This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

65289

Vol. 65, No. 212

Wednesday, November 1, 2000

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 00–100–1]

Notice of Request for Extension of

Approval of an Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Extension of approval of an

information collection; comment

request.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service’s intention to

request an extension of approval of an

information collection in support of our

seed analysis program with Canada.

DATES: We invite you to comment on

this docket. We will consider all

comments that we receive by January 2,

2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comment

and three copies to: Docket No. 00–100–

1, Regulatory Analysis and

Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03,

4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale,

MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comment refers

to Docket No. 00–100–1.

You may read any comments that we

receive on this docket in our reading

room. The reading room 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) 690–2817

before coming.

APHIS documents published in the

Federal Register, and related

information, including the names of

organizations and individuals who have

commented on APHIS dockets, are

available on the Internet at http://

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/

webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

information regarding the importation

and interstate movement of foreign

agricultural and vegetable seeds, contact

Ms. Polly Lehtonen, Botanist, Permits

and Risk Assessments, PPQ, APHIS,

4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale,

MD 20737–1236; (301) 734–4394. For

copies of more detailed information on

the information collection, contact Mrs.

Celeste Sickles, APHIS’ Information

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734–

7477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Imported Seed and Screenings.

OMB Number: 0579–0124.

Expiration Date of Approval:

November 30, 2000.

Type of Request: Extension of

approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) is

responsible for preventing foreign plant

pests from entering the United States,

preventing the spread of pests not

widely distributed within the United

States, and eradicating those pests when

eradication is feasible. The Plant

Protection Act (PPA) authorizes the

Department to carry out this mission.

The Plant Protection and Quarantine

(PPQ) division of USDA’s Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

is responsible for implementing the

regulations that carry out the PPA.

Under the authority of the Federal

Seed Act of 1939 (FSA), as amended,

the USDA regulates the importation and

interstate movement of certain

agricultural and vegetable seeds.

Specifically, our regulations are

designed to implement Title III of the

FSA, ‘‘Foreign Commerce,’’ which

requires shipments of imported

agricultural and vegetable seeds to be

labeled correctly and to be tested for the

presence of noxious weeds as a

condition of entry into the United

States.

Under the authority of the FSA, we

have established a seed analysis

program with Canada that allows U.S.

companies that import seed for cleaning

or processing to enter into compliance

agreements with us (APHIS). This

program eliminates the need for

sampling shipments of Canadian-origin

seed at the border and allows certain

seed importers to clean seed without the

direct supervision of an APHIS

inspector. In this way, the importation

of Canadian-origin seeds into the United

States is safely expedited without

compromising the precautions we take

to ensure that imported seeds do not

pose a health threat to U.S. agriculture.

Our seed analysis program entails the

use of several information collection

activities, including requirements for a

declaration of importation, container

labeling, notification of seed location, a

seed return request, seed analysis

certificates, seed identity maintenance,

and associated recordkeeping.

We are asking the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) to

approve, for an additional 3 years, our

use of these information collection

activities in connection with our seed

analysis program.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit

comments from the public (as well as

affected agencies) concerning this

information collection activity. These

comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the information

collection is necessary for the proper

performance of our Agency’s functions,

including whether the information will

have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our

estimate of the burden of the

information collection, including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, through use, as

appropriate, of automated, electronic,

mechanical, and other collection

technologies, e.g., permitting electronic

submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public

reporting burden for this collection of

information is estimated to average 15

minutes per response.

Respondents: Importers of Canadian

seeds, seed cleaning/processing facility

personnel, and Agri-Food Canada

officials.

Estimated annual number of

respondents: 1,200.

Estimated annual number of

responses per respondent: 25.

Estimated annual number of

responses: 30,000.

Estimated total annual burden on

respondents: 11,555 hours. (Due to

rounding, the total annual burden hours

65290 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 212 / Wednesday, November 1, 2000 / Notices

may not equal the product of the annual

number of responses multiplied by the

average reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Done in Washington, DC, this 27th day of

October 2000.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–28006 Filed 10–31–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency

National Drought Council

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of interim meeting.

SUMMARY: The National Drought Policy

Commission recommended that a

National Drought Council (Council) be

established to coordinate activities

between and among Federal Agencies,

States, local governments, tribes and

others. The Council was established

through a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU). The first meeting

of the Council will be held November 9,

2000. All meetings are open to the

public; however, seating is limited and

available on a first-come basis.

DATES: The Council will meet on

November 9, 2000, from 9:00 a.m. to

11:30 a.m. in Room 221–A, Jamie L.

Whitten Building, 12th and Jefferson

Drive, SW, Washington, D.C. and from

12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 4960–S of

the United States Department of

Agriculture South Building at 1400

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, D.C. All times noted are

Eastern Standard Time. The first part of

the meeting will be devoted to the

organization of the Council. The

remainder of the meeting will be

dedicated to establishing a work plan

and other Council business.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Leona Dittus, Executive Director,

Interim National Drought Council,

United States Department of Agriculture

(USDA), 1400 Independence Avenue,

SW, Room 6701–S, Stop 0501,

Washington, D.C., 20250–0501 or

telephone (202) 720–3168; FAX (202)

720–9688; internet

leona.dittus@usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of the MOU is to establish a

more comprehensive, integrated,

coordinated approach toward reducing

the impacts of drought through better

preparedness, monitoring and

prediction, risk management, and

response to drought emergencies in the

United States. The Council will

encourage cooperation and coordination

between and among Federal, State,

local, and tribal governments and

others, relative to preparation for and

response to serious drought

emergencies. The Council is not a

source of consensus advice and

therefore is not subject to the Federal

Advisory Committee Act. Activities of

the Council include providing

coordination to: (a) resolve drought

related issues, (b) exchange information

about lessons learned, and (c) improve

public awareness of the need for

drought planning and mitigation

measures. The Council will be cochaired by the Secretary of Agriculture

or his designee, and a non-Federal cochair shall be selected from among the

members who are not Federal officers or

employees. Administrative staff support

essential to the execution of the

Council’s responsibilities shall be

provided by USDA. The Council will

continue in effect for 5 years or until

Congress establishes a permanent

National Drought Council.

If special accommodations are

required, please contact Leona Dittus, at

the address specified above, by COB

November 7, 2000.

Signed at Washington, DC on October 26,

2000.

George Arredondo,

Administrator, Farm Service Agency.

[FR Doc. 00–27988 Filed 10–31–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Revised Land and Resource

Management Plan for the Hoosier

National Forest; Brown, Crawford,

Dubois, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin,

Monroe, Orange, and Perry Counties,

Indiana

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare

environmental impact statement (EIS).

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service

intends to prepare an environmental

impact statement for revising the

Hoosier National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan (Forest

Plan) pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 1604(f)(5)

and USDA Forest Service National

Forest System Land and Resource

Management Planning regulations. The

revised Forest Plan will supersede the

current Forest Plan, which the regional

forester approved September 17, 1985,

and has been amended 4 times. This

notice describes the focus areas of

change, the estimated dates for filing the

EIS, the information concerning public

participation, and the names and

addresses of the responsible agency

official and the individual who can

provide additional information.

DATES: We need to receive your

comments on this Notice of Intent in

writing by January 31, 2001. The Draft

EIS should be available for public

review by December 2003. The Final EIS

and revised Forest Plan should be

completed by December 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to:

NOI–FP Revision, Hoosier National

Forest, 811 Constitution Avenue,

Bedford, IN 47421, or direct electronic

mail to: ‘‘r9 hoosier website’’@fs.fed.us.

ATTN: Forest Plan Revision

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Regis Terney, Forest Planner, at 812–

275–5987. TDD 812–275–7817; or direct

electronic mail to: ‘‘r9 hoosier

website’’@fs.fed.us, or access the forest

web page at www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier

Responsible Official: Robert T. Jacobs,

Regional Forester, Eastern Region, 310

W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee,

Wisconsin 53203.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Regional Forester for the Eastern Region

gives notice of the agency’s intent to

prepare an EIS to revise the Hoosier

National Forest Plan. The Regional

Forester approved the original Hoosier

National Forest Plan in September 1985.

In April 1991, the Regional Forester

approved a significant amendment that

substantially replaced the 1985 Forest

Plan. This plan guides the overall

management of the Hoosier National

Forest. We make six primary decisions

in the Forest Plan:

1. Forest-wide multiple-use goals and

objectives

2. Forest-wide management

requirements

3. Management area direction

4. Lands suited and not suited for

resource use and production (timber

management etc.)

5. Monitoring and evaluation

requirements

6. Recommendations to Congress (such

as wilderness), if any

By the requirements of the National

Forest Management Act, national forests

must revise the Forest Plan at least

every 15 years (U.S.C. 1604[f][5]). At

this time, there are two reasons to revise

the 1991 Forest Plan: (1) It is nearly 15

years since the Regional Forester

approved the original plan, and (2)