Bureau of Land Management December 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management is publishing this notice under section 9 (a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Pursuant to the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-399), the Bureau of Land Management gives notice that the Secretary of the Interior intends to call for nominations for vacating positions to the Steens Mountain Advisory Council. This notice requests the public to submit nominations for membership on the Steens Mountain Advisory Council. Any individual or organization may nominate one or more persons to serve on the Steens Mountain Advisory Council. Individuals may nominate themselves or others for Steens Mountain Advisory Council membership. Nomination forms may be obtained from the Bureau of Land Management Burns District Office (see address below). To make a nomination, submit a completed nomination form, letters of reference from the represented interests or organizations, as well as any other information that speaks to the nominee's qualifications, to the Bureau of Land Management Burns District Office. Nominations may be made for the following categories of interest: One person who is a recognized environmental representative for the State as a whole (appointed from nominees submitted by the Governor of Oregon); A person interested in fish and recreational fishing (appointed from nominees submitted by the Governor of Oregon); A person who is a recreational permit holder or is a representative of a commercial recreation operation (appointed jointly by the Oregon State Director of the Bureau of Land Management and the county court for Harney County, Oregon); A private landowner in the Cooperative Management and Protection Area (appointed by the county court for Harney County, Oregon); and A person with expertise and interest in wild horse management on Steens Mountain (appointed by the Bureau of Land Management) The specific category the nominee will represent should be identified in the letter of nomination. The Bureau of Land Management Burns District will collect the nomination forms and letters of reference and distribute them to the officials responsible for submitting nominations (County Court of Harney County, the Governor of Oregon, and the Bureau of Land Management). The Bureau of Land Management will then forward recommended nominations to the Secretary of the Interior, who has responsibility for making the appointments.

The public lands listed below, located in Mohave County, Arizona, near the community of Littlefield have been examined and found suitable for classification for lease or conveyance to the Virgin River Domestic Wastewater Improvement District (VRDWID) under provisions of the R&PP Act for use as a wastewater treatment facility.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision allocating additional acreage to Alaskan Native regional corporations will be issued to:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has filed the plats of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, Wyoming, on December 16, 2005.

In accordance with the Knolls Recreation Area Management Plan, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Salt Lake Field Office is issuing final supplementary rules. The BLM has determined that these rules are necessary to enhance the safety of visitors, protect natural resources, improve recreation opportunities, and protect public health.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA, 102(2) (C)) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the USDOI Bureau of Land Management (Lead Agency) and the USDA Forest Service (Co-lead Agency) announce the availability of the DEIS for the Smoky Canyon Mine, Panels F and G mine expansion.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Mine Area, Freedom Mine Coal Lease Application. The EIS analyzed the potential impacts of leasing and mining federal coal on lands in Mercer County, North Dakota. BLM's decision was to approve the implementation of Alternative C, which analyzed the impacts of offering for competitive lease sale approximately 5,334 acres containing approximately 89 million tons of recoverable lignite coal. Alternative C incorporates a preservation component for Native American cultural resources by bypassing approximately 237 acres and an estimated 4 million tons of federal coal which would have been leased under Alternative A (the Proposed Action Alternative). Alternative C also allows for the recovery of federal coal which would be bypassed if not leased under Alternative B (the No Action Alternative). The BLM received 26 written comments on the draft EIS. These comments and BLM's responses to them were included in the final EIS. All of the comments and the transcript of the formal hearing are on file in the Dickinson, ND and Billings, MT Offices of the BLM. BLM also received 13 written comments on the final EIS. All of the comments received during the process were considered in the preparation of the EIS and/or the Record of Decision. BLM Notices of Availability for the draft EIS and for the final EIS were published in the Federal Register on April 30, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 84), and August 26, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 165).

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, and 40 CFR Part 1500, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces that the Final EIS/EIR for the Imperial Irrigation District's (IID) Desert Southwest Transmission Line Project is available for a thirty (30) day public review and comment period.

Under the provisions of Section 371(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the lessee, North American Civil Recoveries Arbitrage Corporation (NACRA) timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease CACA 38084 in (Santa Barbara and Ventura County, California. The lessee paid the required rental accruing from the date of termination, June 1, 2002. No leases were issued that affect these lands. The lessee agrees to new lease terms for rentals and royalties of $5 per acre and 16\2/3\ percent or 4 percentages above the existing competitive royalty rate. The lessee paid the $500 administration fee for the reinstatement of the lease and $155 cost for publishing this Notice. The lessee met the requirements for reinstatement of the lease per Sec. 31(e) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 188(e)). We are proposing to reinstate the lease, effective the date of termination subject to: The original terms and conditions of the lease; The increased rental of $5 per acre; The increased royalty of 16\2/3\ percent or 4 percentages above the existing competitive royalty rate; and The $155 cost of publishing this Notice

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) John Day Snake Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet as indicated below: The John Day/Snake Resource Advisory Council is scheduled to meet on February 7, 2006, at the Oxford Suites, 2400 SW., Court Place in Pendleton, OR 97801. The meeting time will be from approximately 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A public comment will begin at 1 p.m. and end at 1:15 p.m. (Pacific Time). The meeting may include such topics as OHV, Noxious Weeds, Planning, Sage Grouse, and other matters as may reasonably come before the council. Potential updates specific to this scheduled meeting include salmon recovery, BLM Vegetation Management Environmental Impact Statement the John Day Snake Resource Management Plan. Meeting Procedures: The meeting is open to the public. The public may present written comments to the Council. Depending on the number of persons wishing to provide oral comments and agenda topics to be covered, the time to do so may be limited. Individuals who plan to attend and need special assistance such as sign language interpretation, tour transportation or other reasonable accommodations, should contact the BLM representative indicated below. For a copy of the information to be distributed to the Council members, please submit a written request to the Prineville District Office 10 days prior to the meeting.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mojave Southern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Dakotas Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.

This action corrects errors in the notice published as FR doc 05-21568 in the Federal Register, 70 FR 62138 (October 28, 2005). On page 62138, second column, delete last paragraph of the notice and replace with the following paragraph: ``Notice is hereby given that an opportunity for a public meeting is afforded in connection with the proposed withdrawal and transfer of jurisdiction. All interested persons who desire a public meeting for the purpose of being heard on the proposed withdrawal and transfer of jurisdiction must submit a written request to the BLM Colorado State Director, within 90 days from the date of publication of this correction. If the authorized officer determines that a public meeting will be held, a notice of the time and place will be published in the Federal Register at least 30 days before the scheduled date of the meeting.''

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Front Range Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet as indicated below.

This order partially revokes an Executive Order insofar as it affects 326.28 acres of public lands withdrawn for Bureau of Land Management Public Water Reserve No. 107. This action will open 326.28 acres to surface entry under the public land laws and to nonmetalliferous location and entry under the United States Mining laws to allow for disposal. Effective Date: January 12, 2006.

A notice of availability for the Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Vernal Field Office planning area in Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah Counties, Utah was published in the Federal Register, volume 70, number 10, on Friday, January 14, 2005. This supplements that Notice with information on existing and potential Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) considered within the Draft RMP and EIS, as required in 43 CFR 1610.7-2. The CFR also provides an associated 60-day comment period on the potential ACECs.

In accordance with section 369(d)(1) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to prepare a Programmatic EIS for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources Leasing on Lands Administered by the BLM in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and by this notice is announcing public scoping meetings. The Programmatic EIS will amend existing applicable Resource Management Plans to open lands for oil shale and tar sands resources leasing in these three states. The Programmatic EIS will also inform the development of the regulations required by section 369(d)(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Pursuant to section 2(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended by section 4 of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976, 90 Stat. 1083, 30 U.S.C. 201(b), and to the regulations adopted as 43 CFR 3410, all interested parties are hereby invited to participate with Ark Land Company on a pro rata cost sharing basis in its program for the exploration of coal deposits owned by the United States of America in the following-described lands in Campbell County, WY:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and USDA Forest Service (collectively the Agencies) will prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) to address the order of Judge Marshal J. Pechman, United States District Court, Western District of Washington. (Northwest Ecosystem Alliance v. Rey, August 1, 2005) Specifically, the court found that the 2004 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to Remove or Modify the Survey and Manage Mitigation Measure Standards and Guideline (2004 SEIS) was deficient because the Agencies failed to: (1) ``* * analyze potential impacts to Survey and Manage species if they are not added to or are removed from the Forest Service's and BLM's respective programs for special status species;'' (2) ``* * * provide a thorough analysis of their assumption that the late-successional reserves would adequately protect species that the Survey and Manage standard was introduced to protect, particularly in light of their previous positions in earlier environmental impact statements;'' and (3) ``* * * disclose and analyze flaws in their methodology for calculating the acreage in need of hazardous fuel treatments. Part of the cost analysis was similarly flawed because it relied on the acreage in need of hazardous fuel treatments in calculating the cost of the Survey and Manage standard.'' The SEIS will provide additional information and analysis necessary to fully address the deficiencies noted by the court in the 2004 SEIS.

This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arcata Field Office intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment with an associated Environmental Assessment (EA) for recently acquired BLM coastal lands in Humboldt County in Northwest California. The lands addressed by this amendment have been acquired through a combination of fee title and conservation easements, using private donations and state and Federal funds. Approximately 1100 acres have been acquired by the BLM along the Humboldt County coast since completion of the Arcata RMP in 1992. These lands are located in T.6N., R.1W., Secs. 26, 27, 34 and 35; T.4N., R.2W., Secs. 13, 14, 23, 24, 26 and 27; and T.2N., R.3W., Secs. 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, Humboldt Meridian. The plan amendment will fulfill the obligations set forth by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and BLM management policies. The plan amendment will serve to update the Arcata RMP and associated amendments for the affected lands. The BLM will work collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management decisions that are best suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns. The public scoping process will identify planning issues, develop planning criteria, and outline a vision for area management that reflects the needs and interests of the public and protection of the areas' resource values.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has determined that approximately 0.055 acres of public land in Fremont County, Colorado, is suitable for lease pursuant to Section 302 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1732).

The Bureau of Land Management is requesting public nominations to fill an unexpired term on the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Advisory Board. The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Advisory Board provides advice regarding management, use, and further development of the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. The Bureau of Land Management will consider public nominations until January 17, 2006.