Department of the Interior 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Council) will meet to select North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant proposals for recommendation to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (Commission). The meeting is open to the public. The Advisory Group for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) grants program will hold its first meeting. The meeting is open to the public, and interested persons may present oral or written statements.

The Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary is announcing a public meeting of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on the proposed designation of critical habitat for the southern California distinct vertebrate population segment of the mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa), and the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat. The draft economic analysis estimates the potential total future impacts, including costs resulting from modifications to fishing and other types of activities, to range from $11.4 million to $12.9 million (undiscounted) over 20 years. Discounted future costs are estimated to be $7.5 million to $8.9 million over this same time period ($704,000 to $842,000 annually) using a real rate of seven percent, or $9.3 million to $10.8 million ($626,000 to $725,000 annually) using a real rate of three percent. We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the proposed rule and the associated draft economic analysis. Comments previously submitted on the proposed rule need not be resubmitted as they have already been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in our final determination.

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 Pathfinder Energy and Wellstar Corporation for noncompetitive oil and gas lease WYW72460 for land in Johnson 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 public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species.

The public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species and/or marine mammals.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing that the information collection requests for 30 CFR 733, Maintenance of state programs and procedures for substituting federal enforcement of state programs and withdrawing approval of state programs; 30 CFR 785, Requirements for permits for special categories of mining; and 30 CFR 876, Acid mine drainage treatment and abatement program, have been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The information collection requests describe the nature of the information collections and their expected burden and cost.

On November 17, 2005, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, or we) proposed to designate the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears as a distinct population segment (DPS) and to then remove this DPS from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The public comment period for the proposed rule was open from November 17, 2005, until March 20, 2006. Due to a technological error, we did not receive complete information from a small number of interested parties who provided comments during the comment period for the proposed rule. This notice gives instructions for those commenters concerning how to resubmit their comments to us.

The following Water Management Plans are available for review: City of Vacaville. Santa Ynez River Conservation District. Sacramento County Water Agency. Grasslands Water District Refuge. El Dorado Irrigation District. City of Redding. To meet the requirements of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992 (CVPIA) and the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982, the Bureau of Reclamation has developed and published the Criteria for Evaluating Water Management Plans (Criteria). Note: For the purpose of this announcement, Water Management Plans (Plans) are considered the same as Water Conservation Plans. The above districts have developed Plans, which Reclamation has evaluated and preliminarily determined to meet the requirements of these Criteria. Reclamation is publishing this notice in order to allow the public to review the Plans and comment on the preliminary determinations. Public comment on Reclamation's preliminary (i.e., draft) determination is invited at this time.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) intends to file a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the proposed 79 acre fee-to-trust land transfer and casino project in Emmett Township, Calhoun County, Michigan, and that the FEIS is now available to the public. The purpose of the proposed action is to help provide for the economic development of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians (Tribe).

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), give notice that we are reopening the comment period for the proposed rule to revise the regulations for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). We are reopening the public comment period to allow interested parties additional time to comment on the proposed rule. The proposed rule was published and the public comment period initially opened on April 19, 2006 (71 FR 20168). In response to requests, we are reopening the public comment period for an additional 30 days.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have determined that the proposed listing of the flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended, is not warranted and, thus, we withdraw our November 29, 1993, proposed rule (58 FR 62625). As stated in our January 3, 2003, withdrawal of the proposed rule to list the species as threatened (68 FR 331), we have made this determination because threats to the species as identified in the November 29, 1993, proposed rule are not significant, and available data do not indicate that the threats to the species and its habitat, as analyzed under the five listing factors described in section 4(a)(1) of the Act, are likely to endanger the species in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The analyses and conclusions contained in the January 3, 2003, withdrawal (68 FR 331) are incorporated herein by reference subject to the revisions contained in this notice. In this revised withdrawal, we have re-examined the lost historical habitat of the flat-tailed horned lizard in relation to our January 3, 2003, withdrawal of the proposed listing rule and have determined that the lost historical habitat is not a significant portion of the flat-tailed horned lizard's range and does not result in the species likely becoming endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Inalik Native Corporation for lands in the vicinity of Little Diomede Island and Wales, Alaska, and located in:

The mailing address for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Cottonwood Field Office, has changed due to implementation of the 911 system. The new address is: 1 Butte Drive, Cottonwood, ID 83522-5200. The physical and mailing address for the BLM Coeur d'Alene Office will be changing on June 5, 2006. This office will be collocating with the Idaho Panhandle National Forest Supervisor's Office and the new address will be: 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815. All telephone numbers for both offices will remain the same.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Doyon, Limited, for lands in the vicinity of Nikolai, Alaska, and located in:

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Arviq, Incorporated, for lands in the vicinity of Platinum, Alaska, and described as:

Under provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5 CFR part 1320, Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements, the National Park Service invites comments on a proposed new collection of information (1024-xxxx). The OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the requested information collection, but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public comments within 30 days of the date on which this notice is published in the Federal Register. The National Park Service published the 60-day Federal Register notice to solicit comments on this proposed information collection on Friday, September 2, 2005 on pages 52443-52444. The National Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) program (Pub. L. 91-357) is collecting information from volunteers in the form of a survey for the purposes of evaluating the program and its effectiveness.

Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Advisory Commission will be held at 9:30 a.m., on Friday, July 21, 2006, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center, 698 Conservation Way, Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

This policy explains how we will provide visitors with quality hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation opportunities on units of the National Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System). The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (Improvement Act) that amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (Administration Act) defines and establishes that compatible wildlife- dependent recreational uses (hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation) are the priority general public uses of the Refuge System and will receive enhanced and priority consideration in refuge planning and management over other general public uses. This final policy describes how we will facilitate these uses. We are incorporating this policy as Part 605, chapters 1-7, of the Fish and Wildlife Service Manual.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and associated regulations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Resource Development Group Uinta Basin Natural Gas Project proposed by the Resource Development Group (RDG).