Land Management Bureau – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 Eastern Washington Resource Advisory Council will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with Title IV of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act (Pub. L. 97-451), Petro-Hunt LLC timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease UTU81046 for lands in Sanpete County, Utah, and it was accompanied by all required rentals and royalties accruing from May 1, 2006, the date of termination.

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 COC68523 from Gunsmoke Production Company for lands in Rio Blanco 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.

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 COC68525 from Gunsmoke Production Company for lands in Rio Blanco 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.

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 COC68518 from Gunsmoke Production Company for lands in Rio Blanco 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.

Two public listening sessions will be held by the Bureau of Land Management ( BLM) to solicit views from the public on implementation of the Pilot Project provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Section 365 of the Energy Policy Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish seven BLM Field Offices as oil and gas streamlining Project Offices. The offices are: Rawlins, Wyoming; Buffalo, Wyoming; Miles City, Montana; Farmington, New Mexico; Carlsbad, New Mexico; Grand Junction/Glenwood Springs, Colorado; and Vernal, Utah. The Act directs that within 90 days from the date the Act was signed (August 8, 2005) that a Memorandum of Understanding be signed between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed October 24, 2005. In addition, Section 365 specifies that not later than 3 years after the date of enactment, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to Congress a report that outlines the results of the Pilot Project, and makes recommendations to the President regarding whether the Pilot Project should be implemented throughout the United States. The public listening sessions will provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the progress made in the first year of the Pilot Project.

The plats of survey of the following described land will be officially filed in the Colorado State Office, Bureau of Land Management, Lakewood, Colorado, effective 10 a.m., September 29, 2006. All inquiries should be sent to the Colorado State Office (CO-956), Bureau of Land Management, 2850 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093. The supplemental plat creating new lot 133 in the SW\1/4\NE\1/4\ of section 13, in Township 1 North, Range 72 West of the Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, was accepted July 20, 2006. The supplemental plat creating lots 22 and 23 in sec. 18, of Township 49 North, Range 10 East, New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, was accepted July 24, 2006. The plats and field notes of the dependent resurvey and surveys in Townships 33 and 34 North (SU), Range 13 West, of the New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1419, were accepted July 28, 2006. The supplemental plat correcting lotting errors made on the supplemental plat accepted May 5, 2006, of section 22, in Township 1 North, Range 71 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, was accepted July 31, 2006. The plat, and field notes of the dependent resurvey in Sections 13 and 24, Township 15 South, Range 76 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1435, was accepted August 1, 2006. The plat and field notes of the Dependent Resurvey of a portion of Tract 37 and the Corrective Dependent Resurvey of the metes-and-bounds survey of Public Land Tract 38, Township 5 South, Range 74 West, of the Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1270, was accepted August 7, 2006. The plat and field notes of the dependent resurvey in Section 8, Township 9 South, Range 74 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1448, was accepted August 11, 2006. The plat and field notes of the location and remonumentation of certain original corners in, Township 10 North, Range 101 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 750, was accepted August 15, 2006. The plat and field notes of the dependent resurvey of a portion of the Colorado-New Mexico State Line (S. bdy.), the Eighth Standard Parallel North (N. bdy.) and west boundary, and the survey of the east boundary of Townships 32 North, Range 16 West, of the New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1425, was accepted August 22, 2006. The plat and field notes of the dependent resurvey and survey, in Township 27 South, Range 72 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1410, was accepted September 12, 2006. The plat and field notes of the dependent resurvey and survey in Fractional Township 32 North, Range 1 East, New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1447, was accepted September 14, 2006. The plat which includes the field notes, and is the entire record of this resurvey, in Township 33\1/2\ North, Range 17 West, New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1452, was accepted September 20, 2006. The plat and field notes of the dependent resurveys and surveys, in Township 3 North, Range 80 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, Group 1443, was accepted September 27, 2006. The plat (in 2 sheets), which is the entire record, of the dependent resurvey of a portion of Mineral Survey 359, Kirsch Placer, and subdivisional lines, and the remonumentation of certain corners, in Township 12 South, Range 79 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Colorado, Groups 750 and 1416, was accepted September 27, 2006.

In Federal Register notice document 05-19132 filed 9-23-05; 8:45 a.m., beginning on page 56187, in issue published Monday, September 26, 2005, the following correction is made: On page 56187, in the second column, the legal description in the twenty-second line under Sec. 10, which reads ``NW\1/4\ SE\1/4\ NW\1/4\ W\1/2\ SW\1/4\ SE\1/4\ NW\1/4\'' is hereby corrected to read ``NW\1/ 4\SE\1/4\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\ SW\1/4\ SE\1/4\ NW\1/4\.''

Notice is hereby given that Red Mountain Road, located on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management approximately eight miles east of Piercy, California, is closed to public access due to dangers posed by the Nobles Fire. Exempted from this closure are vehicles and personnel involved with fighting the Nobles Fire, federal, state and local officers involved in the enforcement of their duties, and Red Mountain Road area residents who show valid identification. This closure is necessary to protect public health and safety.

The plat of survey of the following described lands was officially filed in the Oregon State office, Portland, Oregon, on May 15, 2006.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has signed a Record of Decision (ROD) concerning two right-of-way applications filed by Private Fuel Storage (PFS), L.L.C, for an independent spent fuel storage installation on reservation lands of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians (Band or Skull Valley Band). The installation is described in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), entitled ``Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Construction and Operation of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation on the Reservation of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians and the Related Transportation Facility in Tooele County, Utah (December 2001).'' Spent nuclear fuel (SNF), the focus of the EIS, is the primary by- product from a nuclear reactor. As proposed, the fuel would be transported from an existing Union Pacific railroad site to the Reservation of the Skull Valley Band in Tooele County, Utah. The applications seek right-of-way grants under Title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C. 1761, to transport SNF across public lands managed by the BLM. The BLM was a cooperating agency in the preparation of this EIS, as were the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. This EIS is available online at https:// www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1714/v1 /. Additional comments were received by the BLM following its publication on February 7, 2006, of a Federal Register notice at 71 FR 6286 requesting comments on the two right-of-way applications then pending before the agency. The BLM ROD is based on review of the draft EIS; the FEIS; comments received from the public, other Federal agencies, and State and local governments; and discussion of all the alternatives with the cooperating agencies. The BLM decision is to choose the No Action alternative from the EIS. The effect of this decision is to reject applications U 76985 and U 76986 for right-of-way grants filed by PFS, L.L.C.

Pursuant to Title 43 Code of Federal Regulations, subpart 8364.1, the Bureau of Land Management, Lake Havasu Field Office, will close portions of roads on public lands to motorized and mechanized vehicle use. The purpose of the emergency closure is to protect soils, vegetation and cultural resources that have been adversely impacted, or are at risk of being adversely impacted, by off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. In addition, this closure is needed to alleviate congestion in the project area during Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) remediation of hexavalent chromium in the groundwater at the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Topock Compressor Station in Needles, California. Copies of this Emergency Closure Notice and map are available at the BLM Lake Havasu Field Office, 2610 Sweetwater Avenue, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406, phone (928) 505-1200.

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 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3410, all interested qualified parties, as provided in 43 CFR 3472.1, are hereby invited to participate with Ark Land Company on a pro rata cost sharing basis in a program for the exploration of coal deposits owned by the United States of America in the following-described lands in Campbell County, Wyoming:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is reopening and extending by 30 days, the public comment period for the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) published in the Federal Register on August 25, 2006 (71 FR 50378). The ANPR requested comments and suggestions to assist in the writing of a proposed rule to establish a commercial leasing program for oil shale. In order to provide the public with additional time to prepare and submit comments, the BLM is extending the comment period 30 days from the original comment period closing date of September 25, 2006. The comment period is extended to October 25, 2006.

Notice is hereby given of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) implementation of the Recreation Resource Advisory Committee provisions of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Pursuant to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act and a signed Interagency Agreement between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, the BLM will utilize existing BLM Resource Advisory Councils to make recommendations on BLM and Forest Service recreation fee issues in the following States: Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah. Both the BLM and the FS will use new Recreation RACs, chartered by the FS, for the Pacific Northwest Region (Oregon and Washington), the Pacific Southwest Region (California), the State of Colorado, and for the Eastern and Southern Regions (these represent most States east of the Rockies). Any of the existing BLM Resource Advisory Councils or the new FS- chartered RRACs may also establish Subcommittees for recreation fee- related matters.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (1972), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pinedale Anticline Working Group (PAWG) will meet in Pinedale, Wyoming, for a business meeting. Group meetings are open to the public.

Per 30 U.S.C. 188(d), Baldwin Exploration Corp. timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease NDM 94458, Mountrail County, North Dakota, together with a request for a rental and royalty reduction allowed under 43 CFR 3108.2-3(f). The lessee paid the required rental at the rate provided in the original lease terms. No leases were issued that affect these lands. The lessee paid the $500 administration fee for the reinstatement of the lease and $163 cost for publishing this Notice. The lessee met the requirements for reinstatement of the lease per Sec. 31 (d) and (e) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 188). We are proposing to reinstate the lease, effective the date of termination subject to the original terms and conditions of the lease.

These interim final supplementary rules, applicable to specified public lands administered by BLM's Moab Field Office, require the possession, set up for usage, and use of portable toilets for individuals and groups camping on public lands administered by the Moab Field Office in the White Wash Sand Dunes area of Grand County Utah. This action is necessary to protect public health and maintain public land recreation opportunities in the area.

This order revokes two Secretarial Orders in their entirety, which withdrew 240 acres of National Forest System land for use as an administrative site known as Station No. 34 or Baca Administrative Site.

In accordance with the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act of 2000, 43 U.S.C. 2303 (FLTFA), this notice provides the public the opportunity to nominate lands within the State of Idaho for possible acquisition by the Federal agencies identified below. Such lands must be (1) inholdings within a federally designated area or (2) lands that are adjacent to federally designated areas and contain exceptional resources.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has filed the plats of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, Wyoming, on the dates indicated.

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) Idaho Falls District Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet as indicated below.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is amending its regulations governing Alaska Native veteran allotments. The existing regulations allowed certain Alaska Native veterans another opportunity to apply for a Native allotment under the repealed Native Allotment Act of 1906. This final rule will remove the requirement that veteran applicants must have posted the land by marking all corners on the ground with their name and address prior to filing an application with BLM. This change to the regulations will make the processing of Alaska Native veteran allotments more like that of allotments adjudicated under the 1906 act.

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