Department of the Interior October 6, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to issue itself an enhancement of survival permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for a programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement). The proposed term of the Agreement is 15 years, and the proposed term of the permit is 25 years. In accordance with regulation, the Service is completing the application process for this proposed permit. The requested permit would authorize the Service to extend incidental take coverage with assurances to eligible landowners who are willing to carry out habitat management measures that would benefit the federally-listed endangered Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi) and the threatened Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii) by enrolling them under the Agreement as Cooperators through issuance of Certificates of Inclusion. The covered area or geographic scope of this Agreement includes the known and potential range of the Fender's blue butterfly, which occurs on prairie habitat within Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties of Oregon. We request comments from the public on the permit application, proposed Agreement and related documents, which are available for review (see ADDRESSES below).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will file the plat of survey of the lands described below in the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield, Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date of publication in the Federal Register. Contact Information: Bureau of Land Management, 7450 Boston Boulevard, Springfield, Virginia 22153. Attn: Cadastral Survey.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes this rule establishing eligibility criteria and program requirements for loan guarantees authorized by the Twenty-first Century Water Works Act (Title II of Pub. L. 109-451; 43 U.S.C. 2421-2434) (Act). This rule is intended to define for potential participants how the loan guarantees authorized by the Act will be administered. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to make loan guarantees for three categories of projects: Category (A) projects are rural water supply projects as defined in section 102(9) of the Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 (Title I of Pub. L. 109-451; 43 U.S.C.2401-2409) (Rural Water Supply Act of 2006); A category (B) project is an extraordinary operation and maintenance activity for, or the rehabilitation or replacement of, a facility that is authorized by Federal reclamation laws and constructed by the United States under such law; or in connection with which there is a repayment or water service contract executed by the United States under Federal reclamation law; or A category (C) project is an improvement to water infrastructure directly associated with a reclamation project that, based on a determination of the Secretary improves water management; and fulfills other Federal goals. For purposes of this rule, these will be referred to as category (A), (B), or (C) projects. The Act provides that, subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of the Interior may provide loan guarantees for eligible projects. The Act requires the Secretary to develop criteria for determining the eligibility of a project for financial assistance, and to publish them in the Federal Register. The intent of this rulemaking is to meet this requirement, as well as to define for potential participants how the loan guarantee will be administered. Reclamation will administer the program. Reclamation will take into account the comments on this rule in developing final regulations. Reclamation recognizes that the rule will be modified in the future to more specifically address category (A) projects and to address modifications in administration as a result of experience gained through the first requests.

In accordance with section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Special Resource Study (SRS) of landscape features and sites that contribute to the understanding of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. This study was mandated by Public Law 109-338, the ``John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of 2006.'' The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor encompasses 24 communities located along the Blackstone River and its tributaries spanning from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI. Within the boundaries of the heritage corridor lie approximately 400,000 acres of land and over 500,000 people. The waters of the Blackstone River powered the Slater Mill, a National Historic Landmark, in Pawtucket, RI, America's first successful textile mill. This creative spark contributed to the nation's historic evolution as a global industrial and technological power. The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor was established by Public Law 99-647 in November 1986 for the purpose of preserving and interpreting for educational and inspirational benefit of present and future generations the unique and significant contributions to our national heritage of certain historic and cultural lands, waterways and structures within the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The heritage corridor was to provide a management framework to assist the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and their units of local government in the development and implementation of integrated cultural, historical and land resource management programs in order to retain, enhance and interpret the significant values of the lands, waters and structures of the corridor. The purpose of this Special Resource Study/EIS is to provide Congress with information about the national significance, suitability, and feasibility of sites and landscape features within the corridor that are associated with American industrial history for possible inclusion in the National Park System. The study will develop alternative options for management and interpretation of the sites and landscape features under consideration. The draft report of the study, with the draft EIS, is expected to be completed and available for public review by late 2009.