Department of the Interior 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on the October 24, 2013, proposal to designate critical habitat for the Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae) and Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) and proposed 4(d) rule for the Dakota skipper under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are also revising our proposed critical habitat rule to add two proposed critical habitat units for the Poweshiek skipperling in Minnesota, remove two proposed units (one for the Dakota skipper in Minnesota and one for the Poweshiek skipperling in North Dakota), and revise the boundaries of seven Poweshiek skipperling units and five Dakota skipper units in Minnesota. These changes are proposed based on new or updated biological and ecological information for those areas. We also announce the availability of a draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the Dakota skipper and Poweshiek skipperling and an amended required determinations section of the proposal. We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the proposed 4(d) rule, the proposed critical habitat rule (including the changes described in this document), the associated DEA, and the amended required determinations section. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Tucson shovel-nosed snake (Chionactis occipitalis klauberi) as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Tucson shovel-nosed snake as an endangered or threatened species is not warranted, and, therefore, we are removing this subspecies from our candidate list.

On July 22, 2014, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced a draft policy on crediting voluntary conservation actions taken for species prior to their listing under the Endangered Species Act. The proposed policy seeks to give landowners, government agencies, and others incentives to carry out voluntary conservation actions for nonlisted species by allowing the benefits to the species from a voluntary conservation action undertaken prior to listing under the Act to be usedeither by the person who undertook such action or by a third partyto mitigate or to serve as a compensatory measure for the detrimental effects of another action undertaken after listing. This draft policy, if adopted, would help us further our efforts to protect native species and conserve the ecosystems on which they depend. We announce the extension of the comment period for our July 22, 2014, proposed policy to ensure the public has sufficient time to comment on the proposed policy.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), BSEE is notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) for review approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under Subpart M, Unitization. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the revised paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

The Department of the Interior and the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, as joint leads, are evaluating the impacts of a proposed replacement of the Olmsted Hydroelectric Power Plant, and have prepared an associated Draft Environmental Assessment for public review.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Acting Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs is seeking comments on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the collection of information for Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact Process, 25 CFR 293, authorized by OMB Control Number 1076-0172. This information collection expires January 31, 2015.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council (RAC) is scheduled to meet as indicated below.

BOEM has prepared a Final Supplemental EIS for proposed OCS oil and gas Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247, which are tentatively scheduled to be held in March 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively, in the Gulf of Mexico CPA offshore the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. This Final Supplemental EIS updates the environmental and socioeconomic analyses for proposed CPA Lease Sales 235, 241, and 247 evaluated in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012-2017; Western Planning Area Lease Sales 229, 233, 238, 246, and 248; Central Planning Area Lease Sales 227, 231, 235, 241, and 247, Final Environmental Impact Statement (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2012-019) (2012- 2017 WPA/CPA Multisale EIS) and in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2013-2014; Western Planning Area Lease Sale 233; Central Planning Area Lease Sale 231, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (OCS EIS/EA BOEM 2013-0118) (WPA 233/CPA 231 Supplemental EIS).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Symphyotrichum georgianum (Georgia aster) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the S. georgianum is not warranted at this time. However, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the threats to the S. georgianum or its habitat at any time.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment (EA) for the Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (NWR or Refuge). In this CCP, we describe how we will manage the Refuge for the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a public teleconference of the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (Council).

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. This information collection is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2014. 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

This notice addresses the Extension of the Class III gaming compact between the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the State of South Dakota.

The Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum (Burke Museum), University of Washington, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, has determined that the cultural items listed in this notice meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects. Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to claim these cultural items should submit a written request to the Burke Museum. If no additional claimants come forward, transfer of control of the cultural items to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 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 April 30, 2015. 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, invite the public to comment on the following application for a recovery permit to conduct activities with the purpose of enhancing the survival of endangered species. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), prohibits certain activities with endangered species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act also requires that we invite public comment before issuing such permits.

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

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, determine threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for Arabis georgiana (Georgia rockcress), a plant species in Georgia and Alabama. The effect of this regulation is to add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants and extend the Act's protections to this species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are finalizing two actions with this rule: We are designating revised critical habitat for the contiguous United States distinct population segment of the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, and we are revising the boundary of the Canada lynx distinct population segment. These revisions fulfill our obligations under two settlement agreements and address issues raised by two courts regarding our previous critical habitat designation. This rule revises critical habitat for the lynx and extends the Endangered Species Act's protections to the species wherever it occurs in the contiguous United States, including New Mexico. The effect of this regulation is to conserve the Canada lynx and its habitats in the contiguous United States under the Endangered Species Act.

Under the Endangered Species Act, as amended (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on an incidental take permit application for take of the federally listed American burying beetle resulting from activities associated with the construction, operation, maintenance, repair, and decommissioning of oil and gas pipelines and related well field activities in Oklahoma. If approved, the permit would be issued under the approved Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan Associated with Issuance of Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permits for the American Burying Beetle in Oklahoma (ICP).

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) Central Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing its intention to renew the approval for the collection of information which allows the collection and processing of citizen complaints and requests for inspection. The collection described below 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 the expected burden and cost.

This notice sets forth the dates of meetings of the Gateway National Recreation Area Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee occurring in October and December 2014.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the technical/agency draft recovery plan for the endangered dusky gopher frog. We request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public.