Due to size constraints in the meeting room, only the first 70 responders will be accepted.

Done at Washington, DC this 23rd day of July 2013. Ann Bartuska, Deputy Under Secretary, REE, Chief Scientist,
USDA.
[FR Doc. 2013–18153 Filed 7–26–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–03–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE** 

**Commodity Credit Corporation**

**Notice of Second Sugar Purchase and Exchange for Re-export Program**  **Credits**

**AGENCY :**  Commodity Credit Corporation and Office of the Secretary, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces the intent to purchase raw cane sugar to be offered in exchange for Refined Sugar Re-export Program credits as a follow-up to the notice of sugar purchase and exchange for Re-export Program credits published in the Federal Register on June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36508–36510). CCC will purchase the sugar from domestic sugarcane 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.

**DATES :**  Effective date: July 29, 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 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 :**  Under the previous sugar purchase and exchange for Re-export Program credits announced in the Federal Register on June 18, 2013 (78 FR 36508–36510), and the inclusion of Certificates of Quota Eligibility (CQEs) issued pursuant to the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement and the United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement announced in the Federal Register on June 26, 2013 (78 FR 38286), CCC purchased approximately 91,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar from the domestic market and exchanged the purchased sugar for 300,000 MT of credits from Refined Sugar Re-export Program licenses and CQEs issued under the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, at an aggregate


### 45495 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 145 / Monday, July 29, 2013 / Notices

cost of $43.8 million. These purchase and exchange transactions are estimated to have saved CCC $66.9 million in Sugar Program costs by reducing the amount of sugar loan collateral forfeitures. However, a significant forfeiture threat still remains, which will be mitigated by this action.

The sugar purchase will be administered similarly to the purchase and exchange announced on June 18, 2013. CCC will invite domestic sugarcane processors to offer raw cane 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 the quantity, 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 Farm Service Agency (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 processors to provide price offers to the catalog to coincide with the timing of the exchange invitation’s closing bid date.

Subsequently, approximately 2 calendar days later, an exchange invitation will be made under which CCC will offer available sugar to Refined Sugar Re-export Program licensees in exchange for re-export credits. The exchange invitation will specify a minimum bid ratio of credits per metric ton of CCC sugar. The exchange invitation will be placed on the FSA Commodity Operations Web site at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp ?area=home& subject=coop&topic=landing.

The sugar purchase will be different from the earlier purchase in that only sugarcane processors may offer to sell sugar to CCC. This purchase also differs from the earlier purchase in that any sugar offered to CCC must be pledged as collateral for CCC loan, as the purpose of this action is to reduce the forfeitures of loan collateral under the sugar loan program and this would most directly reduce forfeitures. The exchange invitation and evaluation process will be administered in the same way, except for the timing, as announced in the notice published on June 18, 2013.

CCC may make future offers topurchase sugar and exchange it for reexport credits under this notice. Future offers to purchase and exchange will be made publicly available electronically on the FSA Web site at http:// www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/ webapp?area=home &subject=coop&topic=pas, and also on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site at www.fbo.gov. All terms and conditions for any future sugar purchases and exchanges will be included in the purchase and exchange invitations.

Signed on July 24, 2013. Darci L. Vetter, Deputy Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services

Juan M. Garcia, Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2013–18219 Filed 7–26–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–05–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Forest Service**

**Conejos Peak Ranger District, Rio Grande National Forest; Colorado;**  **Cumbres Vegetation Management Project** 

AGENCY : Forest Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

**SUMMARY :**  The Conejos Peak Ranger District, Rio Grande National Forest, proposes to salvage timber stands killed or infested by spruce beetles; reduce fuel loading, particularly adjacent to private lands; cut potential hazard trees along private property, roads, and other infrastructure; and regenerate forested acres, as needed, to move toward the long-term desired conditions described in the Forest Plan.

**DATES :**  Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received by August 28, 2013. The draft environmental impact statement is expected in September 2013 and the final environmental impact statemen t is expected in November 2013.

**ADDRESSES :**  Send written comments to Diana McGinn, Team Leader, San Luis Valley Publ ic Land Center, 1803 W. Hwy 160, Monte Vista, CO 81144. Commen ts may also be sent via e-mail

to comments-rockv-mountain-rioqrande-conejos-peak@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 719–852–6250, with subject Cumbres Vegetation Management Project.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Diana McGinn at 719–852–6241 or visit the Forest Web site: http:// www.fs.usda.gov/projects/riogrande/ landmanagement/projects.

Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m ., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Purpose and Need for Action

The purpose an d need for the Cumbres Vegeta tion ManagementProject is move toward achieving longterm desired conditions described in the Forest Plan for this area following extensive tree mortality caused by epidemic levels of spruce beetles. Actions taken to meet these goals would include: (1) Harvesting dead and dying trees to provide wood products, while reducing the continuous extent of large fuels, particularly around private lands; (2) removing trees that create a potential safety hazard in areas of concentrated public use or that have the potential to damage public or private propert y as they fall; (3) Re-plant portions of harvested s t ands to speed ecological

recovery. Proposed Action

The Rio Grande National Forest proposes to harvest and regenerate timber stands killed by or infested with spruce beetles in an area located approximately 23 miles west of Antonito. Colorado. The project would use the existing transportation system except for the construction or re-use of approximately 8.3 miles of temporary road segments. All temporary roads would be rehabilitated and closed following use. Tree planting would follow harvest operations in areas with inadequate existing regeneration and where aspen sprouting is unlikely, in order to maintain diverse forest cover over the long-term.
Responsible Official

Conejos Peak District Ranger at 15571 County Road T5, La J ara, CO, 81140.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

An environmental impact statement (EIS) that discloses the environmental consequences of implementing the proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action, including No Action, will be prepared. A separate Record of Decision (ROD) wlll explain the Responsible Official’s decision