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

66779

Vol. 60, No. 247

Tuesday, December 26, 1995

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

Notice of Request for Extension and

Revision of Currently Approved

Information Collection Regulations

Governing the Financing of

Commercial Sales of Agricultural

Commodities

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and Request for

Comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Foreign

Agricultural Service’s (FAS) intention to

request a revision to a currently

approved information collection under

the Pub. L. 480, title I program based on

a final rule published at 60 FR 62702 on

December 7, 1995.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by February 26, 1996 to be

assured of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Connie B. Delaplane, Director, Public

Law 480 Operations Division, Foreign

Agricultural Service, United States

Department of Agriculture, 14th and

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250–1033; telephone

(202) 720–3664.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Regulations—Financing

Commercial Sales of Agricultural

Commodities under Title I, P.L. 480.

OMB Number: 0551–0005.

Expiration Date of Approval: June 30,

1998.

Type of Request: Minor revision of a

currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: Title I of the Agricultural

Trade Development and Assistance Act

of 1954, as amended, (Pub. L. 480)

authorizes the Commodity Credit

Corporation (CCC) to finance the sale

and exportation of agricultural

commodities on concessional credit

terms. 7 U.S.C. 1701 et seq. Suppliers of

commodities and ocean transportation

must retain records for three years and

report payments to representatives of

importing countries. Prospective

commodity suppliers must provide

information for the Department to

determine eligibility. Commodity

suppliers must report details of sales for

price approval. Shipping agents

nominated by importing countries must

submit information to allow

identification of possible conflicts of

interest.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for these collections of

information in the regulations prior to

this amendment was estimated at eight

hours per response for suppliers of

commodities and ocean transportation

(records retention and reporting

payments); three hours per response for

prospective commodity suppliers; 15

minutes per response for commodity

suppliers reporting sales; and 11⁄4 hours

per response for shipping agents which

are nominated by importing countries.

The changes contained in the final

rule are expected to have a quantifiable

increase on only one of these estimates.

Suppliers of commodities and ocean

transportation will be required to report

any payment ‘‘delivered to’’ a

representative of the importer or

importing country as well as payments

‘‘to’’ such representatives. (§ 17.12).

Suppliers submitted only four reports

for FY 1994, with an estimated burden

of 1 hour for a report which contained

information on a payment and 15

minutes for a negative report. If the

number of positive reports tripled as a

result of this final rule, the total

reporting burden would increase from

13⁄4 hours to 12 hours.

Little or no burden increase is

expected for the other two modifications

to information collection requirements

contained in the final rule. Suppliers of

ocean transportation will, if requested,

have to furnish to CCC copies of related

discharge contracts when they are

financed by CCC. (§ 17.12.) Such

contracts are available to the supplier as

a routine part of the transaction, and

CCC will request them only when

necessary to clarify the terms of the

contract. Shipping agents nominated by

importing countries must slightly

expand the programs and services

referenced in their conflict of interest

certification and must also certify that

no kickbacks or illegal benefits were

paid in connection with their selection.

[§ 17.5(c) (7) and (8).] Given the

widespread use of word processing, this

should take only a few minutes to

change in the master document which

will then become a part of every

subsequent submission by the agent.

Respondents: Suppliers of

commodities and ocean transportation;

prospective commodity suppliers;

shipping agents.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

103.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 528 hours (existing); new

burden estimate is 5381⁄4 hours.

Copies of this information collection

can be obtained from Pamela Hopkins,

the Agency Information Collection

Coordinator, at (202) 720–6713.

Request for 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, 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

Connie B. Delaplane, Director, P.L. 480

Operations Division, Foreign

Agricultural Service, United States

Department of Agriculture, 14th and

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250–1033; telephone

(202) 720–3664.

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.
66780 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 247 / Tuesday, December 26, 1995 / Notices

Signed at Washington, D.C. on December

18, 1995.

Christopher E. Goldthwait,

General Sales Manager, Foreign Agricultural

Service and Vice President, Commodity Credit

Corporation.

[FR Doc. 95–31226 Filed 12–22–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M

Forest Service

Western Washington Cascades

Provincial Interagency Executive

Committee (PIEC) Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Western Cascades PIEC

Advisory Committee will meet on

January 23, 1996 at the Mount BakerSnoqualmie National Forest

Headquarters, 21905 64th Avenue West,

in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. The

meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. and

continue until about 4:00 p.m. Agenda

items to be covered include: (1)

Discussion with U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service about the process and standards

for developing Habitat Conservation

Plans; (2) review and discussion of the

Snoqualmie Pass Adaptive Management

Area Draft Environmental Impact

Statement with members of the AMA

team; (3) overview of the Wild Salmonid

Policy recently released by the

Washington Department of Fish and

Wildlife; (4) update on issues related to

Section 2001 of Public Law 103–327

(Rescission Bill); (5) report by the River

Basin Study Group; (6) Access and

Travel Management subcommittee

report; (7) other topics as appropriate;

and (8) open public forum. All Western

Washington Cascades Province

Advisory Committee meetings are open

to the public. Interested citizens are

encouraged to attend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this meeting

to Chris Hansen-Murray, Province

Liaison, USDA, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie

National Forest, 21905 64th Avenue

West, Mountlake Terrace, Washington

98043, 206–744–3276.

Dated: December 18, 1995.

Daniel T. Harkenrider,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 95–31244 Filed 12–22–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

Title to Forest Lieu Selection Lands

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the

Agency’s Nationally Significant lands

List which identifies lands to be

retained by the United States as part of

the national Forest System; and the

Final List Of Lands Quitclaimed By The

United States in compliance with steps

three and four of a 5-step procedure

imposed by the Act of July 2, 1993.

Following publication of this notice the

Agency will file in the appropriate

county office a disclaimer of interest for

the parcels on the Final List Of Lands

Quitclaimed By The United States.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice is effective

December 26, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

J. Kenneth Myers, Lands Staff, Forest

Service, USDA, P.O. Box 96090,

Washington, D.C. 20090–6090, (202)

205–1248.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Certain provisions of the Act of June

4, 1897 (16 U.S.C. 473–475; the Organic

Administration Act), which provided

for the management of the forest

reserves of the United States, included

a provision known as ‘‘forest lieu

selection.’’ Under that provision,

persons who had patented public land,

or a claimant to such land, which fell

within a proclaimed forest reserve

boundary in the western United States,

were authorized to convey or relinquish

their land or claim to such land (‘‘base

land’’) to the United States and to select

an equal acreage of vacant public land

open to settlement (‘‘in-lieu land’’). The

forest reserves were renamed as national

forests in 1905.

In 1905, Congress repealed the forest

lieu selection authorization, but

protected previously made contracts

and claims. This protection preserved

the rights of those persons who had

relinquished their inholdings by

providing a deed to the United States,

but who had not yet realized or

exercised their selection rights under

the forest lieu selection provision of the

Organic Administration Act. In

legislation enacted in 1922 and 1930,

Congress provided further opportunity

to resolve remaining claims by

authorizing reconveyance of the base

lands back to the former owners or their

heirs or assigns. Consequently, most of

the claims for in-lieu land were

resolved.

However, Congress became concerned

about allegations of abuse of the

provisions of the 1930 Act, which by the

1950’s was leading to reconveyance of

valuable national forest and national

park lands. In 1960, legislation was

enacted to provide for compensation to

people who had not received

appropriate relief under the prior acts.

Section 4 of the 1960 Act repealed the

1930 Act and sought to close all

unresolved claims under the 1897 Act.

The legislation provided that any base

lands for which payment was made, or

any base lands for which payment might

have been made but for which no

demand was made, would become a

part of appropriate national forest,

national park, or other Federal area.

However, no payments were made

under the 1960 Act, continuing the

unresolved title status of some of the

base lands.

Thus, most of these base lands with

questionable title have continued to be

considered part of the national forests,

although some have been continuously

occupied by private parties since before

1960. Other base lands have been the

subject of court decisions, raising

further questions about the United

States’ claim of title.

In the mid-1980’s, the Forest Service,

pursuant to a request from Congress,

compiled a list of grantors and base

lands relinquished to the United States

under the 1897 Act provision for which

selection or other rights were not

realized or exercised. This list was

submitted to the 98th Congress and was

used by it and subsequent Congresses

for deliberations on legislation

eventually enacted as the Act of July 2,

1993.

The 1993 Act was enacted to finally

resolve the title status of the remaining

base lands, using a 5-step procedure to

either retain or quitclaim all right, title,

and interest in and to the base lands.

The first step in the 5-step procedure,

which required the Secretary of

Agriculture, acting through the Forest

Service, to compile and publish an

initial list of base lands in the Federal

Register, was completed by the Agency

on December 30, 1993 (58 FR 69321).

Copies of relevant portions of the

December 30, 1993, Federal Register

were distributed to interested parties

and appropriate federal, state, and

county offices. The Secretary of the

Interior, acting through the Bureau of

Land Management, also published an

initial list of base lands located on

public lands administered by that

Agency on December 30, 1993.

Step two, which provided a 180-day

comment period ending July 2, 1994,

allowed persons to submit information

on parcels not included in the Initial

List but believed to meet the conditions

set forth in the Act for review and

possible addition to the Initial List.

Numerous comments were submitted by

individuals or their representatives

informing the Agency of their claim or

interest in parcels already included on

the Initial List and requesting the