Department of the Interior August 31, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Current Federal policy allows non-Federal entities to develop electrical power resources on Federal water resource projects. This Notice seeks proposals to develop pumped-storage hydroelectric power utilizing Lake Roosevelt, located in Washington. This Notice provides background information, proposal content guidelines, and information concerning the selection of a non-Federal entity as a preliminary lessee. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is considering such hydroelectric power development under its lease of power privilege (LOPP) process. Interested entities are invited to submit proposals on this project. This Notice of Intent to accept proposals does not obligate Reclamation to select a preliminary-lessee; the decision to select a preliminary-lessee will ultimately be made based on the qualifications of submitted proposals.

Notice is hereby given that coal resources in lands in Mercer County, North Dakota, will be offered for competitive lease by sealed bid in accordance with the provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year status reviews under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, for seven plant and seven animal species. A 5-year status review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any such information that has become available since the last review for the species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are opening, for the first time, eight National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) that were previously closed to hunting and sport fishing. In addition, we are opening or expanding hunting and sport fishing at 89 other NWRs and adding pertinent station-specific regulations for other NWRs that pertain to migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing for the 2020-2021 season. We are also opening hunting or sport fishing on nine units of the National Fish Hatchery System (NFHs). We are also adding pertinent station-specific regulations that pertain to migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, big game hunting, and sport fishing at these nine NFHs for the 2020-2021 season. Further, we are opening 41 limited-interest easement NWRs in North Dakota for upland and big game hunting and sport fishing in accordance with State regulations. Access to these NWRs is controlled by the current landowners, and, therefore, they are not open to the public unless authorized by the landowner. We are also making regulatory changes to existing station-specific regulations in order to reduce the regulatory burden on the public, increase access for hunters and anglers on Service lands and waters, and comply with a Presidential mandate for plain language standards. Lastly, we are prohibiting domestic sheep, goat, and camelid pack animals on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.