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

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

In accordance with Title IV of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act (Pub. L. 97-451), Whiting Petroleum Corporation timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease UTU79795 for lands in San Juan County, Utah, and it was accompanied by all required rentals and royalties accruing from October 1, 2006, the date of termination.

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 John P. Strang for noncompetitive oil and gas lease WYW146511 for land 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.

We are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania regulatory program (the ``Pennsylvania program'') under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Pennsylvania proposes to revise its program to exclude coal extraction on government-financed construction projects from regulation under the surface coal mining regulations. The proposed amendment is intended to revise the Pennsylvania program to be consistent with the corresponding Federal regulations and to include provisions at its own initiative. This document gives the times and locations that the Pennsylvania program and this amendment are available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are approving an amendment to the Texas abandoned mine land reclamation plan (Texas plan) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). The Railroad Commission of Texas (RCT or Commission) proposed to assume responsibility of the abandoned mine land reclamation (AML) emergency program in Texas. The Commission also proposed to revise the Texas plan by updating portions to reflect its current practices and by removing references to its old regulations (Texas Coal Mining Regulations (TCMR)) and replacing them with references to its recodified regulations (16 Texas Administrative Code (TAC)).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces that the draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Souris River Basin National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges) is available. This draft CCP/EA describes how the Service intends to manage these Refuges for the next 15 years. We request public comment.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, as lead agencies, announce the fnal Bison and Elk Management Plan (Plan) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park/John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway (Grand Teton National Park) is available. The final Plan/EIS was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 668dd, et. seq.); the National Park Service Management Policies of 2006; and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The final Plan/EIS was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); and the State of Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). The final Plan/EIS describes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's and the National Park Service's proposal for management of the Jackson bison and elk populations within their respective jurisdictions for 15 years, beginning at the issuance of a Record of Decision (ROD) on the final Plan/EIS. The effects of six alternatives for the management of bison and elk populations for the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park are disclosed in the final Plan/ EIS.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Land Management proposes to extend the duration of Public Land Order (PLO) No. 3708, as modified by PLO No. 6709, for an additional 20-year period. This order withdrew approximately 8,500 acres of public land from settlement, sale, location, or entry under the general land laws, including the United States mining laws, to protect the Gilmore Satellite Tracking Station. This notice also gives an opportunity to comment on the proposed action.

This notice announces two public meetings of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Citizen Advisory Commission. Notice of these meetings is required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2).