Department of the Interior July 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a 3-year extension of OMB Control Number 1004-0165 under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The information covered in this request is necessary to implement two provisions of the Federal Cave Resources Protection Act (FCRPA)one which requires Federal agencies to consult with interested parties to develop a listing of significant caves, and another under which Federal and State governmental agencies and bona fide educational and research institutions may request confidential information regarding significant caves.

The National Park Service is proposing this rule to update its regulations for managing use of the Colorado River and adjoining federally owned lands administered by the National Park Service within Grand Canyon National Park. Changes to the current rule are necessary to implement portions of the park's recently revised Colorado River Management Plan. Current regulations govern boat trips on the Colorado River within the park upstream from Diamond Creek (approximately River Mile 226). In accordance with the new Colorado River Management Plan, the proposed rule will apply to the entire Colorado River within the park, including the reach of the river downstream from Diamond Creek to the boundary between the park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area (approximately River Mile 277).

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) are proposing to prepare a joint EIS/EIR, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to evaluate effects of the proposed Mendota Pool Bypass and Reach 2B Channel Improvements Project (Proposed Action) under the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP or Program). The Proposed Action includes the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Mendota Pool Bypass and improvements, including the operation and maintenance of the San Joaquin River channel to allow Reach 2B to convey at least 4,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). The purpose of the proposed action is to improve Reach 2B conveyance conditions enough to provide a capacity of at least 4,500 cfs with integrated floodplain habitat, and to convey restoration flows of at least 4,500 cfs around Mendota Pool from Reach 2B downstream to Reach 3. The planning and environmental review for the Proposed Action is authorized under section 3406(c)(1) of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) Title 34, (Pub. L. 102-575) and the San Joaquin River Restoration Act (SJRRA), included in Public Law 111-11. Construction of the Proposed Action is authorized under the SJRRA (Pub. L. 111-11). The Proposed Action is a component of the San Joaquin River Settlement.

Under the authority of 43 CFR 8364.1, notice is hereby given that a segment of a designated road on public land is temporarily closed to all motorized vehicle use and operation, including off- highway vehicles. The purpose of this temporary closure is to prevent the spread of the invasive Quagga Mussel into Crowley Lake. The Quagga Mussel poses a significant threat to the fisheries of the eastern Sierra as well as to hydrologic infrastructures.

The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Grand Junction Field Office is proposing supplementary rules to regulate conduct on public lands within the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (MCNCA). These supplementary rules are needed to implement decisions found in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area Resource Management Plan to protect public health, safety, lands and resources.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving the reserved mineral estate in certain lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and Sec. 12(b)(3) of the Act of January 2, 1976, will be issued to Cook Inlet Region, Inc. The lands are in the vicinity of Hicks and Pinochle Creeks, Alaska, and are located in:

The United States, as a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), may submit proposed resolutions, decisions, and agenda items for consideration at meetings of the Conference of the Parties to CITES. The United States may also propose amendments to the CITES Appendices for consideration at meetings of the Conference of the Parties. The fifteenth regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP15) is tentatively scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar, March 13-25, 2010.

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 for the Notice to Lessees (NTL) on the Historical Well Data Cleanup (HWDC) Project. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service announces the availability of the Record of Decision for the White-tailed Deer Management Plan/ Final Environmental Impact Statement (Plan/FEIS) for Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland. The Plan/FEIS analyzed four alternatives. Alternative C, the selected alternative, includes two lethal actions that will be used in combination to reduce and control deer herd numbers. Qualified federal employees or contractors will conduct sharpshooting to reduce the deer population, and individual deer will be captured and euthanized in certain circumstances where sharpshooting is not appropriate.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park Service is preparing a General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for the Assateague Island National Seashore (AINS). The park comprises approximately 39,727 acres, located along the Atlantic coasts of Maryland and Virginia.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has completed the Equus Beds Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Project Draft EIS. It is now available for public review and comment. The Draft EIS describes the development and environmental effects of two alternatives: (1) A no action alternative; and (2) an action alternative that meets the project purpose and need.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, Eastern Washington Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is issuing new supplementary rules for the Hot Well Dunes (HWD) Recreation Area, which is located in Graham County, Arizona, and is managed by the Gila

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Burns District has scheduled a public meeting to discuss agency procedures for gathering wild horses and how helicopters and other motorized equipment help the process. The public is encouraged to attend and hear information from BLM about the issue.

The following applicants have applied for scientific research permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Act requires that we invite public comment on these permit applications.

The following public lands in Maricopa County, Arizona, have been examined by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and found suitable for classification for lease and/or conveyance to the Town of Buckeye under the provisions of the R&PP Act, as amended, 43 United States Code (U.S.C.) 869 et seq., and under Sec. 7 of the Taylor Grazing Act, 43 U.S.C. 315(f), and Executive Order No. 6910.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Susan's purse-making caddisfly (Ochrotrichia susanae) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the Susan's purse-making caddisfly may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review of the species to determine if listing the species is warranted. To ensure that the review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Wright Area Coal project that contains four Federal coal Lease-by-Applications (LBAs), and by this Notice is announcing a public hearing requesting comments on the DEIS, on the Maximum Economic Recovery (MER), and on the Fair Market Value (FMV) of the Federal coal resources.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications for permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species. The Endangered Species Act requires that we invite public comment on these permit applications.