Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2015 / Notices 5729 

2The FONSI for Croatia incorporates by reference 

an EA prepared for Slovakia that addresses the 

potential environmental impacts of CSF, FMD, 

SVD, and rinderpest for Slovakia and other EU 

Member States. 

document published in the Federal 

Register. 

The Republic of Croatia submitted a 

request to APHIS to evaluate the CSF, 

FMD, SVD, and rinderpest status of the 

country. In response to this request, 

APHIS conducted a qualitative risk 

assessment to evaluate Croatia with 

respect to these diseases. Based on this 

evaluation, APHIS recognizes Croatia to 

be free of FMD, SVD, and rinderpest, 

and low risk for CSF. APHIS has also 

determined that the surveillance, 

prevention, and control measures 

implemented by the European Union 

(EU) and Croatia, an EU Member State, 

are sufficient to minimize the likelihood 

of introducing CSF, FMD, SVD, and 

rinderpest into the United States via 

imports of species or products 

susceptible to these diseases. Our 

determinations support adding Croatia 

to the Web-based list of regions 

comprising the APHIS-defined 

European CSF region, which APHIS 

considers to be low risk for CSF, and to 

the respective Web-based lists of regions 

APHIS considers free of FMD, SVD, and 

rinderpest. 

Therefore, in accordance with 

§ 92.2(e), we are announcing the 

availability of our evaluation of the CSF, 

FMD, SVD, and rinderpest status of 

Croatia for public review and comment. 

We are also announcing the availability 

of an environmental assessment (EA) 

and a finding of no significant impact 

(FONSI) 2 which have been prepared in 

accordance with: (1) The National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on 

Environmental Quality for 

implementing the procedural provision 

of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), (3) 

USDA regulations implementing NEPA 

(7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA 

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 

372). The evaluation, EA, and FONSI 

may be viewed on the Regulations.gov 

Web site or in our reading room. 

(Instructions for accessing 

Regulations.gov and information on the 

location and hours of the reading room 

are provided under the heading 

ADDRESSES at the beginning of this 

notice.) The documents are also 

available by contacting the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Information submitted in support of 

Croatia’s original request is available by 

contacting the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

After reviewing any comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the disease status of Croatia 

under consideration with respect to 

CSF, FMD, SVD, and rinderpest and the 

import status of susceptible animals and 

products of such animals in a 

subsequent notice. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701–7772, 7781– 

7786, and 8301–8317; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 

136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 

371.4. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of 

January 2015. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02011 Filed 2–2–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2013–0047] 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Stakeholder Workshop on Coexistence 

ACTION: Notice of workshop listening 

session and request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

is holding a 2-day, invitation-only 

workshop on agricultural coexistence, 

the concurrent cultivation of 

conventional, organic, identitypreserved, and genetically engineered 

crops consistent with farmer choices 

and consumer preferences. The 

objective of the workshop is to advance 

an understanding of agricultural 

coexistence and discuss how to make 

coexistence achievable and a basic 

consideration for all stakeholders. 

Workshop participants will represent a 

broad range of interests and experience 

relating to agricultural coexistence. The 

public is invited to listen to or watch 

the workshop sessions via phone and/or 

Webcast, after which they will have the 

opportunity to provide comments on the 

proposals discussed. 

DATES: The workshop will be held on 

March 12–13, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 

p.m. Comments on the workshop will be 

accepted from March 13, 2015, through 

March 27, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Call-in and Webcast 

information is available at the 

agricultural coexistence workshop Web 

page at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/

wps/portal/aphis/newsroom/

stakeholder-info/!ut/p/a1/nVFNU4Mw

EP0tHjxmEkgk4Ug7foBKD9W25MJsk

yixFChEx_57gem1aN3bzr739u1b

LPEGywq-7Ds4W1dQDr0MchYL36fEj

8ULFyQi8zBZxCtC6E0Py

HoAOVMRGfnJ4sH3Zj3_fhnekjhd3T2

LJ04fZwFeY4mlqlzjCpxBU9guV3XlTOX

y0m5baI_XpIMctvWny8f52HcOdqaoS2

3ablBolNU4CxljRocaBYp6iC

nOkdAAiAPVEBiujQcnxxOWfrl4d

DyhkPATYCKUrPfAzy5JAry88KjkD3- 

yH4eDjPq0h3y_Hd78M–5m_7oX9Ih

2b2mKZHb1A2VTHxo!/?1dmy&urile=

wcm%3apath%3a%2Faphis_content_

library%2Fsa_about_aphis%2Fsa_stake

holders%2Fct_coexistence_meeting. 

You may submit comments following 

the workshop by either of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docket

Detail;D=APHIS-2013-0047. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2013–0047, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Any comments we receive on this 

docket may be viewed at http:// 

www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;

D=APHIS-2013-0047 or in our reading 

room, which is located in room 1141 of 

the USDA South Building, 14th Street 

and Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC. Normal reading room 

hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except holidays. To be 

sure someone is there to help you, 

please call (202) 799–7039 before 

coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Michael Tadle, Program Analyst, 

Planning, Evaluation, and Decision 

Support, PPD, APHIS, 4700 River Road 

Unit 120, Riverdale, MD 20737, (301) 

851–3140; Michael.A.Tadle@

aphis.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the 

past decade, the number of acres on 

which American farmers are growing 

genetically engineered (GE) plants has 

increased significantly, and GE crop 

production continues to rise in output 

and variety. At the same time, farmers 

across the United States are producing 

greater quantities of identity-preserved 

non-GE and organic crops to meet 

growing consumer demand. As a result, 

the interactions of GE and identitypreserved non-GE production chains are 

becoming more significant for American 

farmers and consumers, the agriculture 

industry, and the United States 

Department of Agriculture (USDA or the 

Department). USDA supports the 

successful coexistence of these different 

forms of agricultural production and 

recognizes that each contributes to the 

overall health of farming and rural 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
5730 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2015 / Notices 

1 ‘‘Enhancing Coexistence: A Report of the AC21 

to the Secretary of Agriculture.’’ The report can be 

viewed at: http://www.usda.gov/documents/ac21_

report-enhancing-coexistence.pdf. 

2 78 FR 65960–65962. To view the Request for 

Information, the comments we received, and a 

USDA-prepared summary of those comments, go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0047. 

communities throughout the United 

States. 

The USDA Advisory Committee of 

Biotechnology and 21st Century 

Agriculture (AC21) provides guidance to 

the Department on issues relating to 

agricultural coexistence, including 

examining the long-term impacts of 

biotechnology on the U.S. food and 

agriculture system and recommending 

how the Department might address 

those impacts. In 2011, the AC21 was 

tasked with recommending appropriate 

compensation mechanisms, if any, for 

addressing economic losses by farmers 

resulting from the unintended presence 

of GE materials in their crops, 

determining how such mechanisms 

would be implemented and how 

compensable claims would be decided, 

and identifying what other steps USDA 

might take to bolster coexistence. 

During its deliberations, the AC21 

examined practices used within the 

agricultural community for mitigating 

the economic risk posed by gene flow 

between different forms of production. 

They also reviewed stewardship 

practices, the importance of seed 

quality, and ways to facilitate 

communication and collaboration 

among stakeholders on matters of 

coexistence. In November 2012, they 

presented a report 1 to the Secretary 

recommending actions in five major 

areas: Potential compensation 

mechanisms, stewardship, education 

and outreach, research, and seed 

quality. The recommendations 

reinforced the importance of 

agricultural coexistence and the need to 

educate farmers and other stakeholders 

in the food and feed production chain 

about coexistence and each 

stakeholder’s role in its success. 

Following the report, USDA also 

assembled several cross-Agency 

working groups to consider the 

recommendations in depth. The results 

of their work will be discussed at the 

workshop. 

Among the recommendations made 

by the AC21 were the following: 

• USDA should ‘‘spearhead and fund 

a broad-based, comprehensive 

education and outreach initiative to 

strengthen understanding of coexistence 

between diverse agricultural production 

systems,’’ and 

• USDA should ‘‘work with 

agricultural stakeholders to develop a 

package of specific mechanisms that: (1) 

Foster good crop stewardship and 

mitigate potential economic risks 

derived from unintended gene flow 

between crop varieties and unintended 

presence in general; and (2) promote 

and incentivize farmer adoption of 

appropriate stewardship practices.’’ 

In response to these recommendations, 

USDA solicited public input on ways 

that it could further agricultural 

coexistence by fostering better 

communication and collaboration 

among those involved in diverse 

agricultural production systems. On 

November 4, 2013, the Department 

published a Request for Information 2 in 

the Federal Register and invited public 

comments. These comments were 

considered by the cross-Agency working 

groups that were established to address 

the report recommendations. 

Workshop Activities 

USDA intends to host a 2-day, 

invitation-only workshop on March 12– 

13, 2015, to provide an opportunity to 

learn from stakeholders representing a 

wide range of interests with respect to 

agricultural coexistence and to build 

upon the Department’s leadership and 

outreach efforts to promote coexistence. 

The workshop will achieve these aims 

by providing a forum for stakeholders to 

discuss current and potential USDA 

responses to the AC21 

recommendations. USDA has organized 

the workshop around three sessions: (1) 

The current state of affairs of 

coexistence; (2) knowledge gaps, 

challenges, and USDA’s responses so far 

to the AC21 recommendations; and (3) 

additional steps USDA is considering to 

respond to the challenges. During the 

workshop, participants representing 

industry, farmers, government, and 

academia will have the chance to 

expand their understanding of 

coexistence-related issues and raise 

questions, voice concerns, and share 

their expertise and insights about 

addressing the challenges of 

coexistence. The public will have an 

opportunity to listen to or watch the 

workshop remotely and submit 

comments, questions, and proposals 

after the event. Details for accessing the 

workshop and submitting comments are 

provided below. 

In the first session, presentations will 

cover the current state of agricultural 

coexistence in the United States, 

including the science of GE crops, the 

economic implications of coexistence, 

and growing market demand for organic 

and identity-preserved non-GE 

products. 

The second session will focus on 

current challenges to agricultural 

coexistence and what is being and can 

be done to address these challenges. 

This session will include discussion of 

actions that USDA has already taken in 

response to the AC21 report, insurance 

options for organic growers, germplasm 

purity, and reports on current 

coexistence-related research projects. 

The final session will focus on 

looking ahead at what USDA intends to 

do to promote agricultural coexistence. 

Topics of discussion will include USDA 

initiatives, including a stakeholder 

outreach/communication plan, a survey 

of organic producers on GE-related 

economic losses, a study on the 

economic implications of coexistence, 

and the potential use of conservation 

programs, when applicable, in support 

of coexistence. 

Due to time and space constraints, we 

found it necessary to limit participation 

in the workshop to invitation only. As 

noted above, participants attending the 

workshop have been selected from all 

sectors of the agricultural community 

and bring with them a diversity of 

perspectives and experiences regarding 

agricultural coexistence. We invite the 

public to listen in and watch the 

presentations and discussions during 

both days of the workshop. Information 

for accessing the workshop via phone 

and Webcast is available on the 

agricultural coexistence workshop Web 

page (see link included above under 

ADDRESSES). A full listing of workshop 

activities can also be found there. 

Persons interested in submitting 

comments on any of the topics 

presented during the workshop are 

welcome to do so through either of the 

methods listed above under ADDRESSES. 

We will thoroughly review all 

submissions and draw upon them as we 

develop ways of promoting coexistence 

that consider the needs of all types of 

producers. 

Several new USDA draft proposals 

and products concerning coexistence 

will also be made available for public 

review via the agricultural coexistence 

workshop Web page, including 

resources for coexistence 

communication and planning, 

education on crop-specific stewardship 

practices and agricultural contracting, 

and other information on agricultural 

production and associated governmental 

programs, as well as earlier reports of 

the AC21. Also available is information 

about a new pilot program in which 

entities that submit a petition to USDA 

for a determination of nonregulated 

status for certain regulated articles 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 22 / Tuesday, February 3, 2015 / Notices 5731 

under 7 CFR part 340 may voluntarily 

submit a conflict analysis and 

coexistence plan to advance agricultural 

coexistence strategies. 

Additional coexistence documents 

will be made available in the weeks 

prior to the March workshop. Workshop 

presentations and summaries from 

plenary sessions and working group 

meetings will be made available after 

the event. Documents can be found as 

indicated above via the agricultural 

coexistence workshop Web page. 

Additional information regarding the 

workshop may be obtained from the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of 

January 2015. 

Tom Vilsack, 

Secretary of Agriculture. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02035 Filed 2–2–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

[Docket No. NRCS–2014–0013] 

Notice of Proposed Changes to 

Section I of the Iowa, Minnesota, North 

Dakota, and South Dakota State 

Technical Guides 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of 

proposed changes to the NRCS Statespecific Field Office Technical Guides 

for review and comment; extension of 

comment period. 

SUMMARY: NRCS published a notice of 

proposed changes to section I of the 

State-specific technical guides for Iowa, 

Minnesota, North Dakota, and South 

Dakota on November 5, 2014, with a 

comment period ending February 3, 

2015. This document extends the 

comment period. 

DATES: The comment period for this 

notice (79 FR 65615, November 5, 2014) 

is hereby extended until February 20, 

2015. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

submitted for each specific State, 

identified by Docket Number NRCS– 

2014–0013, using any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail or hand-delivery: Submit 

State-specific comments to the 

appropriate State contact. The contact 

information for each State is shown 

below. 

• NRCS will post all comments on 

http://www.regulations.gov. Personal 

information provided with comments 

will be posted. If your comment 

includes your address, phone number, 

email, or other personal identifying 

information, your comments, including 

personal information, may be available 

to the public. You may ask in your 

comment that your personal identifying 

information be withheld from public 

view, but this cannot be guaranteed. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

NRCS State Conservationist specific to 

your response. 

• Iowa, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, Jay Mar, State 

Conservationist, 210 Walnut Street, 

Room 693, Des Moines, Iowa 50309– 

2180; telephone: (515) 284–4769; email: 

jay.mar@ia.usda.gove; Iowa Web site: 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/

nrcs/site/ia/home/ 

• Minnesota, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, Walter Albarran, 

Acting State Conservationist, 375 

Jackson Street, Suite 600, St. Paul, 

Minnesota 55101–1854; telephone: (651) 

602–7854; email: walter.albarran@

fl.usda.gov; Minnesota Web site: http:// 

www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/

site/mn/home/ 

• North Dakota, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, Mary Podoll, 

State Conservationist, 220 East Rosser 

Avenue, Room 278, Bismarck, North 

Dakota 58502–1458; telephone: (701) 

530–2003; email: mary.podoll@

nd.usda.gov, North Dakota Web site: 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/

nrcs/site/nd/home/ 

• South Dakota, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, Jeff Zimprich, 

State Conservationist, 200 Fourth Street 

SW., Room 203, Huron, South Dakota 

57350; telephone: (605) 352–1200; 

email: jeff.zimprich@sd.usda.gov; South 

Dakota Web site: http://

www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/

site/sd/home/ 

Electronic copies of the proposed 

revised offsite methods are available 

through http://www.regulations.gov by 

accessing Docket No. NRCS–2014–0013. 

Alternatively, copies can be 

downloaded or printed from the Statespecific Web site listed above. Requests 

for paper versions or inquiries may be 

directed to the specific State 

Conservationist at the contact points 

listed above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NRCS has 

received a number of questions about 

the proposed changes referred to in this 

notice, including several requests for 

additional time to complete detailed 

reviews and comments. This action 

extends the comment period to ensure 

that the public has sufficient time to 

review and comment on the proposed 

changes. 

Signed this 28th day of January, 2015, in 

Washington, DC. 

Jason A. Weller, 

Chief, Natural Resources Conservation 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02083 Filed 2–2–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

[Docket No. NRCS–2015–0001] 

Notice of Proposed Changes to the 

National Handbook of Conservation 

Practices for the Natural Resources 

Conservation Service 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of 

proposed changes in the NRCS National 

Handbook of Conservation Practices for 

public review and comment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the 

intention of NRCS to issue a new 

conservation practice standard in the 

National Handbook of Conservation 

Practices. This standard is High Tunnel 

System (Code 325). NRCS State 

Conservationists who choose to adopt 

this practice for use within their States 

will incorporate it into section IV of 

their respective electronic Field Office 

Technical Guide. This practice may be 

used in conservation systems that treat 

highly erodible land (HEL) or on land 

determined to be a wetland. Section 343 

of the Federal Agriculture Improvement 

and Reform Act of 1996 requires NRCS 

to make available for public review and 

comment all proposed revisions to 

conservation practice standards used to 

carry out HEL and wetland provisions of 

the law. 

DATES: Effective Date: This is effective 

February 3, 2015. 

Comment Date: Submit comments on 

or before March 5, 2015. Final versions 

of this new conservation practice 

standard will be adopted after the close 

of the 30-day period and after 

consideration of all comments. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

submitted and identified by Docket 

Number NRCS–2015–0001, using any of 

the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES