Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 85 / Monday, May 4, 1998 / Notices 24525

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

regarding this information collection

requirement may be directed to the

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer

for USDA, Washington, DC 20503, and

to Timothy P. Mehl, Chief, Planning and

Analysis Division, Kansas City

Commodity Office, 9200 Ward Parkway,

Kansas City, Missouri 64114, telephone

(816) 926–3536, fax (816) 926–6767.

All comments will become a matter of

public record.

Signed at Washington, DC, April 24, 1998.

Keith Kelly,

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 98–11697 Filed 5–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

Uniform Grain and Rice Storage

Agreement Fees

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of fees.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to publish a schedule of fees to be paid

to Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)

by grain and rice warehouse operators

requesting to enter into a storage

agreement; increase the capacity of an

existing storage agreement; or renew an

existing storage agreement.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Howard Froehlich, Chief, Storage

Contract Branch, Warehouse and

Inventory Division, Farm Service

Agency, United States Department of

Agriculture, 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W., STOP 0553, Washington,

D.C. 20250–0553, telephone (202) 720–

7398, FAX (202) 690–3123.

In accordance with the provisions of

the Commodity Credit Corporation

Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714 et seq), CCC

enters into storage agreements with

private grain and rice warehouse

operators to provide for the storage of

commodities owned by CCC or pledged

as security to CCC for marketing

assistance and price support loans.

Specifically, 7 CFR 1421.5558

provides that all grain and rice

warehouse operators who do not have

an existing agreement with CCC for

storage and handling of CCC-owned

commodities or commodities pledged to

CCC as loan collateral, but who desire

such an agreement, must pay an

application and examination fee for

each warehouse for which CCC approval

is sought prior to CCC conducting the

original warehouse examination.

A review of the revenue collected for

application and examination fees

indicates that the fees collected are

insufficient to meet costs incurred by

CCC for warehouse examinations and

contract origination administrative

functions. Accordingly, beginning April

1 with the start of the 1998–99 contract

year, the fees are changed by increasing

by 10 percent those fees applicable to

the 1997–98 contract year. The fee will

be computed at the rate of $15 for each

10,000 bushels of storage capacity or

fraction thereof, but the fee will be not

less than $150 nor more than $1,500.

Further, each warehouse operator

who has a non-federally licensed grain

or rice warehouse in States that do not

have a cooperative agreement with CCC

for warehouse examinations must pay

an annual fee to CCC for each such

warehouse which is approved by CCC or

for which CCC approval is sought. The

collection of the annual fee by CCC is

currently suspended. CCC continues to

suspend collection of the annual fee, but

CCC may reinstate the annual fee by

future notice to the industry.

Signed at Washington, DC, on April 27,

1998.

Keith Kelly,

Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 98–11695 Filed 5–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Rural Utilities Service

Farm Service Agency

Notice of Request for Reinstatement of

an Information Collection

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, Rural

Business-Cooperative Service, Rural

Utilities Service, and Farm Service

Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed collection: Comments

request.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Rural Housing

Service (RHS), the Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBS), Rural

Utilities Service (RUS), and the Farm

Service Agency’s (FSA) intention to

request an extension for a currently

approved information collection in

support of compliance with Civil Rights

laws.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by July 6, 1998 to be assured

of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jacqueline Micheli, Equal Opportunity

Specialist, Rural Development, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, STOP 0703,

1400 Independence Ave., S.W.,

Washington, DC 20250–0703,

Telephone (202) 690–9812 (voice) or

690–9809 (TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: 7 CFR 1901–E, Civil Rights

Compliance Requirements.

OMB Number: 0575–0018.

Type of Request: Reinstatement of an

information collection.

Abstract: The information collection

under OMB Number 0575–0018 enables

the RHS, RBS, RUS, and FSA to

effectively monitor a recipient’s

compliance with the civil rights laws,

and to determine whether or not service

and benefits are being provided to

beneficiaries on an equal opportunity

basis.

The RBS, RHS, RUS, and FSA,

formerly the Farmers Home

Administration, are required to provide

Federal financial assistance through its

farmer, housing, and community and

business programs on an equal

opportunity basis. The laws

implemented in 7 CFR Part 1901,

Subpart E (‘‘1901–E’’), require the

recipients of RBS, RHS, RUS, and FSA’s

Federal financial assistance to collect

various types of information, including

information on participants in certain of

these agencies’ programs, by race, color,

and national origin. While these

agencies realize that the provisions of

1901–E are outdated as the result of

statutory amendment and other

processes of law, the information

needed to be collected under this

implementing regulation is not affected

by the obsolete nature of the regulation.

The RBS, RHS, RUS, and FSA use the

information to monitor a recipient’s

compliance with the civil rights laws,

and to determine whether or not service

and benefits are being provided to

beneficiaries on an equal opportunity

basis. The agencies are in the process of

revising 1901–E, and expect to publish

for comment a Federal Register

document proposing these revisions in

1998. The following laws implemented

are 7 CFR 1901–E:

a. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of

1964 (‘‘Title VI’’). The implementing
24526 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 85 / Monday, May 4, 1998 / Notices

regulations for this Act issued by the

Department of Justice and the

Department of Agriculture requires

recipients of RBS’, RHS’ RUS’ and

FSA’s program assistance to collect

information on the race/national origin

of the beneficiaries of their specific

programs. This information is used by

the RBS, RHS, RUS, and FSA for

compliance review and monitoring

purposes for Title VI.

b. Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of

1968 (as amended) (‘‘Title VIII). Section

808a of Title VIII (42 U.S.C. 3608a

(1988)), in pertinent part, requires the

Secretary of Agriculture to collect racial

and ethnic data on beneficiaries and

recipients of USDA housing programs.

Furthermore, the implementing

regulations issued by the Department of

Housing and Urban Development

(‘‘HUD’’) and adopted by the RBS, RHS,

RUS, and FSA, requires recipients and

other participants in RHS’s housing

programs affirmatively to further fair

housing by providing housing and the

opportunity to acquire housing in a nondiscriminatory fashion. One way to

demonstrate compliance with Title VIII

is to prepare affirmative fair housing

marketing plans, and to collect and

maintain data to reflect compliance with

the requirements of that plan.

Furthermore, under the Memorandum

of Understanding between HUD and

USDA, many complaints of fair housing

violation by USDA recipients will be

processed by HUD. The collection and

maintenance of these data will assist in

this enforcement effort.

c. Executive Order 11246. The

implementing regulations issued by the

Department of Labor (DOL) and adopted

by the RBS, RHS, RUS, and FSA, require

recipients of Federally assisted

construction contracts of $10,000 or

more to maintain goals for hiring

minorities and females, and to submit

employment utilization reports to the

DOL’s Office of Federal Contract

Compliance Programs.

The information collected and

maintained by the recipients of certain

programs from RBS, RHS, RUS, and

FSA is used internally by these agencies

for monitoring compliance with the

civil rights laws and regulations. This

information is made available to USDA

officials, officials of other Federal

agencies, and to Congress for reporting

purposes. Without the required

information, RBS, RHS, RUS, FSA and

its recipients will lack the necessary

documentation to demonstrate that their

programs are being administered in a

nondiscriminatory manner and in full

compliance with the civil rights laws. In

addition, the RBS, RHS, RUS, and FSA,

and their recipients would be

vulnerable in lawsuits alleging

discrimination in the affected programs

of these agencies and would be without

appropriate data and documentation to

defend themselves by demonstrating

that services and benefits are being

provided to beneficiaries on an equal

opportunity basis.

Estimate of Burden: The public

reporting burden for this collection of

information is estimated to average 1

hour per response.

Respondents: Recipients of RBS, RHS,

RUS, and FSA’s Federal financial

assistance, loan, and loan guarantee

programs.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

19,565.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 5.40.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 533,017.

Copies of this information collection

can be obtained from Richard Gartman,

Regulations and Paperwork

Management Branch, Support Services

Division, at (202) 720–9745.

Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of the Rural

Development, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the Agencies’

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 Richard

Gartman, Regulations and Paperwork

Management Branch, Support Services

Division, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Rural Development, Ag Box

0743, Washington, DC 20250. 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.

Dated: April 20, 1998.

Jill Long Thompson,

Under Secretary, Rural Development.

Dated: April 4, 1998.

August Schumacher, Jr.,

Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign

Agricultural Services.

[FR Doc. 98–11693 Filed 5–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–XT–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency

List of Warehouses and Availability of

List of Cancellations and/or

Terminations

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of publication.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Farm Service Agency has published

a list of warehouses licensed under the

United States Warehouse Act (7 U.S.C.

241 et. seq.) as of December 31, 1997, as

required by section 26 of that Act (7

U.S.C. 266). A list of cancellations or

terminations that occurred during

calendar year 1997 is also available.

Interested persons may obtain a copy of

either list from the person listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy

Fry, Farm Service Agency, Warehouse

and Inventory Division, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, STOP 0553,

1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, DC 20250–0553; e-mail

requests may be sent: Judy—

Fry@wdc.fsa.usda.gov.; telephone 202–

720–3822.

Signed at Washington, D.C., on April 24,

1998.

Keith Kelly,

Administrator, Farm Service Agency.

[FR Doc. 98–11696 Filed 5–1–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL

Foreign Agricultural Service

Types and Quantities of Agricultural

Commodities Available for Donation

Overseas Under Section 416(b) of the

Agricultural Act of 1949, as Amended,

in Fiscal Year 1998

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: On April 6, 1998, the

Secretary of Agriculture determined that

10,500 metric tons of nonfortified nonfat

dry milk packaged in 25 kilogram bags

are available for donation overseas

under section 416(b) of the Agricultural

Act of 1949, as amended, during fiscal

year 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ira Branson, Director, CCC Program

Support Division, FAS, USDA, (202)

720–3573.