Department of the Interior March 11, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced availability of the Proposed Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) with a Notice of Availability published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2015 (80 FR 70254). The Proposed LUPA would amend the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan and the Bakersfield and Bishop Resource Management Plans (RMPs). The Proposed DRECP LUPA/Final EIS considers designation of 134 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). In order to comply with Federal Regulations at 43 CFR 1610.7-2(b), the BLM through this notice is announcing a 60-day public comment period on those 134 ACECs. The 134 ACECs listed in this notice are identical to those identified in the alternatives found within the Proposed DRECP LUPA/Final EIS addressed by the publication of the Federal Notice of Availability on November 13, 2015. The scope of this 60-day comment period is limited to these 134 ACEC designations. Comments on other topics are outside the scope of this public comment process

We (National Park Service, NPS) 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 October 31, 2016. 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. Geological Survey) are notifying the public that we have submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the information collection request (ICR) described below. To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 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.

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), Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet in Phoenix, Arizona, as indicated below.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing supplementary rules for shooting on public lands administered by the Hollister Field Office, California. The proposed supplementary rules would help protect public safety, facilitate resource protection, and improve recreation opportunities in the area. These proposed supplementary rules are intended to allow for enforcement as a tool in minimizing the adverse effects of shooting activities. Upon completion, the supplementary rules will be available for inspection in the Hollister Field Office, and they will be announced broadly through the news media and direct mail to the constituents included on the Hollister Field Office mail list. BLM personnel will also provide personal briefings with interested agencies and organizations.

The best available scientific and commercial data indicate that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) population of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) has recovered and no longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, as amended (Act). The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is also proposing to identify the GYE grizzly bear population as a distinct population segment (DPS). Therefore, we, the Service propose to revise the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, under the authority of the Act, by removing the GYE population. The Service has determined that the GYE grizzly bear population has increased in size and more than tripled its occupied range since being listed as threatened under the Act in 1975 and that threats to the population are sufficiently minimized. The participating States of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming must adopt the necessary post- delisting management objectives, which adequately ensure that the GYE population of grizzly bears remains recovered, into enforceable regulations before the Service will proceed with a final delisting rule.