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

18352 

Vol. 80, No. 65 

Monday, April 6, 2015 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Foreign Agricultural Service 

Agricultural Policy Advisory 

Committee; and the Agricultural 

Technical Advisory Committees for 

Trade; Renewal and Nominations 

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

nominations. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 135 of the 

Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C 2155(c)(1)) 

and the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), 

notice is hereby given that the Secretary 

of Agriculture (Secretary), in 

coordination with the United States 

Trade Representative (USTR), intends to 

renew the Agricultural Policy Advisory 

Committee (APAC) for Trade and the six 

Agricultural Technical Advisory 

Committees (ATACs) for Trade. In 

addition, the Foreign Agricultural 

Service (FAS) is requesting nominations 

for persons to serve on these seven 

committees for a term of 4 years. The 

APAC provides advice on the operation 

of various existing U.S. trade 

agreements and on negotiating 

objectives for new trade agreements, as 

well as other matters arising from the 

administration of U.S. trade policy. The 

ATACs provide advice and information 

regarding trade issues that affect both 

domestic and foreign production in the 

commodities of the respective sector, 

drawing upon the technical competence 

and experience of the members. 

DATES: Written nominations for this 

round of appointments must be received 

no later than April 30, 2015. Any 

applications received after April 30, 

2015 will be considered for future 

appointments (i.e., CY 2016), as 

appropriate to maintain staggered terms. 

ADDRESSES: All nomination materials 

should be mailed (e.g., FedEx, DHL, 

UPS, USPS) in a single, complete 

package to Thomas Vilsack, Secretary, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1001, Attn: 

APAC/ATACs. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Inquiries may be directed to JonAnn 

Flemings or Steffon Brown by telephone 

at (202) 720–4934; by fax to (202) 720– 

6103; or by Email to 

ATACs@fas.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction 

The APAC and the ATACs are 

authorized by sections 135(c)(1) and (2) 

of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended 

(Pub. L. 93–618, 19 U.S.C. 2155). The 

purpose of these committees is to advise 

the Secretary and the USTR concerning 

agricultural trade issues and policy. The 

committees are intended to ensure that 

representative elements of the private 

sector have an opportunity to express 

their views to the U.S. Government. 

Re-Chartering of Existing Committees 

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. II), FAS 

gives notice that the Secretary and 

USTR intend to renew the APAC and 

the following six ATACs: 

• Animals and Animal Products; 

• Fruits and Vegetables; 

• Grains, Feed, Oilseeds and Planting 

Seeds; 

• Processed Foods; 

• Sweeteners and Sweetener 

Products; and, 

• Tobacco, Cotton and Peanuts. 

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. The private sector advisory 

committee system currently consists of 

three tiers:Show citation box 

• The President’s Advisory 

Committee on Trade and Policy 

Negotiations; 

• Five general policy advisory 

committees, including the APAC; and, 

• Twenty-two technical advisory 

committees, including the ATACs. 

The establishment and renewal of 

such committees is in the public interest 

in connection with the duties of the 

USDA imposed by the Trade Act of 

1974, as amended. 

Background 

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 the 

USDA charter, the APAC has the 

following responsibilities: (A) The 

Committee will advise, consult with, 

and make recommendations to the 

Secretary and USTR 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. It 

will keep abreast of the ongoing work of 

the technical-level committees (ATACs); 

(C) The Committee will furnish such 

other advisory opinions and reports as 

the Secretary and USTR deem 

necessary. 

As provided for in the law and the 

USDA charters, the ATACs have the 

following responsibilities: (A) The 

Committees will advise, consult with, 

and make recommendations to the 

Secretary and USTR on matters that are 

of mutual concern to the United States 

and to its consumers, producers, 

processors, and traders of commodities 

of their respective sectors in connection 

with the trade policy activities 

undertaken by the United States. (B) 

The Committees will provide advice 

and information regarding trade issues 

that affect both domestic and foreign 

production and trade concerning 

commodities in their respective sectors. 

The Committees will furnish advisory 

opinions and reports regarding trade 

policy as requested by the Secretary and 

USTR, or their designees. 

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 

typically held in Washington, DC or by 

telephone conference. Committee 

meetings may be closed if USTR 

determines that a committee will be 


tkelley on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 65 / Monday, April 6, 2015 / Notices 18353 

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, and USTR. 

Committee Membership Information 

All committee members are appointed 

by, and serve at the discretion of the 

Secretary and the USTR. Committee 

appointments are typically for a period 

of approximately 4 years, but the 

Secretary and USTR may renew an 

appointment for an additional term or 

appoint a member to fill out the 

remainder of someone’s term. All 

committee members 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 

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 the U.S. Government 

policies will be followed in all 

appointments to the Committee. To 

ensure that the recommendations of the 

Committee have taken into account 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 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 following form: AD– 

755 (Advisory Committee Membership 

Background Information, OMB Number 

0505–0001), available on the Internet at: 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/trade-advisorycommittees-applying-membership. 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, 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, a sponsor letter on the nonFederal governmental entity’s letterhead 

that contains 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@fas.usda.gov, or by 

phone at (202) 720–4934. 

Federally Registered Lobbyists: All 

nominees must provide a statement 

confirming their lobbyist status. 

Pursuant to the Revised Guidance on 

the 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. In light of 

OMB’s recent policy clarification 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: March 24, 2015. 

Suzanne Palmieri, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07499 Filed 4–3–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Information Collection; Civil Rights 

Compliance Review Record—Federally 

Assisted Programs 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Forest Service is seeking comments 

from all interested individuals and 

organizations on the renewal of the 

information collection, Civil Rights 

Compliance Review Record—Federally 

Assisted Programs. 

With this renewal, the Agency has 

changed the name of the information 

collections from Equal Opportunity 

Compliance Review Record to Civil 

Rights Compliance Review Record— 

Federally Assisted Programs. 

DATES: Comments must be received in 

writing on or before June 5, 2015 to be 

assured of consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 


tkelley on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES