### 30956 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 103 / Friday, May 27, 2011 / Notices

and practices can be adapted in the West to prevent and manage invasive species.

**DATES :**  Meeting of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 and Thursday, June 16, 2010; beginning at approximately 8 a.m., and ending at approximately 5 p.m. each day. Members will be participating in an off-site field tour on Wednesday, June

15, 2011.

**ADDRESSES :**  The Magnolia Hotel, 818 17th Street, Denver, Colorado 80202. The general session on June 14, 2011 and June 16, 2011 will be held in the Magnolia Ballroom.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Kelsey Brantley, National Invasive Species Council Program Analyst and ISAC Coordinator, (202) 513–7243; Fax: (202) 371–1751,

Dated: May 23, 2011. Kelsey A. Brantley, Program Specialist, National Invasive Species
Council.

[FR Doc. 2011–13226 Filed 5–26–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4310–RK–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR**

**Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement** 

**Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area,** 
**Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193**

**AGENCY :**  Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior.

**ACTION :**  Notice of availability of a Revised Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and public hearings.

**SUMMARY :**  BOEMRE announces the availability of a Revised Draft SEIS, OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea, Alaska (OCS EIS/EA BOEMRE 2010–034) for public review and comment, as well as the date, location, and time for public hearings.

BOEMRE prepared this Revised Draft SEIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et

seq., the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations that implement the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), and the July 21, 2010, remand order issued by the United States District Court for
the District of Alaska. The Revised Draft SEIS augments the analysis of the Final EIS, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea Planning Area (OCS EIS/ EA MMS 2007–026). **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Ms. Sharon Warren or Mr. Mike Routhier, BOEMRE, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503–5820. You may also contact Ms. Warren or Mr. Routhier by telephone at 907–334–5200.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  In May 2007, BOEMRE (formerly Minerals Management Service) published the
Final EIS for Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea (OCS EISIEA MMS 2007–0026) that evaluated the potential effects of the proposed sale and three
alternatives: A no action alternative and two alternatives that incorporate deferral areas of varying size along the coastward edge of the proposed sale

area.

On January 31, 2008, a lawsuit challenging Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea alleging violations pursuant to NEPA and the Endangered Species Act was filed with the U.S.
District Court for the District of Alaska [Native Village of Point Hope et al., v. Salazar, No. 1:08-cv-00004–RRB (D. Alaska)]. The sale was conducted in February 2008. BOEMRE received high bids totaling approximately $2.6 billion
and 487 leases were issued.

In July 2010, the District Court
remanded the matter for further NEPA analysis in accordance with its order.
The District Court amended this order in August 2010. The District Court
directed BOEMRE to address three concerns: (1) Analyze the environmental impact of natural gas development; (2) determine whether missing information identified by BOEMRE in the Final EIS
for Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 193 was
essential or relevant under 40 CFR 1502.22; and (3) determine whether the cost of obtaining the missing information was exorbitant, or the means of doing so unknown.

BOEMRE completed a Draft SEIS addressing each of these concerns, published the Draft SEIS for public comment on October 15, 2010, and provided a 45-day comment period. BOEMRE received over 150,000 comments on the Draft SEIS. Citing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, many commenters requested an analysis that takes into account the possibility of a blowout and oil spill during exploration. After reviewing those comments, BOEMRE has determined that it is appropriate to provide analysis of a very large oil spill (VLOS) from a hypothetical exploration well blowout. The VLOS analysis is presented in the Revised Draft SEIS along with the analysis of those issues on remand.

The Final Supplemental EIS will provide the Secretary with sufficient information and analyses to make an informed decision on whether to affirm, modify, or cancel Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea.

Revised Draft Supplemental EIS Availability: To obtain a copy of the Revised Draft SEIS, you may contact BOEMRE, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503–5820, telephone 907–334–5200. You may also
view the Revised Draft SEIS at the above address, on the BOEMRE Web site at http://alaska.boemre.gov, or at the Alaska Resources Library and Information Service, 3211 Providence Drive, Suite III, Anchorage, Alaska.

Public Comments: Interested parties may submit their written comments on the Revised Draft SEIS, Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea until July 11, 2011 in one of the following two ways:

1. Mail or Delivery: In written form enclosed in an envelope labeled ‘‘Comments on Revised Draft SEIS,
Lease Sale 193 Chukchi Sea’’ to the Regional Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Alaska OCS Region, 3801 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 500, Anchorage, Alaska 99503–5820.

2. Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.

BOEMRE will consider comments received by either of the two above methods during the comment period in preparing the Final SEIS. BOEMRE encourages commenters to submit
substantive comments on whether the proposed action should go forward. BOEMRE cautions that, before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask BOEMRE (prominently at the beginning of your submission) to withhold your personal identifying information from public view, BOEMRE cannot guarantee that it will be able to
do so. BOEMRE will not consider anonymous comments.

Public Hearings: BOEMRE will conduct public hearings at which government agencies, private-sector organizations, Alaska Native Tribes, and individuals are invited to present oral
and written comments on the Revised Draft SEIS, Lease Sale 193 Chukchi Sea.
Oral comments on the Revised Draft SEIS will be accepted verbatim only during the public hearing. Public hearings on the Revised Draft SEIS will
be held as follows: Tuesday June 21, 2011, Community

Center, Kotzebue, Alaska.


### 30957 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 103 / Friday, May 27, 2011 / Notices

Wednesday June 22, 2011 City Qalgi

Center, Point Hope, Alaska. Thursday June 23, 2011, Point Lay

Community Center, Point Lay, Alaska. Friday June 24, 2011, Robert James

Community Center, Wainwright,
Alaska. Monday June 27, 2011, Inupiat Heritage

Center, Barrow, Alaska; and Wednesday June 29, 2011, Wilda

Marston Theater, Anchorage, Alaska. All meetings will start at 7 p.m.

Dated: May 5, 2011.
Robert P. LaBelle, Acting Associate Director for Offshore Energy and Minerals Management.

[FR Doc. 2011–12720 Filed 5–26–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR**

**Fish and Wildlife Service**

**[FWS–R2–ES–2011–XXXX; 12345–1234– 0000–C2]** 

**Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Availability of a**  **Draft Recovery Plan, First Revision, Mount Graham Red Squirrel for Review** 
**and Comment**

**AGENCY :**  Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

**ACTION :**  Notice of document availability for review and public comment.

**SUMMARY :**  We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of our draft recovery plan, first revision, for the Mount Graham Red Squirrel ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This species is endemic to upper-elevation forests in
the Pinalen  ̃ o Mountains in southeastern Arizona. We request review and comment on our plan from local, State, and Federal agencies, Tribes, and the public. We will also accept any new information on the species’ status throughout its range.

**DATES :**  We must receive written comments on or before July 26, 2011. However, we will accept information about any species at any time.

**ADDRESSES :**  If you wish to review the draft recovery plan, you may obtain a copy by visiting our Web site at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/ index.html#plans. Alternatively, you may contact the Arizona Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2321 W. Royal Palm Road, Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ 85021–4951 (602–242–0210, phone). If you wish to comment on the plan, you may submit your comments in writing by any one of the following methods: • U.S. mail: Field Supervisor, at the above address;

• Hand-delivery: Arizona Ecological Services Office at the above address;

• Fax: (602) 242–2513; or

• E-mail: MGRSrecovery@fws.gov. For additional information about submitting comments, see the ‘‘Request
for Public Comments’’ section below.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Marit Alanen, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, at the above address, phone number, or e-mail.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 
Background

Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their ecosystems is a primary goal of our endangered species program and the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et

seq. ). Recovery means improvement of the status of listed species to the point at which listing is no longer appropriate
under the criteria set out in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a particular species.

Species’ History

We listed the Mount Graham red squirrel as an endangered species under the Act on June 3, 1987 (52 FR 20994). We designated critical habitat on January 5, 1990 (55 FR 425).

We originally completed and announced a recovery plan for the species on May 3, 1993. However, given the species’ current status, the recommendations in that plan are now
outdated.

The Mount Graham red squirrel exists only in the upper-elevation forests of
the Pinalen  ̃ o Mountains in southeastern Arizona, and likely represents a relictual population of what was once a much more widely distributed taxon. Threats to the subspecies at the time of listing included its small population size and range; changes in forest age structure and density within the squirrel’s habitat; loss of habitat due to development, road construction, and forest fire; and competition with the introduced Abert’s squirrel. These same threats to the red squirrel’s habitat continue today, compounded by the additional threats of climate change (including drought), insect infestation, and fire suppression activities. Recent research also indicates that predation, competition with Abert’s squirrels, and demographic factors (mainly due to its small population size) may impact the Mount Graham red squirrel population more than expected. Recovery Plan Goals

The objective of an agency recovery plan is to provide a framework for the recovery of a species so that protection under the Act is no longer necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about the species and provides criteria and actions necessary for us to be able to reclassify the species
to threatened status or remove it from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (List). Recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we consider necessary for the species’ conservation, and by estimating time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures. To achieve its goals, this draft recovery plan identifies the following objectives:

• Restore and maintain sufficient Mount Graham red squirrel habitat to ensure the species’ survival despite environmental stochasticity and the threat of climate change.

• Maintain a self-sustaining population of Mount Graham red squirrels sufficient to ensure the species’ survival.

The draft revised recovery plan contains new downlisting and delisting criteria based on maintaining and increasing population numbers and habitat quality. The revised recovery plan focuses on protecting and managing the remaining population and habitat, restoring and creating habitat to
allow for the existence of a viable and robust population, researching the conservation biology of the Mount Graham red squirrel with the objective of facilitating efficient recovery, developing support and building partnerships to facilitate recovery, and monitoring progress toward recovery and practicing adaptive management.

As the species meets reclassification and recovery criteria, we will review the species’ status and consider the species
for reclassification on or removal from
the List.

Request for Public Comments

Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan development. It is also our policy to request peer review of recovery plans (July 1, 1994; 59 FR 34270). In an appendix to the approved recovery plan, we will summarize and respond to the issues raised by the public and peer reviewers. Substantive comments may or may not result in changes to the recovery plan; comments regarding recovery plan implementation will be forwarded as appropriate to Federal or