Department of the Interior October 7, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to continue the collection of information from applicants for Resource Advisory Councils. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has assigned control number 1004-0204 to this information collection.

This order withdraws 1,140.82 acres of public lands from location and entry under the United States mining laws, but not from leasing under the mineral or geothermal leasing laws, for a period of 20 years to protect the geological, cultural, botanical, recreational, and biological resources within the New River Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The withdrawal will protect a $2.8 million investment for facilities and roads.

Pursuant to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Malta Field Office, Malta, Montana, intends to collect fees at the Zortman Ranger Station, a historic U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station now administered by the BLM in Zortman, Montana, and expand the amenity reservation fee at the Buffington Day Use Area at the Camp Creek Recreation Area.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application for a 10-year incidental take permit (ITP) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (applicant). The application includes the draft habitat conservation plan (draft HCP) for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's operations, maintenance, and management activities on its land in Mono and Inyo Counties, California, pursuant to the Act. We invite public comment on the permit application, draft HCP, and draft Environmental Action Statement/Low Effect Screening Form. The Service is considering the issuance of a 10-year ITP for seven covered species in a 314,000-acre permit area. The permit is needed because take of species could occur as a result of the proposed covered activities.

The Bureau of Reclamation, in collaboration with other federal agencies (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) is announcing a prize competition for seeking a way to economically detect, count, and identify zooplankton and drift invertebrates in river and estuary systems. Problems identified that prevent the simple transfer of oceanographic techniques to rivers and streams are higher water velocities, turbidity, higher surface/depth ratio, and costs (time and money).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will hold a 30-day comment period, including two public meetings, to obtain comments on providing public access to the Rattlesnake Mountain Unit, including the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain, within the Hanford Reach National Monument (Monument). In Section 3081 of the Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015, the Service is directed to ensure public access to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain (a.k.a., Laliik) for educational, recreational, historical, scientific, cultural, and other purposes, including motor vehicle access, and pedestrian and other nonmotorized access.