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

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 (R&PP) Act, as amended, approximately 10 acres of public land in Clark County, Nevada. Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh, Inc. proposes to use the land for a church and fellowship hall.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce that the California Department of Water Resources San Joaquin Field Division (Applicant) has applied for an incidental take permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are considering the issuance of a 30-year permit to the Applicant that would authorize take of 20 species incidental to the Applicant's proposed operation and maintenance activities on sections of the California Aqueduct and Coastal Branch Phase 1 canal, as well as seven pumping plants and two Operations and Maintenance centers within the San Joaquin Field Divisions jurisdiction in Kern and Kings County, California. These activities within the 11,816-acre project area would result in the loss of up to 360 acres of permanent habitat loss to covered species habitat and 935 acres of temporary impacts to covered species habitat. We request comments from the public on the permit application and an Environmental Assessment. The permit application includes the proposed Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan) and an accompanying Implementing Agreement. The Plan describes the proposed project and the measures that the Applicant would undertake to minimize and mitigate take of the covered species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Jollyville Plateau salamander (Eurycea tonkawae) as endangered and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Jollyville Plateau salamander as threatened or endangered is warranted. Currently, however, listing of the Jollyville Plateau salamander is precluded by higher priority actions to amend the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. Upon publication of this 12-month petition finding, we will add Jollyville Plateau salamander to our candidate species list. We will develop a proposed rule to list this species as our priorities allow. We will make any determination on critical habitat during development of the proposed listing rule.

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

Notice is hereby given that the boundary of Big Thicket National Preserve is modified to include two tracts of land adjacent to the park. This revision is made to include privately owned property that the landowners wish to donate to the United States. The National Park Service has determined that these boundary revisions will make significant contributions to the purpose for which the park was created and will allow the National Park Service complete managerial and law enforcement jurisdiction over these tracts once acquired.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee will conduct a meeting via teleconference on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 to provide comments on the proposed rule regarding the disposition of culturally unidentifiable human remains [43 CFR 10.11].

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 282, Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the Recovery Plan for Hackelia venusta (Showy Stickseed).

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), as amended, the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the General Management Plan (GMP) for the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (NHS) in Kinderhook, New York. This effort will result in a comprehensive general management plan that encompasses preservation of natural and cultural resources, visitor use and interpretation, park carrying capacity and any necessary facilities. The planning area includes Martin Van Buren's home from 1839-62, Lindenwald, various out buildings and roads and the 39 acres that comprise the entire National Historic Site established by Congress in 1974. Attention will also be given to resources outside the boundaries that may affect the integrity of the site. The GMP/EIS will be prepared by planners in the NPS Northeast Region and park staff with assistance from advisors and consultants, and will propose a long-term approach to managing the Martin Van Buren NHS. Consistent with the site's mission, NPS policy, and other laws and regulations, alternatives will be developed to guide the management of the Martin Van Buren NHS over the next 15 to 20 years. The GMP/EIS will address a range of management alternatives for natural and cultural resource protection, visitor use and interpretation, park carrying capacity, facilities development and operations. A `no-action' alternative will also be considered and an agency preferred management alternative selected. The EIS will assess the impacts of the alternatives presented in the GMP. Meeting Notices: Public scoping meetings will be scheduled and consist of a discussion of the GMP/EIS process including ways that the public can be involved in providing and receiving information, and reviewing and commenting upon the draft GMP/EIS. The purpose of the meetings will be to solicit public input prior to formally undertaking the GMP/EIS. The place and time of public scoping meetings will be announced by the National Park Service (NPS) and noticed in local newspapers serving the area. Scoping and other periodic public meeting notices and information regarding the GMP/EIS will also be placed on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site at https://parkplanning.gov for continuing public review and comment.

The following permits were issued.

Pursuant to National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Elk and Vegetation Management Plan, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. This Final Plan analyzes five alternatives, including a no action alternative, to manage elk and vegetation within the Park. Alternative 3, the preferred alternative, would use a variety of conservation tools including fencing, redistribution of elk, vegetation restoration and lethal reduction of elk (culling). The number of elk removed would vary each year based on annual population surveys and hunter success outside the park.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to amend its right-of-way regulations to update the linear right-of-way rent schedule in 43 CFR parts 2800 and 2880. The rent schedule covers most linear rights-of-way granted under Title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), and Section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended (MLA). Those laws require the holder of a right-of-way grant to pay annually, in advance, the fair market value to occupy, use, or traverse public lands for facilities such as power lines, fiber optic lines, pipelines, roads, and ditches. Section 367 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (the Act) directs the Secretary of the Interior to update the per acre rent schedule found in 43 CFR 2806.20. The Act requires that the BLM revise the per acre rental fee zone value schedule by state, county, and type of linear right-of-way use to reflect current land values in each zone. The Act also requires the Secretary of Agriculture (Forest Service) to make the same revisions for rights-of-way on National Forest System (NFS) lands.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on the proposed designation of critical habitat for Helianthus paradoxus (Pecos sunflower) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also announce a revision to proposed critical habitat Unit 4 and clarification of Unit 5, the availability of a draft economic analysis and draft environmental assessment, and an amended required determinations section of the proposal. The draft economic analysis estimates costs associated with conservation activities for H. paradoxus to be approximately $3.9 to $4.4 million in undiscounted dollars over the next 20 years ($193,000 to $221,000 annualized). We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties to comment simultaneously on the proposed rule, our revisions to the proposed rule, the associated draft economic analysis and environmental assessment, and the amended required determinations section. You do not have to resend comments sent earlier. We will incorporate them into the public record as part of this comment period, and we will fully consider them when preparing our final determination.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) published final regulations on September 13, 2004 (69 FR 55076), codified at 30 CFR 204.200-215, to provide accounting and auditing relief for marginal Federal oil and gas properties. The rule requires MMS to publish in the Federal Register the decisions of the states concerned to allow or not to allow one or both forms of relief in their state. As required in the rule, MMS provided states receiving a portion of the Federal royalties with a list of qualifying marginal Federal oil and gas properties located in their state so that each affected state could decide whether to participate in one or both relief options. This notice provides the decisions by the states concerned to allow one or both types of relief.

This notice publishes the Approval of the TribalState Compact between the State of Montana and the Fort Belknap Tribe.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces that the final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Souris River basin national wildlife refuges (Refuges) is available. This final CCP/EA describes how the Service intends to manage the refuges for the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have finalized permit conditions to allow the use of raptors protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for abatement activities. We will authorize the use of these raptors for this purpose under our Special Purpose permits. Allowing the use of captive-bred raptors to conduct abatement activities is consistent with ensuring the long-term conservation of these species and will serve a public need.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Eastern San Diego County planning area managed by the El Centro Field Office.

This notice announces the Information Collection Request regarding the Job Placement & Training Application, OMB No. 1076-0062, has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for reinstatement. The collection expired during the renewal process.

Notice is hereby given that two parcels of public land are temporarily closed to all motorized vehicle use. The purpose of this emergency order is to protect federally-listed anadromous fish species, specifically Central Valley fall-run chinook salmon (federal candidate species), Central Valley spring-run chinook salmon (federally threatened), and Central Valley steelhead (federally threatened). The closed area, approximately 160 acres, is described as follows: All public lands in T16N, R5E, Section 22 and lands in T16N, R5E, Section 27, Lots 7 and 8, and the riverbed between the above stated lands. Closure signs will be posted at main entry points to these areas. Maps of the closure area may be obtained from the Folsom Field Office, 63 Natoma Street, Folsom, CA 95630. Phone: (916) 985-4474.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Barstow Field Office, Barstow, California, in coordination with the County of San Bernardino (County), California will prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the development and operation of a wind energy farm on public and private lands in the Granite Mountains, north of Apple Valley, California to meet the requirements of both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and NEPA. The project and associated ancillary facilities will require both BLM and County authorizations. Pursuant to the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, new power generation projects must be evaluated through the planning process. By this notice the BLM is announcing a 30-day period for public scoping of alternatives, issues, the scope of the direct, indirect, and cumulative analysis for this proposal and associated planning criteria. In addition, BLM is requesting the views of other agencies as to the scope and content of the environmental information that is germane to the statutory responsibilities or areas of expertise for your agencies in connection with the proposed project and the analysis of its impacts.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the receipt of an application for the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets on Northern Cheyenne Tribal lands in Montana pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Service requests information, views, and opinions from the public via this notice.

The following described public land is determined suitable for classification for leasing and subsequent conveyance to San Juan County for a Drag Strip, 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.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Secretary of the Interior is publishing final regulations addressing homeliving programs administered under the Bureau of Indian Education-funded school system.

The following permits were issued.