Department of the Interior November 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species, marine mammals, or both. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

This order extends the duration of the withdrawal created by Public Land Order No. 6952 as corrected by Public Land Order No. 6962, for an additional 20-year period. The extension is necessary to continue protection of the tree improvement and forest research activities of the Peony, Pole Pick, and Frank Burge Seed Orchards, Washington, which would otherwise expire on November 11, 2012.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Steens Mountain Advisory Council (SMAC) will meet as indicated below:

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) considering the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts and socioeconomic effects of issuing renewable energy leases and subsequent site characterization activities (geophysical, geotechnical, archaeological, and biological surveys needed to develop specific project proposals, which will be subject to subsequent environmental review, on those leases) in an identified Wind Energy Area (WEA) on the OCS offshore Massachusetts (MA). This EA also considers the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts associated with the approval of site assessment activities (including the installation and operation of meteorological towers and buoys) on the leases that may be issued. This EA does not consider issues related to possible later project development. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the availability of the EA for review and to solicit public comments on the EA. BOEM will conduct public information meetings on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, in Boston and New Bedford, Wednesday, November 14, 2012, in Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard, and Thursday, November 15, 2012, on Nantucket, in Massachusetts to explain the proposed activities and provide additional opportunities for public input on the EA. Details on the meeting locations and times, as well as the EA, can be found online at https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Program/Smart-from-the-S tart/ Index.aspx.