Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting of the District of Columbia Advisory Committee

SUMMARY: The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension

Service (CSREES) is creating a new research, education, and extension

program called the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension

Competitive Grants Program. By this notice, CSREES is designated to act

on behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture in soliciting public comment

from persons who use or conduct research, extension, or education

regarding the priorities to be addressed by this new program as

required under section 102(a) and (b) of the Agricultural Research,

Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Thursday, December 2, 1999, from

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Because of the diversity of subjects, and to aid

participants in scheduling their attendance, the following schedule is

anticipated:

9:00-9:30 a.m.--Introduction to Section 406

9:30-10:45 a.m.--Water Quality

10:45-12:00 p.m.--Food Safety

1:00-2:30 p.m.--Pest Management (Pesticide Impact Assessment, FQPA, and

Methyl Bromide)

2:30-4:00 p.m.--Other Issues Pertaining to 406 Priorities and

Administration

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in room 107A, Jamie L. Whitten

Federal Building, United States Department of Agriculture, 12th and

Jefferson Drive, SW, Washington, DC 20250.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons wishing to present oral

comments at this meeting are requested to pre-register by contacting

Ms. Terri Joya at (202) 401-1761, by fax at (202) 401-1782 or by e-mail

to [email protected]. Participants may reserve a 5-minute comment

period and should indicate the topic area for which they are

registering. More time may be available, depending on the number of

people wishing to make a presentation and the time needed for

questions, following the presentation. Reservations will be confirmed

on a first-come, first-served basis. All other attendees may register

at the meeting. Written comments may also be submitted for the record

at the meeting or mailed to Ms. Terri Joya, Competitive Research Grants

and Awards Management, USDA/CSREES, STOP 2240, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-2240. Please provide three copies of

the comments. All comments must be received by Friday, December 17,

1999, to be considered. All comments and the official transcript of the

meeting, when it becomes available, will be available for review for

six months on the CSREES web page. Participants who require a sign

language interpreter or other special accommodations should contact Ms.

Joya as directed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Purpose

Section 406 of AREERA (7 U.S.C. 7626) authorized the Secretary of

Agriculture to establish a research, education, and extension

competitive grant program to provide funding for integrated,

multifunctional agricultural research, extension, and education

activities. Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out

this program, the Secretary may award grants to colleges and

universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural

Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103))

on a competitive basis for integrated research, education, and

extension projects. Grants shall be awarded to address priorities in

United States agriculture that involve integrated research, education,

and extension activities as determined by the Secretary in consultation

with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and

Economics Advisory Board. The Secretary delegates the authority to

carry out this program to CSREES.

CSREES is holding a public meeting to obtain comments to use in

developing the proposed rule for the new Integrated Research,

Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program. The meeting is

open to the public. Written comments and suggestions on issues that may

be considered in the meeting may be submitted to the CSREES Docket

Clerk at the address above.

Summary of Integrated Activities

The Program will be funded in fiscal year (FY) 2000 at $39,541,000

for the following integrated activities: Water Quality ($13 million),

Food Safety ($15 million), Pesticide Impact Assessment ($4.541

million), Crops at Risk from Food Quality and Protection Act (FQPA)

Implementation ($1 million), FQPA Risk Mitigation Program for Major

Food Crop Systems ($4 million), and Methyl Bromide Transition Program

($2 million).

Listed below is subject area information about integrated

activities that USDA may fund in FY 2000:

Water Quality--This program is targeted to the identification and

resolution of agriculturally-related water quality degradation and

seeks the development of partnerships to generate and educate on best

watershed practices.

Food Safety--This program provides information for research,

education, and extension to improve the safety of food products and to

create a public that is more informed about food safety issues.

Pesticide Impact Assessment--This program provides for the most

objective and accurate data collection program on FQPA issues which is

provided to USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow

for more informed regulatory decision making.

Crops at Risk from FQPA Implementation--This program is an

intermediate-term research and extension program with at-risk cropping

system as the focal point. Development of new multiple-tactic

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies designed to assist in the

transition period for certain pesticides affected by the implementation

of the FQPA is a potential goal of the program.

FQPA Risk Mitigation Program for Major Food Crop Systems--This

program will emphasize development and implementation of new and

innovative pest management systems designed to maintain the

productivity and profitability of major acreage crops while meeting or

exceeding environmental quality and human health standards as the FQPA

is implemented.

Methyl Bromide Transitions Program--This program is designed to

support the discovery and implementation of practical pest management

alternatives for commodities affected by the methyl bromide phase-out.

The program will focus on short- to medium-term solutions for

commodities at risk using either combinations of presently available

technologies or some newly developed practices.

Done at Washington, DC, this 16 day of November 1999.

Dan Glickman,

Secretary, Department of Agriculture.

[FR Doc. 99-30400 Filed 11-17-99; 4:04 pm]

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