Department of the Interior January 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact for the environmental assessment for St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Franklin and Gulf Counties, Florida. In the final CCP, we describe how we will manage this refuge for the next 15 years.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lake Havasu Field Office will close certain public lands during the Best in the Desert (BITD) Racing Association ``BITD PARKER 250'' and ``BITD 425'' events.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as lead Agency, with the Navajo Nation, National Park Service, and Arizona Department of Transportation serving as cooperating agencies, intends to prepare an EIS for a proposed weed management plan for the Navajo Indian Reservation. This notice also announces the beginning of the public scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

Under the provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement from Fidelity Exploration & Production Company and Finley Resources, Inc., for noncompetitive oil and gas lease WYW180328 for lands in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, also known as the Eastern Washington State Historical Society, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribe, has determined that the cultural items meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and repatriation to the Indian tribe stated below may occur if no additional claimants come forward. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the cultural items may contact the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery (formerly The Fort Collins Museum) has completed an inventory of human remains, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the remains and any present-day Indian tribe. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains may contact the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. Disposition of the human remains to the Indian tribes stated below may occur if no additional requestors come forward.

The Natural History Museum of Utah has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and a present-day Indian tribe. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary objects may contact the Natural History Museum of Utah. Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the Indian tribe stated below may occur if no additional claimants come forward.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Ozark-St. Francis National Forests has corrected two Notices of Inventory Completion published in the Federal Register on November 16, 2012. This notice corrects the association of the individuals identified in those notices.

The Museum of Anthropology has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribe, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and the Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary objects may contact the Museum of Anthropology at Washington State University. Repatriation of the human remains associated funerary items to the Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation may occur if no additional claimants come forward.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is inviting comments on an information collection request (ICR) that we have sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR concerns the paperwork requirements for the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) USGS Competitive Grant Program. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 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 ICR. This collection is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2013.

This proposed rule would establish regulations for hunting and trapping seasons, harvest limits, methods and means related to taking of wildlife for subsistence uses during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board is on a schedule of completing the process of revising subsistence taking of wildlife regulations in even-numbered years and subsistence taking of fish and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable cycle. When final, the resulting rulemaking will replace the existing subsistence wildlife taking regulations. This rule would also amend the general regulations on subsistence taking of fish and wildlife.

Under the provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement from Black Hills Exploration & Productions Inc., Chesapeake AEZ Exploration LLC, Chesapeake Exploration LLC, Fossil Creek Resources LLC, Jastera LC, Khody Land & Minerals Company, Nerd Gas Company LLC, and Slawson Exploration Company Inc., for noncompetitive oil and gas lease WYW144977 for land in Niobrara County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

Under the provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement from Empire Petroleum Corporation for competitive oil and gas lease WYW174767 for land in Natrona County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to list the Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The effect of this regulation would be to add the Gunnison sage-grouse to the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife under the Act.

As required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the National Park Service (NPS) is hereby giving notice for the 2013 schedule of meetings for the Advisory Committee to the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park General Management Plan. The Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (NHP) Federal Advisory Commission was authorized by Congress and signed by the President on March 30, 2009, (Pub. L. 111-11, Title VII, Subtitle A, Section 7001, Subsection e) ``to advise the Secretary in the development and implementation of the management plan.'' Agendas for these meetings will be provided on the Paterson Great Falls NHP Web site (https://www.nps.gov/pagr/ parkmgmt/federal-advisory-commission.htm).

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Federal coal management regulations, the Peabody Natural Resources Company, Federal Coal Lease-by- Application Environmental Assessment (EA) is available for public review and comment. The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico State Office, will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the EA, Fair Market Value (FMV), and Maximum Economic Recovery (MER) of the coal resources for Peabody Natural Resources Company, NMNM-126813.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA), and its implementing regulations, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we), propose regulations that authorize the nonlethal, incidental, unintentional take of small numbers of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) during oil and gas industry (Industry) exploration activities in the Chukchi Sea and adjacent western coast of Alaska. If adopted as proposed, this rule would be effective for 5 years from the date of issuance of the final rule. We propose a finding that the total expected takings of Pacific walruses (walruses) and polar bears during Industry exploration activities will impact small numbers of animals, will have a negligible impact on these species, and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of these species for subsistence use by Alaska Natives. The proposed regulations include: Permissible methods of nonlethal taking; measures to ensure that Industry activities will have the least practicable adverse impact on the species and their habitat, and on the availability of these species for subsistence uses; and requirements for monitoring and reporting of any incidental takings which may occur, to the Service. If this rule is made final, the Service will issue Letters of Authorization (LOAs), upon request, for activities proposed to be conducted in accordance with the regulations.

This regulatory agenda is a semiannual summary of all current and projected rulemakings, existing regulations, and completed actions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components. This agenda provides the public with information about DHS's regulatory activity. DHS expects that this information will enable the public to be more aware of, and effectively participate in, the Department's regulatory activity. DHS invites the public to submit comments on any aspect of this agenda.

We (National Park 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 June 30, 2013. 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 accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council (RAC), Southwest RAC, and Front Range RAC will meet as indicated below.

The purpose of this public notice is to: (1) Describe the proposal submitted to BOEM by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to acquire an OCS wind lease; (2) solicit public input regarding the proposal, its potential environmental consequences, and the use of the area in which the proposed project would be located; and (3) solicit submissions of indications of competitive interest for a commercial lease for wind energy development on the OCS offshore New York for the area identified in this notice. On September 8, 2011, BOEM received an unsolicited request from NYPA for a commercial wind lease on the OCS offshore New York. NYPA submitted its request on behalf of the ``Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative,'' a public-private entity consisting of NYPA, the Long Island Power Authority, and Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. The Collaborative's goal is to develop the proposed project to supply the Long Island and New York City region with renewable energy, consistent with New York State's and the City of New York's renewable energy initiatives. NYPA's proposed project, the ``Long Island-New York City Offshore Wind Project'', is designed to generate at least 350 megawatts (MW) of electricity from offshore wind resources, with the ability to expand generation capacity to as much as 700 MW. The project would be located approximately 11 nautical miles (nmi) south of Long Beach, New York, in water depths ranging from 60 to 120 feet. NYPA's unsolicited lease request, and an amendment filed on June 20, 2012, can be viewed at: https://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy- Program/State-Activities/New-York.aspx. This request for interest is published pursuant to subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, as amended by section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3)), and the implementing regulations at 30 CFR 585.231(b). Subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act requires that OCS renewable energy leases, easements, and rights- of-way be issued ``on a competitive basis unless the Secretary determines after public notice of a proposed lease, easement, or right- of-way that there is no competitive interest.'' This request for interest provides such public notice for the proposed lease area requested by NYPA and invites the submission of indications of competitive interest. BOEM will consider the responses to this public notice to determine whether competitive interest exists for the area requested by NYPA, as required by 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3). Parties wishing to obtain a lease for the area requested by NYPA should submit detailed and specific information as described in the section entitled, ``Required Indication of Interest Information.'' This announcement also requests that interested and affected parties comment and provide information about site conditions and multiple uses within the area identified in this notice that would be relevant to the proposed project or its impacts. A detailed description of the proposed lease area can be found in the section of this notice entitled, ``Description of the Area.''

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Vantage- Pomona Heights 230kV Transmission Line Project and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.