Department of the Interior February 27, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given of contractual actions that have been proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and were pending through December 31, 2006, and contract actions that have been completed or discontinued since the last publication of this notice on November 20, 2006. From the date of this publication, future quarterly notices during this calendar year will be limited to new, modified, discontinued, or completed contract actions. This annual notice should be used as a point of reference to identify changes in future notices. This notice is one of a variety of means used to inform the public about proposed contractual actions for capital recovery and management of project resources and facilities consistent with section 9(f) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939. Additional announcements of individual contract actions may be published in the Federal Register and in newspapers of general circulation in the areas determined by Reclamation to be affected by the proposed action.

Under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is issuing public notice of our intent to change an existing Privacy Act system of records notice entitled Interior BIA-25 ``Integrated Records Management System (IRMS),'' published at 45 FR 45381 (July 3, 1980). BIA proposes to: (1) Update the information on the location of the records; (2) identify new information that will be included in the system of records; (3) clearly state the current routine uses of the records by organizations and individuals outside of the Department of the Interior (DOI); and (4) expand the routine uses of such information to include disclosures to Federal, state, or local agencies regarding the reporting of an investigation of an employee. BIA is accomplishing these changes in part by updating its system of records through conversion to the new application, Trust Asset and Accounting Management System (TAAMS), which has replaced the Land Records Information System (LRIS) and will replace the Integrated Records Management System (IRMS).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has filed an application requesting the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw 79.60 acres of public land from surface entry and transfer jurisdiction of the land from the Bureau of Land Management to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 20 years to protect the Eufaula Lake Project. The land, previously withdrawn by Public Land Order (PLO) No. 6622, which expired August 5, 2006, is not subject to the United States mining laws and has been and will remain open to mineral leasing.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will file the plats of survey of the lands described below in the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield, Virginia, 30 calender days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

The National Park Service (NPS) announces that the Denali National Park Subsistence Resource Commission (SRC) will conduct a public meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to develop and continue work on subsistence hunting program recommendations and other related subsistence management issues. The meeting will have time allocated for public testimony. The public is welcomed to present written or oral comments to the SRC. The Denali National Park SRC program is authorized under Title VIII, Section 808, of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Pub. L. 96-487, to operate in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Draft meeting minutes will be available upon request from each Superintendent for public inspection approximately six weeks after each meeting.

Pursuant to Sec. 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended) and the implementing regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1505.2), the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, has prepared, and the Regional Director, Pacific West Region, has approved, the Record of Decision for the new General Management Plan for Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. The 30-day wait period was officially initiated October 13, 2006, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Federal Register notification of the filing of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Decision: As soon as practicable the Reserve will begin to implement as its new General Management Plan the Preferred Alternative (with minor modifications from Alternative B as described in the Draft and Final EIS); this alternative was also deemed to be the ``environmentally preferred'' course of action. The selected plan features an overlay of four management zones on the Reserve: (i) Cultural and Natural Preservation Zone, (ii) Visitor Use and Development Zone, (iii) Administrative Zone, and (iv) Special Use Zonethese zones are identified based on resource condition or character, visitor experience and appropriate types of activities or facilities criteria. The new plan enhances existing programs, natural and cultural resource management, and administrative and maintenance operations. An integrated pest management program will be implemented in concert with Reserve landowners and other partners. Visitor services within the Reserve are improved, and information kiosks would be installed along State Route 20 in the Smith Prairie area and at a northern gateway location, and at the Keystone and/or Port Townsend ferry landings. The Trust Board shall continue to be responsible for setting the policies and general actions for the Reserve consistent with the Reserve's enabling legislation, GMP, and relevant NPS policies and guidelines. This includes continuing the NPS's annual appraisal of Reserve management and operations under the enabling legislation. The Trust Board would continue to oversee management and protection of lands (including fee and easements) purchased with federal money, administer programs and technical support, participate in local land use review processes, and advocate for and support the Reserve. The Reserve Manager continues to be employed by and report directly to the Trust Board (in turn, the Trust Board will conduct annual operations and staff performance reviews and submit these to the Deputy Regional Director, Pacific West). Based upon public comments and refinements desired by the planning team collaborative, the selected plan includes several modifications from the Preferred Alternative as detailed in the Final EIS, including but not limited to: the GMP will incorporate certain historic preservation and land use protection measures which were adopted by Island County after the EIS process was begun; the development of a marine science center by nonprofits will be encouraged; proposed Reserve staff additions over the next 20 years are reduced to five. Also, since release of the draft GMP, Bell Farm was removed from the proposed boundary modification at the owner's request. The proposed plan and three alternatives were identified and analyzed in the Final EIS, and previously in the Draft EIS (the latter was distributed in August 2005). A broad spectrum of foreseeable environmental consequences was assessed, and appropriate mitigation measures identified, for each alternative. Beginning with early scoping, through the preparation of the Draft and Final EIS, a series of public meetings and open-houses was conducted locally. Overall approximately 40 written scoping comments and 250 written or electronic Draft EIS review comments were received (as noted above, the latter served as the source of several minor adjustments to the final selected plan). Key consultations or other contacts that aided in preparing the EIS involved (but were not limited to) Island County and Town of Coupeville officials, Ebey's Landing Trust Board, Washington State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, tribal governments, and adjoining land managing agencies. Local community groups and neighbors, farmers and local business owners, and interested organizations were contacted extensively during initial scoping and throughout the GMP planning process. Copies: Interested parties desiring to review the Record of Decision may obtain a complete copy by contacting the Reserve Manager, Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, P.O. Box 774, Coupeville, Washington 98239 as well as via telephone request at (360) 678-6084.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing its intention to request renewed approval for the collection of information on 30 CFR Part 784, Underground Mining Permit ApplicationsMinimum Requirements for Reclamation and Operation Plans.