Land Management Bureau June 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hereby gives notice that the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Final Environmental Report on vegetation treatments involving the use of chemical herbicides and other methods on the public lands administered by 11 BLM State offices in 17 western States, including Alaska, is available for public review and comment. The BLM is the lead Federal agency for the preparation of this Final Programmatic EIS in compliance with the requirements of NEPA. If it is approved, the BLM would: 1. Approve the use of four new herbicide formulations on public lands. 2. Decide which of 20 currently approved herbicides will continue to be used on public lands. 3. Decide on a protocol to follow that adds new EPA-registered chemical formulations to the BLM list of approved herbicides. 4. Identify which best management practices should be used with all applications of herbicide and other types of vegetation treatment methods (mechanical, fire, biological, etc).

Notice is hereby given that certain lands located in northwestern Nevada will be temporarily closed or restricted and certain activities will be temporarily prohibited in and around an area near the city of Winnemucca known as Water Canyon and administered by the BLM Winnemucca Field Office in Humboldt County, Nevada. The specified closures, restrictions and prohibitions are made in the interest of public and employee safety during the period of heavy construction equipment usage at and around the public lands in an area known as Water Canyon Recreation Area, Zone 1. The temporary closure is needed during the construction phase of the ``Water Canyon Implementation Plan Amendment'' (Decision Record signed 11/16/05).

This order partially revokes a Secretarial Order insofar as it affects 124.70 acres, more or less, of public lands withdrawn for use by the Bureau of Reclamation for the Boise River Reservoir Project. The lands are no longer needed for reclamation purposes.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act will be issued to The Port Graham Corporation. The lands are in the vicinity of Port Graham, Alaska, and are located in:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease and conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP), as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.), approximately 5 acres of public land in San Bernardino County, California. The Hesperia Recreation and Parks District, a local government entity has filed an application to lease with the request for conveyance of the above described public land for a public sports complex to include access roads, a nature trail and parking lot enclosed within a chain link fence, as specified in the District's development plan (henceforth, sports complex). The Hesperia Recreation and Parks District proposes to use the land in conjunction with adjacent non-Federal lands purchased by the District, for the establishment of a 24 acre public sports complex. The public land will be leased during the development stages. Upon substantial compliance with approval plans of development and management, the land will be conveyed.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for lease or conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act as amended (43 U.S.C. 869, et seq.) 10 acres of public lands in Iron County, Utah. The Town of Kannaraville proposes to use the lands as a solid waste transfer station (2.47 acres), and a public baseball park (7.53 acres).

In accordance with Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2), the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carrizo Plain National Monument Advisory Committee will meet as indicated below:

The State of Alaska (State) has filed applications for Recordable Disclaimers of Interest from the United States in certain lands underlying waterbodies within the Kantishna River, Birch Creek (a portion thereof), Muddy River, Lake Minchumina, Deep Creek, and Jim Lake in the Tanana River Subregion, Alaska. The State asserts that the water bodies were navigable, and unreserved at the time of statehood; therefore, title to the submerged lands passed to the State at the time of statehood (1959). Some of the lands included in the applications are within the boundary of the Denali National Preserve, created by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of December 2, 1980.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will file the plat of survey of the lands described below in the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield, Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

Pursuant to applicable provisions of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, 16 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)'s Butte Field Office is proposing to begin collecting fees in the spring of 2008 at the White Sandy Recreation Site on Hauser Lake, Lewis and Clark County, Montana. (Township 11 N, Range 2 W, section 5).

In accordance with Title IV of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act (Pub. L. 97-451), Synergy Operating LLC timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease UTU79168 for lands in Emery County, Utah, and it was accompanied by all required rentals and royalties accruing from December 1, 2006, the date of termination.

The Mineral Leasing Act provides a means by which a mining claimant may seek to convert an oil placer mining claim to a noncompetitive oil and gas lease if the claim was deemed conclusively abandoned because of the claimant's failure to timely file certain assessment work filings required by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). 30 U.S.C. 188(f). Since 1993, Congress has required annual maintenance fees in lieu of the assessment work filings required by FLPMA. On August 31, 1994, MW Petroleum Corporation and its co-claimants failed to pay the annual maintenance fee for oil placer mining claim, WMC-71464. On May 31, 1995, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) notified MW Petroleum and its co-claimants that the oil placer mining claim was null and void by operation of law. On August 24, 1995, in accordance with the requirements outlined in 30 U.S.C. 188(f), MW Petroleum Corporation filed a petition for conversion of the abandoned unpatented oil placer mining claim to a noncompetitive oil and gas lease. The claim to be converted is the Buffalo 19 unpatented oil placer mining claim, which is located in Park County, Wyoming. The description of the land is as follows:

Pursuant to section 2(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, by section 4 of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976, Stat. 1083, 30 U.S.C. 201(b), and to the regulations adopted as 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 3410, all interested parties are hereby invited to participate with Bowie Resources, LLC, on a pro rata cost sharing basis in a program for the exploration of unleased coal deposits owned by the United States of America in Delta County, Colorado:

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared three Proposed Resource Management Plans/Final Environmental Impact Statements (PRMPs/FEISs) for public lands managed by the Eagle Lake Field Office, Susanville, California; the Alturas Field Office, Alturas, California; and the Surprise Field Office, Cedarville, California. These plans are now available for public review.

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) Alaska Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted a request for an extension of an approved information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.

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) Boise and Twin Falls District Recreation Resource Advisory Council (Rec-RAC) Subcommittee, will hold a meeting as indicated below.

Under the provisions of 30 U.S.C. 188(d) and (e), and 43 CFR 3108.2-3(a) and (b)(1), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease COC63509 from Beartooth Oil and Gas Company, for lands in Moffat County, Colorado. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision approving the surface and subsurface estates in certain lands for conveyance pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, will be issued to Bering Straits Native Corporation. The lands are in the vicinity of Council, Alaska, and are located in:

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) subparts 1500- 1508, and 43 CFR subpart 3600, notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Las Vegas Field Office will be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Rinker and Service Rock Projects, two proposed competitive mineral material sales which would result in two open pit limestone quarries that would merge in the future into one open pit, and associated facilities, located on public lands in Clark County, Nevada.

Pursuant to section 2(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended by section 4 of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976, 90 Stat. 1083, 30 U.S.C. 201(b), and to the regulations adopted as 43 CFR 3410, all interested parties are hereby invited to participate with BTU Western Resources, Inc. on a pro rata cost sharing basis in its program for the exploration of coal deposits owned by the United States of America in the following-described land in Campbell County, WY:

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and under the authority of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), a Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (DRMP/EIS) has been prepared for public lands and resources administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Butte Field Office in Montana.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Miles City Field Office, Montana, announces its intent to prepare supplemental air quality analysis information. On February 2, 2007, the BLM published a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register announcing the release of the Draft SEIS for public review and comment. The 90-day comment period closed May 2, 2007. The BLM was notified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of air quality analysis deficiencies in the Draft SEIS. As a result, the BLM is preparing an additional air quality analysis. When the additional air quality analysis has been completed, the BLM will only accept comments from the public on the new information presented.

Under the provisions of 30 U.S.C. 188(d) and (e), and 43 CFR 3108.2-3(a) and (b)(1), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement from Aspect Energy LLC and G & H Production Company, LLC for competitive oil and gas lease WYW172904 for land in Weston County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.