Department of the Interior January 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The February 7 and 8, 2005, Steens Mountain Advisory Council Meeting, previously scheduled to be held at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738, has been cancelled. The original Federal Register notice announcing the meeting was published Tuesday, December 14, 2004, page number 74535.

This order revokes a Secretarial Order in its entirety as it affects 36,578.69 acres of land withdrawn for the Bureau of Reclamation's Minidoka Project, American Falls Reservoir. The land is located within the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and would return to the management and jurisdiction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (1972), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pinedale Anticline Working Group (PAWG) will meet in Pinedale, Wyoming, for a business meeting. Group meetings are open to the public.

The Amendment to the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve- Alaska (NPR-A) Final Integrated Activity Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS) will be made available to the public for a 30-day period beginning on the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) files a Notice of Availability of the Final IAP/EIS in the Federal Register. The EPA notice is expected to occur on or about January 28, 2005. A Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued after the 30-day availability period. The ROD will identify the selected alternative as well as mitigation measures. The Final IAP/EIS addresses two primary objectives for the amendment of the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska IAP/EIS. 1. Consider making available all or portions of lands currently closed to oil and gas leasing in the Planning Area; and, 2.Consider developing performance-based lease stipulations and ROPs to provide the BLM greater flexibility in protecting important surface resources from the impacts of oil and gas activities, similar to those developed for the Northwest National Petroleum ReserveAlaska. Location of the Document: The Final IAP/EIS will be available in either hard copy or on compact disk at the Alaska State Office, Public Information Center at 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513- 7599. Copies of the Final IAP/EIS will also be available at the following locations: Tuzzy Public Library, Barrow, Alaska; City of Nuiqsut, Nuiqsut, Alaska; City of Atqasuk, Atqasuk, Alaska; City of Anaktuvuk Pass, Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska; City of Bethel, Bethel, Alaska, Z. J. Loussac Public Library, Anchorage, AK; Noel Wien Public Library, Fairbanks, AK. The final IAP/EIS will also be available on the project Web site at https://nenpra.ensr.com/nenpra/default.html.

The purpose of this notice is to rescind the annual October 15 to December 31 closure of all public lands lying in the 2.5 mile stretch from Canyon Ferry Dam downstream to Brown's Gulch Road and between the east shore of Hauser Lake and Johnny's Gulch Road. The public lands affected by this notice are all lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Sections 5 and 6, T. 10 N., R.1 W., and Section 32, T. 11N., R. 1 W. Principle Meridian, Montana. The closure area that we are rescinding totals 769 acres.

Clark County, Nevada proposes to change the use on 40.87 acres of public land in Las Vegas, Nevada from a fire station and training facility to a fire station, Regional Park and Clark County Family Services building.

Under the provisions of 30 U.S.C. 188(d) and (e), and 43 CFR 3108.2-3(a) and (b)(1), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease WYW145953 for lands in Lincoln County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

BLM 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 (Public Law 106-399), BLM gives notice that the Secretary of the Interior intends to call for nominations for terms expiring on the SMAC. This notice requests the public to submit nominations for membership on the SMAC. Any individual or organization may nominate one or more persons to serve on the SMAC. Individuals may nominate themselves for SMAC membership. Nomination forms may be obtained from the Burns District Office, Bureau of Land Management (see address below). To make a nomination, submit a completed nomination form, letters of reference from the represented interests or organizations, and any other information that speaks to the nominee's qualifications, to the Burns District Office. Nominations may be made for the following categories of interest: One person who is a grazing permittee on Federal land in the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA) (appointed from nominees submitted by the County Court of Harney County); One person who is a recognized environmental representative from the local area (appointed from nominees submitted by the Governor of Oregon); A person who participates in what is commonly called dispersed recreation, such as hiking, camping, nature viewing, nature photography, bird watching, horseback riding, or trail walking (appointed from nominees submitted by the Oregon State Director of the BLM); and A person with expertise and interest in wild horse management on Steens Mountain (appointed from nominees submitted by the Oregon State Director for BLM). The specific category the nominee will represent should be identified in the letter of nomination. The 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 BLM). BLM will then forward recommended nominations to the Secretary of the Interior, who has responsibility for making the appointments.

Notice is hereby given that certain access roads and certain areas are temporarily closed to all public entry that could result in the spread of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a fungus related to the one responsible for sudden oak death, to uninfected stands of Ione and whiteleaf manzanita as well as to other susceptible plants including natives and ornamentals. These activities include motor vehicle operation and foot traffic.

The Bureau of Land Management has established a $99,999.99 limit on payments made by credit and debit cards. Under U.S. Department of the Treasury regulations, federal agencies are required to use electronic fund transfers for collections and payments, as long as it is cost effective to do so. Fees for large dollar debit and credit card transactions are prohibitive. Cardholders cannot be required to pay any part of the fees which financial institutions charge, directly or indirectly, through any increase in price or otherwise. Customers who need to tender payments larger than the cap are encouraged to make electronic payments using the Automated Clearing House or Federal Wire Transfer procedures.

This action informs the public of the receipt of an application from Stephen E. Evensen of Murphy, Oregon for conveyance of 20 acres of federal mineral estate from lands administered by the BLM in the Medford District.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3, concerning disposition of the former Bureau of Mines, Twin Cities Research Center Main Campus (Center), Hennepin County, near Minneapolis, Minnesota, and within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), a unit of the National Park System. The EIS will consider a range of alternatives for disposition of the Center and will be part of a planning process that will span three to four years, ending with a record of decision. There has been considerable public interest in the disposition of the Center. Some of the issues identified to date concern preservation and protection of cultural and natural resources, including protection of the groundwater associated with Coldwater Spring, and continued public access to the site. The NPS anticipates starting the public scoping process for the EIS in February 2005. The NPS will prepare a scoping newsletter in the coming months that will identify issues and inform the public of the schedule for the EIS process and dates for upcoming meetings. To receive a copy of the newsletter, telephone or e-mail the NPS at the address listed below. Public scoping will occur through open public meetings and newsletters to State and Federal Agencies; federally recognized Indian Tribes, neighborhood community groups, county commissioners, local organizations, the congressional delegation, local elected officials, and other interested members of the public. All interested persons, organizations, and agencies are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions on issues, concerns and future uses of the Center that should be addressed in the EIS. Public meetings and site visits of the Center will be held throughout the spring and summer of 2005. In addition to attending the upcoming scoping meetings, interested parties may provide comments on this initial phase of developing alternatives for the EIS. Send or e-mail comments to the NPS address listed below.

Notice is given that on February 24, 2005, the Bureau of Land Management's Lewistown Field Office will relocate/move to a new location at 220 Cattail Drive.

The Bureau of Land Management published a document in the Federal Register of August 28, 2003, concerning a Notice of Realty Action for a Direct Sale of Public Lands. The document contained an incorrect legal description.

This notice publishes the Approval of the Tribal-State Compacts between the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Comanche Nation, Miami Tribe and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the State of Oklahoma.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (1972), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pinedale Anticline Working Group (PAWG) Cultural and Historic Task Group (subcommittee) will meet in Pinedale, Wyoming, for a business meeting. Task Group meetings are open to the public.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) management policies, the BLM announces the availability of the ROD/RMPA for Federal fluid minerals leasing and development in Sierra and Otero Counties, New Mexico. The New Mexico State Director has signed the ROD/RMPA, which amends the White Sands RMP.

Robert Becker (Applicant) has applied for an incidental take permit (TE-098535-0) pursuant to Section 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act (Act). The requested permit would authorize incidental take of the endangered Houston toad. The proposed take would occur as a result of the construction and occupation of a single family residence and associated structures on 0.5 acres (0.2 hectare) of a 6.58-acre (2.66 hectare) property located on Barras Road, Bastrop County, Texas.

The Lamont Public Utilities District (Applicant) has applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an incidental take permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Service is considering the issuance of a 50-year permit to the Applicant that would authorize take of the endangered Tipton kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides nitratoides), the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), and the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), a species of special concern, incidental to otherwise lawful activities. Such take would occur during the proposed construction and operation of the Applicant's effluent disposal site expansion on a 160-acre site south of Lamont, Kern County, California. The proposed expansion includes the construction of two ponds, a series of leaching terraces, and access roads. The proposed project would affect suitable habitat for the San Joaquin kit fox and western burrowing owl, and permanently affect about 19 acres of occupied habitat of the Tipton kangaroo rat. We request comments from the public on the permit application and Environmental Assessment, both of which are available for review. The permit application includes the proposed Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan) and an accompanying Implementing Agreement. The Plan describes the proposed action and the measures that the Applicant would undertake to minimize and mitigate take of the covered species.

On May 22, 2001, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) adopted special regulations governing take of the threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei). On October 1, 2002, the Service amended those regulations to provide exemptions for certain activities related to noxious weed control and ongoing ditch maintenance activities. These regulations were set to expire on May 22, 2004. On May 20, 2004, the Service published a final rule to extend these special regulations permanently. However, in spite of this final rule, the special regulations were removed from the CFR. This removal was done in error. With this final rule, we reinstate the regulatory text at Sec. 17.40(l) as it was set forth in the May 20, 2004, final rule.

The purpose of this notice is to inform the public and interested State and local government officials of the filing of Plats of Survey in Nevada.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is contemplating awarding an exclusive license to: Hydrological Services Pty. Ltd. of Warwick Farm, New South Wales 2170, Australia, on U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10/985,065, entitled ``Apparatus for Deploying and Retrieving Water Sampler.'' Inquiries: If other parties are interested in similar activities, or have comments related to the prospective award, please contact Neil Mark, USGS, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 201, Reston, Virginia 20192, voice (703) 648-4344, fax (703) 648-7219, or e-mail nmark@usgs.gov.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will file the plat of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Idaho State Office, Boise, Idaho, 30 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

The following applicants have applied for a scientific research permit to conduct certain activities with endangered species pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (``we'') solicits review and comment from the public, and from local, State and Federal agencies on the following permit request.

This notice is published in accordance with Section 9(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, Public Law 92-463. Notice is hereby given that the Secretary of the Interior has reestablished the Bureau of Land Management's National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Advisory Board. The purpose of the Advisory Board will be to advise the Bureau of Land Management's Vale District Manager regarding policies, programs, and long-range planning for the management, use, and further development of the Interpretive Center; establish a framework for an enhanced partnership and participation between the Bureau and the Oregon Trail Preservation Trust; ensure a financially secure, world-class historical and educational facility, operate through a partnership between the Federal Government and the community, thereby enriching and maximizing visitor's experiences to the region; and improve the coordination of advice and recommendations from the publics served.