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

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an information collection request (ICR) for the extension of the currently approved paperwork requirements for the USGS Mine, Development, and Mineral Exploration Supplement. This collection consists of one form and this notice provides the public an opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this form. 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 or USFWS), propose to treat the shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) as threatened under the ``Similarity of Appearance'' provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) and the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) are difficult to differentiate in the wild and inhabit overlapping portions of the Missouri and Mississippi River basins. Four States where the two species commonly coexist allow for commercial fishing of shovelnose sturgeon which is in demand for its roe (eggs sold as caviar). The close resemblance in appearance between the two species creates substantial difficulty for fishermen, State regulators, and law enforcement personnel in differentiating between shovelnose and pallid sturgeon, both whole specimens and parts (including flesh and roe). This similarity of appearance has resulted in the documented take of pallid sturgeon and is a threat to the species. The determination that the shovelnose sturgeon should be treated as threatened due to similarity of appearance will substantially facilitate law enforcement actions to protect and conserve pallid sturgeon. We also propose a special rule to define activities that would and would not constitute take of shovelnose sturgeon under section 9 of the Act.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Indian Health Service (IHS) are proposing to submit the information collection, titled ``Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Programs, 25 CFR 900'' to the Office of Management and Budget for renewal. The current approval, designated by OMB Control Number 1076-0136, expires on February 28, 2010. The information is collected to process contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements for award by the BIA and the IHS, as authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services invite you to submit comments on the proposed renewal, as described below.

Pursuant to the Council of Environmental Quality regulations and National Park Service policy, this notice announces the availability of a revised Environmental Assessment (EA) for the establishment and operation of a national memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to be located on parkland in Washington, DC. The EA was first released in 2005. The proposed Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (Memorial) is conceived as a space that is quiet and contemplative; but also uses powerful and evocative symbolism to convey Dr. King's message of justice, democracy, and hope. The approved site for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is a four-acre parcel of land located on the northwestern side of the Tidal Basin within West Potomac Park (the project area). The triangular-shaped site is located across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial and approximately 750 feet north of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The site is generally bounded by Independence Avenue on the north, the pedestrian walkway of the Tidal Basin on the east, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the south, and recreational open space on the west. The site also includes a portion of West Basin Drive. This EA has been revised to incorporate

This Notice corrects a Notice of Application for a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest from Randy Lynne Jackson, personal representative of the estate of Donald F. Jackson, deceased. The BLM published the original notice on Monday, December 22, 2008 [73 FR 78388]. The original notice included a metes and bounds legal description which contained several errors.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is reopening the public comment period to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed NextLight Renewable Power, LLC, Silver State North Solar Project and Silver State South Solar Project, to be located in Clark County, Nevada. A notice published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2009 [74 FR 31306] provided for a public comment period ending on July 30, 2009.

The following Water Management Plans are available for review:

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.

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 700General, has been forwarded 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.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are issuing this final rule to comply with a court order that has the effect of reinstating the regulatory protections under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), for the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in the western Great Lakes. This rule corrects the gray wolf listing in our regulations which will reinstate the listing of gray wolves in all of Wisconsin and Michigan, the eastern half of North Dakota and South Dakota, the northern half of Iowa, the northern portions of Illinois and Indiana, and the northwestern portion of Ohio as endangered, and reinstate the listing of wolves in Minnesota as threatened. This rule also reinstates the former designated critical habitat for gray wolves in Minnesota and Michigan and special regulations for gray wolves in Minnesota.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to remove the Bliss Rapids snail (Taylorconcha serpenticola) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Based on a thorough review of the best scientific and commercial data available, the species continues to be restricted to a small geographic area in the middle-Snake River, Idaho, where it is dependent upon cool-water spring outflows. Although some threats identified at the time of listing in 1992 no longer exist or have been moderated, ground water depletion and impaired water quality still threaten the Bliss Rapids snail. In addition, there are significant uncertainties about the effects of hydropower operations and New Zealand mudsnails on the persistence of Bliss Rapids snails in riverine habitats. In the absence of the Act's protections, existing regulations are not likely to be sufficient to conserve the species. Given our current understanding of the species' geographic distribution, habitat requirements, and threats, the species continues to meet the definition of a threatened species under the Act. Therefore, we have determined that removing the Bliss Rapids snail from the List is not warranted at this time.

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

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting September 29 through October 1, 2009. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda will include discussion of the current draft Recommendations to the Secretary.

This document makes technical changes to regulations that were published in various Federal Register documents and are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, as well as announcing the approval by the Office of Management and Budget of information collection requirements contained in two previously published regulations.

The Department of the Interior is seeking public comment as part of its process to revise and update its current strategic plan.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1976 (NEPA), as amended, and section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ridgecrest Field Office intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the proposed leasing of approximately 22,060 acres of BLM-managed public lands for geothermal exploration, development, and utilization in the Haiwee Geothermal Leasing Area located in Inyo County, California. The leasing of public lands for geothermal resources will require an amendment to the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan of 1980. Comments are being solicited to help identify significant issues or concerns related to the proposed action, determine the scope of issues, and identify and refine alternatives to the proposed action. The BLM will also use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to satisfy the requirements for public involvement in section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The Secretary of the Interior proposes to extend a withdrawal established by Public Land Order (PLO) No. 6760 for an additional 20 years. PLO No. 6760 withdrew 30 acres of National Forest System land from location under the mining laws to protect the Austin Administrative Site in Lander County, Nevada. The lands will remain open to the mineral leasing laws. This notice gives an opportunity to comment on the proposed action and to request a public meeting.