Department of the Interior January 23, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Kansas regulatory program (Kansas program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Kansas proposes revisions to its 2002 Kansas Revegetation Guidelines and its Normal Husbandry Practices. Kansas intends to update obsolete information used in determining the forage production success standard for warm season native grasses. Kansas also proposes to update their normal husbandry practices to increase clarity and to update references to other Agencies technical guidelines. These documents give the times and locations that the Kansas programs and proposed amendments to that program are available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the amendments, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing, if one is requested.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initiate 5-year reviews of the endangered Peter's Mountain mallow (Iliamna corei), Jesup's milk-vetch (Astragalus robbinsii var. jesupi), James spinymussel (Pleurobema collina), sandplain gerardia (Agalinis acuta), harperella (Ptilimnium nodosum), Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon shenandoah), American chaffseed (Schwalbea americana), and rough rabbitsfoot (Quadrula cylindrica strigillata), and the threatened Northeastern beach tiger beetle (Cicindela dorsalis dorsalis) and Virginia spiraea (Spiraea virginiana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We request any new information on these species that may have a bearing on their classification as endangered or threatened. Based on the results of these 5-year reviews, we will make a finding on whether these species are properly classified under the Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in coordination with the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), are preparing a joint environmental impact report/environmental impact statement (EIR/EIS) for the Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration Project (Project), located in Sonoma County, California. At this early stage in the planning process, the purpose of the Project is to restore natural estuarine ecosystems on diked baylands, while providing public access and recreational and educational opportunities compatible with ecological and cultural resources protection. This scoping notice advises the public that we intend to gather information necessary to prepare an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We encourage the public and other agencies to participate in the NEPA scoping process by sending written suggestions and information on the issues and concerns that should be addressed in the draft EIR/EIS, including the range of suitable alternatives, appropriate mitigation measures, and the nature and extent of potential environmental impacts. Throughout the EIR/EIS process, we will announce additional opportunities for public input.