Department of the Interior April 3, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our October 11, 2012 (77 FR 61938), proposal to list Taylor's checkerspot butterfly as endangered and streaked horned lark as threatened and to designate critical habitat, and on our December 11, 2012 (77 FR 73770), proposal to list four subspecies of Mazama pocket gopher (Olympia, Tenino, Yelm, and Roy Prairie) and to designate critical habitat, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also announce the availability of a draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed critical habitat designations and an amended required determinations section of the proposed designations. The draft economic analysis addresses the potential economic impacts of critical habitat designation for all six subspecies (collectively, the ``prairie species'') under consideration in these rulemakings. In addition, we are providing information that we inadvertently omitted from the preamble to the October 11, 2012, proposed rule (77 FR 61938) to list Taylor's checkerspot butterfly as endangered and streaked horned lark as threatened and to designate critical habitat. We are reopening the comment periods to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the proposed rules, the associated DEA, and our amended required determinations. Comments previously submitted on these proposed rulemakings do not need to be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in preparation of the final rules. We also announce a public hearing and three public information workshops on our proposed rules and associated documents.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Uncompahgre Field Office, Montrose, Colorado, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze a Master Development Plan (MDP) that proposes to drill up to 150 wells within the Bull Mountain Unit (146 natural gas wells and 4 water disposal wells) and to construct associated access roads, pipelines and infrastructure.