[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18714-18715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-5400]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration

[06-GL-S]


Designation for the State of Texas Area

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration 
(GIPSA) announces the designation of Intercontinental Grain 
Inspections, Inc. (Intercontinental), to provide official inspection 
services under the United States Grain Standards Act, as amended (Act).

DATES: Effective Date: April 10, 2006.

ADDRESSES: USDA, GIPSA, John R. Sharpe, Division Director, Compliance 
Division, STOP 3604, Room 1647-S, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-3604.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John R. Sharpe at 202-720-8262, e-mail 
[email protected].

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.
    In the February 1, 2006, Federal Register (71 FR 5232), GIPSA 
announced that Global Grain Inspection Services, Inc. (Global), asked 
GIPSA to voluntarily cancel their designation to provide domestic grain 
inspection services in the area for which they were designated in the 
State of Texas effective April 9, 2006. Accordingly, Global's 
designation will cease effective April 9, 2006, and GIPSA asked persons 
or organizations interested in providing official grain inspection 
services in the State of Texas to submit an application for designation 
by March 3, 2006.
    There were three applicants for the Texas geographic area: A 
company proposing to do business as Gulf Country Inspection Service, 
Inc (Gulf); a company proposing to do business as Intercontinental 
Grain Inspections, Inc. (Intercontinental), a subsidiary of Socit 
Gnrale de Surveillance North America, Inc. (SGS); and South Texas Grain 
Inspection LLC (South Texas), a proposed organization being formed by 
the Corpus Christi Grain Exchange, Inc. (CCGE), to function under a 
trust. Gulf and Intercontinental indicated they would be willing to 
accept more or less geographic area previously designated to Global in 
order to provide needed service to all requestors. South Texas applied 
only for the Texas Counties named in the February 1, 2006, Federal 
Register. GIPSA asked for comments on Gulf, Intercontinental, and South 
Texas, in the March 14, 2006, Federal Register.
    Comments were due by March 29, 2006. GIPSA received a total of 17 
comments by the closing date. GIPSA received 1 comment from a grain 
association supporting Gulf for designation. We received 7 comments 
supporting Intercontinental for designation; 4 of which were from grain 
elevators in the area, 2 from prospective employees, and 1 from a 
border bridge owner. GIPSA received 8 comments supporting South Texas 
for designation; 7 of which were from grain industry in the area and 
one from a congressional office. The final commenter, a grain company 
official, supported both Intercontinental and South Texas.
    GIPSA evaluated all available information regarding the designation 
criteria in Section 7(f)(l)(A) of the Act and, according to Section 
7(f)(l)(B), determined that Intercontinental is better able to provide 
official services in the geographic area specified in the February 1, 
2006, Federal Register, for which it applied. Intercontinental is 
designated for 18 months only, effective April 10, 2006, and 
terminating

[[Page 18715]]

September 30, 2007. Intercontinental will be headquartered in Fort 
Worth, Texas.
    Given Global's cancellation date of April 9, 2006, there was not 
sufficient time to solicit and designate a replacement agency and have 
a new agency begin. For these reasons, interested persons that want to 
obtain official services in the Texas area North of Interstate 10 
should call the FGIS Wichita Field Office at 316-722-6370 and South of 
Interstate 10 should call the FGIS League City Field Office at 281-338-
2787 to obtain interim service until Intercontinental begins service.

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

David R. Shipman,
Acting Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards 
Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-5400 Filed 4-11-06; 8:45 am]
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