25498 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 85 / Tuesday, May 2, 2000 / Notices

Activity/operator Location Date

Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Structure Removal Activity, SEA No. ES/

SR 00–041.

West Delta Area, Block 29, Lease OCS–G 0385, 7 miles

south of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

04/06/00

Apache Corporation, Structure Removal Activity, SEA No. ES/

SR 00–042.

Vermilion Area, Block 257, Lease OCS–G 8671, 70 miles

south of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.

04/14/00

Persons interested in reviewing

environmental documents for the

proposals listed above or obtaining

information about EA’s and FONSI’s

prepared for activities on the Gulf of

Mexico OCS are encouraged to contact

the MMS office in the Gulf of Mexico

OCS Region.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Public

Information Unit, Information Services

Section, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region,

Minerals Management Service, 1201

Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans,

Louisiana 70123–2394, Telephone (504)

736–2519.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MMS

prepares EA’s and FONSI’s for

proposals which relate to exploration

for and the development/production of

oil and gas resources on the Gulf of

Mexico OCS. The EA’s examine the

potential environmental effects of

activities described in the proposals and

present MMS conclusions regarding the

significance of those effects.

Environmental Assessments are used as

a basis for determining whether or not

approval of the proposals constitutes

major Federal actions that significantly

affect the quality of the human

environment in the sense of NEPA

Section 102(2)(C). A FONSI is prepared

in those instances where the MMS finds

that approval will not result in

significant effects on the quality of the

human environment. The FONSI briefly

presents the basis for that finding and

includes a summary or copy of the EA.

This notice constitutes the public

notice of availability of environmental

documents required under the NEPA

Regulations.

Dated: April 25, 2000.

Chris C. Oynes,

Regional Director, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region.

[FR Doc. 00–10879 Filed 5–1–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

30 Day Notice of Submission to the

Office of Management and Budget,

Opportunity for Public Comment

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of submission to Office

of Management and Budget and request

for comments on information collection

related to National Park Service mining

regulations.

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D)), the National Park

Service (NPS) invites comments on a

submitted request to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) to

approve an extension, with revision, to

a currently approved information

budget for the NPS’s minerals

management regulatory program inside

park units. Comments are invited on: (1)

Whether the collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

the park protection functions of the

NPS, including whether the information

has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of

the NPS estimate of the burden of the

collection of information, including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used; (3) the quality, utility

and clarity of the information to be

collected; (4) ways to minimize the

burden of the information collection on

respondents, including use of

automated, electronic, mechanical or

other forms of information technology;

and (5) on the typical costs that

prospective operators incur in preparing

complete plans of operation under NPS

mining regulations. OMB has up to 60

days to approve or disapprove the

requested information collection budget

but may respond after 30 days. Thus,

public comments should be submitted

to OMB within 30 days in order to

assure their maximum consideration.

Primary Purpose of the Proposed

Information Collection Request

The NPS requires the submittal of

information on prospective mineral

development activities associated with

mining claims and non-Federal oil and

gas rights within National Park System

units to ensure that only operations that

mitigate adverse impacts to park

resources and values are permitted to

operate in parks.

DATES: Public comments on this notice

must be received by June 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send comments to

OMB, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, ATTN: Desk Officer

for the Interior Department (1024–0064),

Washington, D.C. 20503. Please also

forward a copy of your comments to

Carol McCoy, Chief, Policy and

Regulations Branch, Geologic Resources

Division, NPS, P.O. Box 25287,

Lakewood, Colorado 80225.

All comments will become a matter of

public record. Copies of the information

collection request may be obtained by

contacting Carol McCoy at the above

noted address or by calling her at (303)

969–2096.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: NPS Minerals Management

Program.

Form: None.

OMB Number: 1024–0064.

Expiration Date: April 2000.

Type of Request: Extension and

revision of a currently approved

information collection.

Description of Need: While surprising,

outstanding mineral rights exist in many

units of the National Park System. In

most cases, these rights predate the

establishment of the units. Currently, a

little over 2,000 mining claims, which

were located under the 1872 Mining

Law, exist in a total of 20 park units.

The majority of these claims are located

in Mojave National Preserve that was

added to the National Park System

through the California Desert Protection

Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 410aaa). With

respect to non-Federal oil and gas rights

in park units, 597 non-Federal oil and

gas operations exist in 11 park units.

The potential for additional non-Federal

oil and gas operations in additional

units is tied to market forces and the

quality and quantity of oil and gas

reserves in park boundaries that

coincide with the presence of private

rights.

The NPS regulates mineral

development activities inside park

boundaries on mining claims and on

non-Federal oil and gas rights under

regulations codified at 36 CFR Part 9,

Subpart A for mining claims (i.e., ‘‘9A

regulations’’), and Subpart B for nonFederal oil and gas rights (i.e., ‘‘9B

regulations’’). The NPS promulgated

both sets of regulations in the late

1970’s. In the case of mining claims, the

NPS did so under congressional

authority granted under the Mining in

the Parks Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 1901

et seq.) and individual park enabling

statutes. For non-Federal oil and gas

rights, the NPS regulates development

activities pursuant to authority under

the NPS Organic Act of 1916 as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.) and

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 85 / Tuesday, May 2, 2000 / Notices 25499

individual enabling statutes. As directed

by Congress, the NPS developed the

regulations in order to protect park

resources and visitor values from the

adverse impacts associated with mineral

development in park boundaries.

The heart of the regulations is the

approved ‘‘plan of operations’’

requirement. Essentially, a plan of

operations is a prospective operator’s

blueprint setting forth all intended

activities from access to extraction to

reclamation related to developing a

particular mineral right in a given park

unit. The information required in a plan

of operations is set forth in NPS

regulations. Before an operator can

commence development activities in a

park unit, the NPS must approve the

plan of operations and the operator

must secure a bond in an amount

sufficient to cover the cost of

reclamation to the Federal Government

in the event the operator defaults on

his/her obligations.

Usually, an approved plan of

operations covers the life of the mine or

well, from development and production

to reclamation. Under NPS regulations,

such plans may be revised. No set form

is required for a plan of operations. Each

plan is tailored to the intended activities

of an operator and the particulars of the

environment, e.g., hardwood forest or

desert, presence of endangered species

or cultural resources, location and

extent of water resources including

wetlands.

Because of the variability among

plans of operations and the duration of

such plans, assessing the annual

paperwork burden of complying with

the NPS’s mining regulations is

difficult. Below is the NPS’s best

estimate, pro-rated on an annual basis,

as to the number of respondents and

number of hours involved in complying

with the Service’s regulations governing

mining claims and non-Federal oil and

gas rights.

Respondents: 1⁄3 medium to large

publicly owned companies and 2⁄3

private entities.

Estimate of Number of Respondents:

On an annual basis, the NPS estimates

that it receives a range of between 15 to

30 plans of operations under its

regulations: 5 to 10 plans of operations

for mining claims, and 10 to 20 plans of

operations for non-Federal oil and gas

rights. For analysis purposes, the NPS

used an overall estimate of 23 plans of

operations per year: 8 plans of

operations for mining claims, and 15

plans of operations for non-Federal oil

and gas rights.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: One. To conduct mineral

development operations in park units, a

prospective operator must submit a

proposed plan of operations to the NPS

for review and approval. Once

approved, such a plan covers the life of

the operation. If the plan is for

geophysical work associated with

private oil and gas rights it may only

cover a period of a few months. In

contrast, a plan for a production oil and

gas well or a hardrock mine may cover

a period of 10 or more years.

Estimate of Burden Per Respondent:

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average 176 hours per response.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 4048

hours. This number breaks down to

1408 total hours to comply with the

information requirements of the 9A

regulations governing mining claim

operations in parks, and 2650 total

hours to comply with the information

requirements of the 9B regulations

governing non-Federal oil and gas

operations in parks.

Methodology and Assumptions

Underlying the Hour Estimate: Under

the Service’s 9A regulations and the 9B

regulations, a complete plan may

consist of 10 pages of text plus 2–10

pages of illustrations inclusive of

location maps, site plans and crosssections to 100 pages of text plus several

volumes of supporting material

depending on the complexity of the

proposed operations. The latter type of

plan for hardrock mining is a rarity in

the NPS. The time to prepare a plan

could range from 24 hours to 6 months

for a very complicated plan. Because the

content of each plan is specific to the

operation and site, and each operation

and site present a unique set of

circumstances, it is difficult to identify

an ‘‘average’’ plan on which to base an

estimate of preparation time. The NPS

thus chose to use 160 hours (4 weeks)

plus 10% for purposes of this analysis.

In the case of the 9A regulations where

an average of 8 complete proposed plans

are expected per year, the estimated

total amount of time involved to prepare

plans of operations is 1408 hours (i.e.,

760 hours x 8 complete proposed plans).

In the case of the 9B regulations where

an average of 15 complete proposed

plans are expected per year, the

estimated total amount of time involved

to prepare plans of operations is 2640

hours.

Estimated Cost Per Respondent to

Comply with the Paperwork

Requirements: The NPS estimates that

the annualized cost to all respondents to

comply with the 9A regulations ranges

from $14,080 to $140,800. The NPS

estimated the cost per plan at $1,760 to

$17,600. In the case of the 9B

regulations, the NPS estimates the

annualized cost to all respondents

ranges from $75,000 to $225,000 based

on a likely individual compliance cost

range of $5,000 to $15,000.

Methodology and Assumptions

Underlying the Cost Estimate: For the

9A regulations, the annualized

estimated cost to all the respondents

was determined as follows:

(1) Nationwide, 8 plans of operations

and associated information (e.g., bond,

commercial vehicle registration) are

expected annually from different

operators;

(2) Using an estimate of 160 hours to

prepare a plan complete with

attachments at a cost of $10 to $100 per

hour (assuming the use of consultants

for some or all parts of the plan

requirements), the cost to prepare a plan

could range from $1600 to $16,000.

(3) The NPS added ten percent (i.e.,

$160 to $1,600) of the cost to prepare a

plan of operations to account for

administrative costs associated with

changes in claim ownership, etc.

An operator with experience in

preparing plans of operations likely can

prepare an acceptable plan for a

moderately complex operation in a few

weeks, since most of the components of

the plan are compiled during the course

of normal business activities. Many of

the information requirements of the

regulations should be compiled by a

responsible operator as part of normal

business activities, to minimize

liabilities, maintain business records for

tax and other purposes, obtain financial

backing, and ensure a safe, efficient, and

well-planned operation. Under the

regulations, information may be

submitted in the manner in which it is

customarily maintained in the industry.

The reclamation plan and

environmental report requirements [36

CFR § 9.9(b)(6) and (9), respectively]

comprise the bulk of the information

collection burden associated with these

regulations. There is no standard form

for submitting information. The NPS

makes pertinent environmental

information in park files available to

prospective operators to aid in the

preparation of proposed plans of

operations.

For the 9B regulations, the NPS used

a likely individual compliance cost

range of $5,000 to $15,000. The range

reflects the differences in types and

numbers of operations that may be

included in a single plan and the wide

variations in the environmental settings

in which non-Federal oil and gas

development occurs in parks, and the

availability of pre-existing

environmental data from parks. Much of

the information required by 36 CFR

§ 9.36 should be compiled by a

25500 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 85 / Tuesday, May 2, 2000 / Notices

responsible operator as part of his/her

normal business activities to minimize

liabilities, maintain business records for

tax and other purposes, obtain financial

backing, and ensure a safe, efficient, and

well-planned operation. The

information may be submitted in the

manner in which it is customarily

maintained in the industry. The NPS

does not require conformance with a

standardized format. The reclamation

plan and environmental report

requirements [36 CFR § 9.36(a)(12) and

(16), respectively] comprise the bulk of

the information collection burden

associated with these regulations. The

NPS makes pertinent environmental

information in park files available to

prospective operators to aid in the

preparation of proposed plans of

operations.

Response to 60-Day Notice: On

December 27, 1999, the NPS issued a

notice in the Federal Register as to its

intent to request an extension and

revision to the information collection

budget associated with the Service’s

minerals management program pursuant

to 36 CFR Part 9 (see 64 FR 72358–

72359). The comment period closed on

February 25, 2000. The NPS received

one comment that questioned whether

the NPS had adequately assessed the

burden for compliance with NEPA.

While NEPA compliance is the

responsibility of the NPS and not

respondents, the Service’s Part 9

regulations do require respondents to

submit environmental data to the

Service. As a result of the comment, the

NPS reassessed the amount of time

estimated for respondents to comply

with the regulations. The NPS increased

that time estimate to 160 hours plus

10% per respondent to more accurately

account for time spent collecting and

assembling data on the affected

environment and possible resource

impacts.

Leonard E. Stowe,

Information Collection Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–10855 Filed 5–1–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–70–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Announcement of Subsistence

Resource Commission Meeting

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Announcement of Subsistence

Resource Commission meeting.

SUMMARY: The Superintendent of Gates

of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

and the Chairperson of the Subsistence

Resource Commission for Gates of the

Arctic National Park announce a

forthcoming meeting of the Gates of the

Arctic National Park Subsistence

Resource Commission. The following

agenda items will be discussed:

(1) Call to order.

(2) Roll call.

(3) Approval of summary of meeting

minutes for November 15–17,1999

meeting in Fairbanks.

(4) Review agenda.

(5) Superintendent’s introductions of

guests and staff and review of

Commission function and purpose.

(6) Superintendent’s Management/

Research Report Summary.

a. Administration and management.

b. Park operations.

c. Resource management.

d. Subsistence program.

(7) Public and agency comments.

(8) Old Business.

a. Draft Subsistence Management

Plan-review of public comments.

(9) New Business

a. Review Federal Subsistence Board

and Regional Advisory Council

actions.

b. Federal Subsistence Fisheries

Management.

c. SRC Work Session (Draft letters/

updates Subsistence Management

Plan—if necessary).

(10) Set time and place of next SRC

meeting.

(11) Adjournment.

DATES: The meeting will be held from

1:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesday May

9, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday

May 10, and 8:30 a.m. to noon on

Thursday May 11, 2000.

LOCATION: The meeting will be held at

the IRA building in Ambler, Alaska

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff

Mow, 201 First Avenue, Doyon Bldg.,

Fairbanks, Alaska 99701. Phone (907)

456–0578.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Subsistence Resource Commissions are

authorized under Title VIII, section 808,

of the Alaska National Interest Lands

Conservation Act, Public Law 96–487

and operate in accordance with the

provisions of the Federal Advisory

Committees Act.

Robert D. Barbee,

Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 00–10853 Filed 5–1–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–70–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places;

Notification of Pending Nominations

Nominations for the following

properties being considered for listing

in the National Register were received

by the National Park Service before

April 22, 2000. Pursuant to section

60.13 of 36 CFR Part 60 written

comments concerning the significance

of these properties under the National

Register criteria for evaluation may be

forwarded to the National Register,

National Park Service, 1849 C St. NW,

NC400, Washington, DC 20240. Written

comments should be submitted by May

17, 2000.

Carol D. Shull,

Keeper of the National Register.

ARIZONA

Yavapai County

Cottonwood Commercial Historic District,

Approx. from 712 to 1124 N. Main St.,

Cottonwood, 00000497

INDIANA

Marion County

Hawthorne Branch Library No. 2, 70 N.

Mount St., Indianapolis, 00000499

LOUISIANA

East Baton Rouge Parish

US Post Office and Courthouse—Baton

Rouge, 707 Florida Ave., Baton Rouge,

00000500

Rapides Parish

US Post Office and Courthouse—Alexandria,

515 Murray St., Alexandria, 00000501

MASSACHUSETTS

Berkshire County

Main Street Cemetery, Main St., Dalton,

00000502

Plymouth County

Muttock Historic and Archaeological District

Address Restricted Middleborough,

00000504

MICHIGAN

Kent County

Medical Arts Building, 26 Sheldon Blvd. SE,

Grand Rapids, 00000506

MISSOURI

Greene County

Lincoln School, 815 N. Sherman Ave.,

Springfield, 00000508

NEW MEXICO

Otero County

US Post Office—Alamogordo, 1101 New York

Ave., Alamogordo, 00000510