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

38147

Vol. 63, No. 135

Wednesday, July 15, 1998

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

Approval of Silos and Smokestacks

Partnership Management Plan

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Omnibus

Parks and Public Lands Management

Act of 1996, the Secretary of Agriculture

hereby gives notice of approval of the

Partnership Management Plan

submitted for establishment of the

America’s Agricultural Heritage

Partnership.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bart

Chilton (202–720–4581), Senior Policy

Director, Rural Development, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Room 206–

W, Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building,

1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20250.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Omnibus Parks and Public Lands

Management Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104–

333) authorized the establishment of the

America’s Agricultural Heritage

Partnership (Partnership) in Iowa upon

publication of notice in the Federal

Register that a Partnership Management

Plan has been submitted to and

approved by the Secretary of

Agriculture. Silos and Smokestacks is a

non-profit regional agricultural heritage

tourism organization based in Iowa that

is creating a network of sites, activities,

and events to tell the story of American

agriculture, past and present. Silos and

Smokestacks has developed and

submitted a management plan to the

Department of Agriculture (USDA) for

the Partnership. Approval of the

management plan by the Secretary does

not obligate USDA to expend resources.

Consistent with USDA’s rural

development mission and support for

agricultural heritage tourism as a viable

economic development tool, the

Secretary of Agriculture has approved

the America’s Agricultural Heritage

Partnership plan.

Dated: July 8, 1998.

Dan Glickman,

Secretary of Agriculture.

[FR Doc. 98–18912 Filed 7–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–07–U

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Research Service

Notice of Intent to Seek Approval to

Collect Information

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(Pub.L. No. 104–13) and Office of

Management and Budget (OMB)

regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR

44978, August 29, 1995), this notice

announces the intent of the Agricultural

Research Service (ARS) to request

approval for new information collection,

the Food and Nutrition Information

Center (FNIC) Customer Satisfaction

Survey of Food and Nutrition Service

Audiences. This information will assist

FNIC staff in providing and delivering

better services according to the needs of

FNIC’s targeted audiences.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by September 21, 1998 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Shirley King Evans, Ed.M., R.D.,

Food and Nutrition Information Center,

NAL/ARS/USDA, Room 304, 10301

Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD

20705–2351, 301) 504–7374.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title:

Food and Nutrition Information Center

(FNIC) Customer Satisfaction Survey for

Food and Nutrition Service Audiences.

Type of Request: Approval to collect

information on customer satisfaction of

the Food and Nutrition Service targeted

audiences.

Abstract: The Agricultural Research

Service, National Agricultural Library,

Public Services Division, Food and

Nutrition Information Center is

interested in conducting a customer

satisfaction survey of Food and

Nutrition Service audiences; they are

personnel working at the state or local

levels of the government, including

personnel working on the following:

State Child Nutrition programs; Child

and Adult Care Food Program; Food

Distribution Program on Indian

Reservations; Special Nutrition Program

for Women, Infants, and Children; and

the Nutrition Education and Training

Program. Changes in delivery and

provision of services have been

implemented at the National

Agricultural Library so it is important to

assess needs, particularly since FNIC

has special funding to serve those

needs. Data will be analyzed to evaluate

how well FNIC currently is serving

Food and Nutrition Service audiences

and what services need to be modified

to meet their needs more effectively.

FNIC would like to conduct the survey

from September through October 1998.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 30 minutes per

response.

Respondents: Health professionals

and administrators in government

agencies.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

600.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 300 hours.

Copies of this information collection

and related intructions can be obtained

without charge from Shirley King Evans,

Ed.M., R.D., Food and Nutrition

Information Center, NAL/ARS/USDA,

Room 304, 10301 Baltimore Avenue,

Beltsville, MD 20705–2351, (301) 504–

7374.

Comments

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, such as

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical,

other technological collection

techniques, or other forms of

information technology. Comments may

be sent to: Shirley King Evans, Ed.M.,
38148 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 135 /Wednesday, July 15, 1998 / Notices

R.D., Food and Nutrition Information

Center, NAL/ARS/USDA, Room 304,

10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD

20705–2351, (301) 504–7374. 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.

Keith W. Russell,

Deputy Director, NAL.

[FR Doc. 98–18728 Filed 7–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 98–027–1]

International Sanitary and

Phytosanitary Standard-Setting

Activities

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and solicitation of

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with legislation

implementing the results of the Uruguay

Round of negotiations under the General

Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, we are

informing the public of international

standard-setting activities of the Office

International des Epizooties, the

Secretariat of the International Plant

Protection Convention, and the North

American Plant Protection Organization,

and we are soliciting public comment

on the standards to be considered.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and

three copies of your comments to

Docket No. 98–027–1, Regulatory

Analysis and Development, PPD,

APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road

Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

Please state in your letter that your

comments refer to Docket No. 98–027–

1, and state the name of the committee

or working group to which your

comments are addressed. Comments

received may be inspected 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 comments are requested to call

ahead on (202) 690–2817 to facilitate

entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

John Greifer, Acting Director, Trade

Support Team, International Services,

APHIS, room 1128, South Building,

14th Street and Independence Avenue

SW., Washington, DC, 20250, (202) 720–

7677; or e-mail: jgreifer@aphis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The World

Trade Organization (WTO) was

established on January 1, 1995, as the

common international institutional

framework for the conduct of trade

relations among its members in matters

related to the Uruguay Round

Agreements. The WTO is the successor

organization to the General Agreement

on Tariffs and Trade. U.S. membership

in the WTO was approved by Congress

when it enacted the Uruguay Round

Agreements Act, which was signed into

law (Public Law 103–465) by the

President on December 8, 1994. The

Uruguay Round Agreements Act

amended title IV of the Trade

Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2531

et seq.) by adding a new subtitle F,

‘‘International Standard-Setting

Activities.’’ Subtitle F requires the

President to designate an agency to be

responsible for informing the public of

the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)

standard-setting activities of each

international standard-setting

organization. The designated agency

must inform the public by publishing a

notice in the Federal Register that

provides the following information: (1)

The sanitary or phytosanitary standards

under consideration or planned for

consideration by the international

standard-setting organization; and (2)

for each sanitary or phytosanitary (SPS)

standard specified: a description of the

consideration or planned consideration

of the standard; whether the United

States is participating or plans to

participate in the consideration of the

standard; the agenda for United States

participation, if any; and the agency

responsible for representing the United

States with respect to the standard.

Subtitle F defines ‘‘international

standard’’ as a standard, guideline, or

recommendation: (1) Adopted by the

Codex Alimentarius Commission

(Codex) regarding food safety; (2)

developed under the auspices of the

Office International des Epizooties (OIE)

regarding animal health and zoonoses;

(3) developed under the auspices of the

Secretariat of the International Plant

Protection Convention (IPPC) in

cooperation with the North American

Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO)

regarding plant health; or (4) established

by or developed under any other

international organization agreed to by

the member countries of the North

American Free Trade Agreement

(NAFTA) or by member countries of the

WTO.

The President, pursuant to

Proclamation No. 6780 of March 23,

1995 (60 FR 15845), designated the

United States Department of Agriculture

as the agency responsible for informing

the public of the SPS standard-setting

activities of Codex, OIE, IPPC, and

NAPPO. This responsibility was

delegated to the United States

Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s)

Food Safety and Inspection Service

(FSIS) for Codex activities and Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service

(APHIS) for OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO

activities.

FSIS is responsible for publishing an

annual notice in the Federal Register to

inform the public of SPS standardsetting activities for Codex. Codex was

created in 1962 by two United Nations

organizations, the Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and the World

Health Organization. It is the major

international organization for

encouraging international trade in food

and protecting the health and economic

interests of consumers.

APHIS is responsible for publishing

notice of OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO

activities related to international

standards and representing the United

States with respect to these standards.

Following are descriptions of OIE,

IPPC, and NAPPO scheduled activities

for the coming year. In some cases,

working groups and committees have

not yet set meeting dates and locations

or determined specific standards to be

discussed. The OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO

sanitary and phytosanitary standardsetting activities for the coming year

may be modified as emergency

situations may affect the agenda of each

standard-setting body.

OIE Standard-Setting Activities

The OIE was created in Paris, France,

in 1924 with the signing of an

international agreement by 28 countries.

It is currently composed of 151 member

nations, each of which is represented by

a delegate, who, in most cases, is the

chief veterinary officer of that country.

The WTO has designated the OIE as

the international forum for setting

animal health standards, reporting

global animal situations and disease

status, and presenting guidelines and

recommendations on sanitary measures.

The OIE facilitates intergovernmental

cooperation to prevent the spread of

contagious diseases in animals through

the sharing of scientific research among

its members. The major function of the

OIE is to ensure that scientifically

justified standards govern international

trade in animals and animal products.

The OIE aims to achieve this through

the development and revision of

international standards for diagnostic

tests and vaccines for the safe

international trade of animals and

animal products.