Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices 14109

Agriculture, Stop 0515, P.O. Box 2415,

Washington, DC 20013–2415, or call

(202) 720–8841.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1996

Act requires that a special import quota

for upland cotton be determined and

announced immediately if, for any

consecutive 10-week period, the Friday

through Thursday average price

quotation for the lowest-priced U.S.

growth, as quoted for Middling 13⁄32

inch cotton, C.I.F. northern Europe (U.S.

Northern Europe price), adjusted for the

value of any cotton user marketing

certificates issued, exceeds the Northern

Europe price by more than 1.25 cents

per pound. This condition was met

during the consecutive 10-week period

that ended February 6, 1997. Therefore,

a quota referenced as the Secretary of

Agriculture’s Special Cotton Import

Quota Announcement Number 10,

effective May 1, 1997, is hereby

established.

Previously there were only 20

subheadings available for designating

upland cotton special import quotas in

subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS.

Therefore, at most, only 20 such quotas

could be in effect at one time and any

additional quota which had been

triggered could not become effective

until the earliest of the 20 quotas ended.

However, Presidential Proclamation

6948 dated October 29, 1996, added six

new HTS subheadings for quotas—21

through 26. A maximum of 26 quotas

may now be in effect at one time.

To be effective as soon as possible,

Quota 10 is established as of May 1,

1997, and applies to upland cotton

purchased not later than July 29, 1997,

and entered into the United States not

later than October 27, 1997. The quota

amount, 45,099,152 kilograms

(99,426,691 pounds), is equal to 1

week’s consumption of upland cotton

by domestic mills at the seasonallyadjusted average rate of the most recent

3 months for which data are available—

October 1996 through December 1996.

The special import quota identifies a

quantity of imports that is not subject to

the over-quota tariff rate of a tariff-rate

quota. The quota is not divided by

staple length or by country of origin.

The quota does not affect existing tariff

rates or phytosanitary regulations. The

quota does not apply to Extra Long

Staple cotton.

Authority: Sec. 136, Pub. L. 104–127 and

U.S. Note 6(a), Subchapter III, Chapter 99 of

the HTS.

Signed at Washington, D.C., on March 18,

1997.

Dan Glickman,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–7412 Filed 3–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 97–026–1]

Availability of an Environmental

Assessment and Finding of No

Significant Impact

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public

that an environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact have

been prepared by the Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service relative to the

review of an application for a permit to

allow the release into the environment

of a nonindigenous biological control

agent. The environmental assessment

provides a basis for our conclusion that

the release into the environment of the

biological control agent will not present

a risk of introducing plant pests into the

United States or disseminating plant

pests within the United States and will

not have a significant impact on the

quality of the human environment.

Based on its finding of no significant

impact, the Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service has determined that

an environmental impact statement

need not be prepared.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the environmental

assessment and finding of no significant

impact are available for public

inspection at USDA, room 1141, South

Building, 14th Street and Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, between

8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through

Friday, except holidays. Persons

wishing to inspect those documents are

requested to call ahead on (202) 690–

2817 to facilitate entry into the reading

room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Ronald D. Hennessey, Entomologist,

Biological Assessment and Taxonomic

Support, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road,

Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737–1236,

(301) 734–7839; or E-mail:

rhenness@aphis.usda.gov. For copies of

the environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact, write to

Ms. Deborah Knott at the same address.

Please refer to the title of the

environmental assessment when

ordering copies.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the

Federal Plant Pest Act, as amended (7

U.S.C. 150aa et seq.), and the Plant

Quarantine Act, as amended (7 U.S.C.

151 et seq.) (the Acts), the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) has

broad authority to regulate the

importation, interstate movement, and

release into the environment of

organisms in order to prevent the

dissemination of plant pests into the

United States or interstate. The Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service

(APHIS) regulates plant pests under

regulations promulgated pursuant to the

Acts and contained in 7 CFR part 330

(referred to below as the regulations).

The regulations require, among other

things, that a permit be obtained for the

movement of a plant pest into or

through the United States or interstate.

The regulations and Acts also allow the

Department to include in the permit

conditions to prevent the dissemination

of plant pests.

Under the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA)

(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), APHIS typically

prepares an environmental assessment

before issuing a permit for the release in

the United States of nonindigenous

organisms.

In accordance with applicable

regulations, APHIS has received an

application for a permit for the release

into the environment of a

nonindigenous biological control agent.

In the course of reviewing the permit

application, APHIS assessed the plant

pest risk posed by the organism and the

impact on the environment of releasing

the organism under the conditions

described in the permit application. To

provide the public with documentation

of APHIS’ review and analysis of the

environmental impact and plant pest

risk associated with releasing the

biological control agent into the

environment, we have prepared an

environmental assessment and finding

of no significant impact relative to the

issuance of a permit for the release into

the environment of the following

biological control agent:
14110 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices

Organism Title of environmental assessment

Date of finding of no

significant

impact

Psylliodes chalcomera (Illiger) ................................. ‘‘Field Release of Psylliodes chalcomera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a

Nonindigenous Leaf Beetle for Biological Control of Musk Thistle, Carduus

nutans (Asteraceae)’’ (March 1997).

3/7/97

The environmental assessment and

finding of no significant impact have

been prepared in accordance with: (1)

NEPA, (2) Regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality for

implementing the procedural provisions

of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), (3)

USDA regulations implementing NEPA

(7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part

372).

Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of

March 1997.

Terry L. Medley,

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7382 Filed 3–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

Food and Consumer Service

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request—Study of the

Implementation of the School Meals

Initiative for Healthy Children

AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Food and

Consumer Service’s intention to request

Office of Management and Budget

approval of the Study of the

Implementation of the School Meals

Initiative for Healthy Children.

DATES: Written comments on this notice

must be received by May 27, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments are invited on:

(a) whether the proposed 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 the burden of the proposed collection

of information, including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility

and clarity of the information to be

collected; and (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. Comments may be sent to:

Michael E. Fishman, Acting Director,

Office of Analysis and Evaluation, Food

and Consumer Service, U.S. Department

of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive,

Alexandria, VA 22302.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) approval. All comments will also

become a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the proposed information

collection forms should be directed to

Michael E. Fishman, (703) 305–2117.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: The Study of the

Implementation of the School Meals

Initiative for Healthy Children.

OMB Number: Not yet assigned.

Expiration Date: N/A.

Type of Request: New collection of

information.

Abstract: The Study of the

Implementation of the School Meals

Initiative (SMI) for Healthy Children is

a three-year study designed to collect

information needed to address current

policy issues including those associated

with the School Meals Initiative for

Healthy Children and Team Nutrition. A

major part of this study is intended to

provide the Food and Consumer Service

(FCS) with descriptive data on the status

of School Food Authorities’’ (SFAs)

implementation of the School Meals

Initiative for Healthy Children and the

changes that have occurred in the food

service operations as a result of

implementing this new regulation. FCS

will examine trends in SMI

implementation and characteristics of

SFAs implementing certain elements of

SMI and Team Nutrition.

A nationally representative sample of

approximately 1,750 public school

districts will be selected to participate

in a three-year longitudinal survey

beginning in School Year 1997–98. Data

will be collected from the SFA directors

using a mixed mode approach of mail/

telephone surveys. The study combines

elements of longitudinal research and

cross-sectional surveys. A brief

telephone survey of all State Child

Nutrition Directors will be included

each year. On-site data collection

activities to supplement the primary

data collection efforts have been

included as contract options in the

second and third years should an issue

need to be examined that requires direct

observation or in-depth interviewing at

the SFA or school level. However, this

request for OMB approval is for the first

year data collection instrumentation

only. Separate OMB packages will be

submitted for data collection

instruments in the second and third

years.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden is estimated to range between 45

and 60 minutes for School Food Service

Authority directors; and range between

20 and 30 minutes for State Child

Nutrition directors;

Respondents: State Child Nutrition

directors will be asked to confirm

contact names, addresses and telephone

numbers of selected SFAs and respond

to a brief telephone survey. SFA

directors will be asked to respond to a

self-administered mail survey with

telephone follow-up.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 50

State Child Nutrition directors, 1,750

SFA directors.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: One.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1,775 hours.

Dated: March 19, 1997.

William E. Ludwig,

Administrator, Food and Consumer Service.

[FR Doc. 97–7516 Filed 3–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–30–P

Food Stamp Program, Regulatory

Review: Food Stamp Electronic Benefit

Transfer (EBT) Systems—

Interoperability

AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice: Request for Information.

SUMMARY: The Department is reviewing

policy and seeking information related

to interoperable food stamp EBT

systems. In particular, the Department is

asking for information on the costs and

transaction fees that are now or may in

the future be associated with food stamp

EBT interoperability, as well as any