Department of the Interior April 18, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This order permanently transfers 160 acres of public land to the Department of Energy for its Maybell West Uranium Repository, in accordance with the terms of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-604), as amended.

This order revokes a Public Land Order insofar as it affects 20 acres of public land within the Black Hills National Forest withdrawn from surface entry and mining and reserved for use of the Forest Service as the Pactola Administrative Site. The land is no longer needed for administrative purposes. This order opens the land for sale.

On November 6, 2007, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) published in the Federal Register (72 FR 214, pp. 62673-62675) a request for information and nominations of areas for leases authorizing alternative energy resource assessment and technology testing activities pursuant to subsection 8(p) of the OCS Lands Act, as amended. We received over 40 nominations of areas for limited leases authorizing such activities relating to wind, wave, and ocean current energy resources on the OCS. The MMS has considered the nominations in light of relevant criteria for proceeding with the issuance of leases. As required by subsection 8(p), MMS must issue such leases on a competitive basis unless we determine after public notice that there is no competitive interest. Subsection 8(p) also requires MMS to coordinate and consult with relevant Federal agencies and affected State and local governments concerning the issuance of OCS alternative energy leases. This Notice provides the required public notice of proposed leases by announcing the nominations that MMS has decided to process as a priority and inquiring as to the existence of any competitive interest in these nominated areas. Also, with this announcement we intend to inform all interested and affected parties of these nominations and invite comments and informationincluding information on environmental issues and concernsthat will be useful in our consideration of the nominated areas for the issuance of limited alternative energy leases.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), together with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Park Service (NPS) as cooperating agencies, is preparing an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act to evaluate the effects of the South Valley Facilities Expansion (SVFE) Project (Project), as proposed by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). The SNWA has applied for temporary and permanent rights-of-way to construct water treatment and conveyance facilities on public land administered by Reclamation, BLM, and NPS in Clark County, Nevada.

As required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice is hereby given that the Yakima River Basin Conservation Advisory Group, Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project, Yakima, Washington, established by the Secretary of the Interior, will hold a public meeting. The purpose of the Conservation Advisory Group is to provide technical advice and counsel to the Secretary of the Interior and Washington State on the structure, implementation, and oversight of the Yakima River Basin Water Conservation Program.