Department of the Interior January 21, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lower Sonoran Field Office, Phoenix, Arizona, intends to prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendment with an associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDNM). This notice announces the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lakeview Resource Area, Lakeview, Oregon intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

This order withdraws 1,359.25 acres of public land from location and entry under the United States mining laws for a period of 20 years to protect important paleontological resources within the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite located in Bighorn County, Wyoming. The land has been and will remain open to the public land laws and mineral and geothermal leasing.

On October 19, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Interior published a notice inviting nominations for non-Federal members of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science (Committee). The closing date for nominations was January 15, 2016. This Federal Register Notice reopens the nomination and comment period for an additional 30 days, for state government nominees only. If you have already submitted information to be considered for appointment to the Committee you do not have to resubmit it.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS), have received an application from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MADFW) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). We are considering issuing a 25-year permit to the applicant that would authorize take of the federally threatened piping plover incidental to otherwise lawful activities, specifically recreational activities and beach operations on piping plover breeding beaches in Massachusetts. Pursuant to the ESA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we announce the availability of the MADFW's ITP application and draft habitat conservation plan (HCP), as well as the Service's draft environmental assessment (EA), for public review and comment. We provide this notice to seek comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments.

Final regulations that ONRR published September 13, 2004 (69 FR 55076), provide two types of accounting and auditing relief for Federal onshore or Outer Continental Shelf lease production from marginal properties. As the regulations require, ONRR provided a list of qualifying marginal Federal oil and gas properties to States that received a portion of Federal royalties. Each State then decided whether to participate in one or both relief options. For calendar year 2016, we provide in this notice the affected States' decisions to allow one or both types of relief.

The National Park Service is soliciting comments on the significance of properties nominated before December 26, 2015, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.