Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2018 / Notices 41101 

regulatory mechanisms were inadequate 

to reduce these threats (Listing Factor 

D). 

As a result of these threats, the 

Neosho mucket was listed as 

endangered on the Federal List of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in 

title 50 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (50 CFR 17.11) on 

September 17, 2013 (78 FR 57076). A 

total of 483 river miles (777 river 

kilometers) in seven rivers and one 

creek (Elk, Fall, Illinois, Neosho, Spring, 

North Fork Spring, and Verdigris Rivers 

and Shoal Creek) has been designated as 

critical habitat for the Neosho mucket 

(80 FR 24692, April 30, 2015). Critical 

habitat as set forth in 50 CFR 17.95(f) is 

located in Benton and Washington 

Counties, Arkansas; Allen, Cherokee, 

Coffey, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, 

Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and 

Woodson Counties, Kansas; Jasper, 

Lawrence, McDonald, and Newton 

Counties, Missouri; and Adair, 

Cherokee, and Delaware Counties, 

Oklahoma. 

Recovery Plan 

Section 4(f) of the ESA requires the 

development of recovery plans for listed 

species, unless such a plan would not 

promote the conservation of a particular 

species. Recovery plans describe actions 

considered necessary for conservation of 

the species, establish recovery criteria, 

and estimate time and cost for 

implementing recovery measures. 

Section 4(f) of the ESA also requires us 

to provide public notice and an 

opportunity for public review and 

comment during recovery plan 

development. We will consider all 

information presented during a public 

comment period prior to approval of 

each new or revised recovery plan. We 

and other Federal agencies will take 

these comments into account in the 

course of implementing approved 

recovery plans. 

The goal of this recovery plan is to 

ensure the long-term viability of the 

Neosho mucket in the wild to the point 

that it can be removed (‘‘delisted’’) from 

the Federal List of Endangered and 

Threatened Wildlife. To achieve this 

goal, it will be necessary to establish 

naturally self-sustaining populations 

with healthy long-term demographic 

traits and trends. We are defining the 

following reasonable delisting criteria 

based on the best available information 

on this species. These criteria will be 

reevaluated as new information 

becomes available: 

Recovery Criteria 

The Neosho mucket will be 

considered for delisting when: 

(1) Two of four targeted river basins 

(Illinois, Verdigris, Neosho, and Spring 

River basins) contain viable populations 

with positive or stable basin-wide 

population trend, as evidenced by a 

population number measured with 

sufficient precision to detect change of 

±25 percent (Factors A, D, and E); 

(2) Spatial distribution of natural or 

stocked aggregations distributed 

throughout the basin is sufficient to 

protect against local catastrophic or 

stochastic events (Factors A and E); 

(3) All life stages are supported by 

sufficient habitat quantity and quality 

(see Primary Constituent Elements in 

the Species Biological Report for Neosho 

Mucket) and appropriate presence and 

abundance of fish hosts necessary for 

recruitment (Factors A, D, and E); and 

(4) Threats and causes of decline have 

been reduced or eliminated (Factors A, 

D, and E). 

A viable population is defined as a 

wild, naturally reproducing population 

that is able to persist and maintain 

sufficient genetic variation to evolve 

and respond to natural changes and 

stochastic events without further human 

intervention. Viable populations are 

expected to be large and genetically 

diverse, include at least five age classes 

with at least one cohort ≤7 years of age, 

and recruit at sufficient rates to 

maintain or increase population size. 

Request for Public Comments 

We request written comments on the 

draft recovery plan. We will consider all 

comments we receive by the date 

specified in DATES prior to final 

approval of the plan. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Authority 

The authority for this action is section 

4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 

U.S.C. 1533 (f). 

Dated: August 10, 2018. 

Mike Oetker, 

Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17753 Filed 8–16–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[189A2100DD/AAKC001030/ 

A0A501010.999900253G] 

Indian Gaming; Approval of TribalState Class III Gaming Compact 

Amendments in the State of Oklahoma 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The State of Oklahoma 

entered into compact amendments with 

the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Cherokee 

Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Citizen 

Potawatomi Nation, Eastern Shawnee 

Tribe of Oklahoma, Iowa Tribe of 

Oklahoma, Kaw Nation, Muscogee 

(Creek) Nation, Seneca-Cayuga Nation, 

Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, and 

Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma 

governing certain forms of class III 

gaming; this notice announces the 

approval of the State of Oklahoma 

Gaming Compact Non-house-Banked 

Table Games Supplement between the 

State of Oklahoma and the Absentee 

Shawnee Tribe, Cherokee Nation, 

Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Eastern 

Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Iowa Tribe 

of Oklahoma, Kaw Nation, Muscogee 

(Creek) Nation, Seneca-Cayuga Nation, 

Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, and 

Wyandotte Nation. 

DATES: The compact amendments take 

effect on August 17, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian 

Gaming, Office of the Deputy Assistant 

Secretary—Policy and Economic 

Development, Washington, DC 20240, 

(202) 219–4066. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 

section 11 of the Indian Gaming 

Regulatory Act (IGRA) Public Law 100– 

497, 25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq., the 

Secretary of the Interior shall publish in 

the Federal Register notice of approved 

Tribal-State compacts for the purpose of 

engaging in Class III gaming activities 

on Indian lands. As required by IGRA 

and 25 CFR 293.4, all compacts and 

amendments are subject to review and 

approval by the Secretary. The compact 

amendments authorize the Tribes to 

engage in certain additional class III 

gaming activities, provide for the 

application of existing revenue sharing 

agreements to the additional forms of 

class III gaming, and designate how the 

State will distribute revenue sharing 

funds. 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
41102 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2018 / Notices 

Dated: August 9, 2018. 

Tara Sweeney, 

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17729 Filed 8–16–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4337–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[189A2100DD/AAKC001030/ 

A0A501010.999900253G] 

Indian Gaming; Approval of TribalState Class III Gaming Compact 

Amendments in the State of Oklahoma 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The State of Oklahoma 

entered into compact amendments with 

the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and 

with the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of 

Oklahoma governing certain forms of 

class III gaming; this notice announces 

the approval of the State of Oklahoma 

Gaming Compact Non-house-Banked 

Table Games Supplement between the 

State of Oklahoma and the Choctaw 

Nation of Oklahoma and the Fort Sill 

Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. 

DATES: The compact amendments take 

effect on August 17, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian 

Gaming, Office of the Deputy Assistant 

Secretary—Policy and Economic 

Development, Washington, DC 20240, 

(202) 219–4066. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 

section 11 of the Indian Gaming 

Regulatory Act (IGRA) Public Law 100– 

497, 25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq., the 

Secretary of the Interior shall publish in 

the Federal Register notice of approved 

Tribal-State compacts for the purpose of 

engaging in Class III gaming activities 

on Indian lands. As required by IGRA 

and 25 CFR 293.4, all compacts and 

amendments are subject to review and 

approval by the Secretary. The compact 

amendments authorize the Tribes to 

engage in certain additional class III 

gaming activities, provide for the 

application of existing revenue sharing 

agreements to the additional forms of 

class III gaming, and designate how the 

State will distribute revenue sharing 

funds. 

Dated: August 6, 2018. 

Tara Sweeney, 

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17728 Filed 8–16–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4337–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[189A2100DD/AAKC001030/ 

A0A501010.999900 253G] 

Rate Adjustments for Indian Irrigation 

Projects 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs 

(BIA) owns or has an interest in 

irrigation projects located on or 

associated with various Indian 

reservations throughout the United 

States. We are required to establish 

irrigation assessment rates to recover the 

costs to administer, operate, maintain, 

and rehabilitate these projects. We are 

notifying you that we have adjusted the 

irrigation assessment rates at several of 

our irrigation projects and facilities to 

reflect current costs of administration, 

operation, maintenance, and 

rehabilitation. 

DATES: The irrigation assessment rates 

are current as of January 1, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

details about a particular BIA irrigation 

project or facility, please use the tables 

in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section to identify contacts at the 

regional or local office at which the 

project or facility is located. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice 

of Proposed Rate Adjustment was 

published in the Federal Register on 

January 18, 2018 (83 FR 2662) to 

propose adjustments to the irrigation 

assessment rates at several BIA 

irrigation projects. The public and 

interested parties were provided an 

opportunity to submit written 

comments during the 60-day period that 

ended March 19, 2018. 

Did BIA defer or change any proposed 

rate increases? 

Yes. The 2019 Operation and 

Maintenance (O&M) rate for the Wind 

River Irrigation Project, Units 2, 3, and 

4, was proposed in the Federal Register 

at $25.00 per acre. After further review, 

BIA decided to change the rate to 

$24.50. Instead of raising the rate by 

$1.00, the rate will only increase by 

$.50. Because the rate increased by 

$1.50 over the two previous years, BIA 

decided the full $1.00 increase for the 

2019 O&M rate is not appropriate. 

Hence, this notice of rate adjustments 

reflects a 2019 O&M rate of $24.50 per 

acre for Units 2, 3, and 4. 

Did BIA receive any comments on the 

proposed irrigation assessment rate 

adjustments? 

Yes. BIA received twelve (12) written 

comments related to the proposed 

irrigation rate adjustment for the 

Flathead Indian Irrigation Project and 

Wind River Irrigation Project. 

What issues were of concern to the 

commenters? 

Commenters raised concerns on the 

proposed rates about the following 

issues: 

The Following Comments are Specific to 

the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project 

(FIIP) 

Written comments relating to the 

proposed rate adjustment were received 

by letter. BIA’s summary of the issues 

and BIA’s responses are provided 

below. 

Comment: Several commenters state a 

general opposition to the 2019 rate 

increase, along with a number of 

specific concerns. These include: A 

concern that BIA is pursuing a rate 

increase prior to the FIIP manager’s 

annual meeting with the individual 

irrigation districts, and concerns with 

how FIIP management chooses to 

expend funds obtained through 

irrigation rate assessments. 

Response: As noted when rates were 

proposed in the Federal Register on 

January 18, 2018 (83 FR 2662), BIA is 

required to establish irrigation 

assessment rates that recover the costs 

to administer, operate, maintain, and 

rehabilitate our projects. As owner of 

FIIP, it is BIA’s responsibility to ensure 

adequate resources are made available 

to meet the requirements noted above. 

BIA’s authority to assess rates dates 

back to the Act of May 29, 1908, 

codified at 25 U.S.C. 381 et seq., and is 

addressed in BIA’s regulations at 25 

CFR part 171. Additionally, the 

repayment contracts between the 

irrigation districts and the Department 

of the Interior explicitly state that 

operation and maintenance expenses 

‘‘shall be paid . . . as provided . . . by 

rules made or to be made . . . by the 

Secretary of the Interior.’’ The 

procedures followed by BIA in adjusting 

its irrigation assessment rates are 

consistent with applicable law and past 

practice. 

Regarding the timing of this Federal 

Register notice, BIA makes every effort 

to publish notice of irrigation O&M rate 

adjustments prior to the issuance of 

irrigation bills for the upcoming season, 

and that process requires BIA to solicit 

comments on proposed rate adjustments 

on a timeline that will allow it to 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1