7036 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 31 / Friday, February 14, 1997 / Notices

State Office, 222 North Central Avenue,

Phoenix, Arizona 85004–2203, (602)

417–9512.

Michael A. Ferguson,

Deputy State Director, Resources Division.

[FR Doc. 97–3731 Filed 2–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–32–M

[CA–942–5700–00]

Filing of Plats of Survey; California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to inform the public and interested state

and local government officials of the

latest filing of Plats of Survey in

California.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Unless otherwise noted,

filing was effective at 10:00 a.m. on the

next federal work day following the plat

acceptance date.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Clifford A. Robinson, Chief, Branch of

Cadastral Survey, Bureau of Land

Management (BLM), California State

Office, 2135 Butano Drive, Sacramento,

CA 95825–0451, (916) 979–2890.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The plats

of Survey of lands described below have

been officially filed at the California

State Office of the Bureau of Land

Management in Sacramento, CA.

Mount Diablo Meridian, California

T. 15 S., R. 12 E.,—Dependent resurvey,

(Group 1243) accepted January 8, 1997,

to meet certain administrative needs of

the BLM, Bakersfield District, Hollister

Resource Area.

T. 7 S., R. 22 E.,—Dependent resurvey,

subdivision and metes-and-bounds

survey, (Group 1252) accepted January

23, 1997, to meet certain administrative

needs of the US Forest Service, Sierra

National Forest.

T. 4 N., R. 11 E.,—Supplemental plat of the

W1⁄2 of section 13, accepted January 28,

1997, to meet certain administrative

needs of the BLM, Bakersfield District,

Folsom Resource Area.

T. 3 N., R. 14 E.,—Supplemental plat of the

NW1⁄4 of section 9, accepted January 29,

1997, to meet certain administrative

needs of the BLM, Bakersfield District,

Folsom Resource Area.

T. 2 N., R. 12 E.,—Supplemental plat of the

SW1⁄4 of section 14, accepted January 30,

1997, to meet certain administrative

needs of the BLM, Bakersfield District,

Folsom Resource Area.

T. 2 N., R. 13 E.,—Supplemental plat of the

NE1⁄4 of section 14, accepted January 30,

1997, to meet certain administrative

needs of the BLM, Bakersfield District,

Folsom Resource Area.

T. 15 N., R. 6 E.,—Supplemental plat of the

SE1⁄4 of section 1, accepted January 30,

1997, to meet certain administrative

needs of the BLM, Bakersfield District,

Folsom Resource Area.

T. 15 N., R. 6 E.,—Supplemental plat of

section 13, accepted January 30, 1997, to

meet certain administrative needs of the

BLM, Bakersfield District, Folsom

Resource Area.

T. 18 N., R. 7 E.,—Supplemental plat of the

W1⁄2 of section 19, accepted January 30,

1997, to meet certain administrative

needs of the BLM, Bakersfield District,

Folsom Resource Area.

All of the above listed survey plats are

now the basic record for describing the

lands for all authorized purposes. The

survey plats have been placed in the

open files in the BLM, California State

Office, and are available to the public as

a matter of information. Copies of the

survey plats and related field notes will

be furnished to the public upon

payment of the appropriate fee.

Dated: February 7, 1997.

Clifford A. Robinson,

Chief, Branch of Cadastral Survey.

[FR Doc. 97–3801 Filed 2–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–M

[CA–930–1430–01–WARD; CACA 30534–01]

Notice of Proposed Withdrawal

Extension and Opportunity for Public

Meeting; California

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: To allow the Department of

the Interior and the public adequate

time to fully evaluate the State’s

proposal to transfer lands to the State

for a low-level radioactive waste

(LLRW) facility at Ward Valley,

California, the Bureau of Land

Management proposes to extend a

withdrawal of 1,000 acres of public land

in San Bernardino County for two years,

thereby preserving the land’s current

status pending a final decision. The

land was withdrawn in 1994 for three

years by PLO 7069. The extension will

keep the land withdrawn and closed to

application, location and entry under

the agricultural land laws and the

mining laws. The land is open to

mineral leasing, and will remain so.

DATES: Comments and requests for a

public meeting on this withdrawal

extension to maintain the status quo

pending a final decision must be

mailed, sent or submitted by May 15,

1997 at the address below.

ADDRESSES: Bureau of Land

Management (CA–930), 2135 Butano

Drive, Sacramento, California, 95825–

0451.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Public Information Section, 2135

Butano Drive, Sacramento, California,

95825–0451, (916) 979–2800.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

February 4, 1997, a petition was

approved, allowing the Bureau of Land

Management to file an application to

extend the withdrawal for two years on

the following described public land

from operation of the agricultural land

laws and the mining laws, subject to

valid existing rights:

San Bernardino Meridian

T. 9 N., R. 19 E.,

Sec. 26, SW1⁄4SW1⁄4;

Sec. 27, S1⁄2S1⁄2;

Sec. 34;

Sec. 35, W1⁄2W1⁄2.

The area described contains 1,000 acres in

San Bernardino County.

The purpose of the proposed

withdrawal is to allow two additional

years for the Department of the Interior

and the public to fully evaluate the

State’s proposal to license and locate a

low-level nuclear waste facility in Ward

Valley, California. Analysis as

incorporated in the 1991 EIR/EIS found

Ward Valley to be the superior

alternative. Neither a right-of-way nor a

cooperative agreement would preserve

the current status of the land, and

therefore they cannot substitute for a

withdrawal.

The withdrawal does not authorize

any activities on the lands in and of

itself. Licenses, permits, cooperative

agreements, or discretionary land use

authorizations of a temporary nature

may be allowed, but only with the

approval of an authorized officer of the

Bureau of Land Management during the

segregative period.

Water is not needed to fulfill the

purpose of the requested withdrawal

action.

Notice is hereby given that an

opportunity for a public meeting is

afforded in connection with the

proposed withdrawal extension. All

interested persons who desire a public

meeting for the purpose of being heard

on the proposed withdrawal extension

must submit a request with their reasons

for a public meeting to the California

State Office (CA–930) by May 15, 1997.

Upon determination by the authorized

officer that a public meeting will be

held, a notice of the time and place will

be published in the Federal Register at

least 30 days before the scheduled date

of the meeting.

Until May 15, 1997, all persons who

wish to submit comments, suggestions,

or objections in connection with the
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 31 / Friday, February 14, 1997 / Notices 7037

proposed extension of the withdrawal

may present their views in writing to

the address above.

The application case file is available

for public inspection at the address

above and at the California Desert

District, 6221 Box Springs Blvd.,

Riverside, CA 92507.

The application will be processed in

accordance with the regulations set

forth in 43 CFR Part 2300.

David McIlnay,

Chief, Branch of Lands.

[FR Doc. 97–3733 Filed 2–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–P

Minerals Management Service

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Special Programs

Administration

Outer Continental Shelf Pipelines

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service

(MMS), Department of the Interior

(DOI), and Research and Special

Programs Administration (RSPA),

Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of memorandum of

understanding.

SUMMARY: DOI and DOT have revised a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

on their respective responsibilities for

pipelines on the Outer Continental Shelf

(OCS). The revised MOU will replace an

MOU in effect since May 6, 1976.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 10, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

L. E. Herrick, Office of Pipeline Safety

Regulatory Programs, RSPA; telephone

(202) 366–5523; e-mail

l.e.herrick@rspa.dot.gov; or Carl W.

Anderson, Operations Analysis Branch,

MMS; telephone (703) 787–1608; e-mail

CarllAnderson@mms.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On May 24, 1995, MMS and RSPA

published a notice with request for

comments in the Federal Register (60

FR 27546; May 24, 1995). The notice

announced a proposed MOU between

the two agencies re-defining their

respective responsibilities for pipelines

on the OCS. Over 70 people attended a

public meeting in New Orleans on

August 1, 1995, to discuss the proposal.

A transcript of this meeting is available

through the agency representatives

listed in the ‘‘For Further Information’’

section of this notice. The public

meeting generated over 100 pages of

transcribed comments from natural gas

and petroleum trade organizations,

natural gas and oil exploration and

production companies, transmission

companies, offshore construction

companies, and industry consultants.

The DOI and DOT received twenty-three

written comments on the Federal

Register Notice.

Before the close of the comment

period, the American Petroleum

Institute requested a 30-day extension to

provide time to convene a regulated

community task team, review the

proposal, and prepare a detailed

response. RSPA and MMS responded by

extending the comment period to

September 22, 1995 (60 FR 43611;

August 22, 1995).

The MOU places, to the greatest

extent practicable, producer operated

pipelines under DOI responsibility and

transporter operated pipelines under

DOT responsibility. Producers are

companies which are engaged in he

extraction and processing of

hydrocarbons on the OCS. Transporters

are companies which are engaged in the

transportation of those hydrocarbons.

As a result of this revision, some

pipelines, predominantly producer

operated pipelines, currently under

DOT responsibility, will be under DOI

responsibility.

Each agency will initiate separate

public rulemakings which will reflect

the new boundaries. The DOI and DOT

will propose that any changes in

requirements for design or construction

of pipelines which result from the

transfer of pipelines to another agency’s

responsibility not apply to existing

pipeline segment until each operator

makes significant repairs or

modifications to those segments.

This MOU also establishes an

agreement between the two agencies for

DOI to act as agent for DOT in

identifying and reporting potential

violations of DOT regulations at offshore

platforms on the OCS. As an agent, DOI

may inspect all DOT-regulated pipeline

facilities on production platforms

during DOI inspections. DOI may also

perform coordinated DOI/DOT

inspections of pipeline facilities on

DOT-regulated platforms. The

inspections may include reviewing any

operating or maintenance records or

reports that are located at the inspected

OCS platform facility.

Once implemented through

regulation, the changes described in the

MOU will substantially reduce the

burden of overlapping Federal

jurisdictions and inconsistencies

between agency requirements This will

substantially increase the efficiency of

governmental resources on the OCS

without compromising safety.

Dated: February 10, 1997.

Richard B. Felder,

Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.

Dated: February 10, 1997.

Carolita U. Kallaur,

Associate Director for Offshore Minerals

Management.

The MOU reads as follows:

Memorandum of Understanding

Between the Department of

Transportation and the Department of

the Interior, Regarding Outer

Continental Shelf Pipelines

I. Purpose

This Memorandum of Understanding

(MOU) establishes the boundaries that

will be used to delineate the locations

over which the Department of

Transportation (DOT), Research and

Special Programs Administration

(RSPA), and the Department of the

Interior (DOI), Minerals Management

Service (MMS), will exercise their

respective regulatory authority over

pipelines located on the Outer

Continental Shelf (OCS). This MOU

replaces the MOU between DOT and

DOI regarding OCS pipelines which was

signed and became effective May 6,

1976, and which terminates as of the

effective date of this MOU.

In recognition of each of the parties’

respective regulatory responsibilities for

OCS pipelines, DOI and DOT agree that

an MOU is needed to avoid duplication

of regulatory efforts regarding OCS

pipelines, to assure coordination and

consultation during the development

and implementation of regulatory

requirements, to facilitate compatible

regulatory requirements for all OCS

pipelines whether under DOI or DOT

jurisdiction, and to promote safety and

environmental protection on the OCS.

This MOU puts, to the greatest extent

practicable, OCS production pipelines

under DOI responsibility and OCS

transportation pipelines under DOT

responsibility.

II. Authority

DOT has the responsibility for

promulgating and enforcing regulations

for the safe and environmentally sound

transportation or gases and hazardous

liquids by pipeline. DOT administers

the following laws as they relate to

pipelines: (1) the pipeline safety laws

(49 U.S.C. 60101 et seq.); (2) the

Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C.

1501–1524); (3) the Federal Water

Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) (33

U.S.C. 1251–1375), as amended by the

Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) (P.L.

101–380) and implemented under

Executive Order (E.O.) 12777; and (4)