30 day FRN

17996

Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 82 / Monday, April 29, 2019 / Notices

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fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental
Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail
Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250–
7602. Copies of the submission(s) may
be obtained by calling (202) 720–8958.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such
person are not required to respond to
the collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Title: Information Collection Request;
Representations Regarding Felony
Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status
for Corporate Applicants and Awardees.
OMB Control Number: 0505–0025.
Summary of Collection: The
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
agencies and staff offices must comply
with the restrictions set forth in
Sections 744 and 745, in Division D—
Financial Services and General
Government Appropriations Act, Title
VII: General Provisions—
Governmentwide, Departments,
Agencies, and Corporations of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019,
(Pub. L. 116–6, as amended and/or
subsequently enacted), hereinafter
Public Law 116–6. The restrictions
apply to transactions with corporations
that (1) have any ‘‘unpaid Federal tax
liability that has been assessed, for
which all judicial and administrative
remedies have been exhausted or have
lapsed, and that is not being paid in a
timely manner pursuant to an agreement
with the authority responsible for
collecting the tax liability, where the
awarding agency is aware of the unpaid
tax liability and/or (2) were ‘‘convicted
of a felony criminal violation under any
Federal law within the preceding 24
months, where the awarding agency is
aware of the conviction. The restrictions
may not apply if a Federal agency
considers suspension or debarment of
the corporation and determines that
such action is not necessary to protect
the interests of the Government.
In fiscal years 2012–2014 the
appropriation restriction provisions
were not uniform across the
government. To comply, USDA created
two sets of forms—one set for use by all
USDA agencies and offices, except the
Forest Service (AD–3030, AD–3031) and
one set for use by the Forest Service
(AD–3030–FS and AD–3031–FS). In
2015, Congress eliminated the multiple
versions of the appropriation restriction
provisions and enacted a single set of

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governmentwide provisions for all
agencies and departments, thereby
allowing USDA to collect this data with
one set of forms—AD–3030 and AD–
3031. The representations continue to
be required as reflected in Public Law
116–6.
Need and Use of the Information: To
comply with the appropriations
restrictions, the information collection
requires corporate applicants and
awardees for USDA programs to
represent accurately whether they have
or do not have qualifying tax
delinquencies or felony convictions
which would prevent USDA from
entering into a proposed business
transaction with the corporate
applicant. For nonprocurement
programs and transactions, these
representations will be submitted using
the following forms:
• AD–3030—‘‘Representations
Regarding Felony Conviction or Tax
Delinquent Status for Corporate
Applicants’’—This form will normally
be included as part of the application
package.
• AD–3031—‘‘Assurance Regarding
Felony Conviction or Tax Delinquent
Status for Corporate Applicants’’—This
form is optional for agencies and staff
offices to be included as part of the
acknowledgement and acceptance
package for nonprocurement contracts,
grants, loans, loan guarantees,
cooperative agreements and some
memoranda of understanding/
agreement. Some agencies and staff
offices may choose to use the forms and
others may choose to use the applicable
boiler plate language.
This information assists the agencies
and staff offices with identifying
corporations and awardees with unpaid
Federal tax liability and felony
convictions status prior to entering into
nonprocurement transactions for
numerous Departmental programs.
Failure to collect this information
may cause inappropriate use of funds
and violation of the Anti-Deficiency
Act.
Description of Respondents:
Corporate applicants and awardees for
USDA nonprocurement programs,
including grants, cooperative
agreements, loans, loan guarantees,
some memoranda of understanding/
agreement, and nonprocurement
contracts.
Number of Respondents: 352,523.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
Other: Corporations—each time they
apply to participate in a multitude of
USDA non-procurement programs;
Awardees each time they receive an
award.

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Total Burden Hours: 242,360.
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019–08572 Filed 4–26–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–KS–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
April 24, 2019.

The Department of Agriculture has
submitted the following information
collection requirement(s) to OMB for
review and clearance under the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13. Comments are
requested regarding (1) whether the
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of burden including
the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (4)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Comments regarding this information
collection received by May 29, 2019 will
be considered. Written comments
should be addressed to: Desk Officer for
Agriculture, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), New
Executive Office Building, 725—17th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20502.
Commenters are encouraged to submit
their comments to OMB via email to:
[email protected] or
fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental
Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail
Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250–
7602. Copies of the submission(s) may
be obtained by calling (202) 720–8958.
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and the agency informs
potential persons who are to respond to
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.

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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 82 / Monday, April 29, 2019 / Notices
Rural Housing Service
Title: 7 CFR 1970, Environmental
Policies and Procedures.
OMB Control Number: 0575–0197.
Summary of Collection: The National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq. and other applicable
environmental and historic preservation
statutes require all Federal agencies to
consider the potential environmental
consequences of their actions on the
quality of the human environment and
historic properties before agency
decisions are made and prior to it taking
an action.
Need and Use of the Information:
Environmental information and data
needed for NEPA reviews is not
completed on a periodic basis, but on an
application-by-application or project-byproject basis. Failure to collect the
information would result in the
Agency’s noncompliance with NEPA
and numerous other Federal
environmental statutes, regulations, and
Executive Orders, which are integrated
and coordinated into the agency’s NEPA
process. RD would not be legally
allowed to approve or obligate Federal
funds without complying with these
laws, regulations, and Executive Orders.
The purpose of this information is to
evaluate and document the
environmental implications of
applicant’s proposals.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for-profit; State, Local & Tribal
Governments; Individuals.
Number of Respondents: 2,000.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
Annually; On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 192,700.
Kimble Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019–08584 Filed 4–26–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for
the Organic Certification Cost Share
Program
Commodity Credit Corporation
and Farm Service Agency, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES

AGENCY:

The Farm Service Agency
(FSA), on behalf of the Commodity
Credit Corporation (CCC), is announcing
the availability of funding under the
Organic Certification Cost Share
Program (OCCSP) for eligible certified
organic producers and handlers. FSA is
also announcing the opportunity for

SUMMARY:

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State Agencies to apply for grant
agreements to administer the OCCSP
program in fiscal year (FY) 2019. State
Agencies that establish agreements for
FY 2019 may be given the opportunity
to extend their agreements and receive
additional funds to administer the
program in future years. Through this
notice, FSA is providing the
requirements for producers and
handlers to apply for OCCSP payments,
and for State Agencies to establish
agreements to receive funds in order to
provide cost share assistance to eligible
producers and handlers.
DATES:
Applications for State Agency
Agreements: FSA will accept
applications from State Agencies for
funds for FY 2019 cost-share assistance
between the period of April 29, 2019,
and May 29, 2019.
Producer and Handler Applications:
FSA county offices will accept
applications for OCCSP payments from
producers and handlers for FY 2019
until October 31, 2019. For FY 2020
through 2023, FSA will accept
applications from October 1 of the
applicable FY through October 31 of the
following FY.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tona Huggins, Program Policy Branch
Chief, (202) 720–7641, Tona.Huggins@
wdc.usda.gov.
Background
OCCSP provides cost share assistance
to producers and handlers of
agricultural products for the costs of
obtaining or maintaining organic
certification under the National Organic
Program (NOP). USDA’s Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS) administers
NOP, which was established under the
Organic Foods Production Act of 1990
(7 U.S.C. 6501–6524) and the
regulations in 7 CFR part 205. FSA has
administered OCCSP beginning with FY
2017.
The purpose of this NOFA is to
announce funding availability and
general eligibility and administrative
provisions for FY 2019 through 2023.
FSA is not making substantive changes
to OCCSP.
FSA will accept applications from
State Agencies interested in overseeing
reimbursements to producers and
handlers in their States. In order for a
State agency to receive a new fund
allocation for FY 2019, it must establish
a new agreement with FSA. FY 2019
agreements will include provisions that
allow FSA to extend the agreements to
provide additional funds and allow
State Agencies to continue to administer
OCCSP for future years. FSA has not yet

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17997

determined whether an additional
application period will be announced
for later years for State Agencies that
choose not to participate in FY 2019;
State Agencies that would like to
administer OCCSP for future years are
encouraged to establish an agreement
for FY 2019 to ensure that they will be
able to continue to participate.
All producers and handlers can apply
for OCCSP through their local FSA
offices. In States where State Agencies
choose to administer OCCSP, a producer
or handler may apply to either the State
agency or the local FSA office; they
cannot receive payment from both.
Producers and handlers are subject to
the same eligibility criteria and
calculation of cost share payments
regardless of whether they apply for
OCCSP through an FSA local office or
a participating State agency. FSA will
coordinate with participating State
Agencies to ensure there are no
duplicate payments. If a duplicate
payment is inadvertently made, then
FSA will inform the participant and
require that funds be returned to CCC.
Availability of Funds
Funding for OCCSP is provided
through two authorizations: (1) National
Organic Certification Cost Share
Program (National OCCSP) funds and
(2) Agricultural Management Assistance
(AMA) funds.
Section 10105 of the Agricultural
Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm
Bill, Pub. L. 115–334) amended section
10606(d) of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C.
6523(d)), authorizing $2 million from
CCC to be used for National OCCSP
funds for each of FYs 2019 and 2020, $4
million for FY 2021, and $8 million for
each of FYs 2022 and 2023, to remain
available until expended. In addition,
approximately $16.4 million in National
funding remains available from previous
FYs and will be used to fund OCCSP in
2019 and later years as needed.
National OCCSP funds will be used
for cost share payments to certified
operations in the 50 United States, the
District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam,
American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.
The USDA organic regulations
recognize four separate categories, or
‘‘scopes,’’ that must be individually
inspected for organic certification:
Crops, livestock, wild crops, and
handling (that is, processing). A single
operation may be certified under
multiple scopes. For example, a
certified organic vegetable farm that also
has certified organic chickens and

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