Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 184 / Monday, September 22, 2008 / Notices 54555 

Total Burden Hours: 104. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–22018 Filed 9–19–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agriculture Marketing Service 

[AMS–TM–08–0086; TM–08–10] 

Notice of 2008 National Organic 

Certification Cost-Share Program 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing 

Services, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of funds availability. 

SUMMARY: This Notice invites all States 

of the United States of America, its 

territories, the District of Columbia, and 

the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

(collectively hereinafter called States) to 

submit an Application for Federal 

Assistance (Standard Form 424), and to 

enter into a cooperative agreement with 

the Agricultural Marketing Service 

(AMS) for the allocation of National 

Organic Certification Cost-Share Funds. 

The AMS has allocated $22.0 million for 

this organic certification cost-share 

program commencing in Fiscal Year 

2008. Funds are available under this 

program to interested States to assist 

organic producers and handlers certified 

under the National Organic Program 

(NOP), as appropriate. States interested 

in obtaining cost-share funds must 

submit an Application for Federal 

Assistance and enter into a cooperative 

agreement with AMS for allocation of 

funds. 

DATES: Completed applications for 

federal assistance along with signed 

cooperative agreements must be 

received by September 29, 2008, in 

order to participate in the program. 

ADDRESSES: Applications for federal 

assistance and cooperative agreements 

shall be requested from and submitted 

to: Robert Pooler, Agricultural 

Marketing Specialist, National Organic 

Program, USDA/AMS/TMP/NOP, Room 

4008-South, Ag Stop 0268, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–0268; 

Telephone: (202) 720–3252; Fax: (202) 

205–7808. Additional information may 

be found through the National Organic 

Program’s homepage at http:// 

www.ams.usda.gov/nop. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Pooler, Agricultural Marketing 

Specialist, National Organic Program, 

USDA/AMS/TM/NOP, Room 4008- 

South, Ag Stop 0268, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–0268; 

Telephone: (202) 720–3252; Fax: (202) 

205–7808. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

National Organic Certification CostShare Program is authorized under 7 

U.S.C. 6523, as amended by section 

10301 of the Food, Conservation and 

Energy Act of 2008 (Act). The Act 

authorizes the Department to provide 

certification cost share assistance to 

producers and handlers of organic 

agricultural products in all States. The 

AMS has allocated $22 million for this 

program. The Program provides 

financial assistance to organic producers 

and handlers certified to the NOP. The 

NOP is authorized under the Organic 

Foods Production Act of 1990, as 

amended (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.). 

To participate in the program, 

interested States must complete an 

Application for Federal Assistance 

(Standard Form 424) and enter into a 

written cooperative agreement with 

AMS. The program will provide costshare assistance, through participating 

States, to organic producers and 

handlers receiving certification or 

continuation of certification by a USDAaccredited certifying agent commencing 

October 1, 2008. Under the Act 

payments are limited to 75 percent of an 

individual producer’s or handler’s 

certification costs up to a maximum of 

$750.00 per year. 

However, for producers in the states 

of Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, 

Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, 

Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, 

New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, 

Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and 

Wyoming cost share funding is available 

to these states under the Agricultural 

Management Assistance Organic 

Certification Cost-Share Program 

authorized under Section 1524 of the 

Federal Crop Insurance Act, as amended 

(7 U.S.C. 1501–1524). As provided in a 

notice of Funds Availability published 

in the Federal Register on August 28, 

2008, at 73 FR 50756, completed 

applications for this federal assistance 

program, along with signed cooperative 

agreements must be received by close of 

business, September 15, 2008. 

Information on this program can be 

found on the NOP’s homepage at http:// 

www.ams.usda.gov/nop. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6523. 

Dated: September 16, 2008. 

Lloyd C. Day, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–22047 Filed 9–19–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

Midcontinent Express Pipeline LLC 

(Midcontinent); Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission (FERC), 

Docket Nos. CP08–6–000, PF07–4–000 

FERC EIS 0220F; May 2008 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the 

Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969; the Council on 

Environmental Quality Guidelines (40 

CFR Part 1500); and the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service 

Guidelines (7 CFR Part 650), the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture has decided 

to subordinate its rights, acquired under 

the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), to 

allow the Midcontinent Express 

Pipeline LLC (Midcontinent), to cross 

NRCS held conservations easements 

associated with the Midcontinent 

Project in Madison Parish, LA and 

Fannin County, Texas. 

On October 9, 2007, Midcontinent 

Express Pipeline LLC (Midcontinent) 

filed an application under section 7(c) 

of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) for 

authorization to construct and operate a 

pipeline and facilities to be known as 

the Midcontinent Express Pipeline. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission (FERC) has prepared a final 

environmental impact statement (EIS) to 

fulfill requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The 

purpose of this document was to make 

public the analysis of the environmental 

impacts that would likely result from 

the construction and operation of the 

proposed Project. The NRCS 

participated as a cooperating agency in 

the preparation of the EIS. 

The project will affect approximately 

5 NRCS held Wetlands Reserve Program 

(WRP) easements by creating a 50 ft. 

permanent right of way (within a 100 ft. 

construction right of way) that extends 

for approximately 506 miles of which 

1.41 miles is over lands encumbered 

under WRP easements located in 

Madison Parish, Louisiana and Fannin, 

Texas. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kevin D. Norton, State Conservationist, 

Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

3737 Government Street, Alexandria, 

Louisiana 71302; telephone (318) 473– 

7751. 

A limited number of copies of the 

Record of Decisions (ROD) are available 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES