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

76952 

Vol. 79, No. 246 

Tuesday, December 23, 2014 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

December 17, 2014. 

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 

regarding (a) 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; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of burden including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; (d) 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 should be addressed to: Desk 

Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov 

or fax (202) 395–5806 and to 

Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, 

OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC 

20250–7602. Comments regarding these 

information collections are best assured 

of having their full effect if received 

within 30 days of this notification. 

Copies of the submission(s) may be 

obtained by calling (202) 720–8958. 

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. 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Title: Child and Adult Care Food 

Program Sponsor and Provider 

Characteristics Study. 

OMB Control Number: 0584–NEW. 

Summary of Collection: The Child 

and Adult Care Food program 9CACFP) 

is a federal program that provides meals 

and snacks in child and adult day care 

facilities. The objective of the CACFP 

Sponsor and Provider Characteristics 

Study is to provide the United States 

Department of Agriculture’s Food and 

Nutrition Service (FNS), the Congress, 

advocates, and other interested in the 

CACFP with information that accurately 

describes the Program’s current child 

care sponsors and providers. Section 

305 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids 

Act of 2010 (HHFKA, Pub. L. 111–296) 

requires CACFP sponsors and providers 

to cooperate with USDA program 

research and evaluation studies. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

This study will conduct a national 

survey of CACFP sponsors and 

providers that offers policy makers, 

advocates, and the general public with 

up-to-date information about: (1) Who is 

sponsoring child care providers; (2) The 

type of training and technical assistance 

sponsors receive from their State CACFP 

Administering Agency; (3) How often 

and what aspects of the program State 

monitor; (4) How sponsors operate and 

manage the Program to ensure its 

integrity, as well as compliance with 

Federal and State regulations; and (5) 

What types of providers sponsors serve. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit; State, Local or Tribal 

Government. 

Number of Respondents: 4,324. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

Annually. 

Total Burden Hours: 3,891. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29981 Filed 12–22–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Farm Service Agency 

Notice of Availability of the Final 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Conservation 

Reserve Program 

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation 

and Farm Service Agency, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA); 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces that 

the Farm Service Agency (FSA), on 

behalf of the Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC), completed a Final 

Supplemental Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement (Final 

SPEIS) that examined the potential 

environmental consequences associated 

with implementing the changes to the 

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 

specified in the Agricultural Act of 2014 

(2014 Farm Bill), and will assist in 

developing new regulations. FSA is 

requesting comments on the Final 

SPEIS. 

DATES: We will consider comments that 

we receive by February, 15, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit 

comments on the Final SPEIS. In your 

comments, include the volume, date, 

and page number of this issue of the 

Federal Register. You may submit 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

online instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• E-Mail: CRPComments@

cardnotec.com. 

• Online: Go to the Web site at 

http://crpspeis.com. Follow online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: (757) 594–1469. 

• Mail, hand delivery, or courier: CRP 

SPEIS, C/O Cardno, 501 Butler Farm 

Road, Suite H, Hampton, VA 23666. 

A copy of the Final SPEIS is available 

through the FSA homepage: http://www.

fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&

subject=ecrc&topic=nep-cd. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nell 

Fuller, (202) 720–6303. Persons with 

disabilities who require alternative 

means for communication (Braille, large 

print, audio tape, etc.) should contact 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 23, 2014 / Notices 76953 

the USDA Target Center at (202) 720– 

2600 (voice). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA, 42 U.S. C. 4321–4347) provides 

a means for the public to provide input 

on alternatives and environmental 

concerns for Federal programs or 

actions. The CRP Final SPEIS was 

completed as required by NEPA, the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the 

Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 

parts 1500–1508), and FSA’s NEPA 

regulations for compliance with NEPA 

(7 CFR part 799). FSA provided notice 

of its intent (NOI) to prepare the CRP 

SPEIS in the Federal Register on 

November 29, 2013 (78 FR 71561– 

71562), and solicited public comment 

on the preliminary alternatives for 

analyzing changes to CRP required by 

the 2014 Farm Bill. The Draft SPEIS 

public comment period began with a 

Notice of Availability (NOA) published 

in the Federal Register on July 15, 2014 

(79 FR 41247–41249); some changes 

made to the SPEIS resulted from FSA 

analysis of those public comments. 

In accordance with the 2014 Farm 

Bill, FSA plans to consolidate a number 

of conservation programs, which will 

have the effect of simplifying the 

programs, reducing overlapping goals, 

and reducing overall budgets. Moreover, 

many of the changes to CRP from the 

2014 Farm Bill are administrative in 

nature, would not result in major 

changes to the current administration of 

CRP, or have been addressed in 

previous NEPA documentation 

concerning CRP. These changes do not 

require further analysis in the SPEIS. 

Those changes, and the justification for 

eliminating them from analysis, include 

the following, each of which is 

discussed below: 

• Maximum enrollment authority; 

• Farmable Wetlands Program 

enrollment changes; 

• Tree thinning payments; 

• Early termination of contracts; 

• Managed harvesting and routine 

grazing payment reduction; 

• Transition option funding; 

• Prescribed grazing frequency; and, 

• Intermittent and seasonal use of 

vegetative buffers. 

Maximum Enrollment Authority 

The maximum enrollment authority 

will be gradually reduced to 24 million 

acres by 2017, as required by the 2014 

Farm Bill. The ‘‘2010 Conservation 

Reserve Program Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement’’ 

(referred to as the 2010 CRP SEIS) 

analyzed an alternative to reduce the 

enrollment authority to 24 million acres; 

therefore, that analysis is incorporated 

by reference. 

Farmable Wetland Program Enrollment 

Changes 

The change in the 2014 Farm Bill to 

reduce the maximum enrollment 

authority to 750,000 acres nationally 

(from 1 million) would still allow for up 

to approximately 410,000 acres of 

farmable wetlands to be enrolled in the 

Farmable Wetland Program. The 

mandated reduction in enrollment is not 

required to be analyzed since there is no 

discretion for any other level. 

Additionally, the mandatory reduction 

is not expected to affect actual 

enrollment, as historically enrollment 

has been well below the cap. 

Tree Thinning Payments 

The payment authority for tree 

thinning activities was reduced to $10 

million and incentive payments are 

allowed. However, the 2014 Farm Bill 

change allows FSA to incentivize 

owners and operators to conduct other 

practices and utilize management tools 

that would promote forest management, 

enhance the overall health of tree 

stands, improve the condition of 

resources, or provide valuable habitat 

for wildlife. Less than $50,000 in 

payments has been provided for tree 

thinning activities since the enactment 

of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110–246, 

commonly referred to as the 2008 Farm 

Bill). The reduction in funding available 

for tree thinning activities would not 

represent a real change in current use of 

the funds and does not require further 

analysis. 

Early Termination of Contracts 

As provided in the 2014 Farm Bill, 

the early termination provision of CRP 

that previously applied only to contracts 

entered into before January 1, 1995, will 

be modified to apply, only during fiscal 

year 2015, to allow CRP participants to 

elect early termination of certain CRP 

contracts, provided the contract has 

been in place for at least 5 years. The 

2014 Farm Bill mandates providing an 

opportunity for the early termination of 

CRP contracts, if certain criteria are met; 

FSA does not have any discretion 

whether to implement that change. 

Therefore, this change does not require 

further NEPA analysis. FSA estimates 

that approximately 3 million acres 

would be eligible for early termination 

under the provision. 

Managed Harvesting and Routine 

Grazing Payment Reduction 

As required by the 2014 Farm Bill, a 

rental payment reduction of at least 25 

percent for managed harvesting or 

routine grazing must be assessed. This 

change clarifies the existing 

administrative procedure related to 

these practices. A payment reduction of 

25 percent was evaluated in the 2010 

CRP SEIS; that analysis is incorporated 

by reference. Therefore, these changes 

do not require further analysis in the 

SPEIS. 

Transition Option Funding 

As specified in the 2014 Farm Bill, 

the funding authority to encourage the 

transfer of land from a retiring farmer or 

rancher to a beginning farmer or 

rancher, or to a socially disadvantaged 

farmer or rancher, would be increased to 

$33 million and would expand the 

eligibility to include farmers or ranchers 

who are military veterans (as defined in 

the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

and Trade Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101–624 

(commonly referred to as the 1990 Farm 

Bill)). This is a non-discretionary, 

administrative change and does not 

require further analysis in this SPEIS. 

Prescribed Grazing Frequency 

FSA allows annual prescribed grazing 

for control of invasive plants. The 2010 

CRP SEIS evaluated the impacts of 

prescribed grazing in compliance with a 

grazing plan, which is part of the 

Conservation Plan that includes 

frequency, timing, stocking rates, and 

type of grazing animal. That analysis is 

incorporated by reference. The 2014 

Farm Bill provides clarification that 

such grazing can occur as determined in 

consultation with the State Technical 

Committee; this change does not require 

further analysis. 

Intermittent and Seasonal Use of 

Vegetative Buffers 

The 2014 Farm Bill allows for the 

intermittent and seasonal use of 

vegetative buffer practices incidental to 

agricultural production on lands 

adjacent to the buffer provided this use 

does not destroy the permanent 

vegetative cover. This is an activity that 

already occurs under the current 

administration of the program and is 

referred to as ‘‘incidental grazing.’’ The 

2014 Farm Bill clarifies this existing 

administrative procedure. This section 

was included as a result of agency and 

public comments. 

Alternatives 

Many provisions of the 2014 Farm 

Bill are non-discretionary, meaning that 

implementation is mandatory and 

specifically required by to be 

implemented. As FSA has no decisionmaking authority over these nondiscretionary aspects of the 2014 Farm 

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76954 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 23, 2014 / Notices 

Bill, they are assessed in the Final 

SPEIS as part of the No Action 

Alternative. 

Other provisions of the 2014 Farm 

Bill provide overall guidance for CRP, 

but FSA has some discretion in how to 

implement those provisions. These 

discretionary aspects of the 2014 Farm 

Bill form the Proposed Action. In 

addition, FSA proposes to implement 

additional discretionary measures for 

targeting enrollment of environmentally 

sensitive lands and to expand the 

flexibility of emergency haying and 

grazing in drought-designated areas to 

provide necessary support to producers 

and ranchers during difficult times. The 

Final SPEIS assesses the following 

alternatives: The No Action Alternative 

and the Proposed Action. 

No Action Alternative 

The No Action Alternative includes 

the following, each of which is 

discussed below: 

• Grasslands eligibility and 

authorized activities; 

• Enrollment in new program during 

final year of contract; and 

• Emergency haying and grazing 

payment reduction. 

Grasslands Eligibility and Authorized 

Activities 

The 2014 Farm Bill makes grasslands, 

which would have been previously 

eligible for the Grassland Reserve 

Program (GRP), eligible for enrollment 

in CRP. The eligibility of grasslands and 

authorized activities are the same as 

those previously defined for GRP. 

Grasslands enrollment would be limited 

to no more than 2 million acres at any 

given time and would count against the 

total CRP maximum enrollment 

authority. Enrollment would occur 

through Continuous Sign-up. Grasslands 

would be enrolled in 10- or 15-year 

contracts like other CRP acreage. Certain 

authorized activities on grasslands 

would differ from other CRP lands and 

include: 

• Common grazing practices; 

• Haying, mowing, or harvesting for 

seed production; 

• Fire suppression, fire-related 

rehabilitation, and construction of fire 

breaks; and 

• Grazing-related activities, such as 

fencing and livestock watering. 

Enrollment in New Program During the 

Final Year of the Contract 

In accordance with the 2014 Farm 

Bill, FSA will allow a CRP participant 

to enroll expiring CRP land into the 

Conservation Stewardship Program 

during the year prior to the expiration 

of the contract. FSA encourages 

agricultural and forestry producers to 

address resource concerns by 

undertaking additional conservation 

activities and improving and 

maintaining existing conservation 

systems. FSA pays participants for 

conservation performance—the higher 

the performance, the higher the 

payment. Land is enrolled in 5 year 

contracts through Continuous Sign-up. 

A stipulation in the 2014 Farm Bill 

would allow expiring CRP land to be 

enrolled in a new program, the 

Agricultural Conservation Easement 

Program, without violation of the CRP 

contract. In general, the Agricultural 

Conservation Easement Program 

combines the purposes of the Wetlands 

Reserve Program, the GRP, and the Farm 

and Ranchlands Protection Program by 

enrolling land in long-term or 

permanent easements. 

Emergency Haying and Grazing 

Payment Reduction 

As specified in the 2014 Farm Bill, 

harvesting, grazing, or other commercial 

use of the forage in response to a 

drought, flooding, or other emergency is 

authorized without any reduction in the 

rental rate. Under existing CRP rules, 

generally a 25 percent payment 

reduction is assessed for lands grazed or 

hayed during droughts or other 

emergencies. In response to worsening 

drought conditions in recent years, the 

rental payment reduction was reduced 

to 10 percent in 2012 and 2013. 

Removing the payment reduction for 

emergency haying and grazing is 

mandated in the 2014 Farm Bill and is 

therefore assessed as part of the No 

Action Alternative. 

Proposed Action Alternative 

Some elements of the 2014 Farm Bill 

provide overall guidance, but details of 

implementation are left to FSA’s 

discretion. These discretionary aspects 

of the 2014 Farm Bill form the Proposed 

Action Alternative. In addition to the 

2014 Farm Bill mandatory provisions, 

FSA proposes to implement additional 

discretionary measures for targeting 

enrollment of environmentally sensitive 

lands, increase flexibility in managed 

harvesting and routine grazing 

frequencies, and expand the flexibility 

of emergency haying and grazing in 

drought-designated areas. The targeted 

enrollment provision has been revised 

in response to agency and public 

comments. The components of the 

Proposed Action include the following, 

each of which is discussed below: 

• Targeted enrollment; 

• Managed harvesting and routine 

grazing frequencies; and 

• Emergency haying and grazing on 

additional conservation practices. 

Targeted Enrollment 

The 2014 Farm Bill reduces the 

maximum enrollment for CRP to 24 

million acres by 2017. The reduced 

enrollment authority requires on FSA to 

ensure enrolled land maximizes 

environmental benefits using available 

funding. Historically, FSA has used 

Continuous Sign-ups to target 

environmentally desirable lands 

through several initiatives and 

programs. As of September 2014, there 

were over 4 million acres enrolled 

under Continuous CRP. 

The demand and need for 

conservation is increasing as budgetary 

and statutory constraints have 

tightened, and as a result FSA has 

explored alternative ways to enroll 

acres. To increase the environmental 

benefits generated per Federal dollar 

spent, FSA could implement a reverse 

auction when targeting enrollment for 

certain current or new initiatives. A 

reverse auction is simply a process in 

which many ‘‘sellers’’ compete with 

each other for the attention of a single 

‘‘buyer’’ who then selects the most 

attractive offers from them. 

Appropriately developed, a limited 

reverse auction may motivate producers 

to submit a bid near the minimum 

amount they are willing to accept to 

enroll in CRP. 

Managed Harvesting and Routine 

Grazing Frequencies 

As specified in the 2014 Farm Bill, 

FSA continues to allow for managed 

harvesting (hay or biomass) and routine 

grazing of CRP acres provided that these 

activities are included in the 

Conservation Plan and are consistent 

with the conservation of soil, water 

quality, and wildlife habitat. Harvesting 

and grazing activities must still avoid 

the Primary Nesting Season. The State 

Technical Committee must develop 

appropriate vegetation management 

requirements and identify periods 

during which the activities could occur 

such that the frequency is: 

• At least once every 5 years, but no 

more frequent than once every 3 years 

for managed harvesting; and 

• Not more frequent than once every 

2 years for routine grazing. 

Emergency Haying and Grazing on 

Additional Conservation Practices 

The Proposed Action includes making 

additional conservation practices that 

are currently ineligible for any type of 

haying or grazing, eligible for emergency 

haying and grazing to provide support 

to livestock producers during severe 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 23, 2014 / Notices 76955 

drought conditions. Allowing haying 

and grazing on the proposed 

conservation practices in droughtdesignated areas would require 

concurrence and approval by certain 

State or Federal agencies. 

Public Involvement 

The Final SPEIS provides a means for 

the public and any interested parties to 

provide comments about the CRP 

changes analyzed in the SPEIS. The 

Final SPEIS can be reviewed online at: 

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

?area=home&subject=ecrc&topicnep-cd 

or at http://crpspeis.com. 

FSA received eight comments from 

Federal, state, and local government 

agencies, as well as private 

organizations and members of the 

concerned public in response to the 

NOI. The comments raised 55 

individual issues covering a range of 

topics including legislation changes, 

CRP maximum enrollment and acreages, 

regional differences in haying and 

grazing impacts, lack of thorough 

environmental and socioeconomic 

impact analysis in previous NEPA 

documentation, and CRP funding 

policy. The comments were considered 

in developing the Proposed Action and 

the SPEIS environmental consequences 

to ensure the concerns were adequately 

addressed. 

The NOA provided a summary of the 

changes to CRP, the Proposed Action, 

and the No Action Alternative. Also 

included in the NOA was a description 

of how to provide comments, as well as 

a list of the dates, times, and locations 

of the public meetings that were held as 

a part of the public involvement 

process. The information about where 

and when those meeting were held are 

shown below in Table 1. FSA held 5 

public meetings to provide information 

and opportunities for discussing the 

changes to CRP identified in the 2014 

Farm Bill and analyzed in the Draft 

SPEIS. The public meetings featured an 

Open House format, and interested 

parties were invited to attend the 

meetings at any time during the allotted 

timeframes. Posters and informational 

handouts as well as FSA representatives 

were available for the duration of the 

meetings to answer questions 

concerning the Draft CRP SPEIS. 

TABLE 1—PUBLIC MEETING DATES, TIMES, AND LOCATIONS. 

Date Time Location information 

July 21, 2014 ............................ 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m ................. Hilton Garden Inn, Spokane Airport, 9015 West SR Highway 2, Spokane, 

Washington, 99224. 

July 22, 2014 ............................ 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m ................. Holiday Inn, Great Falls, 1100 5th Street, South Falls, Montana, 59405. 

August 4, 2014 .......................... 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m ................. Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, 3301 East 50th Street, Lubbock, 

Texas, 79404. 

August 5, 2014 .......................... 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m ................. Stillwater Library, 1107 S Duck Street, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74074. 

August 6, 2014 .......................... 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m ................. Courtyard By Marriott and Moorhead Area, Conference Center, 1080 28th 

Avenue, South, Moorhead, Minnesota, 56560. 

FSA received 18 comments during the 

comment period. Those 18 comments 

included 75 issues to be considered in 

the Final SPEIS. Table 2 provides a 

breakdown of the comments by 

category. 

TABLE 2—NUMBER OF COMMENTS

RECEIVED BY CATEGORY

Comment category Number of 

comments 

Alternative ................................. 1 

Cumulative impacts .................. 3 

Early termination of contract .... 2 

Emergency haying and grazing 22 

Farmable wetlands ................... 1 

Final year of contract ................ 1 

Grassland enrollment ............... 14 

Haying and grazing payment 

reduction ............................... 1 

Intermittent and seasonal use 

of buffer ................................. 1 

Managed harvesting and routine grazing frequencies ........ 11 

The comment summary report is 

included as an appendix in the CRP 

SPEIS. The report provides additional 

detail on the Draft SPEIS comment 

process, a copy of the NOA, copies of 

all public meeting materials, and 

responses to all 75 substantive issues 

and how they were addressed in the 

Final SPEIS. 

Signed on December15, 2014. 

Val Dolcini, 

Administrator, Farm Service Agency, and 

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29983 Filed 12–22–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Northern Research Station, Timber & 

Watershed Laboratory, RWU NRS–01, 

West Virginia, Fernow Experimental 

Forest 2016 to 2020 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; correction. 

SUMMARY: The Forest Service published 

a document in the Federal Register of 

December 12, 2014, concerning a notice 

of intent to prepare an environmental 

impact statement. The document 

contained incorrect dates for the 

estimated publication of draft and final 

environmental impact statements. We 

anticipate completing the draft 

environmental impact statement in 

April 2015 and the final environmental 

impact statement is expected in June 

2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom 

Schuler, Project Leader at USDA Forest 

Service, 304–478–2000. Individuals 

who use telecommunication devices for 

the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339 twenty-four hours a day, 

every day of the year, including 

holidays. 

Correction 

In the Federal Register of December 

12, 2014, in FR Vol. 79, No. 239, on 

page 73880 in the third column correct 

the ‘‘Dates’’ caption to read: 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

January 26, 2015. The draft 

environmental impact statement is 

expected April 2015 and the final 

environmental statement is expected 

June 2015. 

Dated: December 16, 2014. 

Thomas Schuler, 

Project Leader, NRS–01. 

[FR Doc. 2014–30067 Filed 12–22–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

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