Draft Candidate Conservation Agreement With Assurances and Application for an Enhancement of Survival Permit for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken and Sand Dune Lizard (Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management), 62526-62527 [E8-24678]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 204 / Tuesday, October 21, 2008 / Notices
trees and shrubs have grown in the
Horseshoe storage space and have been
colonized by a population of
flycatchers, which are listed as
endangered under the Act. Thus,
periodic refilling of the reservoir may
adversely impact the habitat and nesting
of the flycatcher as well as the cuckoo,
which uses similar habitat. Also,
nonnative fish produced in Horseshoe
and Bartlett can adversely impact
covered fish, frog, and gartersnake
species through predation, competition,
and alteration of habitat in the Verde
River and portions of its tributaries.
Based upon our review of the
alternatives and their environmental
consequences described in the FEIS, our
decision is to implement Alternative 2—
Optimum Operation of Horseshoe and
Bartlett (the preferred alternative). The
HCP will minimize and mitigate for take
of the covered species named above by
operating Horseshoe to maintain
riparian forest in the upper end of the
reservoir, acquiring and managing 200
acres of replacement habitats in
perpetuity, managing Horseshoe to
benefit aquatic species, funding
improvements to a State native fish
hatchery, stocking covered fish species,
and supporting other watershed
improvement projects as described in
the HCP.
Thomas L. Bauer,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. E8–24978 Filed 10–20–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R2–ES–2008–N0177; 20124–1115–
0000–F4]
Draft Candidate Conservation
Agreement With Assurances and
Application for an Enhancement of
Survival Permit for the Lesser PrairieChicken and Sand Dune Lizard (Center
of Excellence for Hazardous Materials
Management)
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft
candidate conservation agreement with
assurances and draft environmental
assessment; receipt of application.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Center of Excellence for
Hazardous Materials Management
(CEHMM) (Applicant) has applied for
an enhancement of survival permit
under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the
Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973,
as amended. The permit application
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:06 Oct 20, 2008
Jkt 217001
includes a draft Candidate Conservation
Agreement with Assurances (CCAA)
between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) and CEHMM for the
lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus
pallidicinctus) (LPC) and the dunes
sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus
arenicolus), commonly known as the
sand dune lizard (SDL) throughout their
range in New Mexico. The Applicant
proposes to implement conservation
measures for the LPC and SDL by
removing threats to the survival of these
species and protecting their habitat. We
invite public comment.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we
must receive written comments on or
before November 20, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review
the application may obtain a copy by
writing to the Regional Director, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
1306, Room 4102, Albuquerque, NM
87103. Persons wishing to review the
draft CCAA or the draft environmental
assessment may obtain a copy by
written or telephone request to Nancy
Riley, New Mexico Ecological Services
Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 2105 Osuna NE., Albuquerque,
NM 87113 (505/761–4707). Documents
will be available for public inspection
by written request, or by appointment
only during normal business hours (8
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), at the above
Albuquerque address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nancy Riley, New Mexico Ecological
Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 2105 Osuna NE.,
Albuquerque, NM 87113 (505/761–
4707).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With the
assistance of the Service, the Applicant
proposes to implement conservation
measures for the LPC and SDL by
removing threats to the survival of these
species and protecting their habitat. The
proposed CCAA would be in effect for
20 years in southeastern New Mexico.
This area constitutes the CCAA’s
Planning Area, with Covered Areas
being private lands and state trust lands
that provide suitable habitat or are being
improved or restored to provide suitable
habitat for the LPC and/or SDL. This
CCAA is part of a larger conservation
effort for the LPC and SDL within New
Mexico in the form of a Candidate
Conservation Agreement (CCA) among
the Service, the Bureau of Land
Management, and CEHMM that would
address conservation measures on
Federal lands. The CCA contains more
information regarding both species,
including the life history, historic
ranges, threats to the species, and
conservation measures to reduce and/or
PO 00000
Frm 00066
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
eliminate those threats. There are no
assurances associated with the CCA.
Under the CCAA, LPC and SDL
conservation will be enhanced by
providing assurances such that, should
the Participating Landowner or Other
Cooperator have or attract LPCs or SDLs
to their property, the Participating
Landowner or Other Cooperator will not
incur additional land use restrictions in
the event either species is listed.
Without regulatory assurances,
landowners may be unwilling to initiate
conservation measures for these species.
Background
The historic range of the LPC
encompassed habitats with sandy soils
supporting shinnery oak-bluestem and
sand sage-bluestem communities in the
high plains of southeastern Colorado,
southwestern Kansas, western
Oklahoma, west Texas, the Texas
panhandle, and eastern New Mexico.
The Service was petitioned to list the
LPC as threatened in 1995. The Service
ruled that listing of the LPC was
warranted, but precluded because of
other higher priority species. The LPC
was designated as a candidate for listing
in 1997.
The SDL is native to a small area of
southeastern New Mexico and west
Texas. The species only occurs in sand
dune complexes associated with
shinnery oak. Oil and gas development
near dunal complexes along with
shinnery oak removal for the
enhancement of forage production for
grazing has increased fragmentation of
SDL habitat and gaps in the species’
range. In 2001, the Service determined
that listing of the SDL was warranted,
but precluded because of other higher
priority species, and the species was
designated a candidate for listing under
the Act.
This CCAA was initiated in order to
facilitate conservation and restoration of
the LPC and SDL on private lands and
state trust lands. Conservation benefits
for both species are expected in the form
of habitat enhancement and restoration.
The Applicant also proposes to
encourage creative partnerships among
public, private, and government entities
to conserve the LPC and SDL and their
habitats. In addition to habitat
enhancement and restoration activities,
release of captive-reared or trans-located
LPCs will be conducted in order to
establish viable populations within the
Planning Area. The Applicant has
committed to guiding the
implementation of these conservation
measures and requests issuance of the
permit in order to address the take
prohibitions of Section 9 of the Act
E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM
21OCN1
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 204 / Tuesday, October 21, 2008 / Notices
should the species become listed in the
future.
The draft CCAA and permit
application are not eligible for
categorical exclusion under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969. A draft Environmental
Assessment has been prepared to further
analyze the direct, indirect, and
cumulative impacts of the CCAA on the
quality of the human environment or
other natural resources.
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and its implementing regulations (50
CFR 17.22), and the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4371 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR part 1506.6).
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part
of the public record. Requests for copies
of comments will be handled in
accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act, NEPA, and Service and
Department of the Interior policies and
procedures. Before including your
address, phone number, e-mail address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us to withhold your
personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee we
will be able to do so.
Brian Millsap,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2,
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. E8–24678 Filed 10–20–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Submitted for Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
Review; Comment Request
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS),
Interior.
ACTION: Notice; Request for Comments.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: We (U.S. Geological Survey)
have sent an Information Collection
Request (ICR) to OMB for review and
approval. The ICR, which is
summarized below, describes the nature
of the collection and the estimated
burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled
to expire on October 31, 2008. We may
not conduct or sponsor and a person is
not required to respond to a collection
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:06 Oct 20, 2008
Jkt 217001
of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
However, under OMB regulations, we
may continue to conduct or sponsor this
information collection while it is
pending at OMB.
DATES: You must submit comments on
or before November 20, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on
this information collection directly to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk
Officer for the Department of the
Interior via OMB e-mail:
(OIRA_DOCKET@omb.eop.gov ); or by
fax (202) 395–6566; and identify your
submission with #1028–0053.
Please submit a copy of your
comments to Phadrea Ponds,
Information Collections, U.S. Geological
Survey, 2150–C Center Avenue, Fort
Collins, CO 80525 (mail); (970) 226–
9230 (FAX); or pponds@usgs.gov (email). Use Information Collection
Number 1028–0053 in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Scott F. Sibley at (703)
648–4976.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 1028–0053.
Title: Nonferrous Metals Surveys.
Form Number: Various (31 forms).
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Private Sector.
Respondent Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: Monthly,
quarterly, or annually.
Estimated Number and Description of
Respondents: Approximately 1,801
producers and consumers of nonferrous
and related metals. Respondents are
canvassed for one frequency period
(e.g., monthly respondents are not
canvassed annually).
Estimated Number of Responses:
5,339.
Completion Time per Response: We
estimate the public reporting burden for
the 31 forms averages 20 minutes to 2
hours per response. This includes the
time for reviewing instructions,
gathering and maintaining data, and
completing and reviewing the
information.
Annual burden hours: 3,973.
Abstract: Respondents supply the
U.S. Geological Survey with domestic
production and consumption data for
nonferrous and related nonfuel mineral
commodities, some of which are
considered strategic and critical. This
information will be published as
chapters in Minerals Yearbooks,
monthly/quarterly Mineral Industry
Surveys, annual Mineral Commodity
PO 00000
Frm 00067
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
62527
Summaries, and special publications for
use by Government agencies, industry,
education programs, and the general
public.
We will protect information from
respondents considered proprietary
under the Freedom of Information Act
(5 U.S.C. 552) and implementing
regulations (43 CFR part 2), and under
regulations at 30 CFR 250.197, ‘‘Data
and information to be made available to
the public or for limited inspection.’’
Responses are voluntary. No questions
of a ‘‘sensitive’’ nature are asked. We
will release data collected on these
forms only in a summary format that is
not company-specific.
Comments: To comply with the
public consultation process, on April
16, 2008, we published a Federal
Register notice (73 FR20706)
announcing our intent to submit this
information collection to OMB for
approval. In that notice, we solicited
public comments for 60 days, ending on
June 16, 2008. We did not receive any
comments concerning the notice. We
again invite comments concerning this
information collection on:
(1) Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) Ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on
respondents.
Please note that the comments
submitted in response to this notice are
a matter of public record. Before
including your address, phone number,
e-mail address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask OMB in your
comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that it will
be done.
USGS Information Collection
Clearance Contact: Phadrea Ponds 970–
226–9445.
Dated: October 15, 2008.
John H. DeYoung, Jr.,
Chief Scientist.
[FR Doc. E8–24981 Filed 10–20–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4311–AM–P
E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM
21OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62526-62527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24678]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-ES-2008-N0177; 20124-1115-0000-F4]
Draft Candidate Conservation Agreement With Assurances and
Application for an Enhancement of Survival Permit for the Lesser
Prairie-Chicken and Sand Dune Lizard (Center of Excellence for
Hazardous Materials Management)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft candidate conservation
agreement with assurances and draft environmental assessment; receipt
of application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management
(CEHMM) (Applicant) has applied for an enhancement of survival permit
under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973,
as amended. The permit application includes a draft Candidate
Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) between the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service) and CEHMM for the lesser prairie-chicken
(Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) (LPC) and the dunes sagebrush lizard
(Sceloporus arenicolus), commonly known as the sand dune lizard (SDL)
throughout their range in New Mexico. The Applicant proposes to
implement conservation measures for the LPC and SDL by removing threats
to the survival of these species and protecting their habitat. We
invite public comment.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive written comments on or
before November 20, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the application may obtain a copy
by writing to the Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
P.O. Box 1306, Room 4102, Albuquerque, NM 87103. Persons wishing to
review the draft CCAA or the draft environmental assessment may obtain
a copy by written or telephone request to Nancy Riley, New Mexico
Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2105
Osuna NE., Albuquerque, NM 87113 (505/761-4707). Documents will be
available for public inspection by written request, or by appointment
only during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), at the above
Albuquerque address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Riley, New Mexico Ecological
Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2105 Osuna NE.,
Albuquerque, NM 87113 (505/761-4707).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With the assistance of the Service, the
Applicant proposes to implement conservation measures for the LPC and
SDL by removing threats to the survival of these species and protecting
their habitat. The proposed CCAA would be in effect for 20 years in
southeastern New Mexico. This area constitutes the CCAA's Planning
Area, with Covered Areas being private lands and state trust lands that
provide suitable habitat or are being improved or restored to provide
suitable habitat for the LPC and/or SDL. This CCAA is part of a larger
conservation effort for the LPC and SDL within New Mexico in the form
of a Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA) among the Service, the
Bureau of Land Management, and CEHMM that would address conservation
measures on Federal lands. The CCA contains more information regarding
both species, including the life history, historic ranges, threats to
the species, and conservation measures to reduce and/or eliminate those
threats. There are no assurances associated with the CCA.
Under the CCAA, LPC and SDL conservation will be enhanced by
providing assurances such that, should the Participating Landowner or
Other Cooperator have or attract LPCs or SDLs to their property, the
Participating Landowner or Other Cooperator will not incur additional
land use restrictions in the event either species is listed. Without
regulatory assurances, landowners may be unwilling to initiate
conservation measures for these species.
Background
The historic range of the LPC encompassed habitats with sandy soils
supporting shinnery oak-bluestem and sand sage-bluestem communities in
the high plains of southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, western
Oklahoma, west Texas, the Texas panhandle, and eastern New Mexico. The
Service was petitioned to list the LPC as threatened in 1995. The
Service ruled that listing of the LPC was warranted, but precluded
because of other higher priority species. The LPC was designated as a
candidate for listing in 1997.
The SDL is native to a small area of southeastern New Mexico and
west Texas. The species only occurs in sand dune complexes associated
with shinnery oak. Oil and gas development near dunal complexes along
with shinnery oak removal for the enhancement of forage production for
grazing has increased fragmentation of SDL habitat and gaps in the
species' range. In 2001, the Service determined that listing of the SDL
was warranted, but precluded because of other higher priority species,
and the species was designated a candidate for listing under the Act.
This CCAA was initiated in order to facilitate conservation and
restoration of the LPC and SDL on private lands and state trust lands.
Conservation benefits for both species are expected in the form of
habitat enhancement and restoration. The Applicant also proposes to
encourage creative partnerships among public, private, and government
entities to conserve the LPC and SDL and their habitats. In addition to
habitat enhancement and restoration activities, release of captive-
reared or trans-located LPCs will be conducted in order to establish
viable populations within the Planning Area. The Applicant has
committed to guiding the implementation of these conservation measures
and requests issuance of the permit in order to address the take
prohibitions of Section 9 of the Act
[[Page 62527]]
should the species become listed in the future.
The draft CCAA and permit application are not eligible for
categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969. A draft Environmental Assessment has been prepared to
further analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the
CCAA on the quality of the human environment or other natural
resources.
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22), and the
National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations (40 CFR part 1506.6).
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part of the public record. Requests
for copies of comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act, NEPA, and Service and Department of the Interior
policies and procedures. Before including your address, phone number,
e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any
time. While you can ask us to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee we will be able to
do so.
Brian Millsap,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. E8-24678 Filed 10-20-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
