Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 4115 

(FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to leave a 

message or question for the above 

individual. The FRS is available 24 

hours a day, seven days a week. Replies 

are provided during normal business 

hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The John 

D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, 

Management, and Recreation Act (Pub. 

L. 116–9) established the Council to 

provide advice and information for the 

BLM in planning and managing the San 

Rafael Swell Recreation Area. The 

seven-member council represents a 

wide range of interests including local 

government, recreational users, grazing 

allotment permittees, conservation 

organizations, expertise in historical 

uses of the recreation area, and Tribes. 

More information can be found at: 

https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/ 

resource-advisory-council/near-you/ 

utah/San-Rafael-Swell-RAC. Agenda 

topics for the February meeting will 

include an overview of Dingell Act 

mandates, an overview of the Price 

Field Office Resource Management Plan 

(RMP), nomination of a Council 

chairperson and vice-chairperson, 

identification of next steps, and 

discussion of upcoming RMP 

amendments. Agenda topics for the 

April meeting will include agency 

updates, RMP updates, and discussion 

of implementation-level plans. The final 

agendas and meeting information will 

be posted on the Council’s web page 30 

days before the meetings. 

The meetings are open to the public; 

however, transportation, lodging, and 

meals are the responsibility of the 

participating individuals. A public 

comment period will be offered each 

day of the scheduled meetings. 

Depending on the number of people 

wishing to comment and the time 

available, the time for individual 

comments may be limited. People 

wishing to speak will be asked to sign 

in before the scheduled oral comment 

time for planning and record keeping 

purposes. Written comments may also 

be sent to the Price Field Office at the 

address listed in the ADDRESSES section 

of this notice. All comments received 

will be provided to the Council. 

Public Disclosure of Comments: 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email 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 can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Detailed Council meeting minutes 

will be maintained in the Green River 

District Office and will be available for 

public inspection and reproduction 

during regular business hours within 90 

days following each meeting. Minutes 

will also be posted to the Council web 

page. 

Authority: 43 CFR 1784.4–2. 

Gregory Sheehan, 

State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00445 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[212L1109AF LLUTC03000 

L16100000.DS0000 LXSSJ0740000; UTU– 

93620; 13–08807] 

Notice of Availability of the Records of 

Decision for a Highway Right-of-Way, 

Amended Habitat Conservation Plan 

and Issuance of an Incidental Take 

Permit for the Mojave Desert Tortoise, 

and Approved Resource Management 

Plan Amendments, Washington 

County, UT 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior; Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) and the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service (Service), as joint 

lead agencies, announce the availability 

of the records of decision (ROD) for the 

Northern Corridor highway right-of-way 

(ROW), issuance of an incidental take 

permit (ITP), and approved amendments 

for the Red Cliffs National Conservation 

Area (NCA) and St. George Field Office 

Resource Management Plans (RMP). 

DATES: The Secretary of the Interior 

signed the ROD on January 13, 2021 

which constitutes the final decision of 

the BLM and made the approved 

amendments to the RMPs, effective 

immediately. The BLM also signed the 

ROW grant for the Northern Corridor 

highway and issued the grant to the 

Utah Department of Transportation 

(UDOT) on January 13, 2021, which is 

effective immediately. The Service’s 

Regional Director for Interior Regions 5 

and 7 signed a ROD for issuance of an 

ITP, supported by the Habitat 

Conservation Plan (HCP), to Washington 

County (County) on January 13, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: The RODs are available on 

the BLM ePlanning project website at 

https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/1502103/510. Click the 

‘‘Documents’’ link on the left side of the 

screen to find the electronic versions of 

these materials. If you would like to 

request to view a hard copy, please call 

the St. George Field Office for more 

information at (435) 688–3200, Monday 

through Friday, except holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gloria Tibbetts, BLM Color Country 

District Planning and Environmental 

Coordinator, telephone: (435) 865–3063; 

address: 176 East DL Sargent Dr., Cedar 

City, UT 84721; email: gtibbetts@

blm.gov. For information on the 

Amended HCP or ITP, contact Yvette 

Converse, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, telephone: (801) 

975–3330 ext. 61912; email: 

utahfieldoffice_esa@fws.gov. Persons 

who use a telecommunications device 

for the deaf may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to 

leave a message or question for Ms. 

Tibbetts or Ms. Converse. The FRS is 

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Replies are provided during normal 

business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

September 4, 2018, UDOT submitted an 

application for a ROW grant for the 

Northern Corridor Project north of the 

City of St. George, Utah, on BLMadministered and non-Federal lands 

within the Red Cliffs NCA and Red 

Cliffs Desert Reserve (Reserve). The 

Reserve was established for the 

protection of the Mojave desert tortoise 

under the 1995 Washington County 

HCP. The NCA was established through 

the passage of the Omnibus Public Land 

Management Act of 2009. The 1995 HCP 

expired in 2016 and was extended by 

the Service to allow the County to 

amend the HCP pursuant to Section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species 

Act (ESA). The Service received an 

application for an ITP dated January 30, 

2015. The associated amended HCP was 

finalized by Washington County on 

October 20, 2020. The amended HCP 

anticipates the Northern Corridor 

highway, as a potential changed 

circumstance, would be partially offset 

with the addition of a new sixth zone to 

the Reserve (Reserve Zone 6) as the 

primary conservation strategy. To allow 

for consideration of and mitigation for 

the Northern Corridor, the BLM 

considered amendments to the Red 

Cliffs NCA and St. George Field Office 

RMPs. 

The BLM and the Service, as joint 

lead agencies, reviewed the ROW and 

ITP applications, and the BLM 

4116 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 

1 85 FR 55859, September 10, 2020. 

developed the approved amendments to 

the RMPs in close coordination with the 

Service and cooperating agencies, using 

input from the public, stakeholder 

groups, State and local government 

entities, and American Indian tribes. 

The BLM and the Service prepared an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) in 

accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to 

analyze the environmental impacts 

associated with the proposed action and 

the alternatives. Additionally, the BLM 

consulted with the Service to meet the 

requirements in Section 7 of the ESA. A 

biological opinion was issued by the 

Service to the BLM on January 12, 2021, 

and determined that the ROW and 

approved amendments to the RMPs are 

not likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of the Mojave desert tortoise 

in the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit 

and range-wide and that they are not 

likely to destroy or adversely modify 

designated critical habitat for the desert 

tortoise. Pursuant to section 10 of the 

ESA, the Service issued an intra-agency 

biological opinion on January 12, 2021, 

which determined that the ITP is not 

likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of the Mojave desert tortoise, 

Holmgren milkvetch, Shivwits 

milkvetch, dwarf bear-poppy, Siler 

pincushion cactus, Gierisch mallow, 

and Fickeisen plains cactus or result in 

the adverse modification of critical 

habitat for the Mojave desert tortoise, 

Holmgren milkvetch, Shivwits 

milkvetch, Gierisch mallow, or 

Fickeisen plains cactus. The agencies 

also consulted with the Utah State 

Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and 

consulting parties as part of the Section 

106 review process under the National 

Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The 

BLM determined, and SHPO concurred, 

that the ROW will result in adverse 

effects to historic properties and that the 

amendments to the Red Cliffs NCA and 

St. George Field Office RMPs will result 

in no adverse effects to historic 

properties. For the ITP, the Service 

cannot fully determine the effects to 

historic properties prior to issuance of 

the ITP and has worked with the SHPO 

and other consulting parties to develop 

a programmatic agreement, as 

authorized by 36 CFR 800.14(b). The 

programmatic agreement defines a 

process to evaluate and address any 

adverse effects to historic properties 

related to actions by Washington County 

on a case-by-case basis throughout the 

term of the ITP. The final programmatic 

agreement for the ITP was signed on 

December 15, 2020. 

The formal public scoping process 

began on December 5, 2019, with the 

publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) 

in the Federal Register (84 FR 66692), 

which initiated a 30-day public scoping 

period. The Notice of Availability 

(NOA) for the Draft EIS and 

Amendments to the RMPs, Notice of 

ESA Section 10(a)(1)(B) permit 

application, and NOI announcing a 

concurrent public comment period for 

the proposed permanent closure of 

recreational target shooting within the 

proposed Reserve Zone 6 area were 

published on June 12, 2020 (85 FR 

35950), which initiated a 90-day public 

comment period. 

On November 13, 2020, the BLM 

published the NOA for the Final EIS 

and Proposed Amendments to the RMPs 

(85 FR 72683), initiating a 30-day 

protest period and a concurrent 

Governor’s consistency review of up to 

60 days. During the protest period for 

the Proposed Amendments to the RMPs, 

the BLM received 18 protest letters. All 

protests were resolved prior to the 

issuance of the RODs. For a full 

description of the issues raised during 

the protest period and how they were 

addressed, please refer to the BLM 

Protest Resolution Report, which is 

available online at https://www.blm.gov/ 

programs/planning-and-nepa/publicparticipation/protest-resolution-reports. 

The Governor of Utah reviewed the 

Final EIS and Proposed Amendments to 

the RMPs and did not identify any 

inconsistencies with State or local 

plans, policies, or programs. Finally, in 

compliance with the John D. Dingell, Jr. 

Conservation, Management, and 

Recreation Act of 2019, Public Law 116– 

9, 16 U.S.C. 7913, and 43 CFR 8364.1, 

the NOA for the Draft EIS and Draft 

Amendments to the RMPs included an 

NOI announcing a concurrent 90-day 

public comment period regarding the 

proposed closure of recreational target 

shooting on BLM-administered lands 

within Reserve Zone 6. Based on issues 

analyzed in the EIS and feedback 

received during the target shooting 

comment period, protest period, 

government-to-government 

consultation, section 106 (NHPA) and 

section 7 (ESA) consultation, and 

Governor’s consistency review, the BLM 

approved amendments to the St. George 

Field Office RMP, which includes a 

closure to recreational target shooting 

on BLM-administered lands within 

Reserve Zone 6. 

Authority: Consistent with 40 CFR 1506.13 

(2020), this notice and the EIS are issued 

under previous NEPA regulations: 40 CFR 

1505.2; 40 CFR 1506.6; 40 CFR 1506.10; and 

43 CFR 1610.2. The BLM also provides this 

notice under 43 CFR 8364.1 and 16 U.S.C. 

7913. The Service also provides this notice 

under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.) and its implementing 

regulations for incidental take permits (50 

CFR 17.22). 

Gregory Sheehan, 

State Director. 

Noreen Walsh, 

Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00652 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

[Docket No. BOEM–2021–0003] 

Notice of Availability of the Area 

Identification for the Proposed Cook 

Inlet Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258 

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Interior. 

ACTION: Area identification. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM) announces the 

availability of the Area Identification 

(Area ID) for the proposed Cook Inlet 

Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258 (Cook Inlet 

Lease Sale 258) in the available northern 

portions of the Cook Inlet Planning 

Area. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patricia LaFramboise, Supervisor of 

Leasing and Plans, Alaska Regional 

Office, 907–334–5271, 

patricia.laframboise@boem.gov or 

Wright Jay Frank, Chief, Leasing Policy 

and Management Division, 703–787– 

1325, wright.frank@boem.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

January 17, 2017, the Secretary of the 

Interior approved the 2017–2022 

National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 

Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2017– 

2022 National OCS Program), which 

included Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258 

scheduled in 2021. Details of the 2017– 

2022 National OCS Program can be 

found at https://www.boem.gov/ 

National-OCS-Program/. In accordance 

with 30 CFR 556.301, BOEM published 

a Call for Information and Nominations 

(Call) 1 on the area identified in the 

2017–2022 National OCS Program for 

the proposed Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258. 

The Call solicited industry nominations 

for areas of leasing interest and sought 

comments and information from the 

public on the areas being considered. 

BOEM analyzed the comments received 

in response to the Call and identified 

the areas that warranted further leasing 

consideration and analyses of the 

proposed sale’s potential leasing effects 

on the human, marine, and coastal 

environments. This Area ID is not a