30592 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2018 / Proposed Rules 

AMS. FGIS grading and inspection 

services are provided through a network 

of federal, state, and private laboratories 

that conduct tests to determine the 

quality and condition of corn. These 

tests are conducted in accordance with 

applicable standards using approved 

methodologies and can be applied at 

any point in the marketing chain. 

Furthermore the tests yield rapid, 

reliable, and consistent results. In 

addition, FGIS-issued certificates 

describing the quality and condition of 

graded corn are accepted as prima facie 

evidence in all Federal courts. U.S. 

Standards for Corn and the affiliated 

grading and testing services offered by 

FGIS verify that a seller’s corn meet 

specified requirements, and ensure that 

customers receive the quality of corn 

they purchased. 

In order for U.S. standards and 

grading procedures for corn to remain 

relevant, AMS is issuing this request for 

information to invite interested parties 

to submit comments, ideas, and 

suggestions on all aspects of the U.S. 

Standards for Corn and official 

procedures. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71–87k. 

Dated: June 26, 2018. 

Greg Ibach, 

Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory 

Programs. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14017 Filed 6–28–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

7 CFR Part 810 

[Doc. No. AMS–FGIS–18–0054] 

United States Standards for Soybeans 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural 

Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking 

comments from the public regarding the 

United States (U.S.) Standards for 

Soybeans under the United States Grain 

Standards Act (USGSA). To ensure that 

standards and official grading practices 

remain relevant, AMS invites interested 

parties to comment on whether the 

current soybean standards and grading 

practices need to be changed. 

DATES: We will consider comments we 

receive by August 28, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments or notice 

of intent to submit comments by any of 

the following methods: 

• Postal Mail: Please send your 

comment addressed to Kendra Kline, 

AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Room 2043–S, Washington, 

DC 20250–3614. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Kendra 

Kline, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Room 2043–S, Washington, 

DC 20250–3614. 

• Internet: Go to http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line 

instructions for submitting comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrick McCluskey, USDA AMS; 

Telephone: (816) 659–8403; Email: 

Patrick.J.McCluskey@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4 

of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 76(a)) grants the 

Secretary of Agriculture the authority to 

establish standards for soybeans and 

other grains regarding kind, class, 

quality, and condition. The soybean 

standards, established by USDA on 

November 20, 1940, were last revised in 

2006 (71 FR 52403) and appear in the 

USGSA regulations at 7 CFR 810.1601– 

810.1605. The standards facilitate 

soybean marketing and define U.S. 

soybean quality in the domestic and 

global marketplace. The standards 

define commonly used industry terms; 

contain basic principles governing the 

application of standards, such as the 

type of sample used for a particular 

quality analysis; the basis of 

determination; and specify grades and 

grade requirements. Official procedures 

for determining grading factors are 

provided in Grain Inspection Handbook, 

Book II, Chapter 10, ‘‘Soybeans’’. The 

Handbook also includes standardized 

procedures for additional quality 

attributes not used to determine grade, 

such as oil and protein content. 

Together, the grading standards and 

official procedures allow buyers and 

sellers to communicate quality 

requirements, compare soybean quality 

using equivalent forms of measurement, 

and assist in price discovery. 

The realignment of offices within the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

authorized by the Secretary’s 

Memorandum dated November 14, 

2017, ‘‘Improving Customer Service and 

Efficiency’’, eliminates the Grain 

Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 

Administration (GIPSA) as a standalone 

agency. Federal Grain Inspection 

Service (FGIS) activities, formerly part 

of GIPSA, are now organized under 

AMS. FGIS grading and inspection 

services are provided through a network 

of federal, state, and private laboratories 

that conduct tests to determine the 

quality and condition of soybeans. 

These tests are conducted in accordance 

with applicable standards using 

approved methodologies and can be 

applied at any point in the marketing 

chain. Furthermore the tests yield rapid, 

reliable, and consistent results. In 

addition, FGIS-issued certificates 

describing the quality and condition of 

graded soybeans are accepted as prima 

facie evidence in all Federal courts. U.S. 

Standards for Soybeans and the 

affiliated grading and testing services 

offered by FGIS verify that a seller’s 

soybeans meet specified requirements, 

and ensure that customers receive the 

quality of soybeans they purchased. 

In order for U.S. standards and 

grading procedures for soybeans to 

remain relevant, AMS is issuing this 

request for information to invite 

interested parties to submit comments, 

ideas, and suggestions on all aspects of 

the U.S. Standards for Soybeans and 

official procedures. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71–87k. 

Dated: June 26, 2018. 

Greg Ibach, 

Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory 

Programs. 

[FR Doc. 2018–14015 Filed 6–28–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

15 CFR Part 960 

[Docket No. 100903432–8557–01] 

RIN 0648–BA15 

Licensing Private Remote Sensing 

Space Systems 

AGENCY: National Environmental 

Satellite, Data, and Information Service 

(NESDIS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce (Department, 

or Commerce). 

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed 

rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: Commerce is considering 

revisions to its regulations for the 

licensing of private remote sensing 

space systems, currently administered 

by NOAA. These revisions would 

facilitate the continued growth of this 

critical industry and update the 

regulatory regime to address significant 

technological developments, new 

business models, and increased foreign 

competition since their last update in 

2006. In support of this effort, the 

Department through NOAA seeks public 

comment on substantive and procedural 

matters involved in commercial remote 


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