July 16, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice advises interested persons that the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age (``Diversity Committee'') will hold a meeting on July 28, 2008, at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York. Reports from the subcommittees will be presented. Barbara Kreisman is the Diversity Committee's Designated Federal Officer.

EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District and Ventura County Air Pollution Control District portions of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from marine coating operations and wood coating products. We are proposing to approve local rules to regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or the Act).

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to address and eliminate the use of Colorado River water from the mainstream in the lower Colorado River basin (Lower Basin) without an entitlement. For the last eight years, the upper and lower Colorado River basins have experienced the worst drought conditions in approximately one hundred years of recorded history. This drought is the first sustained drought to be experienced on the Colorado River when all major storage facilities are in place and when Arizona, California, and Nevada (Lower Division States) are fully utilizing their basic Colorado River water apportionment of 7.5 million acre-feet per year. Reclamation believes that development of such a rule will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the lower Colorado River and in doing so will protect the water rights of lower Colorado River water entitlement holders. The rule establishes procedures that Reclamation will follow in making determinations of unlawful use of lower Colorado River water. The rule includes notice and appeal procedures for those persons or entities whose use of lower Colorado River water is identified as unlawful. Reclamation is seeking comments on the proposed rule including comments that identify any specific economic impacts to members of the public and to small businesses located within the boundary of the river aquifer. The comments should include any identified or potential economic impacts and the estimated costs of the impacts.

This notice announces amendments to the technical specification in the Interagency Air Cartographic Committee Specifications that address the depiction of man-made obstructions 500 feet or more above ground level (AGL) on the World Aeronautical Chart series.

This action establishes four Federal airways in the National Airspace System (NAS) to replace four non-part 95 routes in Alaska. The routes consist of three Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways, and one Low/Medium Frequency (L/MF) Colored Federal airway in Alaska. The conversion of these non-part 95 routes would change uncharted nonregulatory airways requiring special aircrew authorization to Federal Airways, thus adding to the instrument flight rules (IFR) airway and route infrastructure in Alaska. The addition of these routes improves the management of air traffic operations and thereby enhances safety. A minor change to the description of V-619 also is being made.

The USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region, is notifying the public of the process for making travel management decisions on National Forest System (NFS) lands in Alaska, consistent with both Subpart B of the Travel Management Rule (36 CFR 212) and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) Title VIII, Sections 810 and 811. The Tongass National Forest initiated travel management analyses, and will be completing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and producing Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) over the next 18 months, pursuant to 36 CFR 212 Subpart B. The analysis and associated NEPA will evaluate the effects on subsistence uses (Section 810 of ANILCA) and subsistence access (Section 811 of ANILCA); the public involvement requirements of ANILCA 810 and 811 will run concurrent with the NEPA public comment period, including notice and hearings; the NEPA documentation (for example, environmental assessment) and decision document (for example, Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact) will be prepared to document the travel management route and area designation decisions. The prohibition on motor vehicle use off the designated system (36 CFR 261.13) and the closures or restrictions to access for subsistence purposes (Section 811(b) of ANILCA) will go into effect and are enforceable when each MVUM is completed, published, and made available to the public. The Chugach National Forest and Sitka Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, completed their NEPA process and associated MVUM's pursuant 36 CFR 212 Subpart B. The Wrangell Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, completed their travel management NEPA, and is scheduled to publish their MVUM in 2009. The prohibition on motor vehicle use off the designated system (36 CFR 261.13) and closures or restrictions to access for subsistence purposes (Section 811(b) of ANILCA) go into effect and are enforceable when the MVUMs are published and made available to the public.

The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposal by NorthWestern Energy (NWE) to construct and operate a loop natural gas pipeline on the Hungry Horse Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest. The new loop pipeline would be installed underground and generally parallel Highway 2 and an existing natural gas transmission line currently authorized to NWE under a Forest Service special use permit (SUP). NWE proposes to construct approximately 12 miles of 12-inch diameter steel pipe from an existing natural gas valve station near Marias Pass on the Continental Divide westward to another existing valve station near the junction of Bear Creek and the Middle Fork Flathead River. The SUP would be amended to include the new loop pipeline. The project area is approximately 25 miles SW of Browning, Montana and approximately 50 highway miles SE of Columbia Falls, Montana.

This action confirms the effective date and corrects an error in the airport name listed in a direct final rule published in the Federal Register January 30, 2008, that established Class E controlled airspace at Emporium, PA (73 FR 5432) Docket No. FAA-2007-0275.

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to fully use the 2008 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific ocean perch in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch by catcher processors participating in the limited access or opt-out fisheries that are subject to sideboard limits established under the Central GOA Rockfish Program in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2008 sideboard limits of Pacific ocean perch established for catcher processors participating in the limited access or opt-out fisheries in the Western Regulatory Area of the GOA.