8396 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 36 / Wednesday, February 24, 2010 / Notices 

Scoping Process 

To avoid duplication with State and 

local procedures, we plan to use the 

scoping process initiated by Western 

under CEQA. No additional public 

scoping meetings are planned at this 

time. The CEQA Notice of Preparation, 

comments received, and a map showing 

the proposed project and pipeline 

alignment alternatives are available at 

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/socal/ 

envdocs.html. No known Indian trust 

assets or environmental justice issues 

are associated with the Proposed 

Action, although the proposed pipeline 

alignment may include areas of low 

income and minority populations. 

Written comments are requested to 

help identify any additional alternatives 

and issues that should be analyzed in 

the EIS/EIR. Federal, State and local 

agencies, tribes, and the general public 

are invited to participate in the 

environmental review process. 

Public Disclosure 

Before including your name, address, 

phone number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, please 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. 

Dated: February 18, 2010. 

Jayne Harkins, 

Deputy Regional Director, Bureau of 

Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region. 

[FR Doc. 2010–3644 Filed 2–23–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R7–R–2009–N288; 70133–1265–0000– 

U4] 

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Cold 

Bay, Alaska 

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Revised Notice 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), intend to 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) for a proposed land 

exchange of certain lands owned by the 

State of Alaska and certain lands owned 

by the King Cove Corporation and 

evaluation of a proposed road corridor 

through the Izembek National Wildlife 

Refuge and the Izembek Wilderness 

Area. We published a notice in the 

Federal Register on August 6, 2009, 

inviting suggestions on the scope of 

issues to address in the EIS. We now 

provide a comment-period end date and 

announce the dates, times, and locations 

of upcoming public meetings. Special 

mailings, newspaper articles, and other 

media releases will announce additional 

opportunities to provide written and 

oral input. 

DATES: Meetings: Public scoping 

meetings will be held in Anchorage, 

Alaska on March 4, 2010, 5–8 p.m. and 

on March 11, 2010, 1–4 p.m. in 

Washington, DC. In addition, we will 

hold public scoping meetings in King 

Cove, Cold Bay, Sand Point, and Nelson 

Lagoon in Alaska. We will announce 

these meeting dates, times, and 

locations locally, at least 10 days prior 

to each meeting. 

Comments: Please provide any 

written comments, information, or 

suggestions on the scope of issues to 

address in the EIS by April 30, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Additional information 

concerning the proposed land exchange 

is at http://izembek.fws.gov/EIS.htm. 

Send your comments or requests for 

information by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: izembek_eis@fws.gov; 

• Fax: Attn: Stephanie Brady, (907) 

786–3965; or 

• U.S. Mail: Stephanie Brady, Project 

Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, 1011 East Tudor Rd., MS–231, 

Anchorage, AK 99503. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Brady, 907–246–1203 

(phone), or at the addresses above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 

(417,533 acres) and the North Creek 

(8,452 acres) and Pavlof (1,447,264 

acres) units of the Alaska Peninsula 

National Wildlife Refuge are located at 

the westernmost tip of the Alaska 

Peninsula. The 1,008,697-acre Unimak 

Island (the easternmost Aleutian Island 

of the Alaska Maritime National 

Wildlife Refuge) lies across the Isanotski 

Strait. To the north of the Izembek 

Refuge is the Bering Sea; to the south is 

the Pacific Ocean. The Alaska Peninsula 

is dominated by the rugged Aleutian 

Range, part of the Aleutian arc chain of 

volcanoes. Landforms include 

mountains, active volcanoes, U-shaped 

valleys, glacial moraines, low tundra 

wetlands, lakes, sand dunes, and 

lagoons. Elevations range from sea level 

to the 9,372-foot Shishaldin Volcano. 

Shishaldin Volcano is a designated 

National Natural Landmark. 

Several major lagoons are within the 

Izembek Refuge boundary. These 

lagoons contain some of the world’s 

largest eelgrass beds. The lagoons are 

under the jurisdiction of the State of 

Alaska. Izembek Lagoon is designated as 

Izembek State Game Refuge. Birds from 

all over the Arctic funnel through 

Izembek Refuge in fall on their way to 

wintering grounds throughout the 

world. More than 98 percent of the 

world’s Pacific black brant use Izembek 

Lagoon as a staging area for their fall 

migration to Mexico. Other birds that 

use the refuge include golden plovers, 

ruddy turnstones, western sandpipers, 

tundra swans, Steller’s eiders, and 

emperor geese. The refuge also is home 

to large concentrations of brown bears 

and other large mammals, such as 

caribou and wolves. The red, pink, 

chum, and silver salmon that use the 

waters within the refuge enrich the 

entire ecosystem with the nutrients they 

bring from the sea. The refuge also has 

a rich human history, from ancient 

settlements of Alaska Natives, through 

the 18th and 19th century Russian fur 

traders, to a World War II outpost. The 

Izembek Wilderness covers much of the 

refuge and includes pristine streams, 

extensive wetlands, steep mountains, 

tundra, and sand dunes, and provides 

high scenic, wildlife, and scientific 

values, as well as outstanding 

opportunities for solitude and primitive 

recreation. 

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife 

Refuge stretches from the Arctic Ocean 

to the southeast panhandle of Alaska 

and protects breeding habitat for 

seabirds, marine mammals, and other 

wildlife on more than 2,500 islands, 

spires, rocks, and coastal headlands. 

Sitkinak Island, which lies within the 

boundaries of the Alaska Maritime 

National Wildlife Refuge, is primarily 

owned by the State of Alaska, with two 

parcels owned by the Service. 

The King Cove Corporation is an 

Alaska Native Village Corporation 

established under the Alaska Native 

Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA; 

43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). Under the 

authority of ANCSA, Congress granted 

King Cove Corporation land 

entitlements within and adjacent to 

Izembek Refuge. The State of Alaska 

also owns lands, submerged lands, 

shorelands, and tidelands within and 

adjacent to Izembek and Alaska 

Peninsula Refuges, including the 

Izembek State Game Refuge. 

In the Omnibus Public Land 

Management Act of 2009 (H.R. 146, 

Subtitle E; the Act), Congress directed 

us to prepare an EIS under the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 

amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and 


pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 36 / Wednesday, February 24, 2010 / Notices 8397 

its implementing regulations (40 CFR 

parts 1500–1508) to evaluate the 

impacts of a proposed land exchange 

with the State of Alaska and the King 

Cove Corporation for the purpose of 

constructing a single-lane gravel road 

between the communities of King Cove 

and Cold Bay, Alaska. The land 

exchange would involve the removal of 

approximately 206 acres within the 

Izembek Wilderness portion of Izembek 

National Wildlife Refuge for the road 

corridor and approximately 1,600 acres 

of Federal land within the Alaska 

Maritime National Wildlife Refuge on 

Sitkinak Island. In exchange, we would 

receive approximately 43,093 acres of 

land owned by the State of Alaska and 

approximately 13,300 acres of land 

owned by the King Cove Corporation. 

These lands are located around Cold 

Bay and adjacent to the North Creek 

Unit of Alaska Peninsula National 

Wildlife Refuge. 

The Act directed us to begin our 

preparation of this EIS not later than 60 

days after the Secretary received 

notification by the State and the King 

Cove Corporation of their intention to 

exchange lands. The Secretary received 

notification from the King Cove 

Corporation on May 19, 2009, and from 

the State of Alaska on June 19, 2009. 

Our notice of August 6, 2009 (74 FR 

39336), initiated the process and opened 

the period for public scoping. This 

revised notice informs the public of the 

dates for the public scoping meetings in 

Washington, DC, and Anchorage, 

Alaska, and also notifies the public of 

the comment-period end date (see 

DATES). We will also hold public 

scoping meetings at King Cove, Cold 

Bay, Sand Point, and Nelson Lagoon, 

Alaska; we will announce the dates, 

times, and locations locally, at least 10 

days prior to each meeting. 

In accordance with Section 

6402(b)(2)(B) of the Act, the EIS will 

analyze the proposed land exchange and 

the potential construction and operation 

of a road between the communities of 

King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska, and 

will evaluate a specific road corridor 

through the Izembek Refuge that will be 

identified in consultation with the State 

of Alaska, the City of King Cove, and the 

Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove. The 

alternatives anticipated at this time 

include the existing situation (no land 

exchange or road construction) and the 

proposed land exchange and road 

construction and operation as outlined 

in the Act. In preparing the EIS, we will 

request comments from the public 

locally, regionally, and nationally. As 

required in the Act, subsequent to the 

preparation of the EIS and in 

conjunction with the Record of 

Decision, the Secretary of the Interior 

will determine whether the land 

exchange (including the construction of 

the proposed road) is in the public 

interest. We anticipate release of the 

Draft EIS in the spring of 2011, followed 

by a 90-day public review period. 

Public Availability of Comments 

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 can ask us to withhold it 

from public review, we cannot 

guarantee we will be able to do so. 

Dated: February 16, 2010. 

Geoffrey L. Haskett, 

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Anchorage, Alaska. 

[FR Doc. 2010–3642 Filed 2–23–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLUT91000–L11400000–PH0000–24–1A] 

Notice of Utah’s Resource Advisory 

Council (RAC)/Recreation RAC 

Meeting 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Utah’s Resource 

Advisory Council (RAC)/Recreation 

RAC Meeting. 

SUMMARY: 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’s (BLM) Utah 

Resource Advisory Council (RAC)/ 

Recreation RAC will meet as indicated 

below. 

DATES: The Utah Resource Advisory 

Council (RAC)/Recreation RAC will 

meet March 24, 2010, (8:30 a.m.—3:30 

p.m.) and March 25, 2010, (8 a.m.—5 

p.m.) in St. George, Utah. 

ADDRESSES: The Council will meet at the 

Hilton Garden Inn (Indigo meeting 

room), 1731 South Convention Center 

Drive, St. George, Utah. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact Sherry Foot, Special Programs 

Coordinator, Utah State Office, Bureau 

of Land Management, P.O. Box 45155, 

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84145–0155; 

phone (801) 539–4195. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 15- 

member Council advises the Secretary 

of the Interior, through the Bureau of 

Land Management, on a variety of 

planning and management issues 

associated with public land 

management in Utah. In conformance 

with the Federal Lands Recreation 

Enhancement Act (Title 16 of the United 

States Code, Part 6801 et seq.), the U.S. 

Forest Service and the BLM will present 

the following recreation fee proposals 

on March 24: The BLM Moab Field 

Office proposal to begin charging 

Expanded Amenity fees at the Moab 

Skyway Group Site and the Entrada 

Bluffs, Bartlett, and Courthouse Rock 

camping areas; the BLM Fillmore Field 

Office proposal to increase Special 

Recreation Permit fees at the Little 

Sahara Recreation Area; the Dixie 

National Forest proposal to begin 

charging Expanded Amenity fees at the 

Pine Valley Guard Station; and the 

Fishlake National Forest proposals to 

increase Expanded Amenity fees at the 

Adelaide, Gooseberry, Lebaron, Maple 

Grove, and Oak Creek campgrounds. 

Planned agenda topics for the March 24 

session also include a welcome and 

introduction of new Council members. 

A half-hour public comment period, 

where the public may address the 

Council, is scheduled to begin from 2:15 

p.m.—2:45 p.m. Written comments may 

be sent to the Bureau of Land 

Management address listed above. 

On March 25, topics will include an 

implementation overview of Subtitle O 

of the Omnibus Public Land 

Management Act of 2009, and the 

Washington County Commissioners’ 

and School and Institutional Trust 

Lands Administration’s perspectives on 

the Act. Randy Johnson, consultant, will 

address the Council on the status of 

ongoing land use bills from other 

counties. A field tour of the Red Cliffs 

National Conservation Area is planned 

from 1:15 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. All 

meetings are open to the public; 

however, transportation, lodging, and 

meals are the responsibility of the 

participating public. 

Dated: February 16, 2010. 

Approved: 

Selma Sierra, 

State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2010–3654 Filed 2–23–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P 


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