Farm Service Agency July 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Public Law 106-503, the National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council (NEPEC) will hold its next meeting at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The Committee is comprised of members from academia, industry, and State government. The Committee shall advise the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on matters relating to the USGS's participation in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program. At the meeting, the Council will receive briefings and updates on: The USGS's strategic plan for operational earthquake forecasting and outcomes of a user-needs workshop on that subject held in March 2015; on USGS work to calculate the probability of future earthquakes in areas of the U.S. subject to induced seismicity; on the estimation of aftershock probabilities and on new modeled estimates of earthquake likelihood along the Wasatch fault zone by a technical working group; and on development of a plan for rapid communication of earthquake information in the Cascadia region. The NEPEC will review USGS procedures for calculating and communicating aftershock probabilities following large earthquakes in areas outside of California and the application of these procedures following the M7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake of April 2015. The council will also finalize a statement for public release summarizing the proper procedures for posing and testing earthquake predictions and forecasts. Meetings of the National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council are open to the public. A draft meeting agenda is available upon request from the Executive Secretary on request (contact information below). In order to ensure sufficient seating and hand-outs, it is requested that visitors pre-register by September 13. Members of the public wishing to make a statement to the Council should provide notice of that intention by August 26 so that time may be allotted in the agenda. A meeting summary will be posted by September 30 to the committee Web site: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/aboutus/nepec/.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

BOEM has prepared a Record of Decision for proposed oil and gas WPA Lease Sale 246, which is scheduled for August 19, 2015. The proposed lease sale is in the Gulf of Mexico's WPA off the states of Texas and Louisiana. Proposed WPA Lease Sale 246 is the fourth WPA lease sale scheduled in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012- 2017. In making its decision, BOEM considered two alternatives to the proposed action, the potential impacts as presented in the WPA 246 and 248 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and all comments received throughout the National Environmental Policy Act process. The Western Planning Area 246 and 248 Supplemental EIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for proposed Western Planning Area Lease Sale 246.

On March 26, 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) made a determination that the suspension on the import of sport-hunted African elephant trophies taken in Zimbabwe on or after April 4, 2014, would be continued until further notice. The decision to continue the suspension on importation of African elephant trophies taken in Zimbabwe through the 2015 hunting season and future hunting seasons is due to the Service's inability to determine that the killing of the animal whose trophy is intended for import into the United States would enhance the survival of the species in the wild. The suspension on importation of trophies taken during calendar year 2015 or future hunting seasons could be lifted if additional information on the status and management of elephants in Zimbabwe becomes available which satisfies the conditions of the 4(d) special rule under the Endangered Species Act (Act).

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are announcing that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed stream protection rule is available for public review and comment.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has officially filed the plats of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Idaho State Office, Boise, Idaho, effective 9:00 a.m., on the dates specified.

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 initial closing date for nominations was June 1, 2015, and this nomination period was extended to July 8. 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.