[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 160 (Friday, August 19, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51053-51054]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17839]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 160 / Friday, August 19, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 51053]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-FGIS-22-0012]


Opportunity for United States Grain Standards Act Designation in 
the Alabama: Essex, Illinois: Missouri; Hastings, Nebraska; Aberdeen, 
South Dakota; and Washington areas; and Request for Comments on the 
Official Agencies Servicing These Areas

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) designations of 
the official agencies listed in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below will 
end on the prescribed dates. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 
is seeking persons or governmental agencies interested in providing 
official services in the areas presently served by these agencies to 
submit an application for designation. Designation provides for private 
entities or state governmental agencies to be an integral part of the 
official grain inspection system. Designated agencies work under the 
supervision of AMS's Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) and are 
authorized to provide official inspection and weighing services in a 
defined geographical area. In addition, we request comments on the 
quality of services provided by the following designated agencies: 
Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (Alabama); Kankakee 
Grain Inspection, Inc. (Kankakee); Missouri Department of Agriculture 
(Missouri); Hastings Grain Inspection, Inc. (Hastings); Aberdeen Grain 
Inspection, Inc. (Aberdeen); and Washington Department of Agriculture 
(Washington). AMS encourages submissions from traditionally 
underrepresented individuals, organizations, and businesses to reflect 
the diversity of this industry. AMS encourages submissions from 
qualified applicants, regardless of race, color, age, sex, sexual 
orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability 
status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected 
by law.

DATES: Applications and comments for areas of designation terminating 
on September 30, 2022, currently operated by Aberdeen, Hastings, and 
Missouri must be received by September 19, 2022.
    Applications and comments for areas of designation terminating on 
December 31, 2022, currently operated by Alabama, Kankakee, and 
Washington must be received between October 1, 2022, and October 31, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit applications and comments concerning this Notice 
using any of the following methods:
     To apply for USGSA Designation: Go to FGISonline (https://fgisonline.ams.usda.gov/) and then click on the Delegations/
Designations and Export Registrations (DDR) link. You will need to 
obtain an FGISonline customer number (CIM) and create a USDA 
eAuthentication account at https://www.eauth.usda.gov/ prior to 
applying.
     To submit Comments Regarding Current Designated Official 
Agencies: Go to Regulations.gov (https://www.regulations.gov). 
Instructions for submitting and reading comments are detailed on the 
site. Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning this notice. All comments must be submitted through the 
Federal e-rulemaking portal at https://www.regulations.gov and should 
reference the document number and the date and page number of this 
issue of the Federal Register. All comments submitted in response to 
this notice will be included in the record and will be made available 
to the public. Please be advised that the identity of the individuals 
or entities submitting comments will be made public on the internet at 
the address provided above.
    Read Applications and Comments: All comments will be available for 
public inspection online at https://www.regulations.gov. If you would 
like to view the applications, please contact us at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Austyn L. Hughes, Compliance Officer, 
Federal Grain Inspection Service, AMS, USDA; Telephone (816) 266-5066; 
or Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The designations of the official agencies 
listed below will end on the prescribed dates:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Headquarters location and    Designation   Applications/comments open
             Official agency                       telephone                end                 period
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeen Grain Inspection, Inc..........  Aberdeen, SD, 605-225-8432      09/30/2022  30 Days After Publication.
Hastings Grain Inspection, Inc..........  Hastings, NE, 308-384-2174      09/30/2022  30 Days After Publication.
Missouri Department of Agriculture......  Jefferson City, MO, 573-        09/30/2022  30 Days After Publication.
                                           751-5515.
Alabama Department of Agriculture and     Montgomery, AL, 251-438-        12/31/2022  08/01/2022-08/31/2022.
 Industries.                               2549.
Kankakee Grain Inspection, Inc..........  Essex, IL, 815-365-2268...      12/31/2022  08/01/2022-08/31/2022.
Washington Department of Agriculture....  Olympia, WA, 360-870-1178.      12/31/2022  08/01/2022-08/31/2022.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 7(f) of the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) 
authorizes the Secretary 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 (7 U.S.C. 79(f)). A designated agency may provide 
official inspection service and/or Class X or Class Y weighing services 
at locations other than port locations. Under section 7(g) of the 
USGSA, designations of official agencies are effective for no longer 
than five years, unless terminated by the Secretary, and may be renewed 
according to the criteria and procedures prescribed in section 7(f) of 
the USGSA.

[[Page 51054]]

See also, 7 CFR 800.196 for further information and guidance.

Designation Application Locations

    The following list identifies the currently operating designated 
official agencies and the specific areas of operation for designation 
applications. Please review the additional information provided via 
separate Federal Register notice for complete understanding of 
locations needing service designation. These are listed in order of 
anticipated designation termination date.
    Aberdeen: Areas of designation include parts of North Dakota and 
South Dakota. Please see the May 30, 2017, issue of the Federal 
Register (82 FR 24671) for descriptions of the areas open for 
designation.
    Hastings: Areas of designation include parts of Nebraska. Please 
see the May 30, 2017, issue of the Federal Register (82 FR 24671) for 
descriptions of the areas open for designation.
    Missouri: Areas of designation include the entire state of 
Missouri. Please see the May 22, 2017, issue of the Federal Register 
(82 FR 23174) for descriptions of the areas open for designation.
    Alabama: Areas of designation include the entire state of Alabama 
(except for export port locations). Please see the July 3, 2017, issue 
of the Federal Register (82 FR 30820) for descriptions of the areas 
open for designation.
    Kankakee: Areas of designation include parts of Illinois. Please 
see the July 3, 2017, issue of the Federal Register (82 FR 30817) for 
descriptions of the areas open for designation.
    Washington: Areas of designation include the entire state of Oregon 
(except for export port locations), the entire state of Washington 
(except for export port locations), and parts of Idaho. Please see the 
July 3, 2017, issue of the Federal Register (82 FR 30819) for 
descriptions of the areas open for designation.

Opportunity for Designation

    Interested persons or governmental agencies may apply for 
designation to provide official services in the geographic areas of the 
official agencies specified above under the provisions of section 7(f) 
of the USGSA and 7 CFR 800.196. Designations in the specified 
geographic areas for Aberdeen, Hastings, and Missouri begin October 1, 
2022. Designations in the specified geographic areas for Alabama, 
Kankakee, and Washington begin January 1, 2023. To apply for 
designation or to request more information on the geographic areas 
serviced by these official agencies, contact [email protected].
    Please note that sampling, weighing, and inspection services may be 
offered by designated agencies under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 
1946 for other commodities under the auspices of FGIS through separate 
cooperative agreements with AMS. The service area for such cooperative 
agreements mirrors the USGSA designation area. For further information, 
see 7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq. or contact [email protected].

Request for Comments

    We are publishing this Notice to provide interested persons the 
opportunity to comment on the quality of services provided by Aberdeen, 
Hastings, Missouri, Alabama, Kankakee, and Washington official 
agencies. In the designation process, we are particularly interested in 
receiving comments citing reasons and pertinent data supporting or 
objecting to the designation of the applicant(s). Such comments should 
be submitted through the Federal e-rulemaking portal at https://www.regulations.gov.
    We consider applications, comments, and other available information 
when determining which applicants will be designated.
    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71-87k.

Melissa Bailey,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-17839 Filed 8-18-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P