[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 124 (Tuesday, June 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34765-34767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16434]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency


U.S. Warehouse Act Fees

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice publishes a schedule increasing the annual 
operational fee warehouse operators are charged under the United States 
Warehouse Act (USWA). This action is needed to increase the amount of 
revenue generated to recover operational costs projected for operations 
under the USWA in fiscal year 2000. This notice does not change any of 
the other various license or inspection fees charged under the USWA.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Mikkelsen, Deputy Director, 
Warehouse and Inventory Division, Farm Service Agency, United States 
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, STOP 0553, 
Washington, DC 20250-0553, telephone (202) 720-2121 FAX: (202) 690-
3123, E-Mail: Steve__M[email protected].

[[Page 34766]]

Background

    The Secretary has the authority to license public warehouses and 
assess warehouse operators fees under the United States Warehouse Act 
(USWA) (7 U.S.C. 241 et seq). Warehouse operators licensed under the 
USWA understand that fees will be imposed to cover the costs of the 
program. Specifically, section 10 of the USWA (7 U.S.C 249) mandates 
the imposition of fees for USWA licensed warehouses. The USWA provides 
for licensing warehouses, for examining licensed warehouses, and for 
the collection of fees to sustain the USWA warehouse licensing and 
examination programs. In keeping with that responsibility the 
Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) is raising USWA 
annual operational fees charged to licensed warehouses in order to 
assure the recovery of operational costs projected for USWA activities 
in fiscal year 2000. The fiscal year 2000 fee adjustment reflects a 2.0 
percent increase in the annual fees. No increase is being made in other 
license or inspection fees charged under the USWA.
    USWA fees vary by the type of storage warehouse and were last 
amended effective October 1, 1998, (63 FR 35186, June 29, 1998). None 
of last year's increases for any particular type of warehouse exceeded 
7.5 percent and varied based on FSA's direct costs with respect to 
warehouse examinations for that type of warehouse. The regulations 
issued under the USWA, codified at 7 CFR Parts 735 through 743, provide 
that fees charged warehouse operators under the USWA could be adjusted 
annually. The schedule below sets out all of the relevant fees and 
charges for licensing and examination and reflects the increased annual 
fees noted above.

USWA Schedule for License, Inspection and Annual Operational Fees 
To Be Paid by Warehouse Operators

Warehouse and Service License Fees

    The fee for original issuance, reissuance, or duplication of a 
license for cotton, grain, tobacco, wool, dry beans, nut, syrup, and 
cottonseed is $80 for each license issued.
    The fee charged to license individuals to inspect, sample, grade, 
classify, or weigh commodities is $35 for each service license issued.

Warehouse Annual and Inspection Fees

    These fees are shown in the following tables by agricultural 
product. Inspection fees are assessed for each original examination or 
inspection, or reexamination or reinspection for modification of an 
existing license. Annual fees are assessed independently of inspection 
fees and of the license fees set forth in the preceding paragraph.

                                 Cotton
                               [In bales]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Annual fee for     Annual fee for
                                      each warehouse     each warehouse
         Licensed capacity           location with a    location without
                                       CCC storage       a CCC storage
                                        agreement          agreement
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-20,000..........................               $600             $1,095
20,001-40,000.....................                785              1,430
40,001-60,000.....................                965              1,755
60,001-80,000.....................              1,210              2,200
80,001-100,000....................              1,510              2,745
100,001-120,000...................              1,810              3,290
120,001-140,000...................              2,110              3,840
140,001-160,000...................              2,410              4,385
160,001+..........................            * 2,410          ** 4,385
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Plus $60 per 5,000 bale capacity above 160,000 bales or fraction
  thereof.
** Plus $110 per 5,000 bale capacity above 160,000 bales or fraction
  thereof.

    Inspection fees will be charged at the rate of $80 for each 1,000 
bales of licensed capacity, or fraction thereof, but in no case less 
than $160 nor more than $1,600.

                                  Grain
                              [In bushels]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Annual fee for     Annual fee for
                                      each warehouse     each warehouse
         Licensed capacity           location with a    location without
                                       CCC storage       a CCC storage
                                        agreement          agreement
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-150,000.........................               $160               $285
150,001-250,000...................                315                575
250,001-500,000...................                470                850
500,001-750,000...................                635              1,150
750,001-1,000,000.................                785              1,430
1,000,001-1,200,000...............                945              1,715
1,200,001-l,500,000...............              1,095              1,995
1,500,001-2,000,000...............              1,255              2,280
2,000,001-2,500,000...............              1,415              2,570
2,500,001-5,000,000...............              1,565              2,845
5,000,001-7,500,000...............              1,730              3,140
7,500,001-10,000,000..............              1,885              3,430
10,000,001+.......................            * 1,885          ** 3,430
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Plus $50 per million bushels above 10,000,000 or fraction thereof.

[[Page 34767]]

 
** Plus $90 per million bushels above 10,000,000 or fraction thereof.

    Inspection fees will be charged at the rate of $16 for each 10,000 
bushels of licensed capacity, or fraction thereof, but in no case less 
than $160 nor more than $1,600.

                                Dry Beans
                           [In hundredweight]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Licensed capacity                        Annual fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
100-90,000...........................................               $785
90,001-150,000.......................................              1,095
150,001-300,000......................................              1,415
300,001-450,000......................................              1,730
450,001-600,000......................................              2,040
600,001-720,000......................................              2,350
720,001-900,000......................................              2,670
900,001-1,200,000....................................              2,985
1,200,001-1,500,000..................................              3,290
1,500,001-3,000,000..................................              3,605
3,000,001+...........................................              3,920
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Inspection fees will be charged at the rate of $16 for each 1,000 
hundredweight of licensed capacity, or fraction thereof, but in no case 
less than $160 nor more than $1,600.

Tobacco and Wool

    Annual fee: $16 for each 100,000 pounds of licensed capacity, or 
fraction thereof, but in no case less than $630.
    Inspection fee: $16 for each 100,000 pounds of licensed capacity, 
or fraction thereof, but in no case less than $160 nor more than 
$1,600.

Nuts

    Annual fee: $14 for each 100 short tons of licensed capacity, or 
fraction thereof, but in no case less than $630.
    Inspection fee: $8 for each 100 short tons of licensed capacity, or 
fraction thereof, of peanuts and $14 for each 1,000 hundredweight, or 
fraction thereof, of other nuts, but in no case less than $160 nor more 
than $1,600.

Syrup

    Annual fee: $6 for each 5,000 gallons of licensed capacity, or 
fraction thereof, but in no case less than $630.
    Inspection fee: $6 for each 5,000 gallons of licensed capacity, or 
fraction thereof, but in no case less than $160 nor more than $1,600.

Cottonseed

    Annual fee: $16 for each 1,000 short tons of licensed capacity, or 
fraction thereof, but in no case less than $630.
    Inspection fee: $16 for each 1,000 short tons of licensed capacity, 
or fraction thereof, but in no case less than $160 nor more than 
$1,600.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on June 21, 1999.
Keith Kelly,
Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 99-16434 Filed 6-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P