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

The Secretary's approved 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2002-2007 provides for two sales, Sales 191 and 199, to be held in the Cook Inlet planning area. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that covered both sales was prepared. The RFI and a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for Sales 191 and 199 was published in the Federal Register on December 31, 2001, at 66 FR 67543. The Cook Inlet final EIS for Sales 191 and 199 was released in November 2003 (OCS EIS/EA, MMS 2003-055). The first sale, Sale 191, was held on May 19, 2004; however, the sale received no bids. The RFI/NOI for Sale 199 was published in the Federal Register on December 27, 2004, at 69 FR 77265, with a proposed date of sale in May 2006. Since neither comments nor interest were received from the oil and gas industry, the MMS decided to delay the sale until May 2007. The MMS is now asking if industry or others have interest in holding Cook Inlet Sale 199 in May 2007. If bona fide interest from companies is received, we will proceed with the planning for the sale. If no interest is shown, Sale 199 will not be held. Comment Period: Comments on the RFI must be received no later than 30 days following publication of this document in the Federal Register. If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of the following methods: You may mail comments to the Alaska OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503, in envelopes labeled ``Attn: Comments on Request for Information for Cook Inlet Sale 199.'' You may also comment via e-mail to akrfi@mms.gov. Please submit Internet comments as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please also include ``Attn: Comments on Request for Information for Cook Inlet Sale 199'' and your name and return address in your Internet message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your Internet message, contact us via e-mail to: akwebmaster@mms.gov. You may fax your comments to MMS at (907) 334-5242. Finally, you may hand-deliver comments weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to the Alaska OCS Region, Minerals Management Service, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503.

This notice publishes the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians' Liquor Control Ordinance. The Ordinance regulates and controls the possession, sale and consumption of liquor within the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians' Reservation. The Reservation is located on trust land and this Ordinance allows for the possession and sale of alcoholic beverages within the exterior boundaries of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians' Reservation. This Ordinance will increase the ability of the tribal government to control the community's liquor distribution and possession, and at the same time will provide an important source of revenue for the continued operation and strengthening of the tribal government and the delivery of tribal services.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we, our) announces that the draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is available for review. The Service prepared this CCP/EA in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd, et seq.).

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.

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 from Wold Oil Properties, Inc. of competitive oil and gas lease WYW144595 for lands in Fremont 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.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arcata Field Office will establish temporary restrictions pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 43, Subpart 8364.1 to effectively implement interim management guidelines for certain BLM- administered public lands hereafter referred to as ``Ma-le'l Dunes'', located in Township 6 North, Range 1 West, portions of Sections 26, 27, 34, and 35, Humboldt County, California. Ma-le'l Dunes consists of approximately 150 acres and is located along the coastline nearly two miles west of Arcata, CA. These restrictions are needed on a temporary basis until a Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment, beginning in 2008, is completed for the area. The area is now open to dispersed recreation uses with an emphasis placed on accommodating pedestrian and equestrian access to the coastline. The temporary restrictions are as follows: The parking/picnic area will be closed to vehicles from one hour after sunset to sunrise; Equestrian use will be allowed on designated trails and the waveslope; Pedestrian use will be allowed on designated trails, open sandy areas, and the waveslope; Dogs must be leashed in the developed recreation site (parking/ picnic area); otherwise dogs will be allowed off-leash consistent with the Humboldt County ordinance; Group camping will be allowed on a case by case basis under Special Recreation Permit guidelines. Criteria for determining permit issuance include: (1) Size of group, (2) number of permits per month, (3) purpose of event (does it benefit the overall community in some way). Additional criteria may be developed as an adaptive management measure; Vegetative gathering for personal use will be allowed from May to November along designated trails. Off-trail gathering will require a permit during this same time period; Fires will be allowed in designated sites (fire rings) only; The area will be open to day use, from sunrise to one hour after sunset. Overnight camping will not be allowed except by permit. Employees, agents and permitees of the BLM may be exempt from these restrictions for administrative and emergency purposes only. Penalties include a fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or imprisonment not to exceed 12 months. These restrictions are necessary to (1) Protect aquatic and terrestrial species from the effects of unregulated impacts, (2) ensure public safety, (3) reduce the potential for wildfires in this wildland urban interface, and (4) minimize inadvertent trespass onto adjoining private property. They will remain in effect until a formal planning process, with full public participation, is completed.

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 40 Code of Federal Regulations 1500-1508 Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, and 43 Code of Federal Regulations 3809, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) Battle Mountain Field Office will be directing the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze proposed pit and process facility expansions and development of a new open-pit gold mine and associated facilities, in Lander and Eureka counties, Nevada. The EIS will be prepared by a third-party contractor directed by the BLM and funded by the proponent, Cortez Gold Mines. The project will involve public and private lands in Lander and Eureka counties, Nevada. The BLM invites comments and suggestions on the scope of the analysis.

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 COC62571 from Red Willow Production Company for lands in Jackson County, Colorado. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the final recovery plan for six Mobile Basin aquatic snails. The six snails included in the recovery plan are: the endangered cylindrical lioplax (Lioplax cyclostomaformis), flat pebblesnail (Lepyriam showalteri), and plicate rocksnail (Leptoxis ampla); and the threatened painted rocksnail (Leptoxis taeniata), round rocksnail (Leptoxis ampla), and lacy elimia (Elimia crenatella). All are endemic to the Mobile River Basin (Basin) where they inhabit shoals, rapids and riffles of large streams and rivers above the Fall Line. All six species have disappeared from more than 90 percent of their historic ranges as a result of impoundment, channelization, mining, dredging, and pollution from point and non-point sources. The final recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives and criteria to be met in order to reclassify (downlist) the cylindrical lioplax, flat pebblesnail, and plicate rocksnail to threatened species and for the eventual delisting of all six species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is publishing in the Federal Register the priority list of wildlife and sport fish conservation projects submitted by the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA) for funding under the Multistate Conservation Grant Program. This notice is required by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106- 408). FY 2006 grants may be awarded from this priority list.

BNI Coal Company's Coal Lease Application NDM 95104 for certain coal resources within the Fort Union Coal Region. The land included in Coal Lease Application NDM 95104 is located in Oliver County, North Dakota, and is described as follows:

The National Park Service (NPS) is proposing to update the policies that guide the management of the National Park System. Original notice of availability of the draft updated ``Management Policies'' was published in the Federal Register on October 19, 2005 [70 FR 60852, October 19, 2005]. That notice stated that comments would be accepted through January 19, 2006. This notice extends the comment period an additional 30 days, through February 18, 2006.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northeast California Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Texas regulatory program (Texas program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Texas proposes revisions to and additions of regulations and statutes regarding the State's annual fees that are required from coal mining permit holders. In addition to the current annual fee, Texas proposes to add two new annual fees. Texas intends to revise its program to reduce the economic cost to the coal mining industry as a whole and to require coal mining permit holders that have ceased mining to pay annual fees. This document gives the times and locations that the Texas program and proposed amendment to that program are available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.

We are approving a proposed amendment to the Alaska regulatory program (the ``Alaska program'') under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Alaska proposed revisions to and additions of rules about the description of geology; probable hydrologic consequences; application requirements for underground mining; requirements for a subsidence control plan; bonding; replacement of water supplies; design requirements for other treatment facilities; design requirements for impoundments; discharges into underground mines; performance standards for disposal of excess spoil or coal mine waste; inspections of excess spoil, underground development waste, or coal processing waste disposal areas; performance standards for mining operations that have thin or thick overburden; sealing requirements for auger holes; as-built plans of underground workings; damage to protected structures caused by subsidence from underground mining; inspections of abandoned sites; administrative procedures and provisions for civil penalties; definitions and provisions governing coal extraction incidental to the extraction of other minerals; exemption from provisions governing coal exploration and surface coal mining and reclamation operations for removal of coal incidental to the extraction of other minerals if the coal is 16\2/3\ percent or less of the total tonnage of minerals removed; definitions; prime farmlands; western alkaline mine initiative; designs, inspections, and certifications by registered professional engineers or other qualified professional specialist experienced or trained in the construction of impoundments and primary roads; coal exploration; reference to ``Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater'; requirements concerning topsoil; requirements for surface and ground water monitoring; placement of coal mine waste disposal in excess spoil fills; policy statements; small operator assistance program; blasting; cumulative hydrologic impact assessment; fish and wildlife and the protection and enhancement plan; design and construction requirements for the temporary and permanent diversion of miscellaneous flows; design and construction requirements for both temporary and permanent stream channel diversions; the design and construction requirements for the spillways; drainage control for valley fills and coal waste dams and embankments; petitions for designating lands unsuitable for mining; and roads and low-water crossings. Alaska revised its program to be consistent with the corresponding Federal regulations, clarify ambiguities and improve operational efficiency.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c)) and the regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR Part 1505.2), the Department of the Interior, National Park Service has prepared and approved a Record of Decision for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final SEIS) for Elwha River ecosystem restoration at Olympic National Park. The Final SEIS supplements the 1996 implementation EIS, and will serve as a blueprint in guiding implementation of the Elwhat River ecosystem restoration initiative as called for in the 1992 Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act. The Environmental Protection Agency's Federal Register published notification of the filing of the Final EIS on September 2, 2005. Decision: As soon as practical Olympic National Park will begin to implement the restoration strategies, mitigations, and projects identified and analyzed as the Preferred Alternative contained in the Final SEIS. This course of action and alternative options were addressed in the Final and Draft SEIS (the availability of the latter for public review was announced in the Federal Register on November 16, 2004). The full range of foreseeable environmental consequences were assessed, and appropriate mitigation measures identified. Both a No Action alternative and ``environmentally preferred'' options were identified and analyzed. Copies: Interested parties desiring to review the Record of Decision may obtain a copy by contacting the Superintendent, Olympic National Park, 600 East Park Ave., Port Angeles, WA 98362; or via telephone request at (360) 565-3000.

This notice announces a schedule of upcoming meetings for the Wekiva River System Advisory Management Committee.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the draft general management plan and environmental impact statement (GMP/EIS) for Pea Ridge National Military Park (Park).

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 251, ``Geological and Geophysical (G&G) Explorations of the Outer Continental Shelf.''

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Seminoe Road Gas Development Project DEIS that analyzes the environmental consequences of a proposed coalbed natural gas development and production operation in south central Wyoming.

We (Fish and Wildlife Service, Service) have sent a request to OMB to renew approval for our information collection associated with the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) grants program. The current OMB control number for this information collection is 1018- 0113, which expires November 30, 2005. We have requested that OMB renew approval of this information collection for a 3-year term.

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) Boise District Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet as indicated below.