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

29049

Vol. 61, No. 111

Friday, June 7, 1996

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

Notice of a Program To Provide for the

Sharing of United States Agricultural

Expertise With Emerging Markets

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice contains

information concerning a U.S.

Department of Agriculture technical

assistance program that was amended

by the Federal Agriculture Improvement

and Reform Act of 1996 in order to

provide such assistance to emerging

markets. This notice replaces the

Federal Register notice published on

June 3, 1992 (57 FR 23374).

DATES: This notice is effective

immediately.

ADDRESSES: Requests for information

should be addressed to the Director,

Emerging Markets Office, Foreign

Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Room 6506, South

Building, Washington, DC 20250; Fax

(202) 690–4369.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Description of Program

The Emerging Markets Program is

authorized by section 1542(d) of the

Food, Agriculture, Conservation and

Trade Act of 1990, as amended (1990

Act). Section 1542(d) provides that:

For each of the fiscal years 1991

through 2002, the Secretary of

Agriculture . . . in order to develop,

maintain, or expand markets for United

States agricultural exports, is directed to

make available to emerging markets the

expertise of the United States.

The expertise is to be used to assess,

recommend, and identify projects and

activities, including those that have the

potential to reduce trade barriers, to

enhance the food and rural business

systems needs of emerging markets, and

to provide technical assistance to

implement such projects and activities.

The Emerging Markets Office (EMO)

of the Foreign Agricultural Service is

responsible for the management and

implementation of the Emerging

Markets Program.

2. Country Eligibility

Section 1542(f) of the 1996 Act

provides that an emerging market is any

country that:

—Is taking steps toward a marketoriented economy through the food,

agriculture, or rural business sectors

of the economy of the country; and

—Has the potential to provide a viable

and significant market for United

States commodities or products of

United States agricultural

commodities.

In order to determine whether a

country has the potential to provide a

viable and significant market for U.S.

agricultural commodities and products,

EMO will consider various factors,

including:

(a) Per capita income less than $8355

(the food aid per capita income cut-off

figure of OECD’s Development

Assistance Committee);

(b) Population greater than 1 million;

or

(c) Positive economic growth factors.

3. Assessments, Recommendations and

Identification of Opportunities and

Projects

Section 1542(d)(1)(B) of the 1990 Act

provides that the Secretary may select

teams of experts to conduct assessments

(including an analysis of the food and

rural business needs of an emerging

market), make recommendations, and

identify opportunities and projects

which technical expertise could be

provided to address those needs.

Teams of experts will not be used if

sufficient information is available from

existing information to determine

whether technical assistance is needed

to implement a project. Under other

circumstances the Secretary may select

an individual or firm to provide the

same services as those of a team of

experts. A data base of experts is

maintained by EMO and the Farm

Service Agency (FSA). Persons

interested in being included in the data

base may write EMO for information. In

addition, an advisory committee,

authorized by the 1990 Act and the

Federal Advisory Committee Act, may

provide advice to the Secretary

concerning assessments,

recommendations, and the

identification of opportunities and

projects for which technical assistance

would be utilized.

45. Technical Assistance

In accordance with section

1542(d)(1)(D) of the 1990 Act, the

Secretary is authorized to provide or

pay for technical assistance, including

the establishment of extension services,

to enable individuals or other entities to

implement recommendations or to carry

out identified opportunities or projects.

If USDA does not have the expertise to

provide needed technical assistance,

USDA will consider entering into

contracts, or cooperative agreements

with non-USDA sources in order to

obtain the needed expertise. In such

instances, USDA will solicit technical

assistance through the Commerce

Business Daily. Contracts, grants, and

cooperative agreements will be awarded

according to USDA policies, guidelines,

and regulations, which are available

from EMO on request.

5. Selection

Factors used to determine whether the

Secretary will provide or pay for

technical assistance to implement

projects may include:

1. Amount of private sector

contributions;

2. Prospects for developing, maintaining

or increasing U.S. agricultural

exports;

3. Long-range impact on U.S.

agricultural exports;

4. Enhancement of emerging markets’

food and rural business systems;

5. Impact on the transformation of host

country economics to free market

systems;

6. Compatibility with U.S. foreign

policy interests; and

7. Cost

Signed at Washington, D.C. on May 31,

1996.

August Schumacher, Jr.,

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.

[FR Doc. 96–14407 Filed 6–6–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M
29050 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 111 / Friday, June 7, 1996 / Notices

Forest Service

Intergovernmental Advisory

Committee Subcommittee Meeting

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Meeting.

SUMMARY: The Intergovernmental

Advisory Committee will meet on June

17, 1996, at the Robert Duncan Plaza

Building, 333 SW First Ave., Portland,

Oregon 97208 in Rooms 3A and 3B on

the 3rd floor. The purpose of the

meeting is to continue discussions to

identify issues and solutions to improve

the implementation of the Northwest

Forest Plan (NFP) and in particular to

focus on better ways to integrate the

ecological and economic aspects of the

NFP. The meeting will begin at 9:00

a.m. on June 17 and continue until 5:00

p.m. Agenda items to be discussed

include, but are not limited to: (1) issues

which impede the efficient

implementation of the NFP, (2)

recommendations to resolve the issues,

and (3) identification of procedures to

implement recommendations. The IAC

meeting will be open to the public and

is fully accessible for people with

disabilities. Interpreters are available

upon request in advance. Written

comments may be submitted for the

record at the meeting. Time will also be

scheduled for oral public comments.

Interested persons are encouraged to

attend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions regarding this meeting may

be directed to Don Knowles, Executive

Director, Regional Ecosystem Office, 333

SW 1st Avenue, P.O. Box 3623,

Portland, OR 97208 (Phone: 503–326–

6265).

Dated: May 29, 1996.

Donald R. Knowles,

Designated Federal Official.

[FR Doc. 96–14376 Filed 6–6–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Changes in Hydric Soils of the United

States

AGENCY: Natural Resources

Conservation Service (formerly the Soil

Conservation Service), USDA.

ACTION: Notice of change.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 7 CFR

12.31(a)(3)(i), the Natural Resources

Conservation Service, United States

Department of Agriculture gives notice

of a change in the Hydric Soils of the

United States as listed in the third

edition of the Hydric Soils of the United

States, Miscellaneous Publication 1491,

USDA, Soil Conservation Service, June

1991.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: P.

Michael Whited, Chair, National

Technical Committee for Hydric Soils,

NRCS Wetland Institute, USDA–NAC,

East Campus–UNL, Lincoln, NE 68583–

0822.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The third

edition of the Hydric Soils of the U.S.

was published in June 1991, and a

notice of change published in the

Federal Register, October 11, 1991. Vol.

56, No. 198, page 51371. Changes to this

document were made in 1993 and

published in the Federal Register

October 6, 1993, Vol. 58, No. 192, page

52078. Further changes were made in

1994 and published in the Federal

Register July 13, 1994, Vol. 59, No. 133,

page 35680. The changes published

herein reflect soils added and deleted

since the 1994 Federal Register notice.

The national list of hydric soils

changes as additional soil series are

recognized and defined and/or

properties of existing soil series are

updated based on additional data. These

changes reflect refinements in

knowledge of the soils of the United

States. New soil series are recognized as

soils are mapped in previously

unmapped areas. These new series have

always met the hydric criteria, whether

recognized as series or not, and thus

represent as insignificant change in

acreage of hydric soils. Soils that are

removed from the list are mostly dry

phases of existing hydric soils. These

dry phases would not have met

wetlands hydrology criteria, thus

represent an insignificant change in

acreage of wetlands.

The hydric soils list is computer

generated using the hydric soil criteria

and a database of properties of each soil

series in the U.S. The current hydric soil

criteria was published in the Federal

Register February 24, 1995, Vol. 60, No.

37, page 10349. The database is also

used to generate interpretations of how

soils perform for many land uses.

Therefore, some changes in the list of

hydric soils result from adding phases

for a hydric soil to refine other

interpretations. This split or addition of

a hydric phase causes an increase in the

number of hydric soils, but does not

affect the acres of the hydric soil. Data

for all soil series are in the Soil

Interpretations Record and may be

reviewed by contacting a local office of

the Natural Resources Conservation

Service in the appropriate state.

Dated: May 6, 1996.

Norman C. Melvin III,

Plant Ecologist, Wetland Institute.

Richard W. Arnold,

Director, Soils Division.

Briefing Paper, National List of Hydric

Soils: Prepared by: P. Michael Whited, April

1996.

Background

—The National List of Hydric Soils is:

• Published by the Natural Resources

Conservation Service.

• Revised annually and notice is filed

in the Federal Register.

• Generated from Soil Interpretations

Records in the National Soil Database.

—The National Technical Committee for

Hydric Soils reviews and concurs

with changes to the National List of

Hydric Soils.

—The Soil Interpretations Records for

soil series are:

• Continuously updated as data is

collected on soil properties.

• Reviewed by the soil survey Staff at

MLRA Soil Survey Regional Offices.

• Used in all aspects of the National

Soil Survey Program of which soils are

a small part.

Reasons for Changes in the Hydric Soil

List

—Addition of new soil series due to:

• Newly mapped areas (soils have

always been hydric but have not been

previously recognized as soil series).

• Narrowing of an existing series into

two soils. An example being a series

that is both hydric and nonhydric being

split into their respective parts.

—Result from new phases being added

to an existing soil series. Phases are

added for many reasons and include:

• Flooding and ponding phases of

which some may be hydric and others

nonhydric. Many of these changes are

made to accommodate nonhydric

interpretations of soil use.

• Surface texture or depth phases

both of which are not related to change

in hydric soil status but are needed for

other interpretations.

• Wetness or water table phases of

which some may be hydric and others

nonhydric. Some of these changes are

made to accommodate other

interpretations of soil use.

—Result from change in flooding,

ponding, water table, or drainage class

as a result of new information. Soils

are added or deleted from the list due

to these changes.

Summary of Changes From 1994

National List

—287 entries (soils) added of which: