Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 214 / Friday, November 5, 2004 / Notices 64583

Riverside County, currently the fastest 

growing county in the state, will 

continue to grow to 3.5 million people 

by 2030 and 4.5 million people by 2040. 

The Draft MSHCP plan area 

encompasses approximately 1.1 million 

acres in the Coachella Valley and 

includes the following 9 incorporated 

cities: Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert 

Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La 

Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and 

Rancho Mirage. It is one of two large, 

multiple-jurisdictional habitat planning 

efforts in Riverside County, each of 

which constitutes a ‘‘subregional’’ plan 

under the State of California’s Natural 

Community Conservation Planning 

(NCCP) Act, as amended. 

As described in the Draft MSHCP and 

the Draft EIR/EIS, the proposed MSHCP 

would provide for the creation of a 

reserve system that protects and 

manages approximately 725,780 acres of 

habitat for the Covered Species, 

including approximately 538,000 acres 

of existing conservation lands as of 2003 

(482,000 acres as of 1996), 98,100 acres 

conserved as the local mitigation 

component as of 2003 (100,600 acres as 

of 1996), and 10,800 acres of other nonpermittee public and quasi-public lands 

to be conserved. It is anticipated that as 

of 2003, 31,250 acres will be acquired 

by State and Federal agencies 

independent of the MSHCP (39,850 

acres as of 1996). The financing plan for 

the local portion of the reserve assembly 

as of 2003 addresses 90,600 acres and 

includes a mitigation fee, tipping fee for 

use of waste management facilities, 

transportation mitigation fees, and other 

funding sources. 

The Draft MSHCP identifies the 

proposed reserve system which will be 

established from lands within 21 

conservation areas that are either 

adjacent or linked by biological 

corridors. The acquisition program for 

the reserve system, involving 

conservation of 140,150 acres is 

anticipated to occur over the first 30 

years of the permit. When completed, 

the reserve system will include core 

habitat for Covered Species, essential 

ecological processes, and biological 

corridors and linkages to provide for the 

conservation of the proposed Covered 

Species.

The Draft MSHCP includes measures 

to avoid and minimize incidental take of 

the Covered Species, emphasizing 

project design modifications to protect 

both habitats and species’ individuals. 

A monitoring and reporting plan would 

gauge the MSHCP’s success based on 

achievement of biological goals and 

objectives and would ensure that 

conservation keeps pace with 

development. The Draft MSHCP also 

includes a management program, 

including adaptive management, which 

allows for changes in the conservation 

program if the biological species 

objectives are not met, or new 

information becomes available to 

improve the efficacy of the MSHCP’s 

conservation strategy. 

Covered Activities would include 

public and private development within 

the plan area that requires certain 

ministerial and discretionary actions by 

a permittee subject to consistency with 

MSHCP policies, regional transportation 

facilities, maintenance of and safety 

improvements on existing roads, the 

Circulation Elements of the permittees, 

maintenance and construction of flood 

control facilities, and compatible uses in 

the reserve. The Draft MSHCP makes a 

provision for the inclusion of special 

districts and other non-permittee 

entities in the permit with a certificate 

of inclusion. 

The Public Use and Trails Plan 

element of the Draft MSHCP provides 

for coordinated management of trails on 

public lands involving members of the 

public, local jurisdictions, and State and 

other Federal agencies. The Recovery 

Plan for Bighorn Sheep in the 

Peninsular Ranges, California (USFWS 

2000) recommends development and 

implementation of an interagency trails 

management plan to reduce or eliminate 

detrimental human activities within 

bighorn sheep habitat. The California 

Desert Conservation Area Plan 

Amendment for the Coachella Valley

(December 2002) prescribes a 

combination of methods to avoid, 

reduce, or mitigate disturbance to 

bighorn sheep, including voluntary 

avoidance programs, closures, seasonal 

restrictions, and permit stipulations and 

mitigations. 

The Draft EIR/EIS analyzes five other 

alternatives in addition to the proposed 

MSHCP Preferred Project Alternative 

described above including: an 

alternative that would not include the 

City of Palm Springs; an alternative that 

includes all existing local, State, and 

Federal agency land and private 

conservation land with additional 

management prescriptions; an 

alternative that protects core habitat, 

ecological processes, and biological 

corridors with less land than the 

preferred alternative; an expanded 

conservation alternative; and a no 

project alternative. 

Pursuant to the June 10, 2004, order 

in Spirit of the Sage Council v. Norton,

Civil Action No. 98–1873 (D. D.C.), the 

Service is enjoined from approving new 

section 10(a)(1)(B) permits or related 

documents containing ‘‘No Surprises’’

assurances until such time as the 

Service adopts new permit revocation 

rules specifically applicable to section 

10(a)(1)(B) permits in compliance with 

the public notice and comment 

requirements of the Administrative 

Procedure Act. This notice concerns a 

step in the review and processing of a 

section 10(a)(1)(B) permit and any 

subsequent permit issuance will be in 

accordance with the Court’s order. Until 

such time as the Service’s authority to 

issue permits with ‘‘No Surprises’’

assurances has been reinstated, the 

Service will not approve any incidental 

take permits or related documents that 

contain ‘‘No Surprises’’ assurances. 

Public Comments 

The Service and CVAG invite the 

public to comment on the Draft MSHCP, 

Draft Implementing Agreement, and 

Draft EIR/EIS during a 90-day public 

comment period beginning the date of 

this notice. The comment period is 

opened for 90 days to eliminate the 

need for an extension subsequent to the 

close of the comment period. All 

comments received, including names 

and addresses, will become part of the 

official administrative record and may 

be made available to the public. This 

notice is provided pursuant to section 

10(a) of the Act and Service regulations 

for implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (40 

CFR 1506.6). The Service will evaluate 

the application, associated documents, 

and comments submitted thereon to 

prepare a Final EIS. A permit decision 

will be made no sooner than 30 days 

after the publication of the Final EIS 

and completion of the Record of 

Decision.

Dated: October 22, 2004. 

Russell Joe Bellmer, 

Acting Deputy Manager, California/Nevada 

Operations Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service.

[FR Doc. 04–24274 Filed 11–4–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management 

[ID–070–2824–DS–PJ04] 

Fire, Fuels, and Related Vegetation 

Management Direction Draft Plan 

Amendment and Environmental Impact 

Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: The Upper Snake River 

District of the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), located in southVerDate jul<14>2003 13:07 Nov 04, 2004 Jkt 205001 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\05NON1.SGM 05NON1
64584 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 214 / Friday, November 5, 2004 / Notices 

central and eastern Idaho, has prepared 

a Fire, Fuels, and Related Vegetation 

Management Direction Draft Plan 

Amendment and Environmental Impact 

Statement (Draft Plan Amendment/EIS) 

to consider management direction for 

fire, fuels, and related uses of 

vegetation. This planning process is in 

conformance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act (FLPMA), and the Federal Wildland 

Fire Management Policy (USDI et al.

1995, reviewed and updated in 2001). 

The Draft Plan Amendment/EIS is 

available for public review and 

comment.

DATES: Written comments will be 

accepted for 90 days following the date 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes this Notice of Availability in 

the Federal Register. Future meetings 

and any other opportunities for public 

involvement will be announced at least 

15 days in advance through public 

notices, media news releases, and/or 

mailings. In addition, information on 

public meetings will be posted on the 

Internet at http://www.id.blm.gov/

planning/fmda/index.htm. To receive 

full consideration, comments must be 

postmarked no later than the last day of 

the written comment period. (The last 

day of the written comment period will 

be also be identified in the internet 

address above, after publication of the 

Notice in the Federal Register.)

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Draft Plan 

Amendment/EIS are available upon 

request from the Pocatello Field Office, 

Bureau of Land Management, 4350 

Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 83204, 

phone 208–478–6340, or at http://

www.id.blm.gov/planning/fmda/

index.htm via the Internet. You may 

submit written comments on the draft 

document by any of the following 

methods: 

• Mail: FMDA Planning Team, 

Pocatello Field Office, Bureau of Land 

Management, 4350 Cliffs Drive, 

Pocatello, Idaho 83204. 

• E-mail: ID_USRD_FMDA@blm.gov.

• Fax: 208–478–6376. 

All public comments, including the 

names and mailing addresses of 

respondents, will be available for public 

review at the BLM Pocatello Field 

Office, in Pocatello, Idaho during 

regular business hours from 7:45 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except holidays, and may be published 

as part of the final plan amendment/EIS. 

Individual respondents may request 

confidentiality. If you wish to withhold 

your name or address from public 

review or from disclosure under the 

Freedom of Information Act, please state 

this prominently at the beginning of 

your written correspondence. The BLM 

will honor such requests to the extent 

allowed by law. All submissions from 

organizations and businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

available for public inspection in their 

entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric 

Limbach, FMDA Project Manager, 4350 

Cliffs Drive, Pocatello, Idaho 83204, 

phone 208–478–6392, e-mail 

Eric_Limbach@blm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fire, 

Fuels, and Related Vegetation 

Management Direction Draft Plan 

Amendment/EIS was developed with 

broad public participation through a 

three year collaborative planning 

process. It addresses management on 

approximately 5.4 million acres of 

public land in the Upper Snake River 

District of the BLM, comprising the 

Burley, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and 

Shoshone Field Offices in south-central 

and eastern Idaho. 

The Draft Plan Amendment/EIS 

would incorporate the National Fire 

Plan’s Cohesive Strategy and the Federal 

Wildland Fire Management Policy into 

existing BLM land use plans. The draft 

EIS displays the environmental effects 

of implementing those amended plans. 

The purpose of the proposed fire 

management plan amendment is to: 

• Establish fire management 

guidance, objectives, policies, and 

management actions; 

• Identify resource goals and 

methods, including desired future 

condition of the fire-related vegetation 

resources, and management actions 

necessary to achieve objectives; 

• Form the basis to update fire 

management plans and integrate them 

with allotment management plans, 

wildlife management plans, recreation 

management plans, Idaho Standards for 

Rangeland Health and Guidelines for 

Livestock Grazing, and other applicable 

plans, to the greatest extent possible; 

and 

• Provide LUP level direction to 

enable incremental steps toward a longterm resource goal of conditions that 

minimize risk to human life and 

property and maintain or restore 

vegetation that is resistant to 

catastrophic wildfire. 

Four alternatives are analyzed. 

Alternative A, the No Action alternative, 

reflects current Land Use Plan direction, 

emphasizes wildland fire suppression, 

and minimizes the use of wildland fire 

for resource benefit. Alternative B 

emphasizes the increased use of fire, 

including prescribed fire and wildland 

fire use to more closely approximate the 

historical role of fire and prepare sites 

for restoration treatments. Alternative C 

would fully implement the Cohesive 

Strategy from the National Fire Plan 

(treats more acres with prescribed fire 

than the other alternatives). Alternative 

D, the Preferred Alternative, focuses on 

maintaining or restoring the sagebrush 

steppe ecosystem and its associated 

wildlife species, including sage grouse.

Dated: August 12, 2004. 

K Lynn Bennett, 

Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State 

Director.

[FR Doc. 04–23793 Filed 11–4–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–66–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service 

Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental 

Shelf, Central Planning Area, Oil and 

Gas Lease Sale 194 (2005) 

Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an 

environmental assessment. 

SUMMARY: The Minerals Management 

Service (MMS) has prepared an 

environmental assessment (EA) for 

proposed Gulf of Mexico Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS) Central 

Planning Area (CPA) Lease Sale 194. In 

this EA, MMS reexamined the potential 

environmental effects of the proposed 

action and its alternatives based on any 

new information regarding potential 

impacts and issues that were not 

available at the time the Gulf of Mexico 

OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2003–

2007; Central Planning Area Sales 185, 

190, 194, 198, and 201; Western 

Planning Area Sales 187, 192, 196, and 

200; Final Environmental Impact 

Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale 

EIS) was completed in November 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Minerals Management Service, Gulf of 

Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood 

Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 

70123–2394, Mr. Dennis Chew, 

telephone (504) 736–2793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Multisale EIS analyzed the effects of a 

typical lease sale by presenting a set of 

ranges for resource estimates, project 

exploration and development activities, 

and impact-producing factors for any of 

the proposed CPA lease sales. The level 

of activities projected for proposed 

Lease Sale 194 falls within these ranges. 

No new significant impacts were 

identified for proposed Lease Sale 194