February 21, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are extending the public comment period on the proposed rule to remove the Virginia northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus), more commonly known as the West Virginia northern flying squirrel, from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, due to recovery. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as they have been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in the final determination.

Under the provisions of Title 49, U.S.C. Section 47153(c), notice is being given that the FAA is considering a request from the General Aviation Commission and AugustaDaniel Field to waive the requirement that 97,217 square feet of surplus property, located at AugustaDaniel Field, be used for aeronautical purposes.

This announcement provides notice that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Big Lagoon Rancheria (Tribe) have jointly filed an administrative appeal with the Department of Commerce asking that the Secretary override the California Coastal Commission's (Commission) objection to BIA's proposed acquisition of approximately 5 acres of land in Humboldt County, California, into trust status for the Tribe. The land is currently owned in fee by the Tribe and is located in the Big Lagoon area, approximately a quarter mile from the current boundary of the Big Lagoon Rancheria trust property, at the southwest intersection of Highway 101 and Big Lagoon Park Road, south of Big Lagoon, Humboldt County, California. The legal description of the land is parcel APN 517-281-004 in Lot 4 as shown on Tract No. 420, on file in the Office of the Humboldt County Recorder in Book 21 of Maps, pages 18 and 19.

The USDA, Forest Service will prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) to address the order of Judge Paul Papak, United States District Court, District of Oregon (Hells Canyon Preservation Council, and Northwest Environmental Defense Center v. Richard J. Haines, Steve Ellis, and United States Forest Service, August 4, 2006). Specifically the court found that the April 2004 North Fork Burnt River Final Environmental Impact Statement was deficient because the Agency: (1) Did not require a certificate of compliance under 33 U.S.C. 1341(a)(1), also referred to as 401 under the Clean Water Act, prior to approvals of the Plans of Operations, (2) failed to ensure that authorized mining activities will comply with 313 of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1323(a), on the 303(d) listed waters for water-quality limited for sedimentation, (3) failed to adequately analyze the selection of buffer widths for the riparian habitat conservation areas (RHCAs) and as such is inconsistent with INFISH standard MM-1, (4) failed to adequately analyze the necessity of new roads and whether alternatives exist and to provide specific assurances that the new road construction will comply with INFISH standard MM-2, (5) incorrectly determined that settling ponds are not structures subject to INFISH standard MM-2 and therefore failed to perform the required analysis under MM-2 as to alternative locations; and (6) failed to adequately analyze whether mining and private property access needs, administrative use and needs of other forest users are warranted exceptions to the open-road density guidelines of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Land Management Plan. The SEIS will provide additional information and analysis to address the deficiencies noted by the court in the 2004 FEIS, and record the analysis of a proposed non-significant project-specific amendment to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest's Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) to change Standard 12 and Standard 13 for Management Area 1(LRMP pg. 4-58), and Standard 9 for Management Area 3, 3a (LRMP pg. 4-62) to reflect a more realistic and achievable open road density for these management areas in subwatersheds 83B, 83C, 83D, 83E, 83F and 83G within the North Fork Burnt River Mining planning area in light of the current and projected land uses and management activities for the foreseeable future.

The EPA's EFAB will hold an open meeting of the full board in Atlanta, GA on March 19-20, 2007. EFAB is an EPA advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to provide advice and recommendations to EPA on creative approaches to funding environmental programs, projects, and activities. The purpose of this meeting is to hear from informed speakers on environmental finance issues, proposed legislation, Agency priorities, and to discuss progress with work products under EFAB's current Strategic Action Agenda. Environmental financing topics expected to be discussed include: Financial Assurance Mechanisms, Environmental Management Systems, Smartway Transport Program, and Water Infrastructure Financing. This meeting is open to the public, however, seating is limited. All members of the public who wish to attend the must register in advance, no later than Friday, March 2, 2007.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended) this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below which will be forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on November 2, 2006 (71 FR 64605). No comments were received.