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

47163 

Vol. 71, No. 158 

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[CN–06–003] 

American Pima Spot Quotations 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS), 

Cotton Program, Market News Branch 

changes to the American Pima Spot 

Quotations. The changes include 

combining the San Joaquin Valley and 

Desert Southwest Pima cotton markets 

into one unified American Pima Market; 

changing the quotation terms to 

Uniform-Density free (UD-free), Freighton-Board (FOB) warehouse; and, 

quoting discounts for cotton fiber 

strength that is 37.4 grams per Tex (gpt) 

and lower. The changes will be reflected 

in both the Daily Spot Cotton 

Quotations and the Monthly and 

Annual Cotton Price Statistics that are 

currently published by the AMS, Cotton 

Program, Market News Branch. This 

action is necessary to more accurately 

reflect the overall American Pima cotton 

market. 

DATES: Effective August 1, 2006. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Darryl Earnest, Deputy Administrator, 

Cotton Program, AMS, USDA, STOP 

0224, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–0224. 

Telephone (202) 720–2145, facsimile 

(202) 690–1718, or e-mail 

darryl.earnest@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Secretary of Agriculture is authorized 

under the Cotton Statistics and 

Estimates Act of 1927 (Act) (7 U.S.C. 

473 et seq.) for the collection, 

authentication, publication and 

distribution of timely information on 

the market supply, demand, location, 

condition and market prices for cotton. 

The AMS, Cotton Program disseminates 

market information and reports from 

spot cotton markets under the authority 

of the Act and the Agricultural 

Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622 et 

seq.). 

AMS, Cotton Program, Market News 

Branch reports American Pima cotton 

spot prices. The market news price 

reporting format has changed as the 

classification of American Pima cotton 

has changed. Current recipients of the 

report will only notice minor changes to 

the report layout as of August 1, 2006, 

as outlined below. The data collected 

and used for the report will not change. 

In recent years, American Pima cotton 

production has shifted dramatically, 

and the vast majority of the American 

Pima cotton crop is produced in the San 

Joaquin Valley, California. As 

production has increased in the San 

Joaquin Valley, production has sharply 

decreased in the Desert Southwest in 

Arizona, New Mexico and the area 

around El Paso, Texas. In 1994, 45 

percent of the American Pima cotton 

crop was grown in the Desert Southwest 

with the remaining 55 percent grown in 

the San Joaquin Valley. In 2005, just 11 

percent of the American Pima cotton 

crop was grown in the Desert 

Southwest, with the remaining 89 

percent grown in the San Joaquin 

Valley. In addition to the production 

shift, the amount of cotton traded for 

immediate delivery and immediate 

payment (referred to as a spot 

transaction) also decreased. By changing 

from two separate markets to one 

combined market, for reporting 

purposes, the spot quotations will more 

accurately reflect the overall American 

Pima cotton market. 

Currently, quotation terms reflect 

those used in the Desert Southwest, 

‘‘FOB (freight on board) warehouse, 

compression charges not included’’). 

Therefore, most cotton traded had to be 

converted to Desert Southwest terms. 

With the spot quotations changed to 

reflect just one Pima market and the 

majority of the American Pima cotton 

now being grown and traded in the San 

Joaquin Valley, the quotation terms will 

reflect where the bulk of the cotton is 

grown and traded. Beginning August 1, 

2006 the quotation terms for the 

American Pima Spot Quotations will be 

changed to ‘‘UD (universal density) free, 

FOB warehouse.’’ 

The final change to the Pima Spot 

Quotations will involve reporting 

strength discounts. Beginning with the 

2004 Crop, strength discounts were 

applied to American Pima cotton placed 

into the Commodity Credit Corporation 

(CCC) loan program. For the past two 

years the Cotton Program’s Market News 

Branch has surveyed buyers and sellers 

of American Pima to determine if there 

were any commercial discounts being 

applied to Pima cotton with strength 

measuring 37.4 grams per Tex (gpt) and 

lower. Results indicated that there were 

measurable discounts being applied to 

cotton with strength 37.4 gpt and lower. 

All ranges quoted by Cotton Program’s 

Market News Branch for American Pima 

cotton will be the same as those used by 

the CCC loan schedule of premiums and 

discounts. These CCC ranges (from 

lowest to highest) are 35.4 and below, 

35.5–36.4, 36.5–37.4 and 37.5 and 

above. 

Dated: August 9, 2006. 

Lloyd C. Day, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E6–13501 Filed 8–15–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Research Service 

Office of the Under Secretary, 

Research, Education, and Economics; 

Notice of the Scientific Review Panel at 

the National Animal Disease Center, 

Ames, IA 

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service 

(ARS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture announces a meeting of 

the Scientific Review Panel at the 

National Animal Disease Center, Ames, 

Iowa. 

DATES: August 23, 2006, 8:30 a.m. to 12 

noon Central Time. Written requests to 

make oral comments at the meeting 

must be received by the contact person 

identified herein at least three business 

days before the meeting. 

ADDRESSES: City Council Chambers, City 

Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, Ames, Iowa 

50010. Requests to make oral comments 

at the meeting may be sent to the 

contact person at USDA–ARS, Midwest 

Area Director, 1815 North University 


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47164 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 158 / Wednesday, August 16, 2006 / Notices 

Street, Room 2006, Peoria, Illinois 

61604. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steven Shafer, Midwest Area Director, 

USDA–ARS, Telephone (309) 681–6602; 

Fax (309) 681–6684; E-mail 

sshafer@mwa.ars.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 4, 

2006, the City of Ames received 

allegations that wastes from areas at the 

National Animal Disease Center (NADC) 

with animals challenged with prions 

were not properly treated prior to 

discharge to the City wastewater plant. 

USDA, in cooperation with the City of 

Ames, is convening an expert panel to 

review scientific information about 

deactivation of prions and assess 

practices used at NADC to treat liquid 

wastes from areas where animals with 

prions are housed and handled that 

enter the Ames wastewater treatment 

system. (Note: For the purposes of this 

panel and its review, prions are defined 

as specific proteins that are abnormally 

shaped and can cause transmissible 

diseases associated with the 

allegations). This meeting will initiate 

implementation of the panel’s charge to 

evaluate four main issues related to the 

handling and disposal of potentially 

prion-contaminated materials in 

wastewater from the NADC: (1) Identify 

scientifically accepted methods for 

effectively destroying prions; (2) Assess 

the concerns raised regarding NADC’s 

current and past methods for the 

destruction of prions; (3) Determine the 

risk posed to humans and the 

environment from the current, as well as 

previous, methods for the destruction of 

prions utilized at NADC; and (4) If 

remediation is needed, provide 

scientifically sound approaches for 

corrective action(s) that may be taken. 

Final conclusions of the review will be 

developed during a meeting at a later 

date, also to be announced. At the 

conclusion of its review, the panel will 

prepare a written report that documents 

the panel’s findings for the four main 

issues being evaluated. On August 23, 

2006, between 8:30 a.m. and 12 noon 

Central Time, if time permits, 

reasonable provision will be made for 

verbal comments of no more than three 

minutes each in duration. The meeting 

will be open to the public, but space is 

limited. If you want to be assured of a 

seat at this meeting, you must register 

by contacting the contact person named 

above at least 5 days prior to the 

meeting. Please provide your name, 

title, business affiliation, address, and 

telephone and fax numbers when you 

register. If you require a sign language 

interpreter or other special 

accommodation due to disability, please 

indicate those needs at the time of 

registration. Pre-registrations will be 

limited to 80 people; others may be able 

to attend on a space-available basis. 

Dated: August 7, 2006. 

Caird E. Rexroad, Jr., 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Research Service. 

[FR Doc. 06–6987 Filed 8–15–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

Notice of Proposed Changes to 

Section IV of the Field Office Technical 

Guide (FOTG) of the Natural Resources 

Conservation Service in Indiana 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS), 

Department of Agriculture. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of 

proposed changes in Section IV of the 

FOTG of the NRCS in Indiana for review 

and comment. 

SUMMARY: It is the intention of NRCS in 

Indiana to issue three (3) revised 

conservation practice standards in 

Section IV of the FOTG. The revised 

standards are: Surface Drainage, Field 

Ditch (607), Surface Drainage, Main or 

Lateral (608), and Water and Sediment 

Control Basin (638). 

These practices may be used in 

conservation systems that treat highly 

erodible land and/or wetlands. 

DATES: Comments will be received for a 

30-day period commencing with this 

date of publication. 

ADDRESSES: Address all requests and 

comments to Jane E. Hardisty, State 

Conservationist, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS), 6013 

Lakeside Blvd., Indianapolis, Indiana 

46278. Copies of these standards will be 

made available upon written request. 

You may submit your electronic 

requests and comments to 

shannon.zezula@in.usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane 

E. Hardisty, 317–290–3200. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

343 of the Federal Agriculture 

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 

states that after enactment of the law, 

revisions made to NRCS state technical 

guides used to carry out highly erodible 

land and wetland provisions of the law, 

shall be made available for public 

review and comment. For the next 30 

days, the NRCS in Indiana will receive 

comments relative to the proposed 

changes. Following that period, a 

determination will be made by the 

NRCS in Indiana regarding disposition 

of those comments and a final 

determination of changes will be made. 

Dated: July 27, 2006. 

Jane E. Hardisty, 

State Conservationist, Indianapolis, Indiana. 

[FR Doc. E6–13462 Filed 8–15–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Availability of Hurricane 

Disaster Assistance 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

programs are administered through 

USDA Rural Development. This Notice 

is intended to announce the availability 

of supplemental hurricane disaster 

assistance to be administered through 

the Community Facilities (CF) Direct 

Loan and Grant program. USDA Rural 

Development will provide CF Grant 

funds in the amount of $20,000,000 and 

CF Direct Loan funds in the amount of 

$149,253,000 for essential community 

facilities in rural areas affected by 

Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes 

of the 2005 season. 

DATES: Effective Date: August 16, 2006. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Information for the Community 

Facilities Direct Loan and Grant 

Program may be obtained by contacting 

your USDA Rural Development State 

Office as outlined in Section I.D. 

For questions regarding information 

contained in this Notice, please contact 

Derek L. Jones, Loan Specialist, 

Community Programs, at 202–720–1504. 

Background: The CF Direct Loan and 

Grant Program is designed to finance 

and facilitate the development of many 

different types of essential community 

facilities serving rural areas. These 

facilities include, but are not limited to, 

hospitals, medical clinics, elderly care 

facilities, police stations and vehicles, 

fire and rescue stations and vehicles, 

vocational and medical rehabilitation 

centers, and educational facilities. 

Funds under this Notice can be used to 

construct, enlarge, repair, or improve 

community facilities. This can include 

the purchase of equipment required for 

a facility’s operation. 

Chapter 1 of title I of Division B of the 

Department of Defense, Emergency 

Supplemental Appropriations to 

Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of 

Mexico and Pandemic Influenza Act, 

2006 (Pub. L. 109–148) (Act) provides 


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