52004 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 174 / Monday, September 8, 2008 / Notices 

nutrients. FSIS asks for comment on this 

tentative conclusion. 

Processing Aid 

The AMI petition raised the issue of 

considering low dose, low penetration 

e-beam irradiation of the surface of beef 

carcasses to be a ‘‘processing aid’’

whose use would not need to be 

disclosed in the labeling of products 

derived from the carcasses that were 

irradiated. FSIS has consulted with FDA 

about this issue, and FDA has advised 

FSIS that, tentatively, it would not 

object to treating low dose, low 

penetration e-beam irradiation on the 

surface of chilled beef carcasses as a 

processing aid. FDA is still considering 

this issue and will likely consult further 

with FSIS. 

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public 

Meeting 

After considering the AMI petition, 

FSIS has tentatively concluded that 

there is merit to consider low dose (≤1.0 

kGy) and low penetration (20mm) ebeam irradiation on the surface of 

chilled beef carcasses as a processing 

aid. 

Data submitted showed that low dose, 

low penetration surface e-beam 

irradiation will produce a significant 

surface reduction of E. coli 0157:H7 on 

chilled beef carcasses. The e-beam 

treatment does not appear to have a 

lasting antimicrobial effect that would 

extend the shelf-life of the products, and 

it appears that there is no significant 

difference in color, odor, or taste 

between treated and untreated products. 

Relevant studies appear to support the 

assertion that the low dose, low 

penetration e-beam irradiation treatment 

would not produce any significant 

changes in the macro and micro nutrient 

content of the treated products. Further, 

the entire beef carcass is not irradiated, 

only the surface of the carcass. 

Public Meeting and Comments 

FSIS is seeking comment both at the 

public meeting and during the comment 

period on the following questions and 

those raised throughout this document: 

• Is there any additional evidence to 

support or contradict the evidence 

presented in the AMI petition on the 

specific application of a low penetration 

of 20mm and low surface dosage of ≤1.0 

kGy electron beam irradiation on the 

surfaces of chilled beef carcasses as a 

processing aid? 

• Is there any evidence indicating 

that FSIS should consider the 

cumulative effects of the absorbed dose 

delivered in accordance with the AMI 

petition and any subsequent absorbed 

dose, such as a result of further 

irradiation of ground beef? 

• Should FSIS consider requiring 

irradiation process controls if 

irradiation is considered a processing 

aid? If so, what would they be and what 

impact would they have on the low dose 

irradiation of chilled carcasses? 

• Are there factors that FSIS has not 

considered? If so, what are they and 

what impact would they have? 

Additional Public Notification 

Public awareness of all segments of 

rulemaking and policy development is 

important. Consequently, in an effort to 

ensure that minorities, women, and 

persons with disabilities are aware of 

this notice, FSIS will announce it online through the FSIS Web page located 

at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/ 

2008_Notices_Index/. 

FSIS also will make copies of this 

Federal Register publication available 

through the FSIS Constituent Update, 

which is used to provide information 

regarding FSIS policies, procedures, 

regulations, Federal Register notices, 

FSIS public meetings, and other types of 

information that could affect or would 

be of interest to constituents and 

stakeholders. The Update is 

communicated via Listserv, a free 

electronic mail subscription service for 

industry, trade and farm groups, 

consumer interest groups, allied health 

professionals and other individuals who 

have asked to be included. The Update 

is available on the FSIS Web page. 

Through the Listserv and the Web page, 

FSIS is able to provide information to a 

much broader and more diverse 

audience. 

In addition, FSIS offers an e-mail 

subscription service which provides 

automatic and customized access to 

selected food safety news and 

information. This service is available at 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ 

news_and_events/email_subscription/. 

Options range from recalls to export 

information to regulations, directives 

and notices. Customers can add or 

delete subscriptions themselves and 

have the option to password protect 

their account. 

Done at Washington, DC on: September 2, 

2008. 

Alfred V. Almanza, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. E8–20653 Filed 9–5–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committees 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to renew the 

Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committees. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Agriculture 

intends to renew five Forest Service 

Recreation Resource Advisory 

Committees (Recreation RACs) pursuant 

to Section 4 of the Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act passed 

into law as part of the 2005 

Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. 

L. 108–447) on December 8, 2004. The 

Recreation RACs operate in the Pacific 

Northwest, Pacific Southwest, Eastern, 

and Southern Regions of the Forest 

Service and the State of Colorado, and 

provide recreation fee recommendations 

to both the Forest Service and the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as 

appropriate. As required by the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act, charters for 

Federal advisory committees must be 

renewed every two years. 

DATES: The current charter for the 

Recreation RACs expires September 28, 

2008. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 

Cox, National Recreation RAC 

Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Region, 333 SW. 1st 

Avenue, Portland, OR 97208, (503) 808–

2984. 

Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern 

Standard Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Federal Lands Recreation 

Enhancement Act (REA), signed in 

December 2004, directs the Secretary of 

Agriculture, the Secretary of the 

Interior, or both to establish Recreation 

RACs, or use existing advisory 

committees to perform the duties of 

Recreation RACs, in each State or region 

for Federal recreation lands and waters 

managed by the Forest Service or the 

BLM. These committees make recreation 

fee program recommendations on 

implementing or eliminating standard 

amenity fees; expanded amenity fees; 

and noncommercial, individual special 

recreation permit fees; expanding or 

limiting the recreation fee program; and 

fee-level changes. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 174 / Monday, September 8, 2008 / Notices 52005 

The REA grants flexibility to 

Recreation RACs by stating that the 

Secretaries: 

• May have as many additional 

Recreation RACs in a State or region as 

the Secretaries consider necessary; 

• Shall not establish a Recreation 

RAC in a State if the Secretaries 

determine, in consultation with the 

Governor of the State, that sufficient 

interest does not exist to ensure that 

participation on the committee is 

balanced in terms of the points of view 

represented and the functions to be 

performed; or 

• May use a resource advisory 

committee established pursuant to 

another provision of law and in 

accordance with that law. 

The Forest Service and BLM elected 

to jointly use existing BLM RACs in the 

States of Arizona, Idaho, the Dakotas, 

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and 

Utah. The Forest Service also chartered 

new Recreation RACs for the Forest 

Service Pacific Northwest, Pacific 

Southwest, Eastern, and Southern 

Regions, and for the State of Colorado. 

The Forest Service is using an existing 

advisory board for the Black Hills 

National Forest in South Dakota. In 

addition, the Governors of three States—

Alaska, Nebraska, and Wyoming—

requested that their states be exempt 

from the Recreation RAC requirement, 

and the Secretary concurred with the 

exemptions. 

Members were appointed to the Forest 

Service established Recreation RACs in 

February 2007 for three regions (Pacific 

Northwest, Eastern, and Southern), and 

July 2007 for one region (Pacific 

Southwest) and one State (State of 

Colorado). 

The Secretaries have signed an 

Interagency Agreement that authorizes 

the Forest Service to using existing BLM 

RACs and the BLM to use Forest Service 

established Recreation RACs for the 

purposes stated in the REA. 

Dated: September 2, 2008. 

Boyd K. Rutherford, 

Assistant Secretary for Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–20762 Filed 9–5–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

BROADCASTING BOARD OF 

GOVERNORS 

Sunshine Act Meeting 

DATE AND TIME: Thursday, September 

11, 2008, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. 

PLACE: Cohen Building, Room 3321, 

330 Independence Ave., SW., 

Washington, DC 20237. 

CLOSED MEETING: The members of the 

Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) 

will meet in closed session to review 

and discuss a number of issues relating 

to U.S. Government-funded nonmilitary international broadcasting. 

They will address internal procedural, 

budgetary, and personnel issues, as well 

as sensitive foreign policy issues 

relating to potential options in the U.S. 

international broadcasting field. This 

meeting is closed because if open it 

likely would either disclose matters that 

would be properly classified to be kept 

secret in the interest of foreign policy 

under the appropriate executive order (5 

U.S.C. 552b.(c)(1)) or would disclose 

information the premature disclosure of 

which would be likely to significantly 

frustrate implementation of a proposed 

agency action. (5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B)). 

In addition, part of the discussion will 

relate solely to the internal personnel 

and organizational issues of the BBG or 

the International Broadcasting Bureau. 

(5 U.S.C. 552b.(c)(2) and (6)) 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Persons interested in obtaining more 

information should contact Timi 

Nickerson Kenealy at (202) 203–4545. 

Dated: September 4, 2008. 

Timi Nickerson Kenealy, 

Acting Legal Counsel. 

[FR Doc. E8–20840 Filed 9–4–08; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 8610–01–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Agenda and Notice of Public Meetings 

of the Connecticut Advisory 

Committee 

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to 

the provisions of the rules and 

regulations of the U.S. Commission on 

Civil Rights (Commission), and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA), that a briefing meeting and a 

planning meeting of the Connecticut 

Advisory Committee to the Commission 

will convene at 11 a.m. on Monday, 

September, 22, 2008, in Room 1 C 

located in the Legislative Building, 210 

Capitol Ave., in Hartford, Connecticut. 

The purpose of the briefing is to hear 

from local advocates on topical civil 

rights issues. After the briefing the 

Committee will plan future activities. 

Members of the public are entitled to 

submit written comments; the 

comments must be received in the 

regional office by October 22, 2008. The 

address is Eastern Regional Office, 624 

9th St., NW., Washington, DC 20425. 

Persons wishing to e-mail their 

comments, or who desire additional 

information should contact Alfreda 

Greene, Secretary, at 202–376–7533 or 

by e-mail to: agreene@usccr.gov. 

Hearing-impaired persons who will 

attend the meetings and require the 

services of a sign language interpreter 

should contact the Regional Office at 

least ten (10) working days before the 

scheduled date of the meetings. 

Records generated from these 

meetings may be inspected and 

reproduced at the Eastern Regional 

Office, as they become available, both 

before and after the meetings. Persons 

interested in the work of this advisory 

committee are advised to go to the 

Commission’s Web site, http:// 

www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Eastern 

Regional Office at the above e-mail or 

street address. 

The meetings will be conducted 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the Commission and 

FACA. 

Dated in Washington, DC, September 3, 

2008. 

Christopher Byrnes, 

Chief, Regional Programs Coordination Unit. 

[FR Doc. E8–20744 Filed 9–5–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6335–01–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Agenda and Notice of Public Meetings 

of the District of Columbia Advisory 

Committee 

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to 

the provisions of the rules and 

regulations of the U.S. Commission on 

Civil Rights (Commission), and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA) that planning meetings of 

Subcommittees of the District of 

Columbia Advisory Committee to the 

Commission will convene at 12 p.m. on 

Tuesday, September 30, 2008, at the 

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 624 

Ninth Street, NW., Conference Room 

540, Washington, DC 20425. The 

Subcommittee on Immigration will 

convene at 12 p.m. and the 

Subcommittee on Voting Rights will 

convene at 1:30 p.m. The purpose of 

each meeting is to discuss possible 

topics to recommend to the District of 

Columbia SAC as a civil rights project. 

Members of the public are entitled to 

submit written comments; the 

comments must be received in the 

regional office by Monday, October 20, 

2008. The address is Eastern Regional 

Office, 624 Ninth Street, NW., Suite 740, 

Washington, DC 20425. Persons who 

desire additional information should 

contact Alfreda Greene, Secretary, at 

202–376–7533, or by e-mail: 

agreene@usccr.gov. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES