11136 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 32 / Friday, February 15, 2013 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

February 11, 2013. 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments 

regarding (a) whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of burden including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of 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 should be addressed to: Desk 

Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), 

OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or 

fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental 

Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail 

Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250– 

7602. Comments regarding these 

information collections are best assured 

of having their full effect if received 

within 30 days of this notification. 

Copies of the submission(s) may be 

obtained by calling (202) 720–8681. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

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. 

Rural Utilities Service 

Title: Broadband Initiatives Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0142. 

Summary of Collection: The American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 

(Recovery Act) appropriated $2.5 billion 

of budget authority for establishing the 

Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP). 

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 

established the BIP which may extend 

loans, grants, and loan/grant 

combinations to facilitate broadband 

deployment in rural areas. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

Successful application award recipients 

will execute loan/grant documents 

prepared by the Agency. Each recipient 

and each contractor engaged by the 

recipient must provide the total amount 

of Recovery Act funds received and that 

were expended or obligated to projects 

or activities. Recipients and contractor 

must also provide the name, 

description, evaluation of the 

completion status and an estimate of the 

number of jobs created and the number 

of jobs retained by the project or 

activity. Recipients of funding will be 

required to submit an annual CPA Audit 

report; adopt a Generally Accepted 

Accounting Principles System of 

Accounts and develop and maintain an 

index of records. Without the requested 

information, RUS could not determine 

whether applicants meet the 

requirements that the Recovery Act 

establishes for BIP financing. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit. 

Number of Respondents: 225. 

Frequency of Responses: 

Recordkeeping; Reporting: Quarterly; 

Annually. 

Total Burden Hours: 12,000. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2013–03536 Filed 2–14–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Docket No. AMS–FV–12–0061; FV12–981– 

1] 

Notice of Request for Extension and 

Revision of a Currently Approved 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice 

announces the Agricultural Marketing 

Service’s (AMS) intention to request an 

extension for and revision of a currently 

approved information collection for 

Almonds Grown in California, M.O. No. 

981. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by April 16, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments 

concerning this notice. Comments must 

be sent to the Docket Clerk, Marketing 

Order and Agreement Division, Fruit 

and Vegetable Program, AMS, USDA, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW., STOP 

0237, Washington, DC 20250–0237; Fax: 

(202) 720–8938; or Internet: 

www.regulations.gov. Comments should 

reference the docket number and the 

date and page number of this issue of 

the Federal Register and will be 

available for public inspection in the 

Office of the Docket Clerk during regular 

business hours, or can be viewed at: 

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Weiya Zeng, Marketing Order and 

Agreement Division, Fruit and 

Vegetable Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., STOP 0237, 

Room 1406–S, Washington, DC 20250– 

0237; Telephone: (202) 690–3870, Fax: 

(202) 720–8938, or Email: 

weiya.zeng@ams.usda.gov. 

Small businesses may request 

information on this notice by contacting 

Jeffrey Smutny, Assistant to the 

Director, Marketing Order and 

Agreement Division, Fruit and 

Vegetable Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., STOP 0237, 

Room 1406–S, Washington, DC 20250– 

0237; Telephone (202) 720–9922, Fax: 

(202) 720–8938; or Email: 

jeffrey.smutny@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Almonds Grown in California, 

Marketing Order No. 981. 

OMB Number: 0581–0242. 

Expiration Date of Approval: August 

31, 2013. 

Type of Request: Extension and 

revision of a currently approved 

information collection. 

Abstract: The information collection 

requirements in this request are 

essential to carry out the intent of the 

Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act 

of 1937 (Act), as amended (7 U.S.C. 

601–674), to provide the respondents 

the type of service they request, and to 

administer the California almond 

marketing order (order) (7 CFR part 

981), which has been operating since 

1950. 

The order and its rules and 

regulations authorize the Almond Board 

of California (Board), the agency 

responsible for local administration of 

the order, to require handlers and other 

certain entities to submit information. 

In September 2007, a mandatory 

program was implemented under the 

order to help reduce the potential for 

Salmonella in almonds. The Board has 

developed forms as a means for persons 

to file required information with the 

Board relating to the treatment of 

almonds to reduce the potential for 

Salmonella. Almond handlers are 

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 32 / Friday, February 15, 2013 / Notices 11137 

required to submit annual treatment 

plans to the Board and inspection 

agency regarding how they plan to treat 

their almonds to reduce the potential for 

Salmonella. Entities interested in being 

almond process authorities that validate 

technologies are required to submit an 

application to the Board on ABC Form 

No. 51, ‘‘Application for Process 

Authority for Almonds.’’ Manufacturers 

in the United States, Canada, and 

Mexico interested in being approved to 

accept untreated almonds, provided 

they agree to treat the almonds 

themselves under the Board’s Direct 

Verifiable (DV) program are required to 

submit an application to the Board on 

ABC Form No. 52, ‘‘Application for 

Direct Verifiable (DV) Program for 

Further Processing of Untreated 

Almonds.’’ Entities interested in being 

approved DV user auditors are required 

to submit an application to the Board on 

ABC Form No. 53, ‘‘Application for 

Direct Verifiable (DV) Program 

Auditors.’’ To ensure compliance with 

the mandatory program, entities are 

required to use either an on-site or audit 

based verification program and annually 

submit a treatment plan to the Board on 

ABC Form No. 54, ‘‘Handler Treatment 

Plan.’’ 

The information collected is used 

only by authorized representatives of 

USDA, including AMS, Fruit and 

Vegetable Program’s regional and 

headquarters’ staff, and authorized 

employees and agents of the Board. 

Authorized Board employees, agents, 

and the industry are the primary users 

of the information, and AMS is the 

secondary user. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 13.77 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Almond handlers; 

persons or organizations that would like 

to qualify to be Board-approved process 

authorities that validate treatments and 

technologies; manufacturers who would 

like to qualify to participate in the 

Board’s DV program; and entities that 

would like to qualify as auditors under 

the DV program. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

175. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1.74. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 4,200 hours. 

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether 

this collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information has practical 

utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the collection 

of information including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information collected; 

and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who respond, including through the use 

of appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments should reference this 

docket number and the appropriate 

marketing order and be sent to the 

USDA in care of the Docket Clerk at the 

address above. All comments received 

will be available for public inspection 

during regular business hours at the 

same address. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

become a matter of public record. 

Dated: February 11, 2013. 

David R. Shipman, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–03484 Filed 2–14–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Document Number AMS–NOP–12–0070; 

NOP–12–17] 

Notice of Meeting of the National 

Organic Standards Board (NOSB) 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended, (5 U.S.C. App.), the 

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is 

announcing an upcoming meeting of the 

National Organic Standards Board 

(NOSB). Written public comments are 

invited in advance of the meeting, and 

the meeting will include scheduled time 

for oral comments from the public. 

DATES: The meeting will be held April 

9–11, 2013, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each 

day. The deadline to submit written 

public comments and sign up for oral 

public comments is Tuesday, March 19, 

2013. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place 

at the Hilton Portland and Executive 

Tower, 921 SW Sixth Avenue, Portland, 

Oregon 97204. Information and 

instructions pertaining to the meeting 

are posted at the following Web address: 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/ 

NOSBMeetings. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

printed materials or additional 

information, write to Ms. Michelle 

Arsenault, Special Assistant, National 

Organic Standards Board, USDA–AMS– 

NOP, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., 

Room 2648—So., Mail Stop 0268, 

Washington, DC 20250–0268; Phone: 

(202) 720–3252; Email: 

nosb@ams.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NOSB 

makes recommendations about whether 

a substance should be allowed or 

prohibited in organic production and/or 

handling, assists in the development of 

standards for organic production, and 

advises the Secretary on other aspects of 

the implementation of the Organic 

Foods Production Act (7 U.S.C. 6501– 

6522). The NOSB currently has seven 

subcommittees working on various 

aspects of the Organic Program. The 

subcommittees are: Compliance, 

Accreditation, and Certification; Crops; 

Handling; Livestock; Materials; Policy 

Development; and the ad hoc 

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). 

The primary purpose of NOSB meetings 

is to provide an opportunity for the 

organic community to provide input on 

proposed NOSB recommendations and 

discussion items. The meetings also 

allow the NOSB to receive updates from 

the USDA National Organic Program 

(NOP) on issues pertaining to organic 

agriculture. The meeting will be open to 

the public. The meeting agenda, NOSB 

proposals and discussion documents, 

instructions for submitting and viewing 

public comments, and instructions for 

requesting a time slot for oral comments 

are available on the NOP Web site at 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/ 

NOSBMeetings. The discussion 

documents and proposals encompass a 

wide range of topics, including: 

Substances petitioned to the National 

List of Allowed and Prohibited 

Substances (National List), updates from 

working groups on technical issues, and 

amendments to the NOSB Policies and 

Procedures Manual. 

Public Comments: Written public 

comments will be accepted through 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013 via 

www.regulations.gov. Comments 

received after that date may not be 

reviewed by the NOSB before the 

meeting. The NOP strongly prefers 

comments to be submitted 

electronically; however, written 

comments may also be submitted by 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013 via mail to Ms. 

Michelle Arsenault, Special Assistant, 

National Organic Standards Board, 

USDA–AMS–NOP, 1400 Independence 

Ave. SW., Room 2648–S, Mail Stop 

0268, Washington, DC 20250–0268. 

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