Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices 15159 

Dated: February 26, 2007. 

John J. Donahue, 

Superintendent. 

[FR Doc. E7–5873 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–JG–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Native American Graves Protection 

and Repatriation Review Committee: 

Meeting 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Notice is here given in accordance 

with the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix (1988), of a 

meeting of the Native American Graves 

Protection and Repatriation Review 

Committee (Review Committee). The 

Review Committee will meet on April 

19–20, 2007, at the Sidney R. Yates 

Auditorium, Main Interior Building, 

1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 

20240. Meeting sessions will begin at 

8:30 a.m. each day. Meeting sessions 

will end at 5 p.m. on April 19 and noon 

on April 20. 

The agenda for the meeting includes 

an overview of activities of the National 

NAGPRA Program during the first half 

of fiscal year 2007; preparation of the 

Review Committee’s Report to Congress 

for 2006; consultation regarding 

regulations for disposition of unclaimed 

cultural items excavated or removed 

from Federal lands after November 16, 

1990 (43 CFR 10.7); requests for 

recommendations regarding the 

disposition of culturally unidentifiable 

human remains from the University of 

Florida and the Intermountain Region, 

National Park Service; and presentations 

and statements by Indian tribes, Native 

Hawaiian organizations, museums, 

Federal agencies, and the public. 

To schedule a presentation to the 

Review Committee during the meeting, 

submit a written request with an 

abstract of the presentation and contact 

information for the presenters. Persons 

also may submit written statements for 

consideration by the Review Committee 

during the meeting. Send requests and 

statements to the Designated Federal 

Officer, NAGPRA Review Committee by 

U.S. Mail to the National Park Service, 

1849 C Street NW (2253), Washington, 

DC 20240; or by commercial delivery to 

the National Park Service, 1201 Eye 

Street NW, 8th floor, Washington, DC 

20005. Because increased security in the 

Washington, DC, area may delay 

delivery of U.S. Mail to Government 

offices, copies of mailed requests and 

statements should also be faxed to (202) 

371–5197. 

Transcripts of Review Committee 

meetings are available approximately 

eight weeks after each meeting at the 

National NAGPRA Program office, 1201 

Eye Street NW, 8th floor, Washington, 

DC. To request electronic copies of 

meeting transcripts, send an e-mail 

message to TimlMcKeown@nps.gov. 

Information about NAGPRA, the Review 

Committee, and Review Committee 

meetings is available at the National 

NAGPRA Web site, http:// 

www.cr.nps.gov/nagpra; for the Review 

Committee’s meeting procedures, select 

‘‘Review Committee,’’ then select 

‘‘Procedures.’’

The Review Committee was 

established by the Native American 

Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 

of 1990 (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3001 et 

seq. Review Committee members are 

appointed by the Secretary of the 

Interior. The Review Committee is 

responsible for monitoring the NAGPRA 

inventory and identification process; 

reviewing and making findings related 

to the identity or cultural affiliation of 

cultural items, or the return of such 

items; facilitating the resolution of 

disputes; compiling an inventory of 

culturally unidentifiable human 

remains that are in the possession or 

control of each Federal agency and 

museum and recommending specific 

actions for developing a process for 

disposition of such human remains; 

consulting with Indian tribes and Native 

Hawaiian organizations and museums 

on matters within the scope of the work 

of the committee affecting such tribes or 

organizations; consulting with the 

Secretary of the Interior in the 

development of regulations to carry out 

NAGPRA; and making 

recommendations regarding future care 

of repatriated cultural items. The 

Review Committee’s work is completed 

during meetings that are open to the 

public. 

Dated: March 12, 2007 

C. Timothy McKeown, 

Designated Federal Officer, Native American 

Graves Protection and Repatriation Review 

Committee. 

[FR Doc. E7–5969 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–50–S 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Reclamation 

[DES 07–09] 

Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project 

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability and 

Notice of Public Meetings for the 

Planning Report and Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969 (as amended) and the general 

authority to conduct water resources 

planning under the Reclamation Act of 

1902 and all acts amendatory thereof 

and supplementary thereto, the Bureau 

of Reclamation (Reclamation) has 

prepared a Planning Report and Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (PR/ 

DEIS). This document was undertaken 

to provide a discussion for the (1) 

various ways to provide a municipal 

and industrial (M&I) water supply to the 

Navajo Nation; City of Gallup, New 

Mexico; and Jicarilla Apache Nation; (2) 

identification of a preferred alternative; 

and (3) associated environmental 

impacts and costs of such an endeavor, 

should it be undertaken. 

The PR/DEIS presents alternatives for 

providing an anticipated year 2040 M&I 

water supply for the project area. 

Alternatives considered include 

diverting and distributing water from 

the San Juan River using various 

configurations, water conservation using 

existing groundwater supplies, and no 

action. 

DATES: A 90-day public review period 

commences with the publication of this 

notice. Comments on the PR/DEIS 

should be submitted no later than June 

28, 2007, to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of 

Reclamation, Western Colorado Area 

Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 

300, Durango, Colorado 81301. 

Comments may also be submitted 

electronically at navgal@uc.usbr.gov. 

Reclamation will conduct five public 

meetings to obtain public input on the 

PR/DEIS. All of the meetings will take 

place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The public 

meetings schedule is as follows: 

• Tuesday, May 22, 2007—University of 

New Mexico, Calvin Hall Room 

248, 200 College Drive, Gallup, New 

Mexico 

• Wednesday, May 23, 2007—

Crownpoint Chapter House, 

Building CO23–001, East 

Crownpoint Road, Crownpoint, 

New Mexico 

• Thursday, May 24, 2007—St. 

Michaels Chapter House, St 

Michaels, Arizona 

• Tuesday, June 5, 2007—Shiprock 

Chapter House, Highway 61, 

Shiprock, New Mexico 

• Wednesday, June 6, 2007—San Juan 

College, IT Building, Room 7103, 

5001 College Blvd., Farmington, 

New Mexico 


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15160 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the PR/DEIS are 

available for public inspection and 

review at the following locations: 

• Albuquerque/Bernalillo County 

Library, 501 Copper Avenue, NW., 

Albuquerque, New Mexico 

• Aztec Public Library, 319 South Ash, 

Aztec, New Mexico 

• Bloomfield City Library, 333 South 

First Street, Bloomfield, New 

Mexico 

• Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park, 

Cortez, Colorado 

• Dine ́ College Library, 1228 Yucca 

Street, Shiprock, New Mexico 

• Durango Public Library, 1188 E. 2nd 

Avenue, Durango, Colorado 

• Farmington Public Library, 2101 

Farmington Avenue, Farmington, 

New Mexico 

• Fort Lewis College Library, 1000 Rim 

Drive, Durango, Colorado 

• Navajo Nation Library, Window Rock, 

Arizona 

• New Mexico State Library, 1209 

Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, New 

Mexico 

• New Mexico State University Library, 

Las Cruces, New Mexico 

• San Juan College Library, 4601 

College Boulevard, Farmington, 

New Mexico 

• University of Colorado Libraries, 

Government Publications, 1720 

Pleasant Street, Boulder, Colorado 

• Zimmerman Library, Government 

Information Department, University 

of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New 

Mexico 

The PR/DEIS is also available 

electronically at the following internet 

location: http://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/ 

navajo/nav-gallup/index.html. 

Alternatively, a hard copy or CD–ROM 

version is available upon written 

request to Mr. Rege Leach, Bureau of 

Reclamation, Western Colorado Area 

Office, 835 East Second Avenue, Suite 

300, Durango, Colorado 81301. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Rege Leach, Bureau of Reclamation, 

Western Colorado Area Office, 835 East 

Second Avenue, Suite 300, Durango, 

Colorado 81301; telephone 970–385–

6500; facsimile 970–385–6539; e-mail: 

navgal@uc.usbr.gov. If special assistance 

is required regarding accommodations 

for attendance at any of the public 

meetings, please contact Mr. Leach no 

less than 5 working days prior to the 

applicable meeting(s). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

proposed project is to provide a longterm supply, treatment, and 

transmission of M&I water to the Navajo 

Nation, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and 

the City of Gallup, New Mexico. A 

sustainable water supply is needed for 

the area to support current and future 

populations. The proposed project 

would be designed to serve a future 

population of approximately 250,000 

people by the year 2040. The existing 

groundwater supplies are dwindling 

and have limited capacity and poor 

quality. More than 40 percent of Navajo 

households rely on water hauling to 

meet daily water needs. The City of 

Gallup’s groundwater levels have 

dropped approximately 200 feet over 

the past 10 years and the supply is not 

expected to meet current water demands 

within the decade. The Jicarilla Apache 

people are currently not able to live and 

work outside the Town of Dulce, New 

Mexico, on the reservation because of a 

lack of water supply. 

The cost analysis contained in this 

PR/DEIS is based on an appraisal level 

of analysis. As part of Reclamation’s 

efforts to attain greater transparency and 

accountability with regards to its 

engineering analyses, the cost estimate 

is being repriced. This means that 

instead of updating the 2005 cost 

estimates using engineering cost 

indices, the components of the project 

will be individually repriced in order to 

gain greater confidence in the estimate. 

Once the repricing is completed, which 

we anticipate to occur during the 90-day 

public comment period, Reclamation 

will update the PR/DEIS through an 

addendum or potentially the use of 

errata sheets. 

Reclamation historically supports 

projects for construction after a 

feasibility report is completed which 

includes a feasibility level cost estimate. 

This appraisal level cost estimate does 

not meet that requirement. Additional 

analysis, detail, and updating of the 

appraisal level cost estimate presented 

in this draft report are needed before 

project construction authorization can 

be supported. Failure to complete this 

additional effort may result in reliance 

on a cost estimate for the project which 

is not sufficient to characterize the 

expected project cost. The appraisal 

level design must be upgraded to 

feasibility level before Reclamation 

would begin construction. The cost of, 

and time for completing this additional 

work, would be substantial. 

Reclamation has developed this PR/ 

DEIS pursuant to Public Law 92–199 

and the general authority to conduct 

water resources planning under the 

Reclamation Act of 1902 and all acts 

amendatory thereof and supplementary 

thereto. This document was undertaken 

to provide a discussion for the (1) 

various ways to provide an M&I water 

supply to the Navajo Nation; City of 

Gallup, New Mexico; and Jicarilla 

Apache Nation; (2) identification of a 

preferred alternative; and (3) associated 

environmental impacts and costs of 

such an endeavor, should it be 

undertaken. Reclamation, however, does 

not have the current substantive or 

budgetary authorization that is required 

to construct, operate, and maintain any 

proposed facilities discussed in this PR/ 

DEIS, and it will take an act of Congress 

to provide such authority. In addition, 

Reclamation takes no position on 

whether such a project should be 

authorized. The indication of a 

preferred alternative is solely to meet 

the requirements of NEPA and is not an 

indication that a particular alternative 

should be pursued since, as noted 

earlier, there is no project authorization 

that would allow Reclamation to 

commence this project. 

Finally, we are aware that the Navajo 

Nation and the State of New Mexico 

have reached an agreement concerning 

the settlement of the Navajo’s water 

rights in the San Juan River Basin in 

New Mexico and that a part of the 

settlement is the construction, 

operation, and maintenance of the 

Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. 

We wish to be clear that neither 

Reclamation, the Department of the 

Interior, or the Administration have 

taken a position on the Navajo-San Juan 

Settlement executed between the Navajo 

Nation and the State of New Mexico and 

that nothing herein is any indication of 

any position regarding the overall 

settlement. 

Public Disclosure 

It is our practice to make comments, 

including names, home addresses, home 

telephone numbers, and e-mail 

addresses of respondents, available for 

public review. Individual respondents 

may request that we withhold their 

names and/or home addresses, etc., but 

if you wish us to consider withholding 

this information you must state this 

prominently at the beginning of your 

comments. In addition, you must 

present a rationale for withholding this 

information. This rationale must 

demonstrate that disclosure would 

constitute a clearly unwarranted 

invasion of privacy. Unsupported 

assertions will not meet this burden. In 

the absence of exceptional, 

documentable circumstances, this 

information will be released. We will 

always make submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, available 

for public inspection in their entirety. 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices 15161 

Dated: March 22, 2007. 

Rick L. Gold, 

Regional Director—Bureau of Reclamation, 

Upper Colorado Region. 

[FR Doc. E7–5776 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Reclamation 

Delta-Mendota Canal Recirculation 

Project, Calaveras, Contra Costa, 

Fresno, Kings, Merced, San Benito, 

San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, 

and Tuolumne Counties, CA 

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) 

and notice of public scoping meetings. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the California Environmental Quality 

Act (CEQA), the Bureau of Reclamation 

(Reclamation) and the California 

Department of Water Resources (DWR) 

intend to prepare an EIS/EIR for the 

Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) 

Recirculation Project. Reclamation is the 

Federal lead agency for NEPA and DWR 

is the State lead agency for CEQA. 

The purpose of the project is to 

prepare a feasibility study of the DMC 

Recirculation Project that will evaluate 

the costs, benefits, feasibility, and 

impacts of possibly recirculating water 

from the DMC Canal for release to the 

San Joaquin River. Recirculation may 

provide additional flows for fishery 

objectives and may help to meet San 

Joaquin River water quality objectives, 

while reducing the reliance on the New 

Melones Reservoir for water releases. As 

part of the feasibility study process, a 

Draft EIS/EIR is expected to be available 

in 2008. 

DATES: Public scoping meetings will be 

held to solicit public input on the 

alternatives, concerns, and issues to be 

addressed in the EIS/EIR. The meetings 

dates and times are as follows: 

• Monday, April 16, 2007, 10 a.m.–12 

p.m, Sacramento, CA. 

• Monday, April 16, 2007, 6 p.m.–8 

p.m., Los Banos, CA. 

• Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 6 p.m.–8 

p.m., Modesto, CA. 

Written comments on the scope of the 

EIS/EIR should be mailed to the Bureau 

of Reclamation at the address below by 

May 9, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting 

locations are: 

• Sacramento at the Federal Building, 

2800 Cottage Way, Cafeteria Conference 

Rooms C–1001 and C–1002. 

• Los Banos at the Miller and Lux 

Senior Center Building, 830 6th Street. 

• Modesto at the Modesto Centre 

Plaza, 1000 L Street, Pistache Room. 

Written comments on the scope of the 

EIS/EIR should be sent to: Ms. Sammie 

Cervantes, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 

Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, via 

e-mail scervantes@mp.usbr.gov, or faxed 

to 916–978–5094. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Maury Kruth, Reclamation Project 

Manager, at the above address, at 916–

978–5078, TDD 916–978–5608, via fax 

at 916–978–5094, or e-mail at 

mkruth@mp.usbr.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DMC 

is located on the western side of Central 

California’s San Joaquin Valley and runs 

for approximately 120 miles, beginning 

near the City of Tracy at the southern 

edge of the Sacramento River and San 

Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin 

Delta Estuary (Delta) and terminating at 

the Mendota Pool of the San Joaquin 

River. The project study area can be 

defined as the lower main stem of the 

San Joaquin River below its confluence 

with the Merced River, the areas served 

by the Merced, Tuolumne, and 

Stanislaus Rivers on the western side of 

the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the 

areas served by the DMC, including 

approximately 30 water agencies. 

Immediately downstream from the 

confluence with the Stanislaus River, 

the San Joaquin River becomes part of 

the Delta, which serves as a source of 

water supply for agricultural, 

environmental, municipal, and urban 

uses. The south Delta will be considered 

part of the project study area. 

The SWRCB has established Delta 

water quality and flow objectives that 

are to be met as a condition of the 

operation of the C.W. ‘‘Bill’’ Jones 

Pumping Plant (formerly the Tracy 

Pumping Plant) and the State Water 

Project Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant. 

The current objectives for operation of 

the Central Valley Project and the State 

Water Project facilities in the Delta are 

the SWRCB’s 1995 Water Quality 

Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/ 

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary, 

and the SWRCB’s Water Rights D–1641, 

as amended. 

In D–1641, SWRCB required 

Reclamation to prepare a Plan of Action 

(POA) to evaluate the potential impacts 

of recirculating water from DMC 

through the Newman Wasteway, in 

consultation with National Marine 

Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, California Department of Fish 

and Game, DWR, and the South Delta 

Water Agency. The POA has been 

completed and is being implemented by 

this feasibility study. 

Federal authorization comes from 

Public Law 108–361, Section 

103(d)(2)(D)(ii) of the CALFED BayDelta Authorization Act, which states in 

part that ‘‘* * * the Secretary [of the 

Interior] shall include, to the maximum 

extent feasible, the measures described 

in clauses (iii) through (vii).’’ Section 

103(d)(2)(D)(iii) states ‘‘the Secretary 

shall incorporate into the program a 

recirculation program to provide flow, 

reduce salinity concentrations in the 

San Joaquin River, and reduce the 

reliance on the New Melones Reservoir 

for meeting water quality and fishery 

flow objectives through the use of 

excess capacity in export pumping and 

conveyance facilities.’’ Section 

103(f)(1)(G) states ‘‘* * * funds may be 

used to conduct feasibility studies, 

evaluate, and if feasible, implement the 

recirculation of export water to reduce 

salinity and improve dissolved oxygen 

in the San Joaquin River.’’

Previous recirculation studies have 

consisted of modeling and physically 

discharging water from the DMC to the 

San-Joaquin River via one of the 

wasteways that connect the DMC to the 

river. Ongoing studies that might affect 

the DMC Recirculation Project include 

Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan, 

CALFED Conveyance Program—South 

Delta Improvements Program, the New 

Melones Revised Plan of Operations, 

and the West Side Regional Drainage 

Plan. A recent litigation settlement 

regarding the San Joaquin River from 

Friant Dam to the Merced River may 

also affect the DMC Recirculation 

Project. 

If special assistance is required at the 

scoping meetings, please contact Ms. 

Sammie Cervantes at 916–978–5189, 

TDD 916–978–5608, or via e-mail at 

scervantes@mp.usbr.gov. Please notify 

Ms. Cervantes as far in advance of the 

meetings as possible to enable 

Reclamation to secure the needed 

services. If a request cannot be honored, 

the requestor will be notified. A 

telephone device for the hearing 

impaired (TDD) is available at 916–978–

5608. 

Comments received in response to 

this notice will become part of the 

administrative record and are subject to 

public inspection. Our practice is to 

make comments, including names, 

home addresses, home phone numbers, 

and e-mail addresses of respondents, 

available for public review. Individual 

respondents may request that we 

withhold their names and/or home 

addresses, etc., but if you wish us to 

consider withholding this information, 

you must state this prominently at the 


cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES