[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 230 (Wednesday, December 1, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69884-69885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26290]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration


Opportunity for Designation in the Georgia, Cedar Rapids (IA), 
Montana, and Lake Village (IN) Areas, and Request for Comments on the 
Official Agencies Serving These Areas

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA. 
(04-04-A).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The designations of the official agencies listed below will 
end in June 2005. Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 
Administration (GIPSA) is asking persons interested in providing 
official services in the areas served by these agencies to submit an 
application for designation. GIPSA is also asking for comments on the 
quality of services provided by these currently designated agencies: 
Georgia Department of Agriculture (Georgia); Mid-Iowa Grain Inspection, 
Inc. (Mid-Iowa); Montana Department of Agriculture (Montana); and 
Schneider Inspection Service, Inc. (Schneider).

DATES: Applications and comments must be postmarked or electronically 
dated on or before January 3, 2005.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit applications and comments on this 
notice. You may submit applications and comments by any of the 
following methods:
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver to Janet M. Hart, Chief, 
Review Branch, Compliance Division, GIPSA, USDA, Room 1647-S, 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250.
     Fax: Send by facsimile transmission to (202) 690-2755, 
attention: Janet M. Hart.
     E-mail: Send via electronic mail to [email protected].
     Mail: Send hardcopy to Janet M. Hart, Chief, Review 
Branch, Compliance Division, GIPSA, USDA, STOP 3604, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3604.
    Read Applications and Comments: All applications and comments will 
be available for public inspection at the office above during regular 
business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet M. Hart at 202-720-8525, e-mail 
[email protected].

[[Page 69885]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Action has been reviewed and determined 
not to be a rule or regulation as defined in Executive Order 12866 and 
Departmental Regulation 1512-1; therefore, the Executive Order and 
Departmental Regulation do not apply to this Action.
    Section 7(f)(1) of the United States Grain Standards Act, as 
amended (Act), authorizes GIPSA's Administrator to designate a 
qualified applicant to provide official services in a specified area 
after determining that the applicant is better able than any other 
applicant to provide such official services.
    Section 7(g)(1) of the Act provides that designations of official 
agencies shall end not later than triennially and may be renewed 
according to the criteria and procedures prescribed in Section 7(f) of 
the Act.
    1. Current Designations being Announced for Renewal. For Georgia, 
main office in Altanta; Mid-Iowa, main office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; 
Montana, main office in Helena; and Schneider, main office in Lake 
Village, Indiana; the current designations started July 1, 2002 and 
will end June 30, 2005.
    a. Pursuant to Section 7(f)(2) of the Act, the following geographic 
area, the entire State of Georgia, except those export port locations 
within the State which are serviced by GIPSA, is assigned to Georgia.
    b. Pursuant to Section 7(f)(2) of the Act, the following geographic 
area, in the State of Iowa, is assigned to Mid-Iowa.
    Bounded on the North by the northern Winneshiek and Allamakee 
County lines;
    Bounded on the East by the eastern Allamakee County line; the 
eastern and southern Clayton County lines; the eastern Buchanan County 
line; the northern and eastern Jones County lines; the eastern Cedar 
County line south to State Route 130;
    Bounded on the South by State Route 130 west to State Route 38; 
State Route 38 south to Interstate 80; Interstate 80 west to U.S. Route 
63; and
    Bounded on the West by U.S. Route 63 north to State Route 8; State 
Route 8 east to State Route 21; State Route 21 north to D38; D38 east 
to State Route 297; State Route 297 north to V49; V49 north to Bremer 
County; the southern Bremer County line; the western Fayette and 
Winneshiek County lines.
    c. Pursuant to Section 7(f)(2) of the Act, the following geographic 
area, the entire State of Montana, is assigned to Montana.
    d. Pursuant to Section 7(f)(2) of the Act, the following geographic 
area, in the States of Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, is assigned to 
Schneider.
    In Illinois and Indiana:
    Bounded on the North by the northern Will County line from 
Interstate 57 east to the Illinois-Indiana State line; the Illinois-
Indiana State line north to the northern Lake County line; the northern 
Lake, Porter, Laporte, St. Joseph, and Elkhart County lines;
    Bounded on the East by the eastern and southern Elkhart County 
lines; the eastern Marshall County line;
    Bounded on the South by the southern Marshall and Starke County 
lines; the eastern Jasper County line south-southwest to U.S. Route 24; 
U.S. Route 24 west to Indiana State Route 55; Indiana State Route 55 
south to the Newton County line; the southern Newton County line west 
to U.S. Route 41; U.S. Route 41 north to U.S. Route 24; U.S. Route 24 
west to the Indiana-Illinois State line; and
    Bounded on the West by Indiana-Illinois State line north to 
Kankakee County; the southern Kankakee County line west to U.S. Route 
52; U.S. Route 52 north to Interstate 57; Interstate 57 north to the 
northern Will County line.
    Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph Counties, Michigan.
    The following grain elevators, located outside of the above 
contiguous geographic area, are part of this geographic area 
assignment: Cargill, Inc., and Farmers Grain, both in Winamac, Pulaski 
County, Indiana (located inside Titus Grain Inspection, Inc.'s, area).
    Schneider's assigned geographic area does not include the export 
port locations inside Schneider's area which are serviced by GIPSA.
    2. Opportunity for designation. Interested persons, including 
Georgia, Mid-Iowa, Montana, and Schneider are hereby given the 
opportunity to apply for designation to provide official services in 
the geographic areas specified above under the provisions of Section 
7(f) of the Act and section 800.196(d) of the regulations issued 
thereunder. Designation in the specified geographic areas is for the 
period beginning July 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2008. Persons wishing 
to apply for designation should contact the Compliance Division at the 
address listed above for forms and information, or obtain applications 
at the GIPSA Web site, http://www.usda.gov/gipsa/oversight/parovreg.htm.
    3. Request for Comments. GIPSA also is publishing this notice to 
provide interested persons the opportunity to present comments on the 
quality of services for the Georgia, Mid-Iowa, Montana, and Schneider 
official agencies. In commenting on the quality of services, commenters 
are encouraged to submit pertinent data including information on the 
timeliness, cost, and scope of services provided. All comments must be 
submitted to the Compliance Division at the above address.
    Applications, comments, and other available information will be 
considered in determining which applicant will be designated.

    Authority: Pub. L. 94-582, 90 Stat. 2867, as amended (7 U.S.C. 
71 et seq.).

Donna Reifschneider,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-26290 Filed 11-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-EN-P