Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 238 / Thursday, December 11, 1997 / Notices 65283

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

authority to issue this document is

vested in the Secretary of the Interior by

5 U.S.C. 301 and the Act of August 15,

1914 (38 Stat. 583, 25 U.S.C. 385). The

Secretary has delegated this authority to

the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs

pursuant to part 209 Departmental

Manual, Chapter 8.1A and

Memorandum dated January 25, 1994,

from Chief of Staff, Department of the

Interior, to Assistant Secretaries, and

Heads of Bureaus and Offices.

This notice is given in accordance

with § 171.1(e) of part 171, Subchapter

H, Chapter 1, of Title 25 of the Code of

Federal Regulations, which provides for

the fixing and announcing the rates for

annual operation and maintenance

assessments and related information for

BIA operated and owned irrigation

projects.

The purpose of this notice is to

announce an adjustment in the Michaud

Unit, Fort Hall Irrigation Project,

assessment rates proportionate with

actual operation and maintenance costs.

The change in the assessment rate is

based on the electrical energy cost

increase imposed by the Bureau of

Reclamation (BOR). In September 1996

the BOR notified us they are increasing

the electrical energy charge for its users.

The rate was set at 12.70 mills per

kilowatt hour, an increase of 19.5%. The

increased electrical energy cost was

absorbed by the project during the 1997

irrigation season.

The assessment rates are based on an

estimate of the cost of normal operation

and maintenance of the irrigation

project. Normal operation and

maintenance means the expenses we

incur to provide direct support or

benefit to the project’s activities for

administration, operation, maintenance,

and rehabilitation. We must include at

least:

(a) Personnel salary and benefits for

the project engineer/manager and our

employees under his/her management

control;

(b) Materials and supplies;

(c) Major and minor vehicle and

equipment repairs;

(d) Equipment, including

transportation, fuel, oil, grease, lease

and replacement;

(d) Capitalization expenses;

(e) Acquisition expenses, and

(f) Other expenses we determine

necessary to properly perform the

activities and functions characteristic of

an irrigation project.

Payments

The irrigation operation and

maintenance assessments become due

based on locally established payment

requirements. No water shall be

delivered to any of these lands until all

irrigation charges have been paid.

Interest and Penalty Fees

Interest, penalty, and administrative

fees will be assessed, where required by

law, on all delinquent operation and

maintenance assessment charges as

prescribed in the Code of Federal

Regulations, Title 4, part 102, Federal

Claims Collection Standards; and 42

BIAM Supplement 3, part 3.8 Debt

Collection Procedures. Beginning 30-

days after the due date interest will be

assessed at the rate of the current value

of funds to the U.S. Treasury. An

administrative fee of $12.50 will be

assessed each time an effort is made to

collect a delinquent debt; a penalty

charge of 6 percent per year will be

charged on delinquent debts over 90-

days old and will accrue from the date

the debt became delinquent. After 180-

days, a delinquent debt will be

forwarded to the United States Treasury

for further action in accordance with the

Debt Collection Improvement Act of

1996 (Public Law 104–134).

Dated: December 3, 1997.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–32397 Filed 12–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

Alaska

[AK–962–1410–00–P; AA–9314]

Notice for Publication; 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

Section 14(h)(1) of the Alaska Native

Claims Settlement Act of December 18,

1971, 43 U.S.C. 1601, 1613(h)(1), will be

issued to Calista Corporation for

approximately 12.9 acres. The lands

involved are in the vicinity of Nunivak

Island, Alaska.

Seward Meridian, Alaska

T. 4 S., R. 97 W.,

Sec. 6.

T. 4 S., R. 98 W.,

Sec. 1.

A notice of the decision will be

published once a week, for four (4)

consecutive weeks, in the Anchorage

Daily News. 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 January 12, 1998 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

E, shall be deemed to have waived their

rights.

Patricia A. Baker,

Land Law Examiner, ANCSA Team, Branch

of 962 Adjudication.

[FR Doc. 97–32402 Filed 12–10–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–$$–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO–930–1430–01; COC–12610]

Public Land Order No. 7302;

Withdrawal of Public Lands for

Addition to the Arapaho National

Wildlife Refuge; Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Public land order.

SUMMARY: This order withdraws from

surface entry and mining 1,720 acres of

public lands and transfers

administrative jurisdiction to the Fish

and Wildlife Service for a 50-year

period. This action will allow the Fish

and Wildlife Service to administer the

lands as a part of the Arapaho National

Wildlife Refuge. The lands have been

and remain open to mineral leasing.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 11, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Doris E. Chelius, BLM Colorado State

Office, 2850 Youngfield Street,

Lakewood, Colorado 80215–7076, 303–

239–3706.

By virtue of the authority vested in

the Secretary of the Interior by Section

204 of the Federal Land Policy and

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

1714 (1994), it is ordered as follows:

1. Subject to valid existing rights, the

following described public lands are

hereby withdrawn from settlement, sale,

location, or entry under the general land

laws, including the United States

mining laws (30 U.S.C. Ch. 2 (1994)),