Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 16, 2021 / Notices 32015 

modified, expanded, or made less 

complicated or streamlined, to deliver 

resources and benefits more equitably? 

5. How can USDA establish and

maintain connections to a wider and 

more diverse set of stakeholders 

representing underserved communities? 

6. Please describe USDA programs or

interactions that have worked well for 

underserved communities. What 

successful approaches to advancing 

justice and equity have been undertaken 

by USDA that you recommend be used 

as a model for other programs or areas? 

7. Does USDA currently collect

information, use forms, or require 

documentation that impede access to 

USDA programs or are not effective to 

achieve program objectives? If so, what 

are they and how can USDA revise them 

to reduce confusion or frustration, and 

increase equity in access to USDA 

programs? 

8. Is there information you believe

USDA currently collects that it does not 

need to achieve statutory or regulatory 

objectives? 

9. Are there data-sharing activities in

which USDA agencies should engage, so 

that repetitive collections of the same 

data do not occur from one USDA 

component to the next? 

10. How can USDA use technology to

improve customer service? Do you have 

suggestions on how technology or 

online services can help streamline and 

reduce regulatory or policy 

requirements? What are those 

technological programs or processes and 

how can USDA use them to achieve 

equity for all? 

11. Are there sources of external data

and metrics that USDA can use to 

evaluate the effects on underserved 

communities of USDA policies or 

regulations? If so, please identify or 

describe them. 

12. What suggestions do you have for

how USDA can effectively assess and 

measure its outreach and inclusion of 

underserved groups and individuals? 

13. How can USDA remove or reduce

barriers that underserved communities 

and individuals face when they 

participate or attempt to participate in 

agency procurement and contracting 

opportunities? 

14. Have you made recommendations

for improvement in the past to USDA? 

If so, please list or attach those 

recommendations. 

Civil Rights Compliant 

Information submitted through this 

document will not be processed as a 

civil rights complaint and will not be 

considered a complaint for determining 

whether a complaint was timely 

submitted. 

To file a discrimination complaint on 

interactions with USDA, you can 

complete the form: https://

www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ 

documents/Complain_combined_6_8_

12_508.pdf. You may submit the 

discrimination complaint to USDA by 

any of the following methods: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Director, Center for Civil Rights 

Enforcement, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250– 

9410. 

Fax: (202) 690–7442; or 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

If you need any assistance completing 

the form, call the following phone 

numbers: 

• (202) 260–1026 (Local),

• (866) 632–9992 (Toll-free Customer

Service), 

• (800) 877–8339 (Local or Federal

relay), or 

• (866) 377–8642 (Relay voice users).

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family or 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (for example, 

braille, large print, audiotape, American 

Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible agency or USDA TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 or 844–433– 

2774 (toll-free nationwide). 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at https://

www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410 or email: OAC@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Elizabeth C. Archuleta, 

Director, Office of Intergovernmental & 

External Affairs, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture. 

[FR Doc. 2021–12612 Filed 6–15–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–90–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0044] 

Removal of Japan From the List of 

Regions Declared Free of Classical 

Swine Fever 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we removed Japan from the list of 

regions the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service recognizes as free of 

classical swine fever (CSF). This action 

follows the detection of CSF in Japan. 

This action is necessary in order to 

inform the public and to prevent the 

introduction of CSF into the United 

States. 

DATES: This action became effective on 

September 10, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Ingrid Kotowski, Regionalization 

Evaluation Services, Veterinary 

Services, APHIS, 920 Main Campus 

Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27606; 

(919) 855–7732; AskRegionalization@

usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred to 

below as the regulations) govern the 

importation of specified animals and 

animal products to prevent the 

introduction into the United States of 

various animal diseases, including 

classical swine fever (CSF). CSF is a 

highly contagious disease of wild and 

domestic swine that can spread rapidly 

in swine populations with extremely 

high rates of morbidity and mortality. A 

list of regions that the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has 

determined are free of CSF is 

maintained on the APHIS website at 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ 

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32016 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 16, 2021 / Notices 

animal-product-import-information/ 

animal-health-status-of-regions/. 

That list is referenced in §§ 94.9(a)(1) 

and 94.10(a)(1) of the regulations. 

Section 94.9 contains requirements for 

the importation of pork and pork 

products from regions where CSF exists. 

Section 94.10 contains requirements for 

the importation of live swine from such 

regions. 

Paragraphs (a)(2) of §§ 94.9 and 94.10 

provide for the adding and removal of 

regions to or from the list of CSF-free 

regions. APHIS will add a region to the 

list after it conducts an evaluation of the 

region in accordance with 9 CFR 92.2 

and finds that the disease is not present. 

APHIS will remove a region from the 

list upon determining that the disease 

exists in the region based on reports 

APHIS receives of outbreaks of the 

disease from veterinary officials of the 

exporting country, from the World 

Organization for Animal Health (OIE), 

or from other sources the Administrator 

determines to be reliable. A region that 

was formerly on the list but that has 

been removed due to an outbreak may 

be returned to the list in accordance 

with the procedures for reestablishment 

of a region’s disease-free status in § 92.4. 

On September 9, 2018, the veterinary 

authority of Japan reported to the OIE 

the occurrence of CSF in that country. 

On September 10, 2018, APHIS removed 

Japan’s CSF-free status on a provisional 

basis pending an epidemiological 

investigation and remedial measures. 

Due to the failure to control and 

eradicate the disease in Japan, on 

November 20, 2019, APHIS determined 

that this removal would not be 

reversible without a formal reevaluation pursuant to § 92.4. 

As a result of these determinations, 

the importation of pork and pork 

products and live swine from Japan is 

subject to the APHIS import restrictions 

in §§ 94.9 and 94.10, which are 

designed to mitigate risk of CSF 

introduction into the United States. 

Congressional Review Act 

Pursuant to the Congressional Review 

Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs 

designated this action as a non-major 

rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2). 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 7701–7772, 

7781–7786, and 8301–8317; 21 U.S.C. 136 

and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, 

and 371.4. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 9th day of 

June 2021. 

Mark Davidson, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–12595 Filed 6–15–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

[Docket #RBS–21–Business–0012] 

Inviting Applications for the Rural 

Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) 

Grant Program 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces that 

the Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

(Agency) is accepting fiscal year (FY) 

2021 applications for the Rural 

Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) 

program. The program funding level for 

FY 2021 is a total of $10 million. The 

purpose of this program is to provide 

financial assistance to support job 

accelerator partnerships that improve 

the ability of distressed rural and energy 

communities to create high wage jobs, 

accelerate the formation of new 

businesses, and help rural communities 

identify and maximize local assets. 

DATES: Completed applications must be 

submitted electronically by no later than 

11:59 p.m. Eastern time, August 2, 2021, 

through Grants.gov, to be eligible for 

grant funding. Please review the 

Grants.gov website at http://grants.gov/ 

applicants/organization_registration.jsp 

for instructions on the process of 

registering your organization as soon as 

possible to ensure that you are able to 

meet the electronic application 

deadline. Late applications are not 

eligible for funding under this notice 

and will not be evaluated. 

ADDRESSES: You are encouraged to 

contact your USDA Rural Development 

State Office well in advance of the 

application deadline to discuss your 

project and ask any questions about the 

RISE program or application process. 

Contact information for State Offices 

can be found at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

contact-us/state-offices. 

Program guidance as well as an 

application template may be obtained at 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/RISEgrantprogram. To submit an electronic 

application, follow the instructions for 

the RISE funding announcement located 

at http://www.grants.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Will 

Dodson, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, United States Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Mail Stop-3226, Room 

5160-South, Washington, DC 20250– 

3226, (202) 720–1400 or email 

will.dodson@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Preface 

As outlined in the Initial Report to the 

President on Empowering Workers 

Through Revitalizing Energy 

Communities, available at https://

netl.doe.gov/IWGInitialReport, the 

Agency encourages energy communities 

to utilize the RISE program to support 

workforce development; identify and 

maximize local assets; spur job creation; 

and connect to regional opportunities, 

networks, and industry clusters. 

To focus investments to areas for the 

largest opportunity for growth in 

prosperity, the Agency encourages 

applications that serve the smallest 

communities with the lowest incomes, 

with an emphasis on areas where at 

least 20 percent of the population is 

living in poverty, according to the 

American Community Survey data by 

census tracts. 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural BusinessCooperative Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Rural 

Innovation Stronger Economy Grant 

Program. 

Announcement Type: Initial Notice. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 10.755 

Date: Application Deadline. 

Electronic applications must be received 

and accepted by http://www.grants.gov 

no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, 

August 2, 2021, or it will not be 

considered for funding. 

The Application Template provides 

specific, detailed instructions for each 

item of a complete application. The 

Agency emphasizes the importance of 

including every item and strongly 

encourages applicants to follow the 

instructions carefully, using the 

examples and illustrations in the 

Application Template. Prior to official 

submission of applications, applicants 

may request technical assistance or 

other application guidance from the 

Agency, as long as such requests are 

made prior to July 16, 2021. Agency 

contact information can be found in 

Section D of this document. 

Hemp related projects: Please note 

that no assistance or funding from this 

grant can be provided to a hemp 

producer unless they have a valid 

license issued from an approved State, 

Tribal or Federal plan as defined by the 

Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, 


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