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

The surface owner of the land described in this notice, aggregating approximately 1.5 acres, has filed an application for the purchase of the federally-owned mineral interests. Publication of this notice temporarily segregates the mineral interest from appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws.

The following public lands in Mohave County, Arizona, have been examined by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and found suitable for classification for lease or conveyance to Mohave Community College under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended, 43 U.S.C. 869 et seq., and under Sec. 7 of the Taylor Grazing Act, 43 U.S.C. 315(f), and Executive Order No. 6910.

The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). Primary objectives of the meeting will include discussion of the following topics: Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) budget, channel rehabilitation progress and planning, TRRP science program, Klamath and Trinity river conditions, TRRP decision-making process, TAMWG-TMC communications, and experience with restoration efforts elsewhere. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. The meeting is open to the public.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease and subsequent conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP), as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.), approximately 55.20 acres of public land in San Bernardino County, California. The Needles Unified School District proposes to use the land for a K-8 public school facility to include an elementary school, administrative offices, classrooms, head start program, daycare facility, a cafeteria, playgrounds, athletic fields, ancillary facilities and parking areas. The site has been designed to accommodate a high school within the proposed project boundary for future community needs.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) proposes to revise its filming regulations to implement legislation that directs establishment of reasonable fees for commercial filming activities or similar projects, such as still photography, and to respond to applicants for commercial filming or still photography permits in a timely manner.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended, approximately 0.9 acre of public land in Granite County, Montana. The Valley Fire District, Philipsburg, Montana, proposes to use the land as a fire station.

A 40-acre parcel of public land in Archuleta County, Colorado, is being considered for direct sale to Archuleta County under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) at no less than the appraised fair market value.

Two parcels of public land totaling 118.82 acres in Mohave County, Arizona are being considered for competitive sale under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), at no less than the appraised fair market value.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act (Steens Act) of 2000, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze potential effects of implementing the North Steens Ecosystem Restoration Project (North Steens Project). The proposed project area lies within the Andrews Management Unit (AMU) and the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA), designated October 30, 2000 by Act of Congress. The North Steens Project is located in Harney County, Oregon, and affects approximately 336,000 acres of public and private lands.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet on September 6, 2007, in Phoenix, Arizona, at the BLM National Training Center located at 9828 North 31st Avenue in Phoenix from 8 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. Morning agenda items include: Review of the June 8, 2007, meeting minutes for RAC and Recreation Resource Advisory Council (RRAC) business; BLM State Director's update on statewide issues; presentations on: the BLM wilderness program in Arizona, how recreation benefits communities, and Arizona water rights; RAC questions on BLM Field Managers Rangeland Resource Team proposals; and, reports by RAC working groups. A public comment period will be provided at 11:30 a.m. on September 6, 2007, for any interested publics who wish to address the Council on BLM programs and business. Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the RAC has been designated the RRAC, and has the authority to review all BLM and Forest Service (FS) recreation fee proposals in Arizona. The afternoon meeting agenda on September 6 will include discussion and review of the Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) Working Group Report, the Fiscal Year 2008 (Tentative) quarterly schedule for BLM and FS recreation fee proposals, and one FS fee proposal in Arizona: (1) Upper Salt River Canyon Wilderness Private River Permit System(Tonto National Forest). The Forest Service is considering a change for the Private Permit Fees for running the Upper Salt River through the Salt River Canyon Wilderness from March 1 to May 15 each year. The application fee of $10 will remain the same. The permit fee is proposed from the current $75 to a fee of $125. The purpose of the proposed fee increase is to help better cover the cost of managing the river program for the Upper Salt River Canyon Wilderness. The proposed fees are in line with those charged by other Forest Service and Federal Government agencies for similar river permits in the western United States. Following the FS proposals, the RRAC will open the meeting to public comments on the fee proposal. After completing their RRAC business, the BLM RAC will reconvene to provide recommendations to the RAC Designated Federal Official on the fee proposal and discuss future RAC meetings and locations.

Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a General Management Plan (GMP) amendment for Petrified Forest National Park. The park is currently managed under a GMP that was completed in 1993. This plan describes a proposed boundary expansion for the park of approximately 93,000 acres. However, the 1993 GMP does not prescribe management for the proposed expansion lands. The GMP was revised in 2004 to address specific aspects of the park's management; this GMP Revision also does not address management activities for proposed expansion lands. Public Law 108-430 was passed by congress and signed by the President in December 2004. This Act expanded Petrified Forest National Park boundaries by approximately 125,000 acres, and directed the NPS to prepare a management plan for the new park lands within three years. Planning for the new lands is the focus of this GMP amendment and its associated EIS. The GMP amendment will establish the overall direction for park expansion lands, setting broad management goals for the area for the next 15 to 20 years. Among the topics that will be addressed are protection of natural and cultural resources, protection of riparian resources, appropriate range of visitor uses, impacts of visitor uses, adequacy of park infrastructure, visitor access to the park expansion area, education and interpretive efforts, and external pressures on the park. Management zones that were established in the current GMP will be applied to expansion lands. These zones outline the kinds of resource management activities, visitor activities, and developments that would be appropriate in the expansion lands. A range of reasonable alternatives for managing the park, including a no-action alternative and a preferred alternative, will be developed through the planning process and included in the EIS. The EIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the alternatives. As the first phase of the planning and EIS process, the National Park Service is beginning to scope the issues to be addressed in the GMP amendment. All interested persons, organizations, and agencies are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions regarding the issues or concerns the GMP amendment should address, including a suitable range of alternatives and appropriate mitigating measures, and the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on our review of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis) to determine if candidate status is warranted. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), requires that we identify species of wildlife and plants that are endangered or threatened, based on the best available scientific and commercial information. Through the Federal rulemaking process, we add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife at 50 CFR 17.11 or the List of Endangered or Threatened Plants at 50 CFR 17.12. As part of this program, we maintain a list of species that we regard as candidates for listing. A candidate is one for which we have on file sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threats to support a proposal to list as endangered or threatened but for which preparation and publication of a proposal is precluded by higher-priority listing actions. During or prior to April of 2008, we will make a determination concerning the results of the status review for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout and, shortly thereafter, we will publish this determination in the Federal Register. Comments previously submitted on the status of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout need not be resubmitted as they have been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in preparation of the final revised status review.

This notice advises the public that the City of Greeley (Applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an incidental take permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended. The proposed permit would authorize the incidental take of Preble's meadow jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonius preblei (Preble's), federally-listed as threatened, through loss and modification of its habitat, periodically used for foraging, breeding and/or hibernation, associated with construction and installation of a toe drain around the base of the perimeter of two raw water storage ponds located at the City of Greeley's Bellvue Filter Plant in Larimer County, Colorado. The duration of the permit would be 10 years from the date of issuance. We announce the receipt of the Applicant's incidental take permit application, which includes a Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan (LEHCP) for Preble's at the Bellvue Filter Plant site. The LEHCP fully describes the project and the measures the Applicant would undertake to minimize and mitigate project impacts to Preble's. A bald eagle nest also exists near the project area. In the LEHCP, the Applicant proposes to avoid all adverse impacts to the bald eagle through restrictions on the timing of the project, and thus does not seek coverage under the permit for the eagle. The Service plans to process the application under a categorical exclusion from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 in accordance with our Habitat Conservation Planning and Incidental Take Permit Processing Handbook (November 1996). We request comments on the permit application, including the LEHCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are implementing the Captive Wildlife Safety Act (CWSA) in a new subpart K of part 14, Importation, Exportation, and Transportation of Wildlife, in Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The CWSA amends the Lacey Act by making it illegal to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase, in interstate or foreign commerce, live lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, clouded leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, or cougars, or any hybrid combination of any of these species, unless certain exceptions are met.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to prepare an environmental document for the purpose of evaluating options for management of natural resources within the Newlands Project. The purpose of the action is to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the lands managed in association with the Newlands Project. The RMP will be used to foster proper stewardship of public lands. The goal of Reclamation's RMP is to create a balance of resource development, recreation, and protection of natural and cultural resources for the lands and waters being managed. The plan will outline Reclamation management actions that will be implemented over a 10-year planning span.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are proposing to reduce the number of copies of a permit application package that a person must submit. The proposed revisions would conform our regulations to those of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations implementing the Paperwork Reduction Act.

This notice advises the public that the National Audubon Society, Inc., doing business in California as Audubon California (Applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an enhancement of survival permit pursuant to Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The permit application includes a proposed Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement) between the Applicant and the Service for the threatened valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB) (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus) and/or the giant garter snake (GGS) (Thamnopsis gigas). The Agreement and permit application are available for public comment.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intend to prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment (CCP/EA) for the Protection Island and San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges). The Refuges are located in Island, Jefferson, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties, Washington. The San Juan Islands Refuge includes the San Juan Islands Wilderness Area. We are furnishing this notice to advise other agencies and the public of our intentions, and to obtain public comments, suggestions, and information on the scope of issues to be considered during the CCP and National Environmental Policy Act planning process.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) gives notice of revised policies and procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended, Executive Order (E.O.) 11514, as amended, E.O. 12114, and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA. These final implementing procedures are being issued as Chapter 11 of the Department of the Interior's Departmental Manual Part 516 (516 DM 11) and supersedes previous implementation guidance. These revisions update the procedures used to implement NEPA for actions taken in managing public lands. The BLM's NEPA compliance procedures can be found at the Department of the Interior (DOI) Electronic Library of Interior Policies (ELIPS) https:// elips.doi.gov. The following sections in 516 DM 11 (dated 5/27/04) are affected by this Federal Register notice: Purpose (11.1); NEPA Responsibilities (11.2); External Applicant's Guidance (11.3); General Requirements (11.4), Parts A-G; Plan Conformance (11.5); Existing Documentation (11.6), Parts A-E; Actions Requiring an Environmental Assessment (11.7), Parts A-E; and Actions Eligible for Categorical Exclusions (11.9), categories B-D and G-J. New sub-parts have been added to the Oil, Gas and Geothermal Energy (B), Forestry (C), and Rangeland Management (D) categories. Two new categories have been added: Recreation Management (H) and Emergency Stabilization (I). Transportation category sub-parts G(1), (2), and (3) have been expanded to include trails.

This notice of consultation announces three consultation meetings and a facilitated dialogue session (recommended by the Review Committee) that will be held to obtain additional oral and written recommendations on regulations to be drafted regarding the disposition of unclaimed Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony that are excavated or discovered on Federal or tribal lands after November 16, 1990. Previous consultation meetings were held November, 2005, and April, 2007.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. We changed the title of this ICR. The previous title of this ICR was ``30 CFR 243Suspensions Pending Appeal and BondingMinerals Revenue Management (Forms MMS-4435, Administrative Appeal Bond; MMS- 4436, Letter of Credit; and MMS-4437, Assignment of Certificate of Deposit).'' The new title of this ICR is ``30 CFR 243Suspensions Pending Appeal and Bonding.'' Forms associated with this collection are Forms MMS-4435, Administrative Appeal Bond; MMS-4436, Letter of Credit; and MMS-4437, Assignment of Certificate of Deposit.

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

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 (FLREA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Coeur d'Alene District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) and Recreation RAC Subcommittee will meet as indicated below.

This order extends the withdrawal created by Public Land Order No. 6652 for an additional 20-year period. This extension is necessary to continue protection of the Petersburg Administrative Site in Siskiyou County.