Department of the Interior November 28, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), CEQ NEPA Regulations (40 CFR 1502.9[c][1]), and Public Resources Code, sections 21000-21177 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15088.5 of the CEQA Guidelines, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the lead Federal agency; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), a cooperating Federal agency; the Reclamation Board of the State of California, the lead State agency; and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA), the local sponsor, have made available for public review and comment a Draft EIS/ EIR for the Folsom DS/FDR Action. The Folsom DS/FDR Draft EIS/EIR describes five action alternatives which include numerous features that address previously identified and ongoing dam safety, flood damage reduction, and security issues by modifying Folsom Dam and Appurtenant Structures (the Folsom Facility). The alternatives include features that would address Reclamation's dam safety objectives and the Corps' flood damage reduction objectives jointly, as well as features or increments that would exclusively address dam safety, security, or flood damage reduction objectives and would be constructed and authorized by the respective agencies. Engineering, economic, and environmental studies have been conducted to help determine reasonable design alternatives and their impacts. The no action alternative is also included in these analyses. As part of the NEPA process, two public hearing sessions will be held to provide interested individuals and organizations with an opportunity to comment verbally and in writing on the Folsom DS/FDR Draft EIS/EIR. The first hour of each public hearing session will allow time to review information stations and displays, ask questions, and provide written comments on comment forms; the formal hearing will be held for one hour and be extended to two hours if needed. Information gathered from the EIS/EIR review process will be used in conjunction with technical and economic principles to determine the preferred alternative.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) as joint Lead Agencies, with the Crow Tribe of Indians, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as Cooperating Agencies, intend to gather information necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Extension of the Absaloka Coal Mine on the Crow Indian Reservation, Montana. The proposed BIA action, taken under the Indian Mineral Development Act, is the approval of a coal lease by the Crow Tribe to Westmoreland Resources Inc. (WRI) and associated approval of allotted Indian and Crow tribal surface estate use agreements. In addition, the OSMRE will use this EIS to support a decision on the application for a surface mining permit to be filed by WRI involving the same acreage, commonly known as the Absaloka Mine ``South Extension;'' the MDEQ will use it in considering approval of permit revisions to facilitate mining of coal adjacent to the South Extension that is presently under the Absaloka Mine, which MDEQ administers; and the EPA may use the EIS in considering issuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for any point source water discharges on the Reservation. The purpose of this project is to extend the operating life of the Absaloka Mine and continue to provide an economic base for the Crow Tribe, while providing an energy source for the generation of electricity at distant power plants. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting to identify potential issues and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.

This notice provides the name of individuals who have been appointed to serve as members of the Department of the Interior Performance Review Board.

Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Pit 14 Coal Lease By Application (LBA) FEIS. The tract is being considered for sale as a result of coal lease application received from Black Butte Coal Company (BBCC) operating the adjacent mine in southwestern Wyoming.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is announcing an opportunity for producers to participate in a production data workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to gather comments and input from a variety of stakeholders and the public. Information about the workshop, registration, and the agenda is available on our Web site at https:// www.mrm.mms.gov/ReportingServices/ETFormProd.htm.

This notice informs the public that the Southcentral Alaska Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council will hold a public meeting on December 8, 2006, at 3601 C Street, Suite 1030, Anchorage, Alaska. The public is invited to participate and to provide oral testimony.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to revise currently designated critical habitat for the tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We originally designated critical habitat for the tidewater goby on November 20, 2000 (65 FR 69693). We are proposing to revise the critical habitat for the tidewater goby to a total of approximately 10,003 acres (ac) (4,050 hectares (ha)). This is an increase of approximately 8,422 ac (3,408 ha) from the currently designated critical habitat. In the previous rule, critical habitat was only designated in Orange and San Diego Counties due to uncertainty over the future listing status of tidewater goby populations to the north. The proposed revised critical habitat is located in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties, California.