Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 12, 2010 / Notices 1651 

Rebecca Hunt, 620 E. Greene St., 

Carlsbad, NM 88220. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined at the Carlsbad Field 

Office. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information and/or to have your 

name added to our mailing list, contact 

Rebecca Hunt, Planning and 

Environmental Coordinator, telephone 

(575) 234–5995; address: Carlsbad Field 

Office, Attention: Rebecca Hunt, 620 E. 

Greene St., Carlsbad, NM 88220; e-mail 

Rebecca_Hunt@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HB 

Potash, LLC, (Intrepid) is proposing to 

construct and operate an ‘‘in-situ’’ 

solution mining project that would 

involve injecting saline water into 

previously mined, existing potash mine 

workings, dissolving the potash and 

creating a mineral-rich solution, and 

pumping that solution back to the 

surface. This solution, called ‘‘pregnant’’ 

solution, would be routed to a solar 

evaporation pond system where the 

potassium-bearing salts would be 

separated out. The solid potassiumbearing salts would be harvested from 

the ponds and routed to a flotation plant 

for ore refinement. This solution mining 

operation would occur on or within 

Federal, State, and private surface lands 

and mineral leases. The proposed action 

consists of the following: 

• Extracting and conditioning 

groundwater from four wells that draw 

from the Rustler Formation to create the 

saline water injectate; 

• Injecting this saline water via six 

injection wells and a surface piping 

system into the topographically lower 

portion of the former underground 

workings; 

• Extracting the pregnant brine from 

five extraction wells; 

• Pumping the brine via a surface 

piping system to solar evaporation 

ponds; 

• Harvesting precipitated potash at 

the solar evaporation ponds and 

transporting it to a new flotation mill; 

• Refining the ore into a marketable 

product; 

• Recycling the leftover sodium 

chloride to condition the injection 

source groundwater; and 

• Reclaiming all project components 

when the ore is depleted and the 

infrastructure and equipment are no 

longer needed. 

The expected lifespan of the proposed 

HB ‘‘In-Situ’’ Solution Mine Project is 

approximately 28 years. HB Potash, 

LLC, estimates the project will consume 

approximately 1,774 acre-feet of saline, 

non-potable water each year. The 

proposed HB ‘‘In-Situ’’ Solution Mine 

Project is located in Eddy County, New 

Mexico. The area includes portions of 

Township 19 South, Range 30 and 31 

East, Township 20 South, Ranges 29, 30 

and 31 East and Township 21 South, 

Ranges 29 and 30 East, New Mexico 

Principal Meridian. The project area is 

located within the Carlsbad Potash 

Mining District and is part of the 

Secretary’s Potash Area, designated 

under the 1986 Secretarial Order. The 

Secretarial Order was issued by the 

Secretary of the Interior and is titled Oil, 

Gas, and Potash Leasing and 

Development Within the Designated 

Potash Area of Eddy and Lea Counties, 

New Mexico, 51 FR 39425 (October 28, 

1986), as corrected at 52 FR 32171 

(August 26, 1987). 

The proposed HB ‘‘In-Situ’’ Solution 

Mine Project area encompasses 

approximately 38,453 acres (60.08 

square miles). The surface ownership of 

these lands is approximately as follows: 

• Federal Lands: 31,439 acres. 

• State Lands: 4,954 acres. 

• Private Lands: 2,060 acres. 

Of the 38,453-acre proposed project 

area, the actual extent of the open mine 

workings and proposed flood zone is 

only a small portion of the project area 

as follows: 

• Project Area: 38,453 acres. 

• Targeted Open Mine Workings: 

11,100 acres. 

• Flood Zone within the Open Mine 

Workings: 4,330 acres. 

A number of alternatives in addition to 

the proposed action, including the no 

action alternative, will be evaluated in 

the EIS in accordance with NEPA. 

Alternatives may include consideration 

of conventional underground mining of 

remaining reserves; more extensive insitu mining; smaller in-situ flood extent; 

and alternatives of the project 

components (e.g., pipeline burial, 

alternative pipeline routes, alternative 

water supplies, using existing facilities 

for ore processing, and alternative solar 

pond locations). The purpose of the 

public scoping process is to determine 

relevant issues that will influence the 

scope of the environmental analysis, 

including alternatives, and guide the 

process for developing the EIS. At 

present, the BLM has identified the 

following preliminary issues: Oil and 

gas resources, land subsidence, 

hydrology, air quality, water quality and 

quantity, underground mine workings, 

socioeconomics, migratory birds, 

rangeland resources, recreation and 

cultural resources. 

You may submit comments on issues, 

the project as proposed, other feasible 

alternatives, possible mitigation 

measures, and any other information 

relevant to the proposed action by 

writing to the BLM, or attending a 

public scoping meeting, or you may 

submit them to the BLM using one of 

the methods listed in the ADDRESSES

section above. Comments, including the 

names and addresses of the commenter, 

will be available for public inspection at 

the BLM’s Carlsbad Field Office during 

business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. The minutes and list of 

attendees for each scoping meeting will 

also be available to the public after each 

meeting and to any participant who 

wishes to clarify the views he or she 

expressed. The BLM will utilize and 

coordinate the NEPA commenting 

process to satisfy the public 

involvement process required for 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 

470f) as provided for in 36 CFR 

§ 800.2(d)(3). Native American Tribal 

consultations also will be conducted 

and Tribal concerns will be given due 

consideration, including impacts on 

Indian trust assets. Federal, State, and 

local agencies, along with other 

stakeholders that may be interested in or 

affected by the BLM’s decision on this 

project, are invited to participate in the 

scoping process and, if eligible, may 

request or be requested by the BLM to 

participate as a cooperating agency. 

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 in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7. 

Jesse Juen, 

Acting State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2010–306 Filed 1–11–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–OX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–ES–2009–N232; 91400–5110– 

0000–7B; 91400–9410–0000–7B] 

Multistate Conservation Grant 

Program; Priority List for Conservation 

Projects 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of priority list. 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES

1652 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 12, 2010 / Notices 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (FWS), announce the 

FY 2010 priority list of wildlife and 

sport fish conservation projects from the 

Association of Fish and Wildlife 

Agencies (AFWA). As required by the 

Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration 

Programs Improvement Act of 2000, 

AFWA submits a list of projects to us 

each year to consider for funding under 

the Multistate Conservation Grant 

program. We then review and award 

grants from this list. 

ADDRESSES: John C. Stremple, Multistate 

Conservation Grants Program 

Coordinator, Division of Federal 

Assistance, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mail 

Stop MBSP–4020, Arlington, Virginia 

22203. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

C. Stremple, (703) 358–2156 (phone) or 

John_Stremple@fws.gov (e-mail). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration 

Programs Improvement Act of 2000 

(Improvement Act, Pub. L. 106–408) 

amended the Pittman-Robertson 

Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 

et seq.) and the Dingell-Johnson Sport 

Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et 

seq.) and established the Multistate 

Conservation Grant Program. The 

Improvement Act authorizes us to 

award grants of up to $3 million 

annually from funds available under 

each of the Restoration Acts, for a total 

of up to $6 million annually. We may 

award grants from a list of priority 

projects recommended to us by AFWA. 

The FWS Director, exercising the 

authority of the Secretary of the Interior, 

need not fund all projects on the list, 

but all projects funded must be on the 

list. 

Grantees under this program may use 

funds for sport fisheries and wildlife 

management and research projects, 

boating access development, hunter 

safety and education, aquatic education, 

fish and wildlife habitat improvements, 

and other purposes consistent with the 

enabling legislation. 

To be eligible for funding, a project 

must benefit fish and/or wildlife 

conservation in at least 26 States, or in 

a majority of the States in any one FWS 

Region, or it must benefit a regional 

association of State fish and wildlife 

agencies. We may award grants to a 

State, a group of States, or one or more 

nongovernmental organizations. For the 

purpose of carrying out the National 

Survey of Fishing, Hunting and 

Wildlife-Associated Recreation, we may 

award grants to the FWS, if requested by 

AFWA, or to a State or a group of States. 

Also, AFWA requires all project 

proposals to address its National 

Conservation Needs, which are 

announced annually by AFWA at the 

same time as its request for proposals. 

Further, applicants must provide 

certification that no activities conducted 

under a Multistate Conservation grant 

will promote or encourage opposition to 

regulated hunting or trapping of wildlife 

or to regulated angling or taking of fish. 

Eligible project proposals are 

reviewed and ranked by AFWA 

Committees and interested 

nongovernmental organizations that 

represent conservation organizations, 

sportsmen’s organizations, and 

industries that support or promote 

fishing, hunting, trapping, recreational 

shooting, bowhunting, or archery. 

AFWA’s Committee on National Grants 

recommends a final list of priority 

projects to the directors of State fish and 

wildlife agencies for their approval by 

majority vote. By statute, AFWA then 

must transmit the final approved list to 

the FWS for funding under the 

Multistate Conservation Grant program 

by October 1. 

This year, we received a list of 13 

recommended projects. We recommend 

them for funding in 2010. AFWA’s 

recommended list follows: 

MSCGP 2010 CYCLE RECOMMENDED PROJECTS

ID Title Submitter WR request SFR request Total 2009 

grant request 

10–007 ........ State Fish and Wildlife Agency Director Travel 

Administration and Coordination.

AFWA ............................. $82,500.00 $82,500.00 $165,000.00 

10–008 ........ State Fish and Wildlife Agency Coordination and 

Administration.

AFWA ............................. 318,920.71 318,920.71 637,841.42 

10–009 ........ Why Do Some Anglers Not Fish Every Year, and 

Others Do?.

AFWA ............................. 0.00 289,536.00 289,536.00 

10–011 ........ Protect State Wildlife Agencies Authority to 

Sustainably Manage Wildlife Resources in Concert with Federal Actions Required by International Treaties and Conventions.

AFWA ............................. 70,125.00 70,125.00 140,250.00 

10–014 ........ Identifying and Implementing Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Natural Resources: A 

Series of Regional Climate Change Workshops 

for State Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

AFWA ............................. 60,000.00 60,000.00 120,000.00 

10–016 ........ Establishment of a National United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Liaison Biologist Position.University of Tennessee 

and WMI.

405,000.00 0.00 337,500.00 

10–026 ........ Implementation of the Hunting Heritage Action 

Plan.

WMI ................................ 296,560.00 0.00 296,560.00 

10–027 ........ Midwest Fish Habitat Partnerships: Meeting National Fish Habitat Action Plan Goals through 

Development of a Coordinated Scientific Network.

MAFWA .......................... 0.00 398,000.00 398,000.00 

10–025 ........ Explore Bowhunting Education Program ............... ATA ................................ 266,217.30 0.00 266,217.30 

10–032 ........ Coordination of the Industry and Federal and 

State Agency Coalition.

AFWA ............................. 90,600.00 90,600.00 181,200.00 

10–055 ........ Formulating a Vision for Fish Health Management 

in Fishery Conservation: Bridging Knowledge 

Gaps.

MSU ............................... 0.00 480,932.00 480,932.00 

10–057 ........ Hunting Heritage Conservation Challenge Badge 

Initiative.

NWTF ............................. 173,300.00 0.00 173,300.00 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 7 / Tuesday, January 12, 2010 / Notices 1653 

MSCGP 2010 CYCLE RECOMMENDED PROJECTS—Continued 

ID Title Submitter WR request SFR request Total 2009 

grant request 

10–063 ........ Coordination 10–063 of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize Fish and Wildlife Benefits 

to the States.

AFWA ............................. 79,320.00 79,320.00 158,640.00 

Total ........ ................................................................................. ........................................ 1,870,433.71 1,816,825.71 3,645,476.72 

Dated: November 17, 2009. 

Daniel M. Ashe, 

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–355 Filed 1–11–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLIDB0100L14300000.ES0000 24 1A.0; 

4500007763; IDI–36028] 

Notice of Realty Action: Recreation 

and Public Purposes Act 

Classification, Lease and Conveyance 

of Public Land, Idaho 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of realty action. 

SUMMARY: The City of Caldwell filed an 

application to purchase a 29.57-acre 

tract of public land under the Recreation 

and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as 

amended, to be used as a public park. 

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

has examined the land and found it 

suitable to be classified for lease and/or 

conveyance under the provisions of the 

R&PP Act, as amended. 

DATES: Interested parties may submit 

written comments regarding this 

proposed classification and lease or sale 

of this public land until February 26, 

2010. 

ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to 

Michael O’Donnell, Acting Four Rivers 

Field Manager, Bureau of Land 

Management, Boise District Office, 3948 

Development Avenue, Boise, Idaho 

83705. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Effie 

Schultsmeier, Four Rivers Realty 

Specialist, at the above address, via email at effie_schultsmeier@blm.gov, or 

phone (208) 384–3357. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM 

has examined and found suitable to be 

classified for lease and subsequent 

conveyance under the provisions of the 

R&PP Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et 

seq.), the following public land 

described below. 

Boise Meridian 

T. 3 N., R. 3 W., 

Sec. 15, lots 2 and 3. 

The area described contains 29.57 acres, 

more or less, in Canyon County. 

In accordance with the R&PP Act, the 

City of Caldwell filed an application to 

purchase the above-described property 

to develop as a public park. Additional 

detailed information pertaining to this 

application, plan of development, and 

site plans are in case file IDI 36028, 

located in the BLM Four Rivers Field 

Office at the address above. The land is 

not needed for any Federal purpose. 

Lease and subsequent sale of this land 

is consistent with the BLM Cascade 

Resource Management Plan dated July 

1, 1988, as amended, and would be in 

the public interest. The City of Caldwell 

has not applied for more than 6,400 

acres for recreation uses in a year, the 

limit set in 43 CFR 2741.7(a)(3), and has 

submitted a statement in compliance 

with the regulations at 43 CFR 

2741.4(b). Any lease and subsequent 

sale will be subject to the provisions of 

the R&PP Act and applicable regulations 

of the Secretary of the Interior. Any 

lease or patent of this land will also 

contain the following reservations to the 

United States: 

1. Provisions of the R&PP Act, 

including, but not limited to, the terms 

required by 43 CFR 2741.9. 

2. A right-of-way thereon for ditches 

and canals constructed by the authority 

of the United States, Act of August 30, 

1890 (43 U.S.C. 945); and 

3. All mineral deposits in the land so 

patented, and to it, or persons 

authorized by it, the right to prospect 

for, mine, and remove such deposits 

from the same under applicable law and 

regulations to be established by the 

Secretary of the Interior. 

Any lease or sale will also be subject 

to valid existing rights; will contain any 

terms or conditions required by law or 

regulation, including, but not limited to, 

any terms or conditions required by 43 

CFR 2741.9; and will contain an 

appropriate indemnification clause 

protecting the United States from claims 

arising out of the lessee’s or patentee’s 

use, occupancy, or operations on the 

leased or patented lands. It will also 

contain any other terms or conditions 

deemed necessary or appropriate by the 

authorized officer. As of January 12, 

2010, the above-described land is 

segregated from appropriation under the 

public land laws, including the United 

States mining laws, except for lease and 

sale under the R&PP Act. 

Public Comments: Interested parties 

may submit comments involving the 

suitability of the land for a public park. 

Comments on the classification are 

restricted to whether the land is 

physically suited for the proposal, 

whether the use will maximize future 

uses of the land, whether the use is 

consistent with local planning and 

zoning, or if the use is consistent with 

State and Federal programs. Interested 

parties may also submit comments 

regarding the specific use proposed in 

the application and plan of 

development, whether the BLM 

followed proper administrative 

procedures in reaching its decision, or 

any other factor not directly related to 

the suitability of the land for R&PP use. 

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 in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Any adverse comments on the 

proposed classification, lease and sale 

will be reviewed by the BLM Idaho 

State Director, who may sustain, vacate, 

or modify this realty action and 

classification and issue a final 

determination. In the absence of any 

objections, the classification of the land 

described in this notice will become 

effective on March 15, 2010. The lands 

will not be available for lease and 

conveyance until after the classification 

becomes effective. 

Michael O’Donnell, 

Acting Four Rivers Field Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2010–310 Filed 1–11–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES