[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 115 (Tuesday, June 16, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 34325-34326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14708]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 115 / Tuesday, June 16, 2015 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 34325]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 1220
[Doc. No. AMS-LPS-15-0016]
Soybean Promotion and Research: Amend the Order To Adjust
Representation on the United Soybean Board
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: This proposed rule would adjust the number of members on the
United Soybean Board (Board) to reflect changes in production levels
that have occurred since the Board was last reapportioned in 2012. As
required by the Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information
Act (Act), membership on the Board is reviewed every 3 years and
adjustments are made accordingly. This proposed change would result in
an increase in Board membership for three States, increasing the total
number of Board members from 70 to 73. These changes would be reflected
in the Soybean Promotion and Research Order (Order) and would be
effective for the 2016 appointment process.
DATES: Comments must be received by August 17, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be posted online at www.regulations.gov.
Comments received will be posted without change, including any personal
information provided. All comments should reference the docket number,
AMS-LPS-15-0016; the date of submission; and the page number of this
issue of the Federal Register. Comments may also be sent to James R.
Brow, Promotion and Research Division, Livestock, Poultry, and Seed
Program, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Department of
Agriculture (USDA), Room 2610-S, STOP 0251, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250-0251; or via Fax to (202) 720-1125. Comments
will be made available for public inspection at the above address
during regular business hours or via the Internet at
www.regulations.gov. Comments must be received by August 17, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James R. Brow, Promotion and Research
Division, Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program, AMS, USDA, Room 2610-S,
STOP 0251, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-0251;
Telephone 202/720-0633; Fax 202/720-1125; or email to
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Executive Order 12866
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has waived the review
process required by Executive Order 12866 for this action.
Executive Order 12988
This proposed rule was reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil
Justice Reform. It is not intended to have a retroactive effect. This
action would not preempt any State or local laws, regulations, or
policies unless they present an irreconcilable conflict with this rule.
The Act provides that administrative proceedings must be exhausted
before parties may file suit in court. Under section 1971 of the Act, a
person subject to the Order may file a petition with USDA stating that
the Order, any provision of the Order, or any obligation imposed in
connection with the Order, is not in accordance with the law and
request a modification of the Order or an exemption from the Order. The
petitioner is afforded the opportunity for a hearing on the petition.
After a hearing, USDA would rule on the petition. The Act provides that
district courts of the United States in any district in which such
person is an inhabitant, or has their principal place of business, has
jurisdiction to review USDA's ruling on the petition, if a complaint
for this purpose is filed within 20 days after the date of the entry of
the ruling.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
AMS has determined that this rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities, as defined
by the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 601-612), because it
only adjusts representation on the Board to reflect changes in
production levels that have occurred since the Board was last
reapportioned in 2012. The purpose of the RFA is to fit regulatory
actions to the scale of businesses subject to such actions so that
small businesses will not be disproportionately burdened. As such,
these changes will not impose a significant impact on persons subject
to the program.
There are an estimated 569,998 soybean producers and an estimated
10,000 first purchasers who collect the assessment, most of whom would
be considered small businesses under the criteria established by the
Small Business Administration (SBA) [13 CFR 121.201]. SBA defines small
agricultural producers as those having annual receipts of less than
$750,000.
Paperwork Reduction Act
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35), the reporting and recordkeeping requirements included in 7
CFR part 1220 were previously approved by OMB and were assigned control
number 0581-0093.
Background and Proposed Changes
The Act (7 U.S.C. 6301-6311) provides for the establishment of a
coordinated program of promotion and research designed to strengthen
the soybean industry's position in the marketplace, and to maintain and
expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for soybeans and soybean
products. The program is financed by an assessment of 0.5 percent of
the net market price of soybeans sold by producers. Pursuant to the
Act, an Order was made effective July 9, 1991. The Order established an
initial Board with 60 members. For purposes of establishing the Board,
the United States was divided into 31 States and geographical units.
Representation on the Board from each unit was determined by the level
of production in each unit. The initial Board was appointed on July 11,
1991. The Board is comprised of soybean producers.
Section 1220.201(c) of the Order provides that at the end of each
3-year period, the Board shall review soybean production levels in the
geographic units throughout the United States. The Board may recommend
to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) modification
[[Page 34326]]
in the levels of production necessary for Board membership for each
unit.
Section 1220.201(d) of the Order provides that at the end of each
3-year period, the Secretary must review the volume of production of
each unit and adjust the boundaries of any unit and the number of Board
members from each such unit as necessary to conform with the criteria
set forth in Sec. 1220.201(e): (1) To the extent practicable, States
with annual average soybean production of less than 3,000,000 bushels
shall be grouped into geographically contiguous units, each of which
has a combined production level equal to or greater than 3,000,000
bushels, and each such group shall be entitled to at least one member
on the Board; (2) units with at least 3,000,000 bushels, but fewer than
15,000,000 bushels shall be entitled to one board member; (3) units
with 15,000,000 bushels or more but fewer than 70,000,000 bushels shall
be entitled to two Board members; (4) units with 70,000,000 bushels or
more but fewer than 200,000,000 bushels shall be entitled to three
Board members; and (5) units with 200,000,000 bushels or more shall be
entitled to four Board members.
The Board was last reapportioned in 2012. The total Board
membership increased from 69 to 70 members, with Mississippi gaining
one additional member. The final rule was published in the Federal
Register (74 FR 27467) on January 2, 2013. This change was effective
with the 2013 appointments.
Currently, the Board has 70 members representing 31 geographical
units. This membership is based on average production levels for the
years 2007-2011 (excluding crops in years that production was the
highest and that production was the lowest) as reported by USDA's
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
This proposed rule would increase total membership on the Board
from 70 to 73. Production data for years 2010-2014 (excluding the crops
in years in which production was the highest and in which production
was the lowest) was gathered from NASS. This change would not affect
the number of geographical units. The NASS information combines the
production from the Western and Eastern Regions into one production
data without distinguishing between the two regions. The NASS data does
not support a change in membership for either region. As such, this
proposed rule would leave the membership of both regions unchanged with
one member each.
This proposed rule would adjust representation on the Board as
follows:
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Current Proposed
State representation representation
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Missouri................................ 3 4
New Jersey.............................. 0 1
Wisconsin............................... 2 3
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Board adjustments as proposed by this rulemaking would become
effective, if adopted, with the 2016 appointment process.
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1220
Administrative practice and procedure, Advertising, Agricultural
research, Marketing agreements, Soybeans and soybean products,
Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, it is proposed that
title 7, part 1220 be amended as follows:
PART 1220-SOYBEAN PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION
0
1. The authority citation for 7 CFR part 1220 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6301-6311 and 7 U.S.C. 7401.
0
2. In Sec. 1220.201, paragraph (a), the table is revised to read as
follows:
Sec. 1220.201 Membership of board.
(a) * * *
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Number of
Unit members
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Illinois................................................ 4
Iowa.................................................... 4
Minnesota............................................... 4
Indiana................................................. 4
Nebraska................................................ 4
Ohio.................................................... 4
Missouri................................................ 4
Arkansas................................................ 3
South Dakota............................................ 3
Kansas.................................................. 3
Michigan................................................ 3
North Dakota............................................ 3
Mississippi............................................. 3
Wisconsin............................................... 3
Louisiana............................................... 2
Tennessee............................................... 2
North Carolina.......................................... 2
Kentucky................................................ 2
Pennsylvania............................................ 2
Virginia................................................ 2
Maryland................................................ 2
Georgia................................................. 2
South Carolina.......................................... 1
Alabama................................................. 1
Delaware................................................ 1
Texas................................................... 1
Oklahoma................................................ 1
New York................................................ 1
New Jersey.............................................. 1
Eastern Region
(Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida, Rhode Island, 1
Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, West Virginia,
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico..............
Western Region
(Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, 1
Utah, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada,
California, Hawaii, and Alaska)....................
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* * * * *
Dated: June 11, 2015.
Rex A. Barnes,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-14708 Filed 6-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P