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

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

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 of oil and gas lease COC70365 from Hunt Petroleum (AEC), Inc., for lands in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

In this notice of review, we announce our annual petition findings for foreign species, as required under section 4(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. When, in response to a petition, we find that listing a species is warranted but precluded, we must complete a new status review each year until we publish a proposed rule or make a determination that listing is not warranted. These subsequent status reviews and the accompanying 12-month findings are referred to as ``resubmitted'' petition findings. Information contained in this notice describes our status review of 50 foreign taxa that were the subjects of previous warranted-but- precluded findings, most recently summarized in our 2007 Notice of Review (72 FR 20184). Based on our current review, we find that 20 species (see Table 1) continue to warrant listing, but that their listing remains precluded by higher-priority listing actions. For 30 species previously found to be warranted but precluded, the petitioned action is now warranted. We will promptly publish listing proposals for those 30 species (see Table 1). With this annual notice of review (ANOR), we are requesting additional status information for the 20 taxa that remain warranted but precluded by higher priority listing actions. We will consider this information in preparing listing documents and future resubmitted petition findings for these 20 taxa. This information will also help us to monitor the status of the taxa and in conserving them.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Department of the Interior is issuing public notice of its intent to add a new Privacy Act system of records notice to its inventory: Interior, DOI-89, ``Grants and Cooperative Agreements: FBMS.'' This new notice covers records previously covered in Privacy Act system of records notice Interior, DOI-90, ``Federal Financial System.''

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Office of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior is issuing public notice of its intent to amend an existing Privacy Act system of records notice, Interior, OS-88, ``Travel Management Records.'' The changes will update the name of the system, system location, categories of individuals covered by the system, categories of records in the system, routine use of records, storage and safeguard requirements, retrievability of records, and system managers(s) and addresses.

The Minerals Management Service hereby gives notice that it is extending the public comment period on a proposed rule, which was published in the Federal Register on May 27, 2008, with public comments due by July 28, 2008. The proposed rule would amend the regulations on distribution and disbursement of royalties, rentals, and bonuses to include the allocation and disbursement of revenues from certain leases on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf in accordance with the provisions of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. (73 FR 30331, May 27, 2008).

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), as the National Environmental Policy Act Federal lead agency, has made available for public review and comment the Lake Casitas draft EIS. The draft EIS describes and presents the environmental effects of the No-Action Alternative and two (2) Action Alternatives. A public hearing will be held to receive comments from individuals and organizations on the draft EIS.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the lead Federal agency, and the Sonoma County Water Agency, acting as administrator for the North Bay Water Reuse Authority (NBWRA) and the lead State agency, will prepare a joint EIS/EIR for the proposed North San Pablo Bay Restoration and Reuse Project (Proposed Action). The purpose of the Proposed Action is to create a regional wastewater reuse project to provide recycled water for agricultural, urban, and environmental uses as an alternative to discharging treated wastewater to San Pablo Bay. In this way, water demand issues and wastewater discharge issues of the region can be addressed in an integrated and synergistic manner.

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 calender days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announce that the draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Pathfinder National Wildlife Refuge is available. This draft CCP/EA describes how the Service intends to manage the refuge for the next 15 years. We request public comment.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR part 281, Leasing of Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur in the Outer Continental Shelf. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

The purpose of this notice is to request public nominations to fill one position in Category Two for Utah's Resource Advisory Council. The RACs provide advice and recommendations to BLM on land use planning and management of the public lands within their geographic areas.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of draft comprehensive conservation plans (CCP) and environmental assessments (EA) for the Leopold and St. Croix Wetland Management Districts (District(s), WMD(s)) for public review and comment. In the draft CCP/EAs, we describe how we propose to manage these districts for the next 15 years.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), as the National Environmental Policy Act Federal lead agency, and the California Department of Parks & Recreation (CDPR), as the California Environmental Quality Act State lead agency, have made available for public review and comment the Millerton Lake draft EIS/EIR. The draft EIS/EIR describes and presents the environmental effects of the No- Action Alternative and three (3) Action Alternatives. A public hearing will be held to receive comments from individuals and organizations on the draft EIS/EIR.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has officially filed the plats of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Idaho State Office, Boise, Idaho, effective 9 a.m., on the dates specified.

The BLM announces the availability of the ROD for the Northeast NPR-A planning area, located within the NPR-A in northern Alaska.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), on behalf of the Department of the Interior (DOI), as the natural resource trustee, announces the release for public review of the Draft Natural Resource Damage Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) for the Cherokee County Superfund Site, Cherokee County, Kansas. The Draft RP/ EA presents the Service's overall approach and preferred restoration alternatives that compensate for impacts to natural resources caused by the release of hazardous substances from former mining activities in Cherokee County, Kansas.

We (Fish and Wildlife Service, Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2008. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are revising certain provisions of the regulations governing the Wildlife Restoration, Sport Fish Restoration, and Hunter Education and Safety financial assistance programs. These revisions: (a) Address changes in law and regulation; (b) clarify rules on license certification to address a greater number of licensing choices that States have offered hunters and anglers; (c) delete provisions on audits and records that are addressed in other regulations broadly applicable to financial assistance programs managed by the Department of the Interior; and (d) reword the regulations to make them easier to understand. The revisions will improve the regulations by making them more current and clear.

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 of oil and gas lease COC66597 from the following companies: (1) Cleary Petroleum Corp., (2) GSE LTD, (3) Peacock Comm. Properties, LTD, and (4) Joe R. Peacock, Sr., for lands in Montrose County, Colorado. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

Pursuant to Sec. 102(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), the National Park Service in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan. The FEIS identifies and evaluates proposed plan and three alternatives for management of non-native fish in the natural mountain lakes within North Cascades National Park Service Complex and the Stephen Mather Wilderness. Appropriate mitigation strategies are assessed, and an ``environmentally preferred'' alternative is also identified. When approved, the Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan (Plan) will govern all fishery management actions, including potential removal of self-sustaining populations of non-native fish and fish stocking. Background: The National Park Service (NPS) manages North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, and Ross Lake National Recreation Area collectively as the North Cascades National Park Service Complex (hereafter referred to as ``North Cascades''). The rugged, wilderness landscape of North Cascades contains 245 natural mountain lakes which are naturally fishless due to impassable topographic barriers. Though naturally barren of fish, these lakes contain a rich array of native aquatic life including plankton, aquatic insects, frogs and salamanders. In the late 1800's, settlers began stocking lakes within the present-day boundaries of North Cascades with various species of non-native trout for food and recreation. By the 20th century, fish stocking was routinely undertaken by the U.S. Forest Service, various counties, and individuals. Then in 1933, the state of Washington assumed responsibility for stocking mountain lakes to create and maintain a recreational fishery. After North Cascades was established in 1968, a conflict over fish stocking emerged between the NPS and Washington state. This conflict derived from fundamental policy differences: NPS policies prohibited stocking so as to protect native ecosystems and Wilderness, whereas Washington policies encouraged stocking to enhance recreational opportunities. Preferred Plan and Alternatives Considered: As the proposed Mountain Lakes Fishery Management Plan, Alternative B (agency-preferred alternative) would allow continued stocking of select lakes with a history of fish stocking. To minimize ecological risks, only trout that are native to the watershed or functionally sterile would be stocked at low densities. Self-sustaining populations of trout would be removed from all lakes (where feasible) using various methods including gillnets, electrofishing, spawning habitat exclusion, and antimycin, a potent yet ephemeral pesticide. Management actions would be monitored and evaluated to enable adaptive management and minimize impacts to biological integrity. Implementation of this Alternative would require clarification from Congress regarding fish stocking in North Cascades and the Stephen Mather Wilderness. The ``no action'' alternative (Alternative A) would continue fishery management according to the terms and conditions of the 1988 Supplemental Agreement with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). This agreement provides for continued stocking of select lakes in North Cascades National Park. Implementation of this alternative would require clarification from Congress regarding fish stocking in the North Cascades and Stephen Mather Wilderness. Alternative C would include continued fish stocking in select lakes in Ross Lake National Recreation Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area; stocking would be discontinued in North Cascades National Park. Otherwise, the adaptive management framework for this alternative would be similar to Alternative B. Implementation of Alternative C would require clarification from Congress regarding continued fish stocking in the Stephen Mather Wilderness. Alternative D would discontinue fish stocking in all mountain lakes in North Cascades Complex. This alternative would implement a long-term goal of removing, wherever feasible, self-sustaining populations of non-native trout in up to 37 lakes using the removal methods described for Alternative B. Public Involvement: The public scoping phase formally began January 16, 2003, with the NPS publication of a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for a high mountain lakes fishery management plan. Extensive local and regional publicity and distribution of public scoping brochures occurred during February-March 2003. In late March 2003, the four public scoping meetings were hosted in the surrounding communities of Sedro-Woolley, Wenatchee, Bellevue and Seattle. The NPS received 248 comments during the public scoping phase; a public scoping report was prepared and posted on the project Web site (see below). The EPA's notice of filing of the Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register by the EPA on May 27, 2005; the park's notice of availability was published on May 31, 2005. The 90-day opportunity for public review and comment extended through August 26, 2005. Four public meetings were hosted in surrounding communities during the week of July 25-28, 2005. Ninety individuals and organizations provided 350 substantive comments both for and against continued stocking.

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

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 Red River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In the final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next 15 years.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing regulations to set out the policies and procedures for the implementation of a commercial leasing program for the management of federally-owned oil shale and any associated minerals located on Federal lands. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EP Act) directs the Secretary of the Interior to: Make public lands available for conducting oil shale research and development activities; complete a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for a commercial leasing program for both oil shale and tar sands resources on the BLM administered lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming; and issue regulations establishing a commercial oil shale leasing program. These proposed regulations would incorporate specific provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (MLA) and the EP Act relating to: Maximum oil shale lease size; maximum acreage limitations; rental; and lease diligence. These proposed regulations would also address the diligent development requirements of the EP Act by establishing work requirements and milestones to ensure diligent development of leases. The proposed rule would also provide for other standard components of a BLM mineral leasing program, including lease administration and operations.