Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2023 / Notices 88865 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Title: Assessment of Mobile 

Technologies for Using Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 

Benefits. 

OMB Control Number: 0584–NEW. 

Summary of Collection: The 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP) provides monthly 

benefits to low-income households to 

reduce food insecurity and improve 

health and well-being. Benefits are 

delivered via electronic benefit transfer 

(EBT), which is accepted at more than 

250,000 authorized retailers nationwide. 

For nearly two decades, SNAP 

participants have used EBT in person at 

retailers, where they swipe their card at 

checkout using a point of sale (POS) 

terminal and enter their personal 

identification number (PIN) to pay for 

their purchases. 

The Agricultural Act of 2018 (2018 

Farm Bill) authorized the use of mobile 

payments from devices like cell phones, 

tablets, and smart watches, as an 

alternate option to a physical electronic 

benefit transfer (EBT) card to conduct a 

SNAP transaction. This authorization 

was subject to the result of five mobile 

payment pilot projects. Mobile 

payments may improve the customer 

experience; save participant and retailer 

time; reduce potential stigma of using 

EBT; reduce costs; and prevent benefit 

fraud, loss, or theft. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

Mobile Payment Pilot Evaluation will 

assess the effects of the pilots, using 

information obtained from FNS, 

selected State SNAP agencies, retailers, 

and SNAP participants. The evaluation 

has four objectives: (1) assessing the 

implementation of the pilots, (2) 

examining the adoption and use of 

mobile technologies, (3) understanding 

implications for program integrity, and 

(4) assessing replicability and costs. In 

each of the five sites, the evaluation will 

conduct three rounds of semi-structured 

interviews with State SNAP agencies, 

EBT processors, retailers, and other 

partners. Interviews will occur during 

the pilot planning period and once the 

pilots are implemented, and will collect 

information about the pilot design and 

implementation. 

Description of Respondents: State and 

Local Government, Individuals and 

Households, Businesses or other ForProfit and Not-for-Profit. 

Number of Respondents: 33,746. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

Once. 

Total Burden Hours: 8,726.87. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28334 Filed 12–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Foreign Agricultural Service 

Notice of Solicitation for the 

Agricultural Policy Advisory 

Committee (APAC) and the Related 

Agricultural Technical Advisory 

Committees (ATACs) for Trade and 

Continuation of Requests for 

Nominations for the Agricultural Trade 

Advisory Committees 

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, 

Department of Agriculture. 

ACTION: Solicit for nominations. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 135 of the 

Trade Act of 1974 and the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 

notice is hereby given that the Secretary 

of Agriculture (Secretary), in 

coordination with the United States 

Trade Representative (Trade 

Representative or USTR), is soliciting 

nominations for the Agricultural Policy 

Advisory Committee (APAC) and the 

related Agricultural Technical Advisory 

Committees (ATACs) for Trade to 

provide detailed policy and technical 

advice, information, and 

recommendations regarding trade 

barriers, negotiation of trade 

agreements, and implementation of 

existing trade agreements affecting food 

and agricultural products, including the 

performance of other advisory functions 

relevant to U.S. agricultural trade policy 

matters. The Foreign Agricultural 

Service (FAS) continues to welcome 

nominations for persons to serve on 

APAC and ATACs. The APAC and 

ATACs charters were renewed on June 

13, 2023, and the committees are in the 

public interest in connection with the 

duties of USDA imposed by the Trade 

Act of 1974, as amended. 

DATES: We will accept nominations for 

membership on the APAC and six 

ATACs until January 31, 2024, for the 

July 2024–2028 term. New applicants 

are considered approximately every 12– 

18 months. 

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the 

nomination materials should be sent to 

ATACs@usda.gov. 

All nomination materials may also be 

mailed in a single, complete package to: 

Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., 

SW, Room 200A Jamie L. Whitten 

Building, Washington, DC 20250–1001, 

Attn: APAC/ATACs. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Darlene Maginnis, Group Federal 

Officer, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture at 202– 

868–7059; or by email at ATACs@

usda.gov. You can find additional 

information about the APAC and 

ATACs on the Foreign Agricultural 

Service website at www.fas.usda.gov/ 

atacs. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Pursuant to Section 135 of the Trade 

Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155 (c)) and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended, (5 U.S.C. 10), notice is hereby 

given that the Secretary of Agriculture 

(Secretary), in coordination with the 

United States Trade Representative 

(Trade Representative or USTR), is 

soliciting nominations for the 

Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee 

(APAC) and the related Agricultural 

Technical Advisory Committees 

(ATACs) for Trade. In 1974, Congress 

established a private-sector advisory 

committee system to ensure that U.S. 

trade policy and negotiation objectives 

adequately reflect U.S. commercial and 

economic interests. 

As provided for in the law and their 

charters, the APAC has the following 

responsibilities: 

(A) The Committee will advise, 

consult with, and make 

recommendations to the Secretary and 

Trade Representative concerning the 

trade policy of the United States and the 

matters arising in the administration of 

such policy; (B) The Committee will 

provide information and advice 

regarding the following: negotiating 

objectives and bargaining positions of 

the United States before the United 

States enters into trade agreements, the 

operation of any trade agreement once 

entered into, and matters arising in 

connection with the administration of 

the trade policy of the United States; 

and (C) The Committee will furnish 

such other advisory opinions and 

reports as the Secretary and Trade 

Representative deem necessary; and the 

ATACs have similar responsibilities: 

General Committee Information 

Each committee has a chairperson, 

who is elected from the membership of 

that committee. Committees meet as 

needed, and all committee meetings are 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
88866 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2023 / Notices 

typically held in Washington, DC or by 

telephone or video conference. 

Committee meetings may be closed if 

USDA or USTR determines that a 

committee will be discussing issues that 

justify closing a meeting or portions of 

a meeting, in accordance with 19 U.S.C. 

2155(f). Throughout the year, members 

are requested to review sensitive trade 

policy information and provide 

comments regarding trade negotiations. 

In addition to their other advisory 

responsibilities, at the conclusion of 

negotiations of any trade agreement, all 

committees are required to provide a 

report on each agreement to the 

President, Congress, USTR and USDA. 

Committee Membership Information 

All committee members are appointed 

by and serve at the discretion of the 

Secretary and Trade Representative. 

Committee appointments are typically 

for a period of four years but may be 

renewed for an additional term. Each 

committee member must be a U.S. 

citizen and must represent a U.S. entity 

with an interest in agricultural trade and 

must not be registered with the 

Department of Justice under the Foreign 

Agents Registration Act. To attend most 

meetings, committee members must 

have a current security clearance. New 

members will be guided in how to apply 

for a security clearance and their 

appointment will be contingent on 

successful completion of the 

investigation. Committee members serve 

without compensation and are not 

reimbursed for their travel expenses. No 

person may serve on more than one 

USDA advisory committee at the same 

time unless a specific exception is 

granted by the USDA Committee 

Management Officer. No entity may 

have more than one representative on 

any single trade advisory committee. 

Nominations and Appointments of 

Members 

Eligibility: Nominations for APAC and 

ATAC membership are open to 

individuals representing U.S. entities 

with an interest in agricultural trade 

without regard to race, color, religion, 

sex, national origin, age, mental or 

physical handicap, marital status, or 

sexual orientation. Equal opportunity 

practices in accordance with U.S. 

Government policies will be followed in 

all appointments to the Committee. To 

ensure that the recommendations of the 

Committee reflect the needs of the 

diverse groups served by USDA, 

membership shall include to the extent 

possible, individuals with demonstrated 

ability to represent minorities, women, 

and persons with disabilities. Members 

should have expertise and knowledge of 

agricultural trade as it relates to policy 

and commodity specific issues. 

Members will normally come from an 

entity with an interest in agriculture, 

and will serve as a Representative, 

presenting the views and interests of a 

particular U.S. entity that has an interest 

in the subject matter of the committee. 

However, should a member be 

appointed primarily for his or her 

expertise, and not as a representative of 

an interest group, he or she shall be 

designated as a Special Government 

Employee (SGE). SGEs are subject to 

specific provisions of the ethics laws, 

including disclosure of financial 

interests, if they are appointed because 

of their personal knowledge, 

background, or expertise. USDA will 

assist SGEs in disclosing their financial 

interest and will provide ethics training 

on an annual basis. 

Appointments are made of 

individuals only and are not 

transferrable. No person, company, 

producer, farm organization, trade 

association, or other entity has a right to 

membership on a committee. In making 

appointments, every effort will be made 

to maintain balanced representation on 

the committees with representation 

from producers, farm and commodity 

organizations, processors, traders, and 

consumers. Geographical diversity on 

each committee will also be sought. 

Nominations: Nominating a person to 

serve on any of the committees requires 

submission of a current resume for the 

nominee and the USDA AD–755 

(Advisory Committee Membership 

Background Information, OMB Number 

0505–0001), available on the internet at: 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/tradeadvisorycommittees-applyingmembership. A cover letter should also 

be submitted indicating the specific 

committee for which the individual is 

being nominated, why the nominee 

wants to be a committee member, and 

his or her qualifications for 

membership, and how the submitter 

learned about this call for nominations. 

The cover letter should also include the 

statements required below related to 

Federally Registered Lobbyists and 

Foreign Firms. If applicable, the 

application should include a sponsor 

letter on the non-Federal governmental 

entity letterhead containing a brief 

description of the manner in which 

international trade affects the entity and 

why the applicant should be considered 

for membership. Forms may also be 

requested by sending an email to 

ATACs@usda.gov, or by phone at (202) 

868–7059. 

Federally Registered Lobbyists: All 

nominees must provide a statement 

confirming their lobbyist status. 

Pursuant to the Revised Guidance on 

Appointment of Lobbyists to Federal 

Advisory Committees, Boards, and 

Commissions, published by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) on 

August 13, 2014, ‘‘federally registered 

lobbyists are no longer prohibited from 

serving on the advisory committees in a 

representative capacity.’’ OMB’s revised 

guidance clarifies that the eligibility 

restriction does not apply to advisory 

committee members who are 

specifically appointed to represent the 

interests of a nongovernmental entity, a 

recognizable group of persons or 

nongovernmental entities (an industry 

sector, labor unions, environmental 

groups, etc.), or state or local 

governments. The lobbyist prohibition 

continues to apply to persons serving on 

advisory committees in their individual 

capacity (e.g., SGEs). 

Foreign Firms: If the nominee is to 

represent an entity or corporation with 

ten percent or greater non-U.S. 

ownership, the nominee must state the 

extent to which the organization or 

interest to be represented by the 

nominee is owned by non-U.S. citizens, 

organizations, or interests and 

demonstrate at the time of nomination 

that this ownership interest does not 

constitute control and will not adversely 

affect his or her ability to serve as an 

advisor on the U.S. agriculture advisory 

committee for trade. 

Dated: December 18, 2023. 

Cikena Reid, 

USDA Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2023–28407 Filed 12–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Ouachita National Forest, Scott and 

Sebastian Counties, Arkansas; 

Heavener Coal Leasing Project; 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture 

(USDA). 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service (FS) 

is preparing an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) as the lead Federal 

agency with support from Federal 

cooperating agencies, the U.S. 

Department of Interior (DOI) Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) and Office of 

Surface Mining Reclamation and 

Enforcement (OSMRE). The purpose of 

the analysis is to respond to a Federal 

coal Lease by Application (LBA) 

submitted to the BLM from the Emera 


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