39174 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 122 / Friday, June 23, 2000 / Notices

The Massachusetts Division of

Fisheries and Wildlife has applied to

the Service for an incidental take permit

pursuant to Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the

Act. This permit would authorize the

incidental take of piping plovers

through otherwise lawful activities

occurring on plover breeding beaches.

Included in the application is a

conservation plan prepared by the

Division detailing the activities that

would result in incidental take and

describing measures that mitigate,

minimize and monitor the amount of

take.

The purpose of the proposed

incidental take permit is to provide

increased flexibility in managing

Massachusetts beaches for use by

recreationists and homeowners, while

assuring continued progress toward the

recovery of the Massachusetts and

Atlantic Coast populations of the piping

plover. The additional flexibility in

managing beaches will prevent a

disproportionate expenditure of

resources directed at the protection of a

few nests or broods in areas where they

may significantly disrupt beach access

by large numbers of people and be

highly vulnerable to disturbance and/or

mortality. Management flexibility also

will create incentives for the continued

participation by beach management

agencies and organizations involved in

protecting piping plovers.

On May 18, 2000, the Service

published a notice of availability of the

draft EA and receipt of an application

for an incidental take permit for the

Atlantic coast piping plover in

Massachusetts. The public comment

period originally was announced to

close on June 19, 2000. Because of

several requests for additional time, the

Service is extending the public

comment period to July 3, 2000.

Dated: June 19, 2000.

Margaret T. Kolar,

Acting Deputy Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 00–15890 Filed 6–22–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[ID–075–1330–AC]

Notice of Availability of Final

Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: The Department of the

Interior, Bureau of Land Management

(BLM), announces availability of the

Final Environmental Impact Statement

(FEIS) for the Dry Valley Mine

Extension, Panels C and D. The FEIS

analyzes the direct, indirect, and

cumulative impacts associated with a

proposal by Astaris, LLC (Formerly FMC

Corporation) to extend existing open-pit

phosphate mining operations in

southeastern Idaho. BLM, US Forest

Service, and the US Army Corps of

Engineers prepared the FEIS. BLM is

acting as the lead agency; the US Forest

Service is a joint lead agency; and the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a

cooperating agency for preparation of

the FEIS. The Proposed Action includes:

construction of two mining pits (Pits C

and D), associated haul and access

roads, overburden dumps, and use of

existing mine facilities to support

continued mining. Alternatives to the

Proposed Action include the No Action

Alternative and alternative methods of

handling overburden to reduce impacts

caused by the proposed mine extension.

The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) was distributed in July

1999. The FEIS responds to comments

received on the DEIS.

Agency Decisions

The BLM will issue a Record of

Decision regarding the proposed Dry

Valley Panel C and D Mine and

Reclamation Plan and modification

(enlargement) of Federal Phosphate

Lease I–0678. The Caribou National

Forest will provide BLM with

recommendations for those portions of

the project that are on National Forest

System lands. The U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, Walla Walla District

anticipates signing a separate Record of

Decision regarding issuance of a Section

404 Clean Water Act Permit for the

project.

DATES: The Bureau of Land Management

and the Department of the Army, Corps

of Engineers intend to issue

independent Records of Decision (ROD)

on the proposal no sooner than July 24,

2000 or 30 days after publication of this

Notice in the Federal Register by the

Environmental Protection Agency.

ADDRESSES: Limited numbers of the

FEIS are available at the Bureau of Land

Management, Pocatello Field Office,

1111 N. 8th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho

83201, telephone (208) 478–6354; the

Soda Springs Ranger District of the

Caribou National Forest, 421 W. 2nd

South, Soda Springs, Idaho 83276,

telephone (208) 547–4356; and the US

Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla

District, Idaho Falls Regulatory Office,

900 North Skyline Drive, Suite A, Idaho

Falls, Idaho 83402 Falls, telephone (208)

522–1645.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Comments or questions may be directed

to Jeff Cundick, EIS Project Manager,

Bureau of Land Management, Pocatello

Field Office, 1111 N. 8th Avenue,

Pocatello, Idaho 83201. Telephone:

(208) 478–6354.

Jeff S. Steele,

Manager, Pocatello Field Office, Bureau of

Land Management.

[FR Doc. 00–15418 Filed 6–22–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UT–020–00–5101–ER–J206, U–76985]

Notice of Availability of a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement and

Proposed Plan Amendment to the

Pony Express Resource Management

Plan (RMP)

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement and

Proposed Plan Amendment to the Pony

Express Resource Management Plan

(RMP).

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969, the Bureau of Land

Management (BLM), Salt Lake Field

Office, Utah announces the availability

of a Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) and plan amendment

to the Transportation and Corridor

Decision of the Pony Express RMP.

On April 15, 1999 the Salt Lake Field

Office published in the Federal Register

a notice of intent to conduct a plan

amendment to the RMP. Further, the

notice indicated that BLM was a

cooperating agency with the Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC), lead

agency for the DEIS. The NRC is

publishing a separate notice for the

DEIS, ‘‘Draft Environmental Impact

Statement for the Construction and

Operation of an Independent Spent

Nuclear Fuel Storage Installation on the

Reservation of the Skull Valley Band of

Goshute Indians and the Related

Transportation Facility in Tooele

County, Utah’’ NUREG–1714, June 2000,

regarding the proposal of Private Fuel

Storage, L.L.C. (PFS) to construct and

operate an independent spent fuel

storage installation (ISFSI) on the

Reservation of the Skull Valley Band of

Goshute Indians. BLM intends to adopt

the EIS as a basis for its plan

amendment decision.

DATES: Comments on the land use plan

amendment and DEIS will be accepted

though September 21, 2000. Public

meetings concerning both the DEIS and