Department of the Interior September 14, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

A Call for Information and Nominations was published in the Federal Register on February 9, 2005. The Call area was identical to the program area chosen by the Secretary for leasing consideration in the 5-Year Program for 2002-2007approximately 34 million acres located offshore the coast of Alaska at a distance from shore ranging from 8 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles. Water depths range from 32 feet to 230 feet; a small portion of the northeast corner of the Chukchi Sea area drops to approximately 3,000 feet. Scoping meetings will then be held as needed in appropriate locations. The response to the February 2005 Call for Information for the Chukchi Sea Planning Area indicated a broader industry interest than envisioned in the ``special'' sale process outlined in the Federal Register notice. Instead of nominating a small ``focused'' area, industry commenters proposed consideration of a substantial portion of the planning area. MMS has concluded that consideration of such a large area has merit in light of the significant resource potential and the Administration's goal to expedite exploration of domestic energy resources. However, consideration of such a proposal warrants a more extensive National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review than contemplated under the ``special'' sale process that MMS initially considered. Therefore, MMS will initiate a process to prepare a comprehensive ``areawide'' Chukchi Sea EIS. As a result, however, it may not be possible to complete such an EIS in time to allow a sale during the current program. Nonetheless, MMS will initiate the process at this time to preserve the Secretary's options. Commencement of the consultative process in the near future will allow the Secretary to consider a Chukchi lease sale either at the end of the 2002-2007 Program or early in the schedule for the next 5-Year Program for 2007- 2012, but only if such a proposed sale is adopted in the next 5-year program. The decision whether to include such a sale will be made during the process of developing the 5-Year Program for 2007-2012. Our first action to initiate the NEPA review is to issue this NOI. Scoping meetings will then be held as needed in appropriate locations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is gathering information necessary to prepare Comprehensive Conservation Plans (CCP) and associated environmental documentation for Howland Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Baker Island NWR, and Jarvis Island NWR (refuges, collectively). These refuges are unincorporated insular areas, or U.S. territories, located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,300 to 1,600 miles south to southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, and are administered as units of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Service is publishing this notice in compliance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 668dd et seq.) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and implementing regulations for the following purposes: (1) To advise the public and other agencies of this effort; (2) to obtain public comments, suggestions, and information on the issues to be addressed in the CCP; and (3) to determine interest from public and other agencies in attending public scoping meetings. Special mailings, newspaper articles, and other media announcements will be used to inform the public and foreign, State, and local government agencies of the opportunities for input throughout the planning process.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), published a notice in the Federal Register on August 3, 2005, with an incorrect date for submitting written comments and an incorrect reference to the time period for the scoping meetings. The document advised the public that a draft environmental assessment will be prepared, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, in conjunction with a proposed rule to establish, under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, a Nonessential Experimental Population of Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) in the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River in Texas.