Department of the Interior October 6, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease or conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act approximately 40.1 acres of public land in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. Dona Ana County proposes to use the land for a sports park and related facilities.

The purpose of this action is to continue implementation of the terms of the Helium Privatization Act (HPA) of 1996 dealing with the disposal of the Conservation Helium Reserve. The HPA requires the Department of the Interior (DOI) to offer for sale, beginning no later than 2005, a portion of the Conservation Helium stored underground at the Cliffside Field, north of Amarillo, Texas. The DOI, in consultation with the private helium industry, has determined that private companies, with refining capacity along the crude helium pipeline, will need a supply of helium in excess of that available from their own storage accounts and that available from crude helium extractors in the region. Given the current market, Conservation Helium sold in this sale will cause minimal market disruption. This sale will be conducted in four parts, with one-fourth of the annual sale amount offered each quarter of Fiscal Year 2006.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and determined that two parcels of public land, 5.0 acres and 3.09 acres located in Custer County, Idaho to be suitable for disposal by direct (non-competitive) sale to Wayne and Melodie Baker pursuant to Sections 203 and 209 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, at no less than the appraised fair market value.

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) intends to prepare an EIS for the implementation of the safety modifications for Folsom Dam and Appurtenant Structures (Folsom Safety of Dams Project). Reclamation seeks to improve public safety by modifying Folsom Facilities and its appurtenant structures (Folsom Facilities) to mitigate issues identified in previous and ongoing safety evaluations. Studies are being conducted by Reclamation to identify alternatives (modifications) to address these conditions. Engineering, Economic, and Environmental studies are being conducted to help determine reasonable design alternatives. Information gathered from the EIS process will be used in conjunction with engineering and economic principles to determine preferred alternatives.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered status for the Salt Creek tiger beetle (Cicindela nevadica lincolniana), pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (Act). This species is endemic to the saline wetlands of eastern Nebraska (NE) and associated streams in the northern third of Lancaster County and southern margin of Saunders County. Only three small populations of this subspecies remain, and the known adult population size in 2005 was only 153 individuals. This final rule extends Federal protection and recovery provisions of the Act to the Salt Creek tiger beetle.