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

We (the U.S. Geological Survey) 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. 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 (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting December 1-3, 2009. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda will include discussion of the current draft Recommendations to the Secretary.

Under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are removing the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to recovery. This action is based on a review of the best available scientific and commercial data, which indicate that the species is no longer in danger of extinction, or likely to become so within the foreseeable future. The brown pelican will remain protected under the provisions of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is issuing this notice to advise the public, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., that MMS has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 213 in the Central Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Planning Area (Lease Sale 213) scheduled for March 2010. The preparation of this EA is an important step in the decision process for Lease Sale 213. The proposal for Lease Sale 213 was identified by the Call for Information and Nominations published in the Federal Register on October 9, 2008, and was analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2007-2012; Western Planning Area Sales 204, 207, 210, 215, and 218; Central Planning Area Sales 205, 206, 208, 213, 216, and 222Final Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018), and in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2009-2012; Central Planning Area Sales 208, 213, 216, and 222; Western Planning Area Sales 210, 215, and 218Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Supplemental EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2008-041).

The U.S. Geological Survey is requesting renewal of an existing information collection that received emergency clearance on August 8, 2009. We will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collections (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and as part of our continued effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. 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 Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from The Commons Group, LLC (Applicant) for an extension of incidental take permit (ITP) TE126179-0 for 10 years under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We request public comment on the permit application and plan, as well as on our preliminary determination that the plan qualifies as low-effect under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To make this determination we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which are also available for review.

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 Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/ FEIS) for the Carrizo Plain National Monument (CPNM).

The Bureau of Reclamation is reopening the comment period for the Draft EIS/EIR to December 31, 2009. The notice of availability of the Draft EIS/EIR was published in the Federal Register on August 17, 2009 (74 FR 41453). The public review period ended on Friday October 16, 2009.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of proposed HCPs, 32 accompanying ITP applications, and an EA related to proposed developments that would take the Alabama beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) on Fort Morgan Peninsula, Baldwin County, Alabama. The HCPs analyze the take of the federally endangered Alabama beach mouse incidental to constructing 28 new single-family and replacing four existing single-family homes with four duplex residences (Projects). The 24 individual applicants request a total of 32 ITPs under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. The Applicants' HCPs describe the mitigation and minimization measures

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing that the information collection request for 30 CFR part 769Petition process for designation of Federal lands as unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining operations and for termination of previous designations, has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden and cost.

Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will conduct consultation meetings with Indian tribes reorganized under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) and the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act, and other interested tribal leaders, to obtain oral and written comments concerning the potential revision of regulations at 25 CFR part 81, Tribal Reorganization under a Federal Statute, and 25 CFR part 82, Petitioning Procedures for Tribes Reorganized Under Federal Statute and Other Organized Tribes.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is preparing a RMP/EIS for Contra Loma Reservoir and Recreation Area to establish uniform policy and land management guidelines that promote an organized use, development, and management of the Contra Loma Reservoir and the surrounding recreational area lands. The RMP/EIS shall be prepared to meet all Federal and Reclamation standards. These standards include consideration of appropriate Federal, state, and local laws and ordinances including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Federal Water Project Recreation Act, and the Reclamation Recreation Management Act, as applicable. Reclamation will conduct a workshop for the benefit of the various Stakeholders. The purpose of the workshop is to provide the Stakeholders information relative to Reclamation uniform policies, including land management guidelines that promote use, management, and development, of the Contra Loma Reservoir and the surrounding recreational area lands. A public scoping meeting will be announced at a later date for the purpose of soliciting input on the alternatives,

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease and subsequent conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended, approximately 5.09 acres of public land in Clark County, Nevada. The City of North Las Vegas (City) proposes to use the land for a police substation, offices, and a yard site with related appurtenances.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving the surface and subsurface estates in certain lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Chugach Alaska Corporation. The lands are in the vicinity of Wernicke River, Icy Bay, Cleave Creek, Bremner River, and Tasnuna River, Alaska, and are located in:

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving the surface and subsurface estates in certain lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. The lands are in the vicinity of Point Lay, Alaska, and are located in:

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that the decision approving lands for conveyance to NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., Successor in Interest to Koovukmeut Incorporated and Isingnakmeut Incorporated, notice of which was published in the Federal Register on September 15, 2009, 74 FR 47269, is modified to correct T. 18 N., R. 17 E., Kateel River Meridian to read T. 18 N., R. 7 E., Kateel River Meridian.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on our July 7, 2009, proposal to list four species of birds from Colombia the blue-billed curassow (Crax alberti), the brown-banded antpitta (Grallaria milleri), the Cauca guan (Penelope perspicax), and the gorgeted wood-quail (Odontophorus strophium) and one bird species from Ecuador the Esmeraldas woodstar (Chaetocercus berlepschi) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). This proposal, if made final, would extend the Act's protection to these species.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing its intention to request approval to continue the collection of information under 30 CFR part 850 which allows the collection and review of new blaster certification programs. This information collection activity was previously approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and assigned control number 1029-0080.

This notice announces our decision on a request for a determination of valid existing rights (VER) under section 522(e) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). We have determined that Jag Energy LLC possesses VER for a coal haul road within the boundaries of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Leslie County, Kentucky. This decision will allow Jag Energy LLC to obtain a Kentucky surface coal mining and reclamation permit for the road in question and to use the road to access and haul coal from a surface mine located on adjacent private lands.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) for the Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). We will also prepare an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential effects of various CCP alternatives. We provide this notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise the public and other Federal and State agencies and Tribes of our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to consider in the planning process. We are also announcing public meetings and requesting public comments.

We (the U.S. Geological Survey) 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 July 31, 2010. 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.

In this Candidate Notice of Review (CNOR), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), present an updated list of plant and animal species native to the United States that we regard as candidates for or have proposed for addition to the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Identification of candidate species can assist environmental planning efforts by providing advance notice of potential listings, allowing landowners and resource managers to alleviate threats and thereby possibly remove the need to list species as endangered or threatened. Even if we subsequently list a candidate species, the early notice provided here could result in more options for species management and recovery by prompting candidate conservation measures to alleviate threats to the species.

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), the Western Montana Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.