66228 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 214 / Friday, November 3, 2000 / Notices

survivors of the person who has died,

disappeared, or been declared

incompetent.

Information is obtained only when a

producer eligible to receive a payment

or disbursement dies, disappears, or is

declared incompetent, and

documentation is needed to determine if

any survivors are entitled to receive

such payments or disbursements.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average .5 hours (1/2

hour) per response.

Respondents: Individual producers.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

4,000.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: one.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 2,000.

Proposed topics for comment include:

(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 collected; or

(d) ways to minimize the burden of the

collection of the 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 should be sent to the Desk

Officer for Agriculture, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget,

Washington, DC 20503 and to David

Tidwell, Agricultural Program

Specialist, Production, Emergencies,

and Compliance Division, USDA, FSA,

STOP 0517, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–

0517, (202)720–4542.

Copies of the information collection

may be obtained from David Tidwell, at

the above address.

A comment to OMB is best assured of

having its full effect if OMB receives it

within 30 days of publication. This does

not affect the deadline for the public to

comment to the Department of

Agriculture on the substantive

regulations that may be the subject of

other notices.

Signed at Washington, DC, on October 26,

2000.

George Arredondo,

Acting Executive Vice President, Commodity

Credit Corporation.

[FR Doc. 00–28264 Filed 11–2–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

Request for Extension and Revision of

a Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the intention of the

Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)

and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to

request an extension and revision for

the Highly Erodible Land Conservation

and Wetland Conservation certification

requirements. This information is

collected in support of the conservation

provisions of Title XII of the Food

Security Act of 1985, as amended by the

Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and

Trade Act of 1990 and the Federal

Agriculture, Improvement and Reform

Act of 1996 (the Statute).

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received on or before January 2, 2001 to

be assured consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Sharon Biastock, Agricultural

Program Specialist, Production,

Emergencies, and Compliance Division,

USDA, FSA, STOP 0517, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250–0517, telephone

(202)720–6336.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Highly Erodible Land

Conservation and Wetland Conservation

Certification.

OMB Control Number: 0560–0185.

Expiration Date: December 31, 2000.

Type of Request: Extension and

revision of a currently approved

information collection.

Abstract: Rules governing those

requirements under Title XII of the Food

Security Act of 1985, as amended by the

Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and

Trade Act of 1990 and the Federal

Agriculture, Improvement and Reform

Act of 1996 relating to highly erodible

lands and wetlands are codified in 7

CFR part 12. In order to ensure that

persons who request benefits subject to

conservation restrictions get the

necessary technical assistance and are

informed regarding the compliance

requirements on their land, information

is collected with regard to their

intended activities on their land which

could affect their eligibility for

requested USDA benefits. Once

technical determinations are made,

producers are required to certify that

they will comply with the conservation

requirements on their land to maintain

their eligibility for certain programs.

Persons may request that certain

activities be exempt according to

provisions of the Statute. Information is

collected from those who seek these

exemptions for the purpose of

evaluating whether the exempted

conditions will be met.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average .16 hours (10

minutes) per response.

Respondents: Individual producers.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

250,000

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 40,000.

Proposed topics for comment include:

(a) Whether the collection 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 collected; and (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

the information on those who are to

respond, including the use of

appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other technological

collection techniques or other forms of

information technology. Comments

should be sent to the Desk Officer for

Agriculture, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget, Washington,

DC 20503 and to Sharon Biastock,

Agricultural Program Specialist,

Production, Emergencies, and

Compliance Division, USDA, FSA,

STOP 0517, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–

0517, telephone (202)720–6336.

Signed at Washington, DC, on October 26,

2000.

George Arredondo,

Acting Executive Vice President, Commodity

Credit Corporation.

[FR Doc. 00–28265 Filed 11–2–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration

Protein Certification

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration, USDA.

ACTION: Final notice.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 214 / Friday, November 3, 2000 / Notices 66229

SUMMARY: The Grain Inspection, Packers

and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA)

will begin certifying wheat protein

content results on any specified

moisture basis requested by applicants,

in addition to certifying results on the

current 12.0 percent moisture basis.

This change was requested by importers

of U.S. wheat.

EFFECTIVE DATES: May 1, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

Manol at GIPSA, USDA, STOP 3632,

1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC, 20250–3632; FAX

(202) 720–1015; or E-mail

Pmanol@Gipsadc.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 1,

1978, GIPSA (then the Federal Grain

Inspection Service or FGIS) began

offering official wheat protein testing for

Hard Red Winter and Hard Red Spring

wheat to interested parties in the grain

industry. An ‘‘as-is’’ moisture basis was

used to calculate protein content,

though it could also be determined and

recorded using any specified moisture

basis if requested by the applicant for

inspection. GIPSA received numerous

complaints, mostly from foreign buyers,

about calculating protein content on an

as-is moisture basis. These complaints

were generally about low protein levels

which, in part, appeared due to the

difference between the U.S. and

Canadian methods for computing and

stating protein content. Canada was

using a fixed 13.5 percent moisture

basis; the U.S. an as-is moisture basis

calculation. When using an as-is

moisture basis to certify protein, the

certified protein result depends directly

on the moisture level of the wheat—it is

inversely proportional to the moisture

content. Consequently, as the moisture

content of the wheat gets lower, the

protein content reported on an as-is

basis gets higher. This phenomenon can

give the perception that the protein

level increased when, in fact, it

remained unchanged.

To address these concerns and

increase the uniformity of official

protein reporting procedures, FGIS

proposed, in 1986, to revise its Grain

Inspection Handbook to certify protein

content on a constant 12.0 percent

moisture basis. A 12.0 percent moisture

basis was recommended by various

grower and processor organizations, as

well as the Grain Quality Workshops,

because this percentage represented the

average moisture content of wheat

exported from the United States.

Certifying protein content on a constant

12.0 percent moisture basis would

provide buyers and sellers of U.S. wheat

results that could be easily evaluated

and compared with results from other

major wheat exporting countries. For

example, Canada uses a 13.5 percent

moisture basis, Australia uses either

11.0 percent or ‘‘as-is’’, England and

Sweden use 15.0 percent, and many

Eastern European and other countries

around the world use the dry matter

basis. This proposal, announced in the

May 30, 1986, Federal Register (51 FR

19556), solicited industry comment on

this action.

Comments on the May 30, 1986,

proposal generally favored a constant

moisture basis for protein

determination. Some commentors

suggested using either a dry matter (0.0

percent moisture basis) or a 14.0 percent

moisture basis as the constant. European

flour mill purchase specifications

typically use a dry matter reporting

basis, whereas American mills rely on a

14.0 percent moisture basis. The

majority of commentors, including

foreign buyers, supported the proposal

to certificate protein on a constant 12.0

percent moisture basis. Consequently,

FGIS announced this change in the

August 26, 1986, Federal Register (51

FR 30323) to become effective May 1,

1987.

Moving to a constant 12.0 percent

moisture basis eliminated varying

protein results caused by fluctuating

wheat moisture levels. To date, GIPSA

only certifies protein results on a 12.0

percent moisture basis.

The current 12.0 percent moisture

basis requirement for protein analysis in

wheat may not be fully facilitating the

marketing of export wheat. A number of

U.S. wheat importers have asked GIPSA

to provide optional certification of

wheat protein content results on any

specified moisture basis requested by

applicants, in addition to the current

12.0 percent moisture basis.

To address these requests, GIPSA

published a Notice in the October 1,

1998, Federal Register (63 FR 52681)

that solicited comments on introducing

flexible certification in our protein

testing program, in addition to

maintaining the standardization of

results. Allowing certification on the

12.0 percent moisture basis and,

optionally, on a moisture basis

requested by the applicant would

provide sufficient information on the

inspection certificate to facilitate the

marketing of wheat. Although this

certification option was developed to

address the export market’s need, it

could be used for domestic shipments as

well. This would be especially true in

situations when an exporter is

originating wheat to fulfill an export

contract that requires a moisture basis

other than 12.0 percent. Therefore, this

certification option would be available

from GIPSA field offices, delegated

States, and designated agencies.

Adopting this action would allow

GIPSA and the grain industry the

greatest flexibility in the certification of

wheat protein. Protein results would

continue to be certified on a constant

12.0 percent moisture basis on all

certificates, but GIPSA also would have

the flexibility to meet customers’

requests for additional information.

Discussion of Comments Received

A total of 22 comments were received

from several foreign wheat millers and

governments (Jordan, Syria, India, and

Poland); State Wheat Boards/

Commissions (California, Idaho,

Nebraska, and Oregon); a State

Department of Agriculture (Wisconsin);

U.S. Wheat Associates; and U.S. grain

industry trade groups (National Grain &

Feed Association (NGFA) and North

American Export Grain Association

(NAEGA)). One domestic miller also

commented on the proposal.

Thirteen comments favored the notice

as it was written; that is, to allow for

protein certification on any moisture

basis requested by an applicant as well

as the current 12.0 percent moisture

basis. These comments were from the

State Wheat Boards/Commissions, the

State Department of Agriculture, U.S.

Wheat Associates, and several foreign

entities.

Two comments (NGFA and NAEGA)

opposed the proposal as written. They

suggested that reporting protein results

on 12 percent and alternative moisture

bases would likely create

documentation problems for processing

letters of credit. They suggested using

one basis or the other, but not both.

The remaining seven comments, from

foreign entities, suggested reporting

results on any moisture basis requested;

a 12 percent basis; an ‘‘as-is’’ basis; or

a dry matter basis. One commentor

suggested certifying the testing

methodology.

Producer groups tend to favor

certifying protein content on a 12-

percent and any requested moisture

basis. Their rationale is that dual

certification would alleviate any

‘‘misperception’’ that a grain handler

could purchase grain on a 12-percent

basis and subsequently re-market the

same lot of grain using a lower moisture

basis, thereby ‘‘increasing’’ the protein

content. This was one of the concerns

about GIPSA’s original policy that

certified protein content on an ‘‘as-is’’

basis.

Other comments in support of the

change concurred that it would add

flexibility to the U.S. wheat marketing

system and allow the U.S. industry to

66230 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 214 / Friday, November 3, 2000 / Notices

better meet its customers needs. The

change would allow buyers to better

compare U.S. wheat to that of other

wheat exporting countries and reflect

the U.S. wheat industry’s commitment

to meet customers’ needs. Further, it

was suggested that the change would

allow the national protein certification

system to retain its uniformity and meet

customers’ specific contract needs.

GIPSA believes that introducing

flexible certification in the protein

testing program, in addition to

maintaining standardization of results,

will have a positive impact on export

and domestic markets. We do not

believe that this change would create

documentation problems for processing

letters of credit as two commentors

suggested. On the contrary, providing

for this option in the certification

program will give the market the

flexibility that it needs. Further,

alternative protein reporting would be

only used on a request basis. The

effective date of this change is May 1,

2001. This will allow sufficient time for

interested persons to become familiar

with this option and allow the industry

to make any adjustments deemed

necessary.

Protein analysis and certification by

GIPSA has always been optional; that is,

buyers and sellers contractually agree

whether or not to request official protein

testing services. Wheat protein content

would be certified on an alternative

moisture basis only upon specific

request by an applicant. In lieu of such

a request, wheat protein would continue

to be certified on the current 12.0-

percent moisture basis. Overall, this

certification option would allow GIPSA

and the grain industry the greatest

flexibility in the certification of wheat

protein.

Accordingly, GIPSA will begin

certifying protein content in wheat

using the current 12.0 percent moisture

basis and any other moisture basis

requested by an applicant. This

certification option will go into effect

May 1, 2001. GIPSA field offices,

delegated States, and designated

agencies will be responsible for the

applicable mathematical calculations for

certification using the following

industry recognized formula:

X PX = P (100 ) −

88

Where:

X = the protein content at a moisture

basis other than 12.0 percent

requested by an applicant.

P = the protein content determined at a

12.0-percent moisture basis.

PX = the moisture basis specified by the

applicant (using the ‘‘official’’

moisture meter results if the applicant

requests protein content be certified

on an ‘‘as-is’’ basis).

For example, if an applicant requests

that protein results also be certified on

a dry matter or 0.0 percent moisture

basis and the protein content of the lot

was determined to be 13.5 percent on a

12.0 percent moisture basis, the

following calculation would be used to

obtain the alternate protein result:

X

X

X

X

= × −

= ×

=

=

13.5 (100

13.5 

1350

0

88

100

88

88

15 3

)

.

Further, the statement on the

certificate would read as follows:

Protein 15.3%, dry matter basis, which

converts to 13.5% protein, 12.0% moisture

basis. Protein content reported on an

alternative moisture basis in addition to the

U.S. standard 12.0 percent moisture basis at

applicant’s request.

Authority: Pub. L. 94–582, 90 Stat. 2867,

as amended (7 U.S.C. 71 et seq.)

Dated: October 30, 2000.

David Orr,

Acting Administrator, Grain Inspection,

Packers and Stockyards Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–28146 Filed 11–2–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–EN–P

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR

SEVERELY DISABLED

Procurement List; Proposed Additions

and Deletions

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From

People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled.

ACTION: Proposed Additions to and

Deletions from Procurement List.

SUMMARY: The Committee is proposing

to add to the Procurement List a

commodity and services to be furnished

by nonprofit agencies employing

persons who are blind or have other

severe disabilities, and to delete

commodities and a service previously

furnished by such agencies.

COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR

BEFORE: December 4, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase

From People Who Are Blind or Severely

Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800,

1421 Jefferson Davis Highway,

Arlington, Virginia 22202–3259.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Louis R. Bartalot, (703) 603–7740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice is published pursuant to 41

U.S.C. 47(a)(2) and 41 CFR 51–2.3. Its

purpose is to provide interested persons

an opportunity to submit comments on

the possible impact of the proposed

actions.

Additions

If the Committee approves the

proposed addition, all entities of the

Federal Government (except as

otherwise indicated) will be required to

procure the commodity and services

listed below from nonprofit agencies

employing persons who are blind or

have other severe disabilities.

I certify that the following action will

not have a significant impact on a

substantial number of small entities.

The major factors considered for this

certification were:

1. The action will not result in any

additional reporting, recordkeeping or

other compliance requirements for small

entities other than the small

organizations that will furnish the

commodity and services to the

Government.

2. The action will result in

authorizing small entities to furnish the

commodity and services to the

Government.

3. There are no known regulatory

alternatives which would accomplish

the objectives of the Javits-WagnerO’Day Act (41 U.S.C. 46–48c) in

connection with the commodity and

services proposed for addition to the

Procurement List. Comments on this

certification are invited. Commenters

should identify the statement(s)

underlying the certification on which

they are providing additional

information.

The following commodity and

services have been proposed for

addition to Procurement List for

production by the nonprofit agencies

listed:

Commodity

Rake, Forest Fire

4210–00–540–4512

NPA: Tuscola County Community Mental

Health Services, Caro, Michigan

Services:

Administrative Services (Religious

Services Technician)

Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of

Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution,

Cumberland, Maryland