Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 111 / Monday, June 11, 2007 / Notices 32057 

public agencies, American Indian tribes, 

and non-profit corporations. The loans 

fund the development of drinking water, 

wastewater, and solid waste disposal 

facilities in rural areas with populations 

of up to 10,000 residents. Section 501 of 

Title V of the Housing Act provides 

authorization to extend financial 

assistance to construct, improve, alter, 

repair, replace or rehabilitate dwellings 

and to provide decent, safe and sanitary 

living conditions in rural areas. The 

Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to 

prescribe regulations to ensure that 

these loans, made with federal funds, 

are legally secured. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

approved attorney/title company 

(closing agent) and the field office staff 

collect the required information. Forms 

and or guidelines are provided to assist 

in the collection, certification and 

submission of this information. Most of 

these forms collect information that is 

standard in the industry. If the 

information is collected less frequently, 

the agency would not obtain the proper 

security position on the properties being 

taken as security and would have no 

evidence that the closing agents and 

agency meet the requirements of this 

regulations. 

Description of Respondents: 

Individuals or households; Business or 

other for-profit; Not-for-profit 

Institutions; Farms. 

Number of Respondents: 18,410. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 25,042. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–11239 Filed 6–8–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XT–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2007–0048] 

Removal of Emergency Action Notice 

for Tiffany Creek Preserve in New York 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are giving notice that we 

have lifted restrictions placed on 

Tiffany Creek Preserve in Nassau 

County, NY. In 2004, the preserve was 

put under an Emergency Action Notice 

after a sample taken from a northern red 

oak tested positive for Phytophthora 

ramorum. The preserve was required to 

undergo biannual surveys for P. 

ramorum for 2 years, the last of which 

was conducted in September 2006. The 

results of all surveys conducted in 

Tiffany Creek Preserve, Nassau County, 

and the State of New York were 

negative. Therefore, we have released 

Tiffany Creek Preserve from all 

restrictions related to P. ramorum and 

consider no further surveys or actions 

are warranted. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 25, 2007. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Jonathan M. Jones, Senior Staff Officer, 

Invasive Species and Pest Management, 

PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 160, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; (301) 734– 

8247. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Phytophthora ramorum is a pathogen 

that causes the plant diseases commonly 

known as sudden oak death, ramorum 

leaf blight, and ramorum dieback. Since 

its initial discovery in Marin County, 

CA, in 1995, P. ramorum has been 

confirmed to exist in 13 additional 

northern California counties and in a 

portion of Curry County, OR. P. 

ramorum has caused the death of 

thousands of mature oaks in these 

counties, and there is presently no 

known treatment for infected plants that 

kills the fungus but allows plants to 

survive. 

On June 30, 2004, a survey for P. 

ramorum was conducted at Tiffany 

Creek Preserve in Nassau County, NY. 

One of the samples taken during that 

survey was from a northern red oak tree. 

The sample was tested using an Animal 

and Plant Health Inspection Service 

(APHIS) nested polymerase chain 

reaction protocol that resulted in 

reactions that indicated the presence of 

P. ramorum. The tree was removed and 

destroyed and APHIS, under the 

authority of the Plant Protection Act (7 

U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), placed the preserve 

under Emergency Action Notice (EAN) 

to contain any related risk. Under the 

EAN, the movement of soil, forest 

products, wood, and any plant material 

from the preserve was prohibited. 

APHIS also required 2 years of biannual 

surveys of the preserve, including 

sampling of the soil and water to 

determine if there were any indications 

of P. ramorum that could be associated 

with Tiffany Creek Preserve. In the 

EAN, we stated that if after 2 years all 

survey results were negative, the EAN 

would be lifted. 

Delimiting surveys, the last of which 

was conducted in September 2006, of 

the Preserve and testing of all unhealthy 

appearing trees and shrubs yielded no 

further positive results and no sign of P. 

ramorum infestation. Surveys of the 

Preserve and surrounding natural 

environments in Nassau County and 

neighboring Suffolk County resulted in 

no further detections. In New York, no 

forests or nurseries surveyed have had 

P. ramorum detected. Therefore, we are 

giving notice that we have lifted 

restrictions on Tiffany Creek Preserve 

and that P. ramorum is known not to 

occur at Tiffany Creek Preserve and is 

not known to occur at any other location 

within Nassau County or the State of 

New York. 

Done in Washington, DC this 5th day of 

June 2007. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–11242 Filed 6–8–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Southwest Washington Province 

Advisory Committee Meeting Notice 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Southwest Washington 

Province Advisory Committee will meet 

on Friday, July 13, 2007, at the Gifford 

Pinchot National Forest Headquarters, 

10600 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver, WA 

98682. The meeting will begin at 9:30 

a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. 

The purpose of the meeting is to share 

information and receive feedback on: 

Special Forest Products on the Gifford 

Pinchot National Forest; Update on the 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest’s Flood 

Damage; and to share information 

among Committee members. 

All Southwest Washington Province 

Advisory Committee meetings are open 

to the public. Interested citizens are 

encouraged to attend. The ‘‘open forum’’ 

provides an opportunity for the public 

to bring issues, concerns, and 

discussion topics to the Advisory 

Committee. The ‘‘open forum’’ is 

scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Interested 

speakers will need to register prior to 

the open forum period. The committee 

welcomes the public’s written 

comments on Committee business at 

any time. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Chris Strebig, Public Affairs Officer, at 

(360) 891–5005, or write Forest 

Headquarters Office: Gifford Pinchot 

National Forest, 10600 NE 51st Circle, 

Vancouver, WA 98682. 


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32058 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 111 / Monday, June 11, 2007 / Notices 

Dated: June 4, 2007. 

Claire Lavendel, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 07–2881 Filed 6–8–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Development 

Notice Inviting Applications for 

Biomass Research and Development 

AGENCY: Rural Development, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture (USDA) jointly solicit 

applications for financial assistance 

addressing research and development of 

biomass based products, bioenergy, 

biofuels and related processes. This 

Notice herein referred to as the 

‘‘Solicitation’’ is intended to promote 

greater innovation and development 

related to biomass, and to support the 

Biomass Research Development Act of 

2000, the Healthy Forest Restoration Act 

of 2003, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, 

and Federal policy calling for greater 

use of biomass-based products, 

feedstock production, and processing 

and conversion. 

This joint USDA/DOE solicitation for 

FY07 reflects the technical areas 

identified in the Biomass Research and 

Development Act of 2000 as amended 

by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. These 

technical areas will assist DOE and 

USDA in developing and maintaining a 

balanced portfolio of activities under 

the Federal Government’s Biomass 

program to effectively advance cost 

effective utilization of biomass for the 

production of biobased fuels and 

products. DOE and USDA will have 

separate funding allocations and make 

separate awards under this Notice. 

DATES: Pre-applications must be 

submitted no later than July 11, 2007, 

not later than 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The 

closing date for applications (only for 

those pre-applications which have been 

selected for further processing) will be 

45 calendar days following notice of 

invitation by Agency, not later than 8 

p.m. Eastern Time. You are encouraged 

to transmit your application well before 

the deadline. Applications received 

after the deadline will not be reviewed 

or considered for an award. The 

comment period for the information 

collection under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 continues 

through August 10, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: For further information 

contact Lisa Siesennop, Business Loan 

and Grant Analyst, USDA Rural 

Development, 1400 Independence Ave, 

SW., 6870, Stop 3225, Washington, DC 

20250–3225, Telephone: (202) 690– 

3810, Fax: (202) 720–6561, E-mail: 

lisa.siesennop@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Programs Affected 

This program is listed in the Catalog 

of Federal Domestic Assistance under 

Number 81.087. This program is subject 

to Executive Order 12372, which 

requires Intergovernmental consultation 

with State and local officials. 

Intergovernmental consultation will 

occur in accordance with the process 

and procedures outlined in 7 CFR part 

3015 subpart V. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The collection of information 

requirements contained in this Notice 

has been submitted to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

temporary emergency clearance. 

However, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

USDA Rural Development will seek 

standard OMB approval of the reporting 

requirements contained in this Notice 

and hereby opens a 60-day public 

comment period. 

Title: Biomass Research and 

Development Initiative. 

Type of Request: New collection. 

Abstract: Rural Development needs to 

receive the information contained in 

this collection of information to select 

the projects that demonstrate the 

greatest potential for success. The 

selection process is competitive. Rural 

Development will ensure that the funds 

are used for the intended purpose. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 11 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Institutions of higher 

education; National laboratories; 

Federal research agencies; State research 

agencies; private sector entities to 

include companies, corporations, 

cooperatives, and other entities that 

compete in the marketplace; nonprofit 

organizations, other than 501(c)(4) 

organizations that engage in lobbying, 

and a consortium of two or more of 

these entities. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

466. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 2. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

871. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 9,252 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Cheryl Thompson, 

Regulations and Paperwork 

Management Branch, at (202) 692–0043. 

Comments: Comments are invited on: 

(a) The accuracy of Rural Development’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (b) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (c) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection 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. Comments may 

be sent to Cheryl Thompson, 

Regulations and Management Branch, 

Support Services Division, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Development, STOP 0742, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, 

DC 20250. All responses to this Notice 

will be summarized and included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will also be a matter of public 

record. 

E-Government Act Compliance 

The Department of Agriculture is 

committed to complying with the EGovernment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 103– 

347, December 17, 2002), to promote the 

use of the Internet and other 

information technologies to provide 

increased opportunities for citizen 

access to Government information and 

services, and for other purposes. To 

demonstrate commitment for the EGovernment Act, USDA is requiring that 

all applicants intending to submit preapplications or applications in response 

to this solicitation use Grants.gov in the 

submission process. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority 

The authority for the Biomass 

Research and Development Initiative 

(Initiative) is 7 U.S.C. 8606. 

Objectives 

The objectives of the Initiative as set 

out in 7 U.S.C. 8606(b) are to develop: 

(1) Technologies and processes 

necessary for abundant commercial 

production of biobased fuels at prices 

competitive with fossil fuels; 

(2) High-value biobased products; 

(A) To enhance the economic viability 

of biobased fuels and power; and 

(B) As substitutes for petroleum-based 

feedstocks and products; and 

(3) A diversity of sustainable domestic 

sources of biomass for conversion to 

biobased fuels and biobased products. 


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