Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices 31925

Location: 6812–1 thru 7

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020146

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Bldgs. 6814–1 thru 5

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020147

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Bldgs. 6817–1 thru 4

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020148

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Bldgs. 6828–1, 2, 8

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020149

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Bldgs. 6829–1, 2

Badger AAJP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020150

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Bldgs. 6837–1, 2

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020151

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Bldgs. 6868–1, 2, 3, 7, 8

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020152

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Bldgs. 8000–1, 2, 3

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020153

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

28 Bldgs.

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Location: 9062–01 thru 18, 25, 28, 9063–01

thru 05, 11, 12, 15

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020154

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

45 Bldgs.

Badger AAP

Baraboo Co: Sauk WI 53913–

Location: Steam Pressure Reducing Station

Landholding Agency: Army

Property Number: 21200020155

Status: Unutilized

Reasons: Within 2000 ft. of flammable or

explosive material, Secured Area

Unsuitable Properties

Land (by State)

North Carolina

0.52 acres

Summerall TACAN Annex

Seymour Johnson AFB

Wayne Co: NC 27530–

Landholding Agency: Air Force

Property Number: 18200020008

Status: Unutilized

Reason: Within airport runway clear zone

[FR Doc. 00–12299 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–29–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of Final Environmental

Impact Statement for the Proposed

Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit

for High Desert Power Project,

Victorville, San Bernardino County, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior (Lead Agency); Bureau of Land

Management, Interior, Air Force, Corps

of Engineers, Army (Cooperating

Agencies).

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public

of the availability of the Final

Environmental Impact Statement on the

application to incidentally take the

threatened Desert Tortoise (Gopherus

agassizii) and the Mohave ground

squirrel (Spermophilis mohavensis), a

species listed as threatened by the State

of California. The High Desert Power

Project Limited Liability Company

(Applicant) has applied to the Fish and

Wildlife Service (Service) for a 50-year

incidental take permit pursuant to

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

Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10 of the Act and National

Environmental Policy Act Regulation

(40 CFR 1506.6).

DATES: A Record of Decision and permit

decision will occur no sooner than 30

days from this notice.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the incidental

take permit application materials and

Final Environmental Impact Statement

are available for review at the following

government offices and libraries:

Government Offices—Fish and

Wildlife Service, Ventura Field Office,

2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura,

California 93003, (805) 644–1766; and

the Bureau of Land Management,

Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow

Road, Barstow, California 92311, (760)

252–6000.

Libraries—California State Library,

Information and Reference Center, 914

Capital Mall, Room 301, Sacramento,

California 95814, (916) 654–0261; San

Bernardino County Library, Adelanto

Branch, 11744 Bartlett Avenue,

Adelanto, California 92301, (760) 246–

5661; and the San Bernardino County

Library, Victorville Branch, 15011 Circle

Drive, Victorville, California 92392,

(760) 245–4222.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

George Walker, Fish and Wildlife

Service Biologist, Barstow, California, at

(760) 255–8852.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 9 of the Act and Federal

regulation prohibit the ‘‘take’’ of animal

species listed as endangered or

threatened. That is, no one may harass,

harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,

trap, capture or collect listed animal

species, or attempt to engage in such

conduct (16 USC 1538). Under limited

circumstances, the Service, however,

may issue permits to authorize

‘‘incidental take’’ of listed animal

species (defined by the Act as take that

is incidental to, and not the purpose of,

the carrying out of an otherwise lawful

activity). Regulations governing permits

for endangered and threatened species,

respectively, are at 50 CFR 17.32 and

17.22.

The High Desert Power Project

Limited Liability Company seeks an

incidental take permit for the threatened

desert tortoise, and for the Mohave

ground squirrel should it be listed under

the Act during the term of the permit.

Take of these species would be

incidental to the High Desert Power

Project. The Applicant proposes to

construct, operate and maintain a 680-

to 830-megawatt natural gas-fueled

electricity generation power plant on a

25-acre site located in the northeast

corner of the Southern California

Logistics Airport, formerly a part of

George Air Force Base, in the City of

Victorville, San Bernardino County,

California. The Applicant proposes to

use an additional 24-acre area for

construction staging. The proposed

project also includes the construction,

operation and maintenance of 7 water

injection/extraction wells within the

Mojave River watershed; 2 water supply

pipelines (one approximately 2.5 miles

in length and the other approximately

31926 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices

6.5 miles in length); 2 natural gas

supply pipelines (one approximately 3.5

miles in length and the other

approximately 32 miles in length); and

a 7-mile-long electrical transmission

line.

Construction of the Power Project and

associated facilities would result in

short-term, long-term, and permanent

disturbances to desert tortoise and

Mohave ground squirrel habitat. The

Power Project would disturb

approximately 630.2 acres of habitat,

with approximately 244.1 acres of shortterm disturbance and 386.1 acres of

long-term and/or permanent

disturbance.

The Applicant proposes to minimize

and/or mitigate for impacts associated

with the Power Project, in part, by

conducting pre-construction surveys of

proposed work areas and construction

zones, and by developing an employee

and contractor education program that

would describe allowable practices

when constructing in desert tortoise and

Mohave ground squirrel habitat area.

The Applicant would revegetate habitat

disturbed during construction,

operation, maintenance, and/or

decommissioning activities in

accordance with an approved plan. As

compensation for impacts to habitat on

private land, the Applicant would

ensure the protection in perpetuity of

1,242.8 acres of off-site mitigation lands

or habitat credits, having habitat value

for both desert tortoises and Mohave

ground squirrels that is at least as great

as the value of the habitat being

impacted. The number of compensation

acres was developed based on an

agency-approved formula which

assesses the categories of previous and

potential disturbance, the condition and

classification of the impacted habitat,

and potential impacts to adjacent

habitat. To mitigate for impacts to desert

tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel

associated with construction and

operation of this gas pipeline, the

Applicant proposes that funding for

restoration activities may be provided

either in lieu of or in combination with

the purchase of compensation lands or

habitat credits.

In addition to issuance of an

incidental take permit by the Service,

High Desert Power Project Limited

Liability Company has requested other

federal authorizations for the proposed

project. The company seeks Nationwide

Permit No. 12 authorizations by the

Army Corps of Engineers, pursuant to

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, for

pipeline crossings of waters of the

United States. The company also seeks

a right-of-way grant from the Bureau of

Land Management pursuant to Section

28 of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920,

to authorize construction, operation and

maintenance of the 32-mile natural gas

pipeline. The U.S. Air Force has Federal

land management authority over the

lands located within the former George

Air Force Base. The High Desert Power

Project Limited Liability Company and

Victor Valley Economic Development

Authority have jointly requested that

the Air Force act to supplement its prior

environmental record and to authorize

specifically the uses of the former

George Air Force Base lands proposed

for the High Desert Power Project by

way of an addendum to an existing lease

agreement between the Air Force and

Victor Valley Economic Development

Authority. Additionally, the High Desert

Power Project Limited Liability

Company has requested that the Air

Force grant easements authorizing the

use of certain Federal lands adjacent to

the former George Air Force Base for the

construction, operation and

maintenance of linear features of the

High Desert Power Project.

On December 30, 1998, a notice was

published in the Federal Register (63

FR 71940) announcing that the Service

would take the lead in preparing an

Environmental Impact Statement

addressing the Federal actions

associated with the High Desert Power

Project. The Bureau of Land

Management, U.S. Air Force and the

Army Corps of Engineers may use this

Environmental Impact Statement as the

basis for their separate Federal

decisions.

The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement analyzed the potential

environmental impacts that may result

from the Federal actions requested in

support of the proposed development of

the High Desert Power Project, and

identified various alternatives,

including the No Action Alternative (no

incidental take permit), the Combined

Cycle Power Plant with Dry Cooling

Alternative, and various alternatives

proposing the power plant be located in

different locations. Several of these

alternatives would reduce the amount of

habitat disturbance and levels of take of

threatened and endangered species

compared to the Proposed Project

Alternative but would have potentially

greater adverse effects on other

resources such as air quality, land use,

views, and geological hazards. Five

comment letters, totaling 16 individual

comments, were received on the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement. A

response to each comment has been

included in Final Environmental Impact

Statement.

The analysis provided in the Final

Environmental Impact Statement is

intended to accomplish the following:

inform the public of the proposed

action; address public comments

received on the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement; disclose the direct,

indirect, and cumulative environmental

effects of the proposed actions; and

indicate any irreversible commitment of

resources that would result from

implementation of the proposed action.

Elizabeth H. Stevens,

Deputy Manager, Region 1, California/Nevada

Operations Office, Sacramento, California.

[FR Doc. 00–12348 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK–962–1410–HY]

Notice for Publication; F–19155–4

Alaska Native Claims Selection

In accordance with Departmental

regulation 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is

hereby given that a decision to issue

conveyance under the provisions of Sec.

14(e) of the Alaska Native Claims

Settlement Act of December 18, 1971, 43

U.S.C. 1613(e), will be issued to Doyon,

Limited. The lands involved are in the

vicinity of Fort Yukon, Alaska.

Fairbanks Meridian, Alaska

T. 18 N., R. 14 E.,

Secs. 29 and 32, those lands formerly

within Native allotment F–14713 Parcel

B.

Containing approximately 40 acres.

A notice of the decision will be

published once a week, for four (4)

consecutive weeks, in the Fairbanks

Daily News Miner. Copies of the

decision may be obtained by contacting

the Alaska State Office of the Bureau of

Land Management, 222 West Seventh

Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513–

7599, (907) 271–5960.

Any party claiming a property interest

which is adversely affected by the

decision, an agency of the Federal

government, or regional corporation,

shall have until June 19, 2000 to file an

appeal. However, parties receiving

service by certified mail shall have 30

days from the date of receipt to file an

appeal. Appeals must be filed in the

Bureau of Land Management at the

address identified above, where the

requirements for filing an appeal may be

obtained. Parties who do not file an

appeal in accordance with the

requirements of 43 CFR Part 4, Subpart