72534 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 202 / Friday, October 20, 2023 / Notices 

photovoltaic solar electric generating 

facility, battery storage facilities, 

associated generation tie-line, and 

access road facilities. 

The BLM has made substantial 

progress in the review of the Copper 

Rays Solar Project right-of-way 

application; however, the BLM needs 

additional time to complete the review 

and make a decision on the application. 

The BLM completed the application 

evaluation determination process 

required by regulations found at 43 CFR 

part 2800 and determined it was 

appropriate to continue processing the 

application. On November 14, 2022, the 

BLM published a Notice of Intent to 

Amend the Las Vegas Resource 

Management Plan and Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Proposed Copper Rays Solar Project in 

Nye County, Nevada in the Federal 

Register (87 FR 68187). The BLM is 

currently preparing the Draft Resource 

Management Plan Amendment/ 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

Authority: 43 CFR 2091.3–1(e) and 43 

CFR 2804.25(f). 

Jon K. Raby, 

Nevada State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23350 Filed 10–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4331–21–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLCA930000–L14400000–ET0000; CACA– 

054374] 

Public Land Order No. 7931; 

Withdrawal of National Forest System 

Land in the San Bernardino National 

Forest; CA 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Public land order. 

SUMMARY: This Public Land Order (PLO) 

withdraws 2,841 acres of National 

Forest System lands from location and 

entry under the United States mining 

laws, but not from leasing under the 

mineral or geothermal leasing laws, or 

disposal under the Mineral Materials 

Act of 1947, for a period of 50 years, 

subject to valid existing rights, to 

maintain, protect, and conserve critical 

habitat for listed threatened and 

endangered plant species in the San 

Bernardino National Forest, California. 

This PLO also includes 280 acres of 

non-Federal lands within the 

boundaries of the San Bernardino 

National Forest that, if acquired, would 

be subject to this withdrawal. 

DATES: This PLO takes effect on October 

20, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Heather Daniels, Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) California State 

Office, telephone: 916–978–4674, email: 

hdaniels@blm.gov; or Zareen Ali, Forest 

Service Regional Office, telephone: 707– 

562–8964 during regular business hours, 

8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through 

Friday, except holidays. Individuals in 

the United States who are deaf, 

deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 

speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, 

TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

United States Forest Service will 

manage the lands to maintain, protect, 

and conserve critical habitat for listed 

threatened and endangered plant 

species in the San Bernardino National 

Forest, California. 

Order 

By virtue of the authority vested in 

the Secretary of the Interior by section 

204(f) of the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 

1714(f), it is ordered as follows: 

1. Subject to valid existing rights, the 

following described lands are hereby 

withdrawn from location and entry 

under the United States mining laws, 

but not from leasing under the mineral 

or geothermal leasing laws or disposal 

under the Mineral Materials Act of 

1947, to maintain, protect, and conserve 

critical habitat for listed threatened and 

endangered plant species in the San 

Bernardino National Forest, California. 

National Forest System Lands 

San Bernardino National Forest 

San Bernardino Meridian, California 

T. 3 N., R. 1 E., 

Sec. 13, SE1⁄4; 

Sec. 14, W1⁄2NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

W1⁄2SE1⁄4NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, NW1⁄4NW1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

NW1⁄4SW1⁄4NW1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

E1⁄2SW1⁄4NW1⁄4SW1⁄4, E1⁄2NW1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

NE1⁄4SW1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

NE1⁄4NW1⁄4SW1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

E1⁄2SE1⁄4SW1⁄4SW1⁄4, and SE1⁄4SW1⁄4; 

Sec. 19, lot 4 and SE1⁄4SW1⁄4; Sec. 23, 

NE1⁄4NE1⁄4NE1⁄4; Sec. 24, NE1⁄4 and 

NW1⁄4; Sec. 30, lots 1 and 2, NE1⁄4, and 

E1⁄2NW1⁄4. 

T. 3 N., R. 2 E., 

A parcel of land within Protracted Blocks 

39, 40, 45, and 46 of Township 3 North, 

Range 2 East, San Bernardino Meridian, San 

Bernardino County, California adjoining the 

southeast quarter of section 13 and the 

northeast quarter of section 24 in Township 

3 North, Range 1 East, San Bernardino 

Meridian, and being more particularly 

described as follows: 

Beginning at the east quarter section corner 

of said section 13; 

Thence along the easterly line of said 

section, South 1°30′20′′ East, 2935.53 feet to 

the easterly section corner of said sections 13 

and 24; 

Thence along the easterly line of said 

section 24, South 1°27′50′′ East, 2594.76 feet, 

to the east quarter section corner of said 

section 24; 

Thence along the following 5 courses in 

the unsurveyed portion of Township 3 North, 

Range 2 East, San Bernardino Meridian: 

1. North 90°00′00′′ East, 2441.85 feet; 

2. North 1°27′50′′ West, 2594.76 feet; 

3. North 90°00′00′′ East, 2308.15 feet; 

4. North 1°30′20′′ West, 2935.53 feet; 

5. South 90°00′00′′ West, 4750.00 feet to 

the Point Of Beginning; 

Excepting therefrom any portion within 

Mineral Survey 5679A as patented August 

8th, 1924 to Voorhies, et al (Patent Number 

942560); Containing 430 acres, more or less. 

T. 2 N., R. 3 E., 

Sec. 17, N1⁄2SW1⁄4. 

T. 3 N., R. 1 W., 

Sec. 10, SE1⁄4; 

Sec. 14, W1⁄2NW1⁄4 and W1⁄2SW1⁄4; 

Sec. 15, NE1⁄4; 

Sec. 22, SE1⁄4; 

Sec. 23, W1⁄2NW1⁄4, W1⁄2NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

S1⁄2SE1⁄4NE1⁄4SW1⁄4, NW1⁄4SW1⁄4, 

S1⁄2SW1⁄4, S1⁄2SW1⁄4NE1⁄4SE1⁄4, 

S1⁄2SE1⁄4NE1⁄4SE1⁄4, S1⁄2SW1⁄4NW1⁄4SE1⁄4, 

S1⁄2SE1⁄4NW1⁄4SE1⁄4, and S1⁄2SE1⁄4; 

Sec. 26, NW1⁄4NW1⁄4; 

Sec. 27, lot 1, NE1⁄4, N1⁄2NW1⁄4, and 

SW1⁄4NW1⁄4. 

The area described aggregates 2,841. 

The following described non-Federal 

lands are within the boundaries of the 

San Bernadino National Forest. If title to 

these non-Federal lands are 

subsequently acquired by the United 

States, the lands will become subject to 

the terms and conditions of the 

withdrawal. 

Non-Federal Lands 

San Bernardino Meridian, California 

T. 3 N., R. 1 E., 

Sec. 13, SW1⁄4; 

Sec. 14, NE1⁄4SE1⁄4 and S1⁄2SE1⁄4. 

The area described aggregates 280 acres in 

San Bernadino County. 

2. The withdrawal made by this order 

does not alter the applicability of those 

laws governing the use of National 

Forest System lands under lease, 

license, or permit, or governing the 

disposal of the mineral or vegetative 

resources other than under the mining 

laws. 

3. This withdrawal will expire 50 

years from the effective date of this 

Order, unless, as a result of a review 

conducted prior to the expiration date 

pursuant to Section 204(f) of the Federal 

Land Policy and Management Act of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 202 / Friday, October 20, 2023 / Notices 72535 

1The Department intends to meet any 

consultation requirements identified in Article 

II(B)(3) of the Supreme Court Decree in Arizona v. 

California through the ongoing NEPA process 

initiated by the Federal Register Notice of June 16, 

2023 (88 FR 39455–39458) and the annual 

implementation of guidelines developed through 

this process. 

2The treaties, compacts, decrees, statutes, 

regulations, contracts, and other legal documents 

Continued 

1976, 43 U.S.C. 1714(f), the Secretary 

determines that the withdrawal shall be 

extended. 

(Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1714) 

Shannon A. Estenoz, 

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and 

Parks. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23258 Filed 10–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Reclamation 

[RR03040000, 23XR0680A1, 

RX187860005004001] 

Colorado River Reservoir Operations: 

Development of Post-2026 Operational 

Guidelines and Strategies for Lake 

Powell and Lake Mead 

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the 

Interior (Department) has issued a 

Scoping Summary Report on the 

Development of Post-2026 Operational 

Guidelines and Strategies for Lake 

Powell and Lake Mead. The Scoping 

Summary Report provides a summary of 

the comments received during the 

public scoping process and describes 

the Department’s current, preliminary 

assessment of the proposed federal 

action, purpose and need, and scope of 

the environmental analysis to be 

included in the draft environmental 

impact statement (DEIS). The 

Department anticipates the DEIS will be 

published in December 2024 for public 

review. 

ADDRESSES: The Scoping Summary 

Report is available on the Bureau of 

Reclamation’s website at https://

www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/ 

post2026/scoping/index.html. Printed 

copies of the report are available upon 

request from the point of contact listed 

in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section of this notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amanda Erath, Colorado River Post2026 Program Coordinator, Bureau of 

Reclamation, at (303) 445–2766, or by 

email at crbpost2026@usbr.gov. Please 

also visit the project website at https:// 

www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/ 

post2026/index.html. Individuals in the 

United States who are deaf, deafblind, 

hard of hearing, or have a speech 

disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 

TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and 

the Council on Environmental Quality’s 

Regulations for Implementing the 

Procedural Provisions of NEPA, the 

Department is publishing the Scoping 

Summary Report as a voluntary effort to 

assist in public understanding of this 

important NEPA process. Based on the 

information summarized in the report, 

the Department is preparing a DEIS 

starting with the development of a 

reasonable range of alternatives that are 

technically and economically feasible 

and meet the purpose and need for the 

proposed federal action (40 CFR part 

1508). Considering public input 

received to date, the Department’s 

current, preliminary assessment of the 

proposed federal action, purpose and 

need, and scope of the environmental 

analysis to be included in the DEIS are 

described below and in the Scoping 

Summary Report. 

Proposed Federal Action 

The Bureau of Reclamation, acting on 

behalf of the Secretary of the Interior 

(Secretary), proposes to take action to 

adopt specific guidelines and 

coordinated reservoir management 

strategies to address operations of Lake 

Powell and Lake Mead through their full 

operating range. This action would 

provide improved predictability to all 

water users and managers in the 

Colorado River Basin by developing and 

adopting objective guidelines for the 

operation of Glen Canyon Dam and 

Hoover Dam to take effect when the 

current operating guidelines (the 2007 

Colorado River Interim Guidelines for 

Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated 

Operations for Lake Powell and Lake 

Mead [2007 Interim Guidelines]) expire 

in 2026. In addition, this action is 

designed to provide for the sustainable 

management of the Colorado River 

system and its resources under a wide 

range of potential future system 

conditions due to a changing climate. 

Based on public input, the 

Department anticipates the guidelines 

would include the following elements: 

(1) Identification of circumstances 

under which the Secretary would 

allocate, reduce, or increase the annual 

amount of water available for 

consumptive use from Lake Mead to the 

Lower Division states (Arizona, 

California, and Nevada) at, below, or 

above 7.5 million acre-feet, pursuant to 

the Supreme Court Decree in Arizona v. 

California.1

(2) Coordinated operations of Lake 

Powell and Lake Mead, particularly 

under low reservoir conditions. 

(3) Storage and delivery of conserved 

water in Lake Mead and/or Lake Powell 

to increase the flexibility to meet water 

use needs from both reservoirs, 

including the storage and delivery of 

non-system water; exchanges; and water 

conserved through extraordinary 

measures by or for tribal, agricultural, or 

municipal entities. 

The proposed federal action allows 

for development of robust operating 

guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake 

Mead without precluding upstream or 

downstream actions needed to protect 

critical reservoir elevations at Lake 

Powell and Lake Mead, such as the 

following: 

• Approaches that consider total 

system storage in all major Colorado 

River reservoirs and/or actual inflows to 

determine coordinated operations of 

Lake Powell and Lake Mead. 

• Approaches that include 

opportunities for conservation, 

augmentation, demand management, or 

other water management strategies. 

• Approaches that include 

opportunities for conservation, 

augmentation, demand management, or 

other water management strategies. 

• Temporary emergency response 

operations at upstream Colorado River 

reservoirs to protect critical 

infrastructure at Glen Canyon Dam, so 

long as the project-specific operations of 

those reservoirs remain within their 

respective Records of Decision. 

The Department intends that the 

guidelines be interim in nature and 

extend for at least the same duration as 

the 2007 Interim Guidelines 

(approximately 20 years), subject to 

further consideration during the NEPA 

process. Adoption of new guidelines for 

an interim (or limited) period provides 

the opportunity to gain additional 

experience for operating the reservoirs, 

thereby informing future operational 

and water management decisions. 

Recognizing additional authorities 

may be developed, it is the intent of the 

Department to adopt and implement the 

guidelines in a manner consistent with 

the Law of the River.2 It is also the 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1