[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 85 (Monday, May 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 24525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11695]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Uniform Grain and Rice Storage Agreement Fees

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of fees.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to publish a schedule of fees to 
be paid to Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) by grain and rice 
warehouse operators requesting to enter into a storage agreement; 
increase the capacity of an existing storage agreement; or renew an 
existing storage agreement.
EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard Froehlich, Chief, Storage 
Contract Branch, Warehouse and Inventory Division, Farm Service Agency, 
United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
S.W., STOP 0553, Washington, D.C. 20250-0553, telephone (202) 720-7398, 
FAX (202) 690-3123.
    In accordance with the provisions of the Commodity Credit 
Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714 et seq), CCC enters into storage 
agreements with private grain and rice warehouse operators to provide 
for the storage of commodities owned by CCC or pledged as security to 
CCC for marketing assistance and price support loans.
    Specifically, 7 CFR 1421.5558 provides that all grain and rice 
warehouse operators who do not have an existing agreement with CCC for 
storage and handling of CCC-owned commodities or commodities pledged to 
CCC as loan collateral, but who desire such an agreement, must pay an 
application and examination fee for each warehouse for which CCC 
approval is sought prior to CCC conducting the original warehouse 
examination.
    A review of the revenue collected for application and examination 
fees indicates that the fees collected are insufficient to meet costs 
incurred by CCC for warehouse examinations and contract origination 
administrative functions. Accordingly, beginning April 1 with the start 
of the 1998-99 contract year, the fees are changed by increasing by 10 
percent those fees applicable to the 1997-98 contract year. The fee 
will be computed at the rate of $15 for each 10,000 bushels of storage 
capacity or fraction thereof, but the fee will be not less than $150 
nor more than $1,500.
    Further, each warehouse operator who has a non-federally licensed 
grain or rice warehouse in States that do not have a cooperative 
agreement with CCC for warehouse examinations must pay an annual fee to 
CCC for each such warehouse which is approved by CCC or for which CCC 
approval is sought. The collection of the annual fee by CCC is 
currently suspended. CCC continues to suspend collection of the annual 
fee, but CCC may reinstate the annual fee by future notice to the 
industry.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on April 27, 1998.
Keith Kelly,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 98-11695 Filed 5-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P