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 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

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

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 to 

purchase 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 Management 

Project 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 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES