Department of the Interior October 8, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are announcing the location and time of a public hearing to receive public comments on the proposal to split the current listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, of the threatened flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) into two distinct species: frosted flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) and reticulated flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma bishopi), due to a change in taxonomy. We also propose to list reticulated flatwoods salamander as endangered and propose critical habitat for both species. We are extending the public comment period until November 3, 2008. If you submitted comments previously, then you do not need to resubmit them because we have already incorporated them into the public record and we will fully consider them in preparation of our final determination.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) will begin charging a recreation user fee to take the guided tour of Glen Canyon Dam and Powerplant. Reclamation has determined that the new fee is reasonable and appropriate to specifically offset at least, in part, increased costs associated with public visitation to the Carl Hayden Visitor Center. The Visitor Center, located 700 feet above the Colorado River overlooking Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge, accommodates about one million visitors each year. The Visitor Center is jointly operated by Reclamation and the National Park Service. The new fee will initially be $5.00 per adult with a reduced fee schedule for certain groups as follows: seniors (age 62 and over) will be $4.00, children ages 7-16 will be $2.50, members of the U.S. military will be $4.00, and school groups will be $0.50 per person. There will be no fee charged for children six years of age and under. These fees will be reviewed and adjusted, as appropriate, in subsequent years.

The MMS published a final rule in the Federal Register on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 (73 FR 15885), announcing amendments to existing regulations for reporting production and royalties on oil, gas, coal and other solid minerals, and geothermal resources produced from Federal and Indian leases. This docutment corrects the final rule, which contained a clerical error in the tables identifying OMB-approved information collections and their corresponding forms.

The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the receipt of an application for an Enhancement of Survival Permit that would be issued pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The application was developed in accordance with the Template Safe Harbor Agreement (Template SHA) for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). The permit applicant is the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Issuance of a permit to WDNR would exempt incidental take of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, which would otherwise be prohibited by section 9 of the Act, that is above the baseline conditions of WDNR properties enrolled under the Template SHA and that may result from the permittee's otherwise lawful management activities. The Service requests comments from the public regarding the proposed issuance of a permit to WDNR. All comments received will become part of the public record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire commentincluding your personal identifying informationmay be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All comments received from organizations, businesses, or individuals representing organizations or businesses are available for public inspection in their entirety.