39854 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices

and Wisconsin. Sections 301.50–4

through 301.50–10 provide

requirements for moving regulated

articles interstate from quarantined

areas to nonquarantined areas. These

sections include requirements for

certificates and limited permits and for

treatment of regulated articles.

From 1992, when pine shoot beetle

was first detected in the United States,

through 1997, the pine shoot beetle

program was funded through APHIS

contingency funding. From fiscal year

1998 through fiscal year 2000, funding

for the program (approximately

$185,000) came from miscellaneous pest

line item funding. These funds are

limited for use in the eastern region of

the United States. We are not certain

whether there will be adequate funding

to conduct pine shoot beetle program

activities in fiscal year 2001 and

beyond.

In spite of our efforts to control the

spread of pine shoot beetle through the

regulations, infested counties continue

to be detected each year. Because of

this, we must annually add many

counties to the list of quarantined areas.

The public meetings will provide an

opportunity for interested persons to

comment on whether APHIS should

continue to administer the pine shoot

beetle program in accordance with the

regulations or if we should pursue

another course of action. Please note,

however, that while the information

gathered during the meetings may

indicate the need for changes to our

current regulatory program, the

meetings will not directly result in any

changes to the regulations. If we

determine that changes to the

regulations are appropriate, we will

publish a document in the Federal

Register for public comment.

Topics

Because of the potential for

inadequate funding and the continued

spread of pine shoot beetle, we would

like interested persons to comment on

the following topics:

1. Should the pine shoot beetle

program be maintained?

2. How effective is the pine shoot

beetle program?

3. What changes could be made to the

program to make it more effective?

4. If we maintain the program, how

should it be funded?

Comments on these, or other related

topics, are welcome during the public

meetings.

Meeting Procedures/Registration

A representative of APHIS will

preside at each public meeting. Any

interested person may appear and be

heard in person, by attorney, or by

another representative. Written

statements may be submitted and will

be made part of the meeting record.

Persons who wish to speak at a meeting

will be asked to provide their names

and organizations. We ask that anyone

who reads a statement or submits a

written statement provide two copies to

the presiding officer at the meeting.

Registration for each public meeting

will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.

on the day of the meeting at the meeting

room. Each public meeting will begin at

1 p.m. and is scheduled to end at 5 p.m.,

local time. However, any meeting may

end at any time after it begins if all

persons desiring to speak have been

heard. If the number of speakers at a

meeting warrants it, the presiding

officer may limit the time for

presentations so that everyone wishing

to speak has the opportunity.

Written Comments

If you cannot attend a public meeting,

you may submit written comments on

the topics outlined in this notice. To

submit written comments, please follow

the instructions listed under the

heading ADDRESSES near the beginning

of this document.

Done in Washington, DC, this 22nd day of

June 2000.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–16316 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Economic Research Service

Notice of Intent To Seek Approval to

Collect Information

AGENCY: Economic Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.

L. No. 104–13) and Office of

Management and Budget (OMB)

regulations at 5 CFR 1320 (60 FR 44978,

August 29, 1995), this notice announces

the Economic Research Service’s (ERS)

intention to request approval for a new

information collection from participants

in the Special Supplemental Nutrition

Program for Women, Infants and

Children (WIC); from local WIC agency

staff; and from food store cashiers, to

address the legislative mandate in the

William F. Goodling Child Nutrition

Reauthorization Act of 1998 ( Pub. L.

105–336, 112 Stat. 3143) to study the

impact of cost containment in the WIC

program. This information will be used

in the Assessment of WIC CostContainment Practices to analyze the

effects of current cost-containment

practices established by States on

program participation, selected

participant outcomes, and program

costs.

DATES: Written comments on this notice

must be received by September 1, 2000

to be assured of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Requests for additional information

should be directed to Phil R. Kaufman,

Food Markets Branch, Food and Rural

Economics Division, Economic Research

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1800 M. St., NW, Room N2118,

Washington, D.C. 20036–5801. For

further information contact: Phil R.

Kaufman, 202–694–5376. Submit

electronic comments to

pkaufman@ers.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Paperwork Reduction Act

Submission (OMB–83–1).

Type of Request: New collection of

information.

Abstract: ERS of the U.S. Department

of Agriculture is responsible for

conducting studies and evaluations of

the Nation’s food assistance programs

that are administered by the Food and

Nutrition Service (FNS), U.S.

Department of Agriculture. WIC is the

second largest domestic food-assistance

program in the United States. In Federal

fiscal year 1998, WIC served

approximately 7.4 million participants

each month at an annual cost

approaching $4 billion (FNS, 1998).

WIC is administered through grants to

the 50 states, the District of Columbia,

Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa,

the American Virgin Islands, and 33

Indian Tribal Organizations. State WIC

agencies administer the program

through roughly 2,000 local agencies

representing about 10,000 service

delivery sites.

WIC provides a comprehensive set of

services including supplemental foods,

nutrition education, and increased

access to health care and social services

for pregnant, breastfeeding, and

postpartum women; infants; and

children up to the age of five years. To

qualify for WIC, a health or nutritional

risk must be documented by a health

professional and participants must be

income-eligible.

WIC is not an entitlement program.

Each State must operate within annual

funding levels established via a formula

devised by FNS to distribute funds

appropriated by the Congress. This

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices 39855

necessitates setting a maximum

caseload for each local agency. When a

local agency reaches this maximum, a

system of priorities is used to allocate

benefits to eligible applicants. As a

consequence, WIC officials seek to

contain program costs, particularly food

costs, so that they can serve the

maximum feasible number of eligible

persons with the available funds. Costcontainment strategies employed by

State WIC agencies fall into three main

categories:

—Restricting the size, brand, and price

range of food items that participants

can buy with WIC benefits;

—Restricting the number and/or types

of approved WIC vendors (food

stores); and

—Purchasing food items with

manufacturer rebates.

Currently, all State agencies are

required to buy infant formula under

rebate contracts and are strongly

encouraged by FNS to employ practices

intended to reduce other costs of food

benefits for women and children. By

design, the planned study will not

examine infant formula rebates. By

reducing food costs, cost-containment

practices have the potential to increase

the number of eligible women, infants

and children served by WIC. Concerns

have been raised, however, that overly

restrictive policies may reduce

participants’ access to and consumption

of prescribed foods, and may ultimately

lead to reduced participation and

adverse health impacts. In addition,

some observers have questioned

whether cost-containment practices save

enough in food costs to offset their

additional administrative costs.

As mandated by the William F.

Goodling Child Nutrition

Reauthorization Act of 1998, ERS is

conducting a study to describe and

assess the effects of these practices on

seven outcomes: (1) Program

participation; (2) access and availability

of prescribed foods; (3) voucher

redemption rates and actual food

selections by participants; (4)

participants on special diets or with

specific food allergies; (5) participant

use and satisfaction of prescribed foods;

(6) achievement of positive health

outcomes; and (7) program costs. Pub. L.

105–336, Sec. 203(r), 112 Stat. 3143,

3166. This study will provide the first

systematic data on the balance struck by

WIC State agencies between the goals of

nutritional improvement and customer

satisfaction and the need to make the

most of available program funds.

The study is being conducted in six

States: California, Connecticut, North

Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas.

These States were purposively selected

and recruited to participate because of

their use of specific combinations of the

main types of cost-containment

practices and to represent diversity in

geographical location, size, and race/

ethnicity of WIC participants. This

selection method is appropriate because

of the need for State cooperation and

because the study is intended to explore

the possibility that WIC costcontainment practices have significant

impacts on participants and program

costs, not to provide definitive,

nationally-representative impact

estimates.

ERS, working with Abt Associates,

Inc., who will collect the information,

will draw on several data sources in

each of the six participating States.

Maximum use will be made of existing

data in State WIC information systems,

including participant certification

records, food instrument issuance and

redemption records, and vendor

locations and characteristics. These data

will be used to construct sample frames

for a survey of WIC participants, a

survey of WIC vendors, and focus

groups with WIC participants who do

not pick up all of their WIC food

vouchers, as well as in the analyses of

outcomes. A second existing

information source is supermarket

scanner data, which will provide

information on WIC transactions (such

as brand and size of food products

selected) for a subset of WIC-approved

vendors within each State. Finally,

electronic benefit transfer (EBT)

transaction data will provide similar

information for WIC transactions in

Ohio, the only selected State that will be

using EBT to process WIC transactions

during the study period.

The remaining data sources, for which

OMB clearance will be needed, are a

survey of WIC participants, a screener

survey to recruit WIC participants for

focus groups, a survey of WIC food

availability and prices, and interviews

with WIC staff. The Survey of WIC

Participants is a telephone survey of

active WIC recipients in each of the six

participating States, with field followup. The survey will be administered to

a random sample of recipients selected

by a two-stage process. In each State,

three study sites will be selected, one

from each stratum defined by urban,

suburban, and rural areas. WIC

participants will then be randomly

selected from a list of all participants

residing in the study sites, stratified by

women and children.

The Survey of WIC Participants will

collect information relevant to all study

objectives including: access to WIC

vendors; food item selections and food

consumption; satisfaction with WIC

food items; food preferences; food

selection problems associated with

special diets or food allergies; use of

health services; and selected participant

demographics not available from State

WIC records. Cross-state analyses will

compare responses of participants from

States implementing one or more types

of cost-containment practice to

responses of participants from States

who are not using the same (or any)

practices to determine whether there are

any systematic differences in the

relevant outcome measures. Withinstate analyses will focus on a

comparison of responses from those

participants who are and are not

constrained by cost-containment

practices. Finally, responses of

participants with special diets or food

allergies will be examined to determine

the extent to which they may have

greater problems associated with costcontainment than other participants.

To explore the possible effects of cost

containment on participant drop-out

rates, the study will use State

information systems data to identify

those WIC participants who have failed

to pick up one or more of their monthly

food package instruments. A screening

interview will be used to select those

participants whose decision not to pick

up their food instruments may have

been affected by cost-containment

practices. Focus groups with these WIC

participants will take place in each

participating State.

The Survey of Food Prices and Item

Availability will be a major data source

for estimating cost savings due to costcontainment practices; it also provides

information on both the variety of WIC

foods offered and shelf availability. Abt

Associates data collectors will obtain

information on food items normally

stocked by asking store cashiers to scan

a set of UPC (Universal Product Code)

codes for a standard list of foods

meeting Federal WIC guidelines. Stores

will be sampled from among all WICauthorized vendors in the study sites

selected for the Survey of WIC

Participants; stores will be stratified by

store type (supermarket vs. grocery

store), size, and WIC vs. non-WIC status.

In States with vendor restrictions, nonWIC vendors will also be sampled and

surveyed. In States with vendor

restriction practices, food prices and

availability will be compared between

WIC vendors and non-WIC vendors. In

States with item restriction practices,

food prices and availability will be

compared between WIC-approved food

items and non-WIC approved foods that

meet Federal guidelines.

39856 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 28, 2000 / Notices

Finally, State and local WIC officials

in each of the participating States will

be interviewed about the expenses of

implementing cost containment, the

extent to which savings have been used

to increase participation, and other

impacts on program operations.

Interviews with the six State WIC

directors will be conducted in person.

The director of each selected local

agency and other staff with key

responsibilities related to cost

containment will also be interviewed;

these interviews will be conducted by

telephone. The information collected

from State and local WIC staff is

essential for evaluating the effects of

cost-containment practices on program

participation and costs.

The above-mentioned information

collection is needed to complete the

Assessment of WIC Cost-Containment

Practices mandated by Congress and to

equip FNS and State WIC administrators

with a comprehensive understanding of

the potential impacts of cost

containment as they make decisions in

the future regarding the implementation

of these practices. No existing data

source can provide all of the

information needed to complete the

evaluation. Existing WIC information

system databases from the six States

will be used to construct the survey

sample frames and to obtain

demographic data on participants and

WIC vendors affected by cost

containment. Computer-assisted

telephone interviewing will be used to

minimize respondent burden and

interviewer error in the Survey of WIC

Participants. Focus group samples will

be drawn from a limited geographic area

to minimize travel time and expense for

focus group participants. The survey

questionnaire and screener and local

agency interviews will be kept as simple

and respondent-friendly as possible.

Responses are voluntary and

confidential. Survey and interview data

will be combined with other data for

statistical purposes and reported only in

aggregate or statistical form.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this data collection is

estimated to vary by the type of

respondent. Responses to the Survey of

WIC participants are estimated to

average 30 minutes. Responses from

WIC participants who did not pick up

their WIC vouchers are estimated at 5

minutes, on average, for a screening

interview and an average of 90 minutes

for the focus group session. The Survey

of Food Prices will involve an estimated

15 minutes of time from the store

cashier for scanning. Responses by local

agency WIC staff are estimated to total

60 minutes, on average. The estimates

include time for listening to

instructions, gathering data needed, and

responding to questionnaire or

interview/discussion items.

Respondents: Participants in the local

WIC agency staff, and WIC-authorized

food store cashiers in six selected States.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

2,052 in total: 1,200 active WIC

participants, 600 WIC participants who

failed to pick up their vouchers, 72 WIC

participants for focus groups, 18 local

WIC agency staff, and 162 food store

cashiers.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: Total of 816.5 hours.

Survey of WIC Participants: 600 hours,

Screener Survey for Focus Groups: 50

hours, Focus Groups: 108 hours, Local

Agency Interview: 18 hours, and Survey

of Food Prices and Item Availability:

40.5 hours. Copies of the information to

be collected can be obtained from Phil

R. Kaufman, Food Markets Branch, Food

and Rural Economics Division,

Economic Research Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, 1800 M. St.,

NW, Room N2118, Washington, D.C.

20036–5801, 202–694–5376.

Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of the Department,

including whether the information will

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of

the Agency’s estimate of the burden of

the proposed collection of information,

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, such as

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology. Comments should be sent to

the address stated in the preamble. All

responses to this notice will be

considered and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Dated: June 22, 2000.

Betsey Kuhn,

Director, Food and Rural Economics Division.

[FR Doc. 00–16255 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Northwest Sacramento Provincial

Advisory Committee (PAC)

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Northwest Sacramento

Provincial Advisory Committee (PAC)

will meet on Friday, July 14, 2000, at

the French Gulch Hotel, French Gulch,

California. The meeting will start at 9

a.m. and adjourn at 3 p.m. topics for the

meeting are: (1) An update on the

Northwest Forest Plan Implementation;

(2) update on the Clear Creek/Resource

Conservation District proposal; (3)

discussion on the French Gulch

community fuels area; and (4) public

comment periods. All PAC meetings are

open to the public. Interested citizens

are encouraged to attend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Connie Hendryx, USDA, Klamath

National Forest, 11263 N. Highway 3,

Fort Jones, California 96032; telephone

530–468–1281; TDD (530) 468–2783;

email: chendryx@fs.fed.us.

Dated: June 22, 2000.

Constance J. Hendryx,

PAC Support Staff.

[FR Doc. 00–16278 Filed 6–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Subsistence Management Regulations

for Federal Public Lands in Alaska;

Delegations of Authority

AGENCIES: Forest Service, USDA; Fish

and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of interim delegations of

authority.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the regulatory

authority found at 36 CFR 242.10(d)(6)

and 50 CFR 100.10(d)(6), the Federal

Subsistence Board (Board) announces

interim delegations of authority for the

2000 fishing season under the Federal

Subsistence Management Program (64

FR 1276). The purpose of these

delegations is to be responsive to

changing local conditions which require

immediate opening or closing of

fisheries to provide subsistence

opportunities for rural subsistence users

or to assure conservation of the

subsistence resources.