Department of the Interior 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., Successor in Interest to Akuliuk Corporation. The lands are in the vicinity of Selawik, Alaska, and are located in:

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively, ``we'') are extending the comment period for proposed regulations governing interagency cooperation under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northwest California Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.

Notice is hereby given that the boundary of Big Thicket National Preserve is modified to include seven tracts of land adjacent to the park. This revision is made to include privately owned property that the landowners wish to donate to the United States. The National Park Service has determined that inclusion of the seven tracts within the preserve's boundary will make significant contributions to the purposes for which the preserve was established. After the United States acquires the tracts, the National Park Service will manage them in accordance with applicable law.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) as the lead agency, together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as cooperating agencies, advise the public of the availability of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the application from Coyote Springs Investment LLC (CSI) for a Section 10 incidental take permit pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), a section 404 permit under the Clean Water Act, and reconfiguration of CSI private and lease lands in Lincoln County. In addition, the EIS includes the proposed action of BLM issuing a right- of-way within the BLM utility corridor, located west of U.S. Highway 93 in Lincoln County for the construction of detention basins. This notice also announces the availability of the CSI Multiple- Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), which CSI has submitted as part of their incidental take permit application, and Implementing Agreement (legal contract for the MSHCP). The permit would authorize the incidental take of specified covered species over 40 years, including some that may become federally-listed during the term of the permit. The permit is needed because take of species could occur during CSI's proposed urban development activities located in a 21,454-acre area in southern Lincoln County, Nevada. In addition, take of species could occur during recreation and resource management activities within the 13,767-acre proposed Coyote Springs Investment Conservation Lands (CSICL) in Clark and Lincoln counties. The CSICL is an area leased by CSI from BLM, which would be managed for the conservation of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and other covered species specified in the CSI MSHCP. This notice is provided pursuant to applicable NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6) to inform the public of the proposed action, and to make available for 30 days' review the final EIS, CSI MSHCP, and Implementing Agreement.

The Denali National Park Subsistence Resource Commission (SRC) will meet to develop and continue work on National Park Service (NPS) subsistence hunting program recommendations and other related subsistence management issues. This meeting is open to the public and will have time allocated for public testimony. The public is welcomed to present written or oral comments to the SRC. This meeting will be recorded and meeting minutes will be available upon request from the park superintendent for public inspection approximately six weeks after each meeting. The NPS subsistence resource commission program is authorized under Title VIII, Section 808 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Public Law 96-487, to operate in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

This final rule amends regulations for oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to implement a mandate in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. These amendments (1) provide a credit to lessees who relinquish certain eligible leases in the Gulf of Mexico; (2) define eligible leases as those within 125 miles of the Florida coast in the Eastern Planning Area, and certain leases within 100 miles of the Florida coast in the Central Planning Area; and (3) allow lessees to use the credits in lieu of monetary payment for either a lease bonus bid or royalty due on oil and gas production from most other leases in the Gulf of Mexico, or to transfer the credits to other Gulf of Mexico lessees for their use.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended; and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations; the U.S. Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration (Western), and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will, as joint lead agencies, prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Programmatic EIS) to evaluate issues associated with wind energy development within Western's Upper Great Plains Customer Service Region (UGP Region), which encompasses all or parts of the States of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; and upon the Service's landscape-level grassland and wetland easements in North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern Montana. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Utility Services (RUS) plans to participate as a cooperating agency. Public scoping meetings will be held during the Programmatic EIS scoping period.

Minerals Management Service (MMS), in accordance with Federal Regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), announces the availability of NEPA-related Site-Specific Environmental Assessments (SEA) and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI), prepared by MMS for the following oil-, gas-, and mineral- related activities proposed on the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic OCS.

Pursuant to 36 CFR 51.24, public notice is hereby given that the National Park Service proposes to award a temporary concession contract for the operation of a gift shop and cafe available to the public visiting Great Basin National Park, Nevada for a term of three (3) years. This action is necessary to avoid continued interruption of visitor services.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for Upper Ouachita and Handy Brake National Wildlife Refuges. In the final CCP, we describe how we will manage these refuges for the next 15 years.

The Fish and Wildlife Service announces that a Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact for Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is available for distribution. The plan was prepared pursuant to the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and describes how the refuge will be managed for the next 15 years. The compatibility determinations for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, environmental education and interpretation, and trapping of selected furbearers are also available in the plan.

This notice publishes the Grand Canyon West Alcohol Ordinance of the Hualapai Indian Tribe of Arizona (Tribe). The Ordinance regulates and controls the possession, sale and consumption of liquor within the Hualapai Reservation. This Ordinance allows for possession and sale of alcoholic beverages within the Hualapai Reservation, and increases the ability of the tribal government to control the Tribe's liquor distribution and possession. At the same time it will provide an important source of revenue for the continued operation and strengthening of the tribal government and the delivery of tribal services.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs published a document in the Federal Register of August 8, 2008, concerning the amended Jicarilla Apache Nation Liquor Ordinance. The document contained an incorrect ordinance number.

This notice publishes the Approval of the Sixth Amendment to and Extension of the Agreement between the Crow Tribe of Montana and the State of Montana concerning Class III Gaming.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is announcing an extension of the comment period on the East Lynn Lake Coal Lease Draft Land Use Analysis and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DLUA/DEIS) to analyze the potential impacts of two Federal Coal Lease By Applications, WVES-50556 and WVES-50560, totaling 13,089.55 acres at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' East Lynn Lake Project in Wayne County, West Virginia, and by this notice is announcing the extension of the comment period. The original notice published in the Federal Register on June 27, 2008 [73 FR 125] provided for a comment period to end on September 24, 2008. An amended notice published on July 3, 2008 [73 FR 129] provided a correction to the project's state location from Virginia to West Virginia.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce our 12-month finding on a petition to list the Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) as a threatened subspecies throughout its range in the United States, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a thorough review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Bonneville cutthroat trout as either threatened or endangered is not warranted at this time. We ask the public to continue to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the status of or threats to the subspecies. This information will help us to monitor and encourage the conservation of the subspecies.

In accordance with Title IV of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act (Pub. L. 97-451), Delta Petroleum Corporation timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease UTU81172 for lands in Grand County, Utah, and it was accompanied by all required rentals and royalties accruing from April 1, 2008, the date of termination.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for San Luis and Merced National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) and the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (WMA) located in Merced County, California. We provide this notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise other Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to consider in the planning process.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS) for the Monticello Field Office.

This notice announces a meeting of the Sporting Conservation Council (Council). The meeting agenda includes policy discussions on implementation of the Executive Order on hunting heritage and wildlife conservation and plans for a 2008 Conference on North American Wildlife Policy regarding the North American Conservation Model; State/Federal/ Tribal Wildlife Management; Habitat Conservation and Management; Funding for Wildlife Conservation; and Perpetuating Hunter Traditions. This meeting is open to the public, and will include a session for the public to comment.