45796 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2017 / Notices 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Title: Livestock Slaughter. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0005. 

Summary of Collection: The primary 

functions of the National Agricultural 

Statistics Service (NASS) are to prepare 

and issue current official State and 

national estimates of crop and livestock 

production, disposition and prices and 

to collect information on related 

environmental and economic factors. 

General authority for data collection 

activities is granted under U.S. Code 

Title 7, Section 2204(a). This statue 

specifies the ‘‘The Secretary of 

Agriculture shall procure and preserve 

all information concerning agriculture 

which he can obtain . . . by the 

collection of statistics . . . and shall 

distribute them among agriculturists’’. 

Information from federally and nonfederally inspected slaughter plants are 

used to estimate total red meat 

production. NASS will use a Federally 

and non-Federally-inspected livestock 

slaughter survey to collect data. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

NASS will combine information 

collected from both types of plants to 

estimate total red meat production, 

consisting of the number of head 

slaughtered plus live weights of cattle, 

calves, hogs, sheep, goats, and bison. 

Accurate and timely livestock estimates 

provide USDA and the livestock 

industry with basic data to project 

future meat supplies and producer 

prices. Agricultural economists in both 

the public and private sectors use this 

information in economic analysis and 

research. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit. 

Number of Respondents: 1,000. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

Monthly, Quarterly and Annually. 

Total Burden Hours: 1,748. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21024 Filed 9–29–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0071] 

Availability of an Environmental 

Assessment for the Biological Control 

of Yellow Toadflax 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service has prepared a draft 

environmental assessment relative to 

the control of yellow toadflax (Linaria 

vulgaris). The environmental 

assessment considers the effects of, and 

alternatives to, the field release of a 

stem gall weevil, Rhinusa pilosa, into 

the continental United States for use as 

a biological control agent to reduce the 

severity of yellow toadflax infestations. 

We are making the environmental 

assessment available to the public for 

review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before November 

1, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docket

Detail;D=APHIS-2017-0071. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2017–0071, 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-2017-0071 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: Dr. 

Colin D. Stewart, Assistant Director, 

Pests, Pathogens, and Biocontrol 

Permits, Permitting and Compliance 

Coordination, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737– 

1231; (301) 851–2327, email: 

Colin.Stewart@aphis.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Yellow 

toadflax is an invasive plant in pastures 

and crops, particularly in the northern 

prairies of North America. First 

introduced to northeastern North 

America in the 1600s, yellow toadflax 

has since spread throughout the United 

States. Invasions of yellow toadflax in 

pastures and rangelands displace native 

and planted—and more valued and 

nutritious—forage species. Yellow 

toadflax is difficult to control using 

chemical, mechanical, cultural, or 

existing biological control practices, and 

infestations of the plant have caused 

economically significant losses to 

peppermint producers, mainly because 

chemical control is generally 

incompatible with production cropping 

practices. The Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing 

to issue permits for the field release of 

a stem gall weevil, Rhinusa pilosa, into 

the continental United States to reduce 

the severity of yellow toadflax 

infestations and to reduce economic 

losses in the areas of greatest impact 

since other alternatives are not effective 

or feasible. 

APHIS’ review and analysis of the 

proposed action are documented in 

detail in a draft environmental 

assessment (EA) entitled ‘‘Field release 

of the stem gall weevil Rhinusa pilosa 

(Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for classical 

biological control of yellow toadflax 

(Linaria vulgaris) (Plantaginaceae) in the 

contiguous United States’’ (March 

2017). We are making this EA available 

to the public for review and comment. 

We will consider all comments that we 

receive on or before the date listed 

under the heading DATES at the 

beginning of this notice. 

The EA may be viewed on the 

Regulations.gov Web site or in our 

reading room (see ADDRESSES above for 

a link to Regulations.gov and 

information on the location and hours of 

the reading room). You may request 

paper copies of the EA by calling or 

writing to the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please 

refer to the title of the EA when 

requesting copies. 

The EA has 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). 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2017 / Notices 45797 

Done in Washington, DC, this 26th day of 

September 2017. 

Michael C. Gregoire, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21105 Filed 9–29–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger 

District; California; Elk Creek 

Watershed Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of the Elk Creek 

Watershed Project is to address the need 

to manage forest stands to be more 

resilient to future disturbances, improve 

water quality to maintain and restore 

riparian and aquatic habitat, improve 

terrestrial habitat for northern spotted 

owl and Roosevelt elk, reduce fuel 

accumulations, and improve the vigor 

and prevalence of Karuk cultural 

resources. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

November 16, 2017. The Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement is 

expected June 2018 and the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement is 

expected February 2019. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

P.O. Box 377, Happy Camp, CA 96039. 

Comments may also be sent via email to 

jchastain@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 

(530) 493–1796. Submit electronic 

comments at the Klamath National 

Forest’s project Web page: http://

www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/ 

?project=46553. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dock Chastain, (530) 493–1742, 

jchastain@fs.fed.us. 

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 

Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose and need for this project 

is to: 

• Reduce fuel accumulations and 

create ridgetop fuel breaks to increase 

options for managing planned and 

unplanned ignitions; 

• Improve water quality to maintain 

and restore riparian and aquatic habitat; 

• Maximize efficiency of system 

roads and trails that provide public 

access to the Forest while minimizing 

resource impacts; 

• Manage forest stands to be more 

resilient to future disturbances and 

improve terrestrial habitat for northern 

spotted owl and Roosevelt elk; 

• Contribute to local and regional 

economies by providing forest products 

and enhancing recreational 

opportunities; and 

• Improve the vigor and prevalence of 

Karuk cultural resources that were 

historically present in the planning area. 

Proposed Action 

The proposed action was designed to 

meet the purpose and need of the 

project. The proposed action would 

treat about 10,550 acres within the 

45,992-acre project boundary. Acres by 

treatment type are described below and 

do not account for overlap in treatment 

types (acres receiving multiple 

treatments may be double counted). 

Treatment acreages are approximate at 

this point and may be adjusted and 

refined following scoping. The proposed 

action also addresses the existing 

condition of the National Forest 

Transportation System (Forest System) 

by treating legacy sites, changing road 

maintenance levels, and 

decommissioning roads. All treatments 

would manage for improving the health 

and vigor of hardwood species 

according to the Klamath National 

Forest Land and Resource Management 

Plan (Forest Plan). Riparian Reserves 

within and adjacent to treatment units 

would be evaluated on a site-by-site 

basis for treatment, and would include 

equipment and treatment exclusion 

zones. 

This project would include the 

following eight types of vegetation 

treatments: (1) Commercial thinning; (2) 

noncommercial thinning; (3) hardwood 

enhancement; (4) meadow 

enhancement; (5) fuels reduction 

adjacent to private property; (6) 

defensible fuel profile zones; (7) 

roadside fuels reduction; and (8) 

underburning. This project would use a 

travel analysis for recommending 

management levels of existing Forest 

System roads and would develop new 

opportunities for recreation through the 

addition of new trails. 

(1) Commercial Thinning (1,782 

acres): Commercial thinning is an 

intermediate harvest with the objective 

of reducing stand density primarily to 

improve growth, enhance forest health, 

and other resources objectives. 

Treatment can recover potential 

mortality while producing merchantable 

material. 

(2) Noncommercial Thinning (1,256 

acres): Noncommercial thinning is an 

intermediate harvest which removes the 

less desirable trees of any species in a 

stand of poles or larger trees primarily 

to improve the composition and quality 

of the stand. 

(3) Hardwood Enhancement (76 

acres): Hardwood enhancement would 

focus on stimulating the growth and 

available resources for preferred 

hardwood species according to the 

Forest Plan. 

(4) Meadow Enhancement (18 acres): 

Meadow enhancement treatments 

would focus on reducing conifer 

encroachment by removing conifer 

seedlings and saplings growing within 

the meadow footprint. 

(5) Fuels reduction Adjacent to 

Private Property (153 acres): Fuel breaks 

created to protect private property 

would extend up to 500 feet adjacent to 

private property. The fuel treatments 

would involve cutting and pile burning 

of ladder fuels: Brush, hardwoods, and 

conifer trees up to ten inches diameter 

at breast height. 

(6) Defensible Fuel Profile Zone (823 

acres): The width of the defensible fuel 

profile zone would be up to 250 feet on 

either side of proposed ridge lines. The 

fuel treatments would involve cutting 

and pile burning of ladder fuels: Brush, 

hardwoods, and conifer trees up to ten 

inches diameter at breast height. 

(7) Roadside Fuels Reduction (1,896 

acres): The roadside fuel breaks would 

extend up to 300 feet above and 50 feet 

below either side of identified Forest 

System and county roads adjacent to 

Forest Service lands. The fuel 

treatments would involve cutting and 

pile burning of ladder fuels: Brush, 

hardwoods, and conifer trees up to ten 

inches diameter at breast height. 

(8) Underburning (4,552 acres): 

Underburn units are intended to be 

burned at low to moderate intensities to 

reduce fuel loadings and reduce the risk 

of catastrophic fire. Travel Analysis—A 

risk and benefit analysis was conducted 

for Forest System roads within the East 

Fork Elk Creek and Lower Elk Creek 6th 

field watersheds. Road treatments 

include 22 miles of decommissioning, 

15 miles of downgrading maintenance 

levels, 10 miles of upgrading 

maintenance levels, and treating 

associated legacy sites. In addition to 

Forest System road actions, four miles 

of non-system roads would be 

rehabilitated. 

This project would also include 

recreation improvements, including the 

construction of 4.3 miles of new multiuse trails and up to 13 miles of 

mountain bike trail. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES