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

42781 

Vol. 82, No. 175 

Tuesday, September 12, 2017 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of the Secretary 

Improving Customer Service 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA. 

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI). 

SUMMARY: Consistent with Executive 

Order 13781, ‘‘Comprehensive Plan for 

Reorganizing the Executive Branch,’’ 

and using the authority of the Secretary 

to reorganize the Department under 

section 4(a) of Reorganization Plan No. 

2 of 1953 the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting public 

comment on the proposed 

reorganization announced by Secretary 

Perdue on September 7, 2017. The 

proposed reorganizations follow a 

previous reorganization announced on 

May 11, 2017. 

DATES: Comments and information are 

requested on or before October 7, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments regarding 

this notice. All submissions must refer 

to ‘‘Improving Customer Service’’ to 

ensure proper delivery. 

• Electronic Submission of 

Comments. Interested persons may 

submit comments electronically through 

the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. USDA strongly 

encourages commenters to submit 

comments electronically. Electronic 

submission of comments allows the 

commenter maximum time to prepare 

and submit a comment, and ensures 

timely receipt by USDA. Commenters 

should follow the instructions provided 

on that site to submit comments 

electronically. 

• Submission of Comments by Mail, 

Hand delivery, or Courier. Paper, disk, 

or CD–ROM submissions should be 

submitted to the Office of Budget and 

Program Analysis, USDA, Jamie L. 

Whitten Building, Room 101–A, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donald Bice, Telephone Number: (202) 

720–3291. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USDA is 

committed to operating efficiently, 

effectively, and with integrity, and 

minimizing the burdens on individuals 

businesses, and communities for 

participation in and compliance with 

USDA programs. USDA works to 

support the American agricultural 

economy to strengthen rural 

communities; to protect and conserve 

our natural resources; and to provide a 

safe, sufficient, and nutritious food 

supply for the American people. The 

Department’s wide range of programs 

and responsibilities touches the lives of 

every American every day. 

I. Executive Orders 13781 

Executive Order 13781, 

‘‘Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing 

the Executive Branch’’, is intended to 

improve the efficiency, effectiveness, 

and accountability of the executive 

branch. The principles in the Executive 

Order provide the basis for taking 

actions to enhance and strengthen the 

delivery of USDA programs. The 

Department will continue to work 

within the Administration on the 

government-wide reform plan and 

additional reform efforts. 

II. Reorganization Actions 

On September 7, 2017, Secretary 

Perdue announced his intent to take 

actions to strengthen customer service 

and improve efficiencies at USDA by 

taking the following actions: 

• Merging the Center for Nutrition 

and Policy Promotion into the Food and 

Nutrition Service; 

• Consolidating the Grain Inspection, 

Packers, and Stockyards Administration 

into the Agricultural Marketing Service 

(AMS); 

• Realigning the Farm Service Agency 

(FSA) Warehouse function and the 

International Food Commodity 

Procurement program into AMS; 

• Moving the Codex Alimentarius 

program from the Food Safety and 

Inspection Service into the 

Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign 

Agricultural Affairs; 

• Realigning the Office of Pesticide 

Management Policy out of the 

Agricultural Research Service and into 

the Office of the Chief Economist; 

• Establishing the Office of 

Partnerships and Public Engagement 

through the merger of the Office of 

Advocacy and Outreach, the Office of 

Tribal Relations, the Center for Faith 

Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, 

and the Military Veterans Liaison; 

• Creating an Office of Innovation 

within Rural Development; and 

• Consolidating mission support 

activities, including information 

technology, finance, property, 

procurement, and human resources, at 

the mission area level. (https://

www.usda.gov/media/press-releases) 

III. Request for Information 

USDA is seeking public comment on 

the actions identified in the September 

7, 2017, announcement. 

USDA notes that this notice is issued 

solely for information and programplanning purposes. While responses to 

this notice do not bind USDA to any 

further actions, all submissions will be 

reviewed by the appropriate program 

office, and made publicly available on 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

Dated: September 7, 2017. 

Donald Bice, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19337 Filed 9–11–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0046] 

Oral Rabies Vaccine Trial; Availability 

of a Supplement to an Environmental 

Assessment and Finding of No 

Significant Impact 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service has prepared a 

supplement to an environmental 

assessment and finding of no significant 

impact relative to an oral rabies 

vaccination field trial in New 

Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, 

and West Virginia. Based on its finding 

of no significant impact, the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service has 

determined that an environmental 

impact statement need not be prepared. 


pmangrum on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
42782 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 12, 2017 / Notices 

1To view the notice, the EA, and the FONSI, go 

to http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0046. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Richard Chipman, Rabies Program 

Coordinator, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 

59 Chennell Drive, Suite 7, Concord, NH 

03301; (603) 223–9623. To obtain copies 

of the supplement to the environmental 

assessment and the finding of no 

significant impact, contact Ms. Beth 

Kabert, Environmental Coordinator, 

Wildlife Services, 140–C Locust Grove 

Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867; (908) 735– 

5654, fax (908) 735–0821, email: 

beth.e.kabert@aphis.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Wildlife Services (WS) program in the 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) cooperates with 

Federal agencies, State and local 

governments, and private individuals to 

research and implement the best 

methods of managing conflicts between 

wildlife and human health and safety, 

agriculture, property, and natural 

resources. Wildlife-borne diseases that 

can affect domestic animals and humans 

are among the types of conflicts that 

APHIS–WS addresses. Wildlife is the 

dominant reservoir of rabies in the 

United States. 

On July 17, 2017, we published in the 

Federal Register (82 FR 32676–32677, 

Docket No. APHIS–2017–0046) a 

notice 1 in which we announced the 

availability, for public review and 

comment, of a supplement to an 

environmental assessment (EA) that 

examined the potential environmental 

impacts associated with the proposed 

field trial to test the safety and efficacy 

of an experimental oral rabies vaccine 

(ORV) for wildlife in New Hampshire, 

New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West 

Virginia. In addition, the supplement 

analyzed the geographic shift of the 

ORV zone in Ohio and the addition of 

17 counties in West Virginia so that 

baits can be applied to the western edge 

of the ORV zone in West Virginia. 

We solicited comments on the EA for 

30 days ending August 16, 2017. We did 

not receive any comments. 

In this document, we are advising the 

public of our finding of no significant 

impact (FONSI) relative to the ORV field 

trial in New Hampshire, New York, 

Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. The 

finding, which is based on the EA and 

the 2013, 2015, and 2017 supplements 

to the EA, reflects our determination 

that the distribution of this 

experimental wildlife rabies vaccine 

will not have a significant impact on the 

quality of the human environment. 

The 2017 supplement to the EA and 

the FONSI may be viewed on the APHIS 

Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 

wildlifedamage/nepa and on the 

Regulations.gov Web site (see footnote 

1). Copies of the 2017 supplement to the 

EA and the FONSI are also available for 

public inspection at USDA, Room 1141, 

South Building, 14th Street and 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except holidays. Persons wishing to 

inspect copies are requested to call 

ahead on (202) 799–7039 to facilitate 

entry into the reading room. In addition, 

copies may be obtained as described 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

The 2017 supplement to the EA and 

the FONSI have been prepared in 

accordance with: (1) The National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.); (2) regulations of the Council on 

Environmental Quality for 

implementing the procedural provisions 

of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508); (3) 

USDA regulations implementing NEPA 

(7 CFR part 1b); and (4) APHIS’ NEPA 

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 

372). 

Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of 

September 2017. 

Michael C. Gregoire, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19227 Filed 9–11–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0072] 

Notice of Request for Revision to and 

Extension of Approval of an 

Information Collection; Bees and 

Related Articles 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Revision to and extension of 

approval of an information collection; 

comment request. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service’s intention to 

request a revision to and extension of 

approval of an information collection 

associated with the regulations for the 

importation of bees and related articles 

into the United States. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before November 

13, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0072. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2017–0072, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http://

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0072 or 

in our reading room, which is located in 

room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 

14th Street and Independence Avenue 

SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading 

room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except 

holidays. To be sure someone is there to 

help you, please call (202) 799–7039 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on the regulations for the 

importation of bees and related articles, 

contact Dr. Colin Stewart, Senior 

Entomologist, Pest Permit Evaluations, 

PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, 

Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851–2038, 

email: Colin.D.Stewart@aphis.usda.gov. 

For copies of more detailed information 

on the information collection, contact 

Ms. Kimberly Hardy, APHIS’ 

Information Collection Coordinator, at 

(301) 851–2483. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Bees and Related Articles. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0207. 

Type of Request: Revision to and 

extension of approval of an information 

collection. 

Abstract: The Plant Protection Act (7 

U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) authorizes the 

Secretary of Agriculture to restrict the 

importation, entry, or interstate 

movement of plants, plant products, and 

other articles to prevent the 

introduction of plant pests into the 

United States or their dissemination 

within the United States. 

Under the Honeybee Act (7 U.S.C. 

281–286), the Secretary is authorized to 

prohibit or restrict the importation of 

honeybees and honeybee semen to 

prevent the introduction into the United 

States of diseases and parasites harmful 

to honeybees and of undesirable species 

such as the African honey bee. This 

authority has been delegated to the 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service of the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture. 

The establishment of certain bee 

diseases, parasites, or undesirable 

species and subspecies of honeybees in 


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