[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 180 (Friday, September 17, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56911-56912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23188]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration

7 CFR Part 868

RIN 0580-AB17
[Docket  GIPSA-2010-FGIS-0009]


Request for Public Comment on the United States Standards for 
Rough Rice, Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice

AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA

[[Page 56912]]


ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Grain Inspection, 
Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is reviewing the United 
States Standards and grading procedures for Rough Rice, Brown Rice for 
Processing, and Milled Rice under the Agriculture Marketing Act of 1946 
(AMA). Since the standards were last revised, numerous changes have 
occurred in the breeding and production practices of rice; the 
technology used to harvest, process, and test rice; and also rice 
marketing. To ensure that standards and official grading practices 
remain relevant, GIPSA invites interested parties to comment on whether 
the current rice standards and grading procedures need to be changed.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 16, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your written or electronic comments on this 
notice to:
     Mail: Tess Butler, GIPSA, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Room 1643-S, Washington, DC 20250-3604.
     E-Mail: [email protected].
     Fax: (202) 690-2173
     Internet: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the 
on-line instruction for submitting comments.

All comments will become a matter of public record and should be 
identified as ``United States Standards for Rough Rice, Brown Rice for 
Processing, and Milled Rice Notice Comments,'' making reference to the 
date and page number of this issue of the Federal Register. Comments 
will be available for public inspection in the above office during 
regular business hours (7 CFR 1.27(b)). Please call the GIPSA 
Management Support Staff at (202) 720-7486 to make an appointment to 
read comments received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beverly A. Whalen at GIPSA, USDA, 
Beacon Facility, Stop 1404, P.O. Box 419205, Kansas City, MO 64131-
6205; Telephone: (816) 823-4648; Fax Number: (816) 823-4644; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 12866

    This rule has been determined to be exempt for the purposes of 
Executive Order 12866, and therefore has not been reviewed by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
    Under the authority of the AMA (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), as amended, 
GIPSA establishes and maintains a variety of quality and grade 
standards for agricultural commodities that define commodity quality in 
the domestic and global marketplace. Standards developed by GIPSA under 
the AMA include rice, whole dry peas, split peas, feed peas, lentils, 
and beans. The AMA standards are voluntary and widely used in private 
contracts, government procurement, marketing communication, and, for 
some commodities, consumer information. The U.S. Standards for Rough 
Rice, Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice standards were last 
revised in 1993 (58 FR 68015) and appear in the regulations at 7 CFR 
868.202-868.316. The standards facilitate the marketing of rice in 
foreign and domestic trade, and provide a uniform measure of quality by 
providing a common language to describe commodity attributes for U.S. 
producers, exporters and their customers. Official procedures for 
inspections are provided in GIPSA's Rice Inspection Handbook for 
determining the various grading factors. To learn more about Rough 
Rice, Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice standardization and 
quality, visit the GIPSA Web site at http://www.gipsa.usda.gov.
    GIPSA inspects shipments of rice in accordance with AMA standards 
to establish the grade of the rice and issues inspection certificates 
for each shipment. GIPSA-issued certificates describing the quality and 
condition of graded rice are accepted as prima facie evidence in all 
Federal courts (7 U.S.C 1622(h). U.S. rice standards and the affiliated 
grading and testing services offered by GIPSA verify that a seller's 
rice meets specified requirements, and ensure that customers receive 
the quality of rice they purchased. In addition to Federal usage, the 
rice standards are applied by one State and one private cooperator.
    In order for U.S. standards and grading procedures for Rough Rice, 
Brown Rice for Processing, and Milled Rice to remain relevant, GIPSA is 
issuing this advance notice of proposed rulemaking to invite interested 
parties to submit comments, ideas, and suggestions on all aspects of 
the U.S. rice standards and grading procedures.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.

J. Dudley Butler,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-23188 Filed 9-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-KD-P