94-427. Milk in the New Orleans-Mississippi Marketing Area; Proposed Suspension of a Provision of the Order  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 6 (Monday, January 10, 1994)]
    [Proposed Rules]
    [Pages 1307-1308]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-427]
    
    
    [[Page Unknown]]
    
    [Federal Register: January 10, 1994]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
    7 CFR Part 1094
    
    [DA-94-06]
    
     
    
    Milk in the New Orleans-Mississippi Marketing Area; Proposed 
    Suspension of a Provision of the Order
    
    AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
    ACTION: Proposed suspension of rule.
    
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    SUMMARY: This document invites written comments on a proposal to 
    suspend, for 23 months, the 45 percent delivery requirement for a plant 
    operated by a cooperative association that is located within the New 
    Orleans-Mississippi marketing area. The suspension was requested by 
    Gulf Dairy Association, Inc., which operates a manufacturing plant at 
    Kentwood, Louisiana. The association states that without the 
    suspension, it will be forced to make inefficient qualifying shipments 
    of milk merely to keep the milk of its producers qualified for pooling 
    under the order.
    
    DATES: Comments are due no later than January 20, 1994.
    
    ADDRESSES: Comments (two copies) should be sent to USDA/AMS/Dairy 
    Division, Order Formulation Branch, room 2968, South Building, P.O. Box 
    96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicholas Memoli, Marketing Specialist, 
    USDA/AMS/Dairy Division, Order Formulation Branch, room 2968, South 
    Building, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456, (202) 690-1932.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 
    601-612) requires the Agency to examine the impact of a proposed rule 
    on small entities. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), the Administrator of 
    the Agricultural Marketing Service has certified that this action would 
    not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
    entities. Such action would lessen the regulatory impact of the order 
    on certain milk handlers and would tend to ensure that dairy farmers 
    would continue to have their milk priced under the order and thereby 
    receive the benefits that accrue from such pricing.
        The Department is issuing this proposed action in conformance with 
    Executive Order 12866.
        This proposed action has been reviewed under Executive Order 12778, 
    Civil Justice Reform. This action is not intended to have a retroactive 
    effect. If adopted, this proposed action will not preempt any state or 
    local laws, regulations, or policies, unless they present an 
    irreconcilable conflict with the rule.
        The Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended (7 
    U.S.C. 601-674), provides that administrative proceedings must be 
    exhausted before parties may file suit in court. Under section 
    8c(15)(A) of the Act, any handler subject to an order may file with the 
    Secretary a petition stating that the order, any provisions of the 
    order, or any obligation imposed in connection with the order is not in 
    accordance with law and request a modification of an order or to be 
    exempted from the order. A handler is afforded the opportunity for a 
    hearing on the petition. After a hearing the Secretary would rule on 
    the petition. The Act provides that the district court of the United 
    States in any district in which the handler is an inhabitant, or has 
    its principal place of business, has jurisdiction in equity to review 
    the Secretary's ruling on the petition, provided a bill in equity is 
    filed not later than 20 days after the date of the entry of the ruling.
        Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the provisions of the 
    Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act, suspension of the following 
    provision of the order regulating the handling of milk in the New 
    Orleans-Mississippi marketing area is being considered for the period 
    from February 1, 1994 through December 31, 1995:
        In Sec. 1094.7(c), the words ``45 percent or more of the''.
        All persons wishing to submit written data, views or arguments 
    about the proposed suspension should send two copies of their views to 
    USDA/AMS/Dairy Division, Order Formulation Branch, room 2968, South 
    Building, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456 by the 10th day 
    after publication of this notice in the Federal Register. The filing 
    period is limited to ten days because a longer period would not provide 
    the time needed to complete the required procedures before the 
    requested suspension is to be effective.
        All written submissions made pursuant to this notice will be made 
    available for public inspection in the Dairy Division during regular 
    business hours (7 CFR 1.27 (b)).
    
    Statement of Consideration
    
        The proposed action would suspend for the months of February 1994 
    through December 1995 the 45 percent delivery requirement for a 
    cooperative association plant that is located in the New Orleans-
    Mississippi marketing area.
        Gulf Dairy Association, Inc., which operates a manufacturing plant 
    at Kentwood, Louisiana, that is regulated under Order 94 submitted the 
    suspension request. The cooperative stated that because of the present 
    45 percent delivery requirement applicable to a cooperative association 
    that wishes to qualify a manufacturing plant for pooling, it has had to 
    shift some of its producers to neighboring Greater Louisiana (Order 96) 
    pool plants to keep its Kentwood plant qualified as a pool plant under 
    Order 94. It indicated that Order 96 requires that six days' production 
    of a producer must be received at pool plants each month in order to 
    qualify the milk for pooling by diversion to a nonpool plant. 
    Accordingly, it has had to move the milk of selected producers to Order 
    96 pool plants six days per month. Since this milk is not actually 
    needed by these pool plants, the cooperative has then had to back-haul 
    the milk to its Kentwood manufacturing plant for processing. The 
    problem is now particularly acute, according to the cooperative, 
    because two Order 94 pool plants have notified Gulf Dairy Association 
    that they will no longer purchase milk from them after February 1, 
    1994.
        Gulf Dairy Association noted that the problem it is experiencing 
    will be resolved through the proposed merger of milk orders that is now 
    under consideration by the Department. It urged that the proposed 
    suspension be effective pending the completion of that proceeding.
    
    List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 1094
    
        Milk marketing orders.
    
        Authority: Secs. 1-19, 48 Stat. 31, as amended; 7 U.S.C. 601-
    674.
    
        Dated: January 3, 1994.
    Lon Hatamiya,
    Administrator.
    [FR Doc. 94-427 Filed 1-7-94; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
01/10/1994
Department:
Agricultural Marketing Service
Entry Type:
Proposed Rule
Action:
Proposed suspension of rule.
Document Number:
94-427
Dates:
Comments are due no later than January 20, 1994.
Pages:
1307-1308 (2 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: January 10, 1994, DA-94-06
CFR: (1)
7 CFR 1094