Department of the Interior February 29, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco Field Office, Albuquerque, New Mexico, intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan Revision for the Rio Puerco Field Office with an associated Environmental Impact Statement, and by this notice is announcing public scoping meetings. The Resource Management Plan Revision will replace the existing Rio Puerco Resource Management Plan as currently maintained and amended.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Eastern Interior Field Office, Fairbanks, Alaska, intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) with an associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Eastern Interior Planning Area and by this notice announces the beginning of the public scoping period. Public scoping meetings will be held in Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Tok, Eagle, Chicken, Central, and Anchorage. Additional public scoping meetings may be held at Circle, Chalkyitsik, Fort Yukon, Stevens Village, Beaver, Birch Creek and other locations to be determined at a later date. The RMP will replace the existing Steese National Conservation Area Resource Management Plan, the White Mountains National Recreation Area Resource Management Plan, and the Fortymile Management Framework Plan. The RMP will also make land use decisions on previously unplanned public lands in the Upper Black River subunit.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intend to prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the William L. Finley, Baskett Slough, and Ankeny National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges). We will also prepare an environmental assessment (EA) evaluating effects of various CCP alternatives. The Refuges are located in the Willamette Valley, within Benton, Linn, Marion, and Polk Counties, Oregon. We are furnishing this notice to advise other government agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain public comments, suggestions, and information on the scope of issues to be considered during the planning process.

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 Mike Tinker for Competitive oil and gas lease WYW158648 for land in Big Horn 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.

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 EOG Resources, Inc. and Southwestern Energy Production Company for Competitive oil and gas lease WYW155778 for land in Sweetwater 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.

The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is revising the regulation governing irrigation projects under its jurisdiction. The purpose of the revision is to provide consistent administration; establish the process for updating practices, policies, and procedures for the administration, operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation of irrigation projects; and provide uniform accounting and recordkeeping procedures. This regulation has also been rewritten in plain English as mandated by Executive Order 12866. It also addresses several issues that the prior regulation did not cover.

The Bureau of Reclamation published a notice in the Federal Register on September 8, 2003, (68 FR 52953) announcing commencement of work under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on an environmental impact statement for the Southern Delivery System project (SDS). We are now notifying the public that Reclamation has completed the Draft EIS which is now available for public review and comment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are cooperating agencies in preparing the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS provides information and analyses on seven alternatives that were developed for the project based on key issues. Ten key issues relevant to the proposed SDS associated with water flow and quality, stream channel morphology, sedimentation, water rights, fish and aquatic life, wetlands, wildlife, socioeconomics, and recreation are addressed in the analysis. Significant effects on natural resources are examined and mitigation measures, where appropriate to avoid or minimize impacts, are incorporated into the alternatives. The Draft EIS includes appendices with technical analyses and supporting documentation of the analysis findings and summaries.