Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 78 /Thursday, April 23, 1998 / Notices 20167

ACTION: Cancellation of an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: On February 25, 1992, a

Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

for the Two Forks Timber Sales and

Other Projects on the Chetco Range

District of the Siskiyou National Forest

was published in the Federal Register

(57 FR 6490). A Notice of Availability

for the draft EIS was published in the

Federal Register on May 22, 1992 (57

FR 21792). After an extension of the

comment period on the draft EIS, the

comment period ended July 20, 1992.

Forest Service has decided to cancel the

environmental analysis process. An EIS

was being prepared because timber

harvest was proposed in an inventoried

roadless area. This area was designated

as Late-Successional Reserve under the

Record of Decision for Amendments to

Forest Service and Bureau of Land

Management Planning Documents

Within the Range of the Northern

Spotted Owl. Timber harvest is no

longer planned in this area at this time.

The NOI is hereby rescinded.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this

cancellation to Bill Blackwell, Resource

Planner, Gold Beach Ranger District,

29279 Ellensburg, Gold Beach, Oregon

97444. (541) 247–3600.

Dated: April 13, 1998.

J. Michael Lunn,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98–10785 Filed 4–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and

Stockyards Administration

Posting of Stockyards

Pursuant to the authority provided

under Section 302 of the Packers and

Stockyards Act (7 U.S.C. 202), it was

ascertained that the livestock market

named below is a stockyard as defined

by Section 302 (a). Notice was given to

the stockyard owner and to the public

as required by Section 302 (b), by

posting notice at the stockyard on the

date specified below, that the stockyard

is subject to the provisions of the

Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, as

amended (7 U.S.C. 181 et seq.).

Facility No., name and location of stockyard Date of posting

AL–191, M & H Horse

Sales, Russellville, Alabama.

March 28, 1998.

Done at Washington, D.C. this 15th day of

April 1998.

Daniel L. Van Ackeren,

Director, Livestock Marketing Division,

Packers and Stockyards Programs.

[FR Doc. 98–10769 Filed 4–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–EN–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Farm Service Agency

Inviting Preapplications for Rural

Cooperative Development Grants

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBS) announces

the availability of approximately $1.7

million in competing Rural Cooperative

Development Grant (RCDG) funds for

fiscal year (FY) 1998. This action will

comply with legislation which

authorizes grants for establishing and

operating centers for rural cooperative

development. The intended effect of this

notice is to solicit preapplications for

FY 1998 and award grants before

September 1, 1998.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of a

preapplication is June 15, 1998.

Preapplications received after that date

will not be considered for FY 1998

funding.

ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for

assistance should contact their USDA

Rural Development State Office to

receive further information and copies

of the preapplication package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James E. Haskell, Assistant Deputy

Administrator, Cooperative Services,

Rural Business-Cooperative Service,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Stop

3250, Room 4016, South Agriculture

Building, 1400 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20250–3250.

Telephone (202) 720–8460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Rural

Technology and Cooperative

Development Grants (RTCDG) program

is authorized by section 310B(f) through

(h) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural

Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) and

regulations are contained in 7 CFR part

4284, subpart F. The Federal

Agriculture Improvement and Reform

Act of 1996 (the 1996 Act) removed

‘‘technology’’ from RTCDG, thereby

directing the focus of the program

specifically to cooperative development.

The 1996 Act also clarified that public

bodies were not eligible applicants, and

modified application requirements and

applicant selection criteria. The final

rule for the Rural Cooperative

Development Grant (RCDG) program

was published August 7, 1997 (62 FR

42385–91). The primary objective of the

RCDG program is to improve the

economic condition of rural areas

through cooperative development. The

program is administered through USDA

Rural Development State Offices acting

on behalf of RBS. RBS is one of the

successors of the Rural Development

Administration pursuant to the

Department of Agriculture

Reorganization Act of 1994.

Grants will be awarded on a

competitive basis to nonprofit

corporations and institutions of higher

education based on specific selection

criteria. The priorities described in this

paragraph will be used by RBS to rate

preapplications. RBS review of

preapplications will include the

complete preapplication package

submitted to the Rural Development

State Office. Points will be distributed

according to ranking as compared with

other preapplications on hand. Points

will be awarded to each factor on a 5,

4, 3, 2, 1 basis depending on the

applicant’s ranking compared to other

applicants.

(a) Preference will be given to

applications that:

(1) Demonstrate a proven track record

in administering a nationally

coordinated, regionally or State-wide

operated project;

(2) Demonstrate previous expertise in

providing technical assistance to

cooperatives in rural areas;

(3) Demonstrate the ability to assist in

the retention of business, facilitate the

establishment of cooperatives and new

cooperative approaches, and generate

employment opportunities that will

improve the economic conditions of

rural areas;

(4) Demonstrate the ability to create

horizontal linkages among cooperative

businesses within and among various

sectors in rural areas of the United

States and vertical linkages to domestic

and international markets;

(5) Commit to providing technical

assistance and other services to

underserved and economically

distressed rural areas of the United

States;

(6) Commit to providing greater than

a 25 percent matching contribution with

private funds and in-kind contributions;

(7) Evidence transferability or

demonstration value to assist rural areas

outside of project area; and