[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 19 (Monday, January 30, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5597-5599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2217]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 948
[FV94-948-3PR]
Irish Potatoes Grown in Colorado; Reestablishment of Area No. 2
and Area No. 3 Regulatory Boundaries, and Redistribution of Area No. 2
Committee Representation
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: This proposed rule would reestablish regulatory area
boundaries by moving Chaffee County from Area No. 3 to Area No. 2, and
combine Chaffee County with Saguache County for the purpose of
providing Chaffee County with producer representation on the Area No.
2, rather than the Area No. 3, Committee. This proposed rule would
provide for more effective administration of the marketing order and
more effective compliance efforts. This proposed rule was unanimously
recommended by the Area No. 2 and Area No. 3 Committees, the
administrative agencies established for these regulatory areas under
the marketing order for Colorado potatoes.
DATES: Comments must be received by March 1, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments
concerning this proposal. Comments must be sent in triplicate to the
Docket Clerk, Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, Room 2525, South
Building, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456, FAX: (202) 720-
5698. All comments should reference the docket number and the date and
page number of this issue of the Federal Register and will be made
available for public inspection in the Office of the Docket Clerk
during regular business hours.
[[Page 5598]] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis L. West,
Northwest Marketing Field Office, Marketing Order Administration
Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, 1220 SW Third Avenue,
Room 369, Portland, Oregon 97204-2807; telephone: (503) 326-2724; or
Mark A. Slupek, Marketing Order Administration Branch, Fruit and
Vegetable Division, AMS, USDA, P.O. Box 96456, Room 2523-S, Washington,
D.C. 20090-6456; telephone: (202) 205-2830.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposal is issued under Marketing
Agreement No. 97 and Marketing Order No. 948 [7 CFR part 948], as
amended, regulating the handling of Irish potatoes grown in Colorado.
The marketing agreement and order are authorized by the Agricultural
Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended, [7 U.S.C. 601-674],
hereinafter referred to as the ``Act.''
The Department of Agriculture is issuing this rule in conformance
with Executive Order 12866.
This proposal has been reviewed under Executive Order 12778, Civil
Justice Reform. This rule is not intended to have retroactive effect.
This proposal will not preempt any state or local laws, regulations, or
policies, unless they present an irreconcilable conflict with this
rule.
The Act provides that administrative proceedings must be exhausted
before parties may file suit in court. Under section 608c(15)(A) of the
Act, any handler subject to an order may file with the Secretary a
petition stating that the order, any provision of the order, or any
obligation imposed in connection with the order is not in accordance
with law and request a modification of the order or to be exempted
therefrom. A handler is afforded the opportunity for a hearing on the
petition. After the 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 his or her
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.
Pursuant to requirements set forth in the Regulatory Flexibility
Act (RFA), the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service
(AMS) has considered the economic impact of this action on small
entities.
The purpose of the RFA is to fit regulatory actions to the scale of
business subject to such actions in order that small businesses will
not be unduly or disproportionately burdened. Marketing orders issued
pursuant to the Act, and rules issued thereunder, are unique in that
they are brought about through group action of essentially small
entities acting on their own behalf. Thus, both statutes have small
entity orientation and compatibility.
There are approximately 120 handlers of Colorado potatoes who are
subject to regulation under the marketing order and approximately 400
producers of Colorado potatoes in the regulatory areas. Small
agricultural service firms have been defined by the Small Business
Administration [13 CFR 121.601] as those having annual receipts of less
than $5,000,000, and small agricultural producers are defined as those
whose annual receipts are less than $500,000. The majority of potato
producers and handlers regulated under the marketing agreement and
order may be classified as small entities.
The production area under Marketing Order No. 948 is divided into
three regulatory areas. Area No. 1 (Area 1), also called the Western
Slope, consists of 17 counties in the western portion of the State of
Colorado. Marketing order regulations are not currently in effect in
Area 1 because of limited potato production. Area No. 2 (Area 2), known
as the San Luis Valley, consists of 9 counties and is located in the
southern part of the State. Area No. 3 (Area 3), the Greeley area,
consists of 37 counties covering most of the eastern part of the State.
Producers in Areas 2 and 3 produce significant quantities of potatoes,
and, thus, have active committees and regulations.
Section 948.150, reestablished area committees as administrative
agencies for both of the active areas.
Section 948.53 provides authority for areas, subdivisions of areas,
or distribution of representation among the subdivision of areas, to be
reestablished by the Secretary upon area committee recommendations.
This proposed rule would (1) reestablish area boundaries by
removing Chaffee County from Area 3 and adding it to Area 2, and (2)
combine Chaffee County with Saguache County for the purpose of
providing Chaffee County with producer representation on the Area 2
Committee.
The Area 2 and Area 3 Committees met on October 13, 1994, and
October 18, 1994, respectively, and each unanimously recommended this
reestablishment of boundaries between Area 2 and Area 3. The Colorado
Potato Committee, which consists of representatives from both of the
area Committees, ratified the recommendation on November 2, 1994. The
Area 2 Committee also unanimously recommended that Chaffee County be
combined with Saguache County for the purpose of providing Chaffee
County with producer representation on the Area 2 Committee, rather
than the Area 3 Committee.
The Committees made their recommendations to reestablish boundaries
after reviewing a request from a producer/handler located near Salida,
Colorado, a relatively new potato production area in Chaffee County.
Salida is approximately 250 miles from the administrative headquarters
of the Area 3 Committee in Greeley, Colorado, but only 65 miles from
the administrative headquarters of the Area 2 Committee in Monte Vista,
Colorado.
There are approximately 115 acres of potatoes grown in Chaffee
County. Arable land in Chaffee County is generally limited to the area
around Salida. Industry estimates place the potential for additional
potato production at about 500 acres.
The Chaffee County production area is geographically separated from
the rest of Area 3 potato production and is much closer to that of Area
2. Potatoes produced in Chaffee County are marketed similarly to those
in Area 2. Potatoes grown in Chaffee County are, for example, often
marketed through handlers from Area 2, but seldom marketed by Area 3
handlers located outside of Chaffee County.
The proposed rule would increase the opportunity for the producers
or handlers to serve on an area committee by greatly decreasing travel
time and cost to attend area Committee meetings. This rule would also
enable any Chaffee County producers to be in the same committee area
with handlers who most often handle their production.
The proposed rule would also modify the distribution of producer
membership of the Area 2 Committee to accommodate the proposed addition
of Chaffee County to Area 2. Saguache County, immediately to the south
of Chaffee County, currently has one producer representative on the
Area 2 Committee. The proposed rule would combine Chaffee and Saguache
Counties as one district for the purpose of nominating a producer
member to the Area 2 Committee. The change would continue to provide
balanced representation on the Area 2 Committee, consistent with
acreage and production. Chaffee County handlers also would be
represented as the Area 2 Committee has five handler member positions,
two representing bulk handlers.
The close proximity of the Area 2 administrative office to Chaffee
County would improve the efficiency of [[Page 5599]] marketing order
administration. Marketing order compliance in Chaffee County would be
more efficiently administered by the Area 2 Administrative Committee
office because of its proximity to Chaffee County.
Although this proposed rule would remove Chaffee County from Area
3, regulatory language in the newly created section 948.153 would only
reference the addition of Chaffee County to Area 2. Section 948.4
currently states that Area 3 includes and consists of all the remaining
counties in the State of Colorado which are not included in Area 1 or
Area 2. Therefore, the addition of Chaffee County to Area 2 would
automatically remove Chaffee County from Area 3, with no other
corresponding change needed.
Based on available information, the Administrator of the AMS has
determined that this action would not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small entities.
A 30-day comment period is provided to allow interested persons to
respond to this proposal. All written comments received within the
comment period will be considered before a final determination is made
on this matter.
List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 948
Marketing agreements, Potatoes, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, it is proposed that 7
CFR Part 948 be amended as follows:
PART 948--IRISH POTATOES GROWN IN COLORADO
1. The authority citation for 7 CFR Part 948 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601-674.
2. Section 948.150 is amended by revising paragraph (a) to read as
follows:
Sec. 948.150 Reestablishment of committee membership.
* * * * *
(a) Area No. 2 (San Luis Valley): Seven producers and five
handlers selected as follows:
Two (2) producers from Rio Grande County:
One (1) producer from Chaffee County and Saguache County;
One (1) producer from Conejos County;
Two (2) producers from Alamosa County;
One (1) producer from all other counties in Area No. 2;
Two (2) handlers representing bulk handlers in Area No. 2;
Three (3) handlers representing handlers in Area No. 2 other
than bulk handlers.
* * * * *
3. A new Sec. 948.153 is added to read as follows:
Sec. 948.153 Reestablishment of area.
Pursuant to section 948.53, Area No. 2 is reestablished as follows:
Area No. 2 (San Luis Valley) includes and consists of the
counties of Chaffee, Saguache, Huerfano, Las Animas, Mineral,
Archuleta, Rio Grande, Conejos, Costilla, and Alamosa, in the State
of Colorado.
Dated: January 24, 1995.
Sharon Bomer Lauritsen,
Deputy Director, Fruit and Vegetable Division.
[FR Doc. 95-2217 Filed 1-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P
