Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 224 / Wednesday, November 22, 2023 / Notices 81433 

as corrected by Pub. L. 104–200—Sept. 

22, 1996). 

Howard M. Cantor, 

Director, Office of Natural Resources 

Revenue. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25795 Filed 11–21–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4335–30–P 

INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND 

WATER COMMISSION UNITED 

STATES AND MEXICO 

Notice of Availability of a Draft 

Environmental Assessment (EA) and 

Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI) for the Management of Federal 

Grazing Leases at the Falcon Dam and 

Reservoir, Starr and Zapata Counties, 

Texas 

AGENCY: United States Section, 

International Boundary and Water 

Commission, United States and Mexico 

(USIBWC). 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The USIBWC hereby gives 

notice that the Draft Environmental 

Assessment (EA) and Finding of No 

Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 

Management of Federal Grazing Leases 

at the Falcon Dam and Reservoir, Starr 

and Zapata Counties, Texas is available. 

The EA evaluates land management 

alternatives to grazing leases that 

address low grazing lease values and 

limited access by USIBWC to leased 

lands. An Environmental Impact 

Statement will not be prepared unless 

additional information which may affect 

this decision is brought to our attention 

within 30 days from the date of this 

Notice. 

DATES: Comments are due by December 

28, 2023. 

ADDRESSES: The electronic version of 

the amended Draft EA is available at the 

USIBWC web page: https:// 

www.ibwc.gov/reports-studies/eis-eapublic-comment/. Physical copies of the 

Draft EA are available at the Joe A. 

Guerra Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. 

Calton Rd., Laredo, Texas 78041; the 

Olga V. Figueroa Zapata County Public 

Library, 901 Kennedy St., Zapata, Texas 

78076; and the Roma Public Library, 

1705 N Athens St., Roma, Texas 78584. 

Comments should be sent to: Mark 

Howe, Cultural Resources Specialist, 

USIBWC, 4191 N Mesa; El Paso, Texas 

79902. Email: falconcomments@

ibwc.gov. All comments received may 

be made publicly available without 

change, including any personal 

information provided. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mark Howe, Cultural Resources 

Specialist, Telephone: (915) 832–4767, 

email: falconcomments@ibwc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

USIBWC is updating or eliminating 

active and inactive grazing leases in use 

for commercial, residential, or 

recreational purposes on federal land in 

the Falcon Project (i.e., Falcon Dam and 

Reservoir). Rights-of-way for the Falcon 

Project totaled 63,192 acres on the U.S. 

side of the Falcon Project as of 2000. 

This project will assist USIBWC in 

determining if grazing leases should be 

allowed or discontinued and/or whether 

land management alternatives should be 

established in lieu of grazing. 

The grazing lease program has 

continued for areas along the Falcon 

Reservoir that were originally ranches 

and farms before the land was acquired 

by the federal Government pursuant to 

the Water Treaty of 1944 between the 

U.S. and Mexico, with construction of 

the Falcon Project completed on 

October 19, 1953. The grazing lease 

program assured those areas not under 

water or flooded and owned by the 

federal Government would be 

economically used as they were in the 

past by the local community. Initially 

leases allowed for agricultural uses in 

addition to grazing, but agricultural 

activities and any clearing of leased 

lands were later restricted to reduce 

potential impacts on cultural resources 

in accordance with National Historic 

Preservation Act requirements. Active 

leases currently only allow grazing 

activities. 

Grazing leases, licenses, and permits 

consist of any written permit or other 

legal document for an individual, 

corporation, etc., to use and improve 

land owned by the U.S. Government 

under the jurisdiction of the USIBWC at 

Falcon Reservoir. In the past, 22,270.57 

acres of land were under 159 active 

grazing leases originally issued in 1956. 

As of 2020, there were 117 active 

grazing leases with many that are still 

held by the descendants of the original 

permittees and/or stakeholders. 

The purpose for the Proposed Action 

is to successfully manage federal land in 

the Falcon Project. Federal lands 

associated with the Falcon Project have 

been utilized by the public for various 

activities, including grazing leases, 

since the Falcon Project was 

established. However, the economic 

value of these leases and the challenges 

to successful land management require 

a reevaluation of the grazing lease 

program. The need is to implement land 

management alternatives to grazing 

leases that address low grazing lease 

values, limited access by USIBWC to 

leased lands, and unauthorized 

activities on leased lands. 

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969; the Council on 

Environmental Quality Final 

Regulations, and the USIBWC 

Operational Procedures for 

Implementing Section 102 of NEPA, 

published in the Federal Register 

September 2, 1981, USIBWC developed 

and analyzed eight alternatives for 

modifying the grazing lease program at 

the Falcon Project, including the No 

Action Alternative. Alternative 1, No 

Action Alternative, is a requirement of 

the NEPA process and is included to 

provide a baseline against which the 

other alternatives can be evaluated. The 

action alternatives include: Alternative 

2—Terminate Leases, Alternative 3— 

Change Rental Rates on Active Leases 

and Implement Improved Program 

Management, Alternative 4—Allow 

Hunting on Existing Grazing Leases, 

Alternative 5—Terminate Leases Not 

Directly Accessible from Public Rightsof-Way, Alternative 6—Negotiate Access 

Easements on Private Property for 

Existing Leases, Alternative 7—Amend 

Leases to Allow Vegetation 

Management, and Alternative 8—Form a 

Citizens’ Committee to Provide Lease 

Management Support. The USIBWC has 

identified that one or any combination 

of the alternatives could be 

implemented to manage the grazing 

lease program at the Falcon Project. 

Potential impacts on natural, cultural, 

and other resources were evaluated in 

the Draft EA. The USIBWC prepared a 

FONSI for the Action Alternatives, 

based on a review of the facts and 

analyses contained in the Draft EA. 

Dated: November 15, 2023. 

Rebecca A. Rizzuti, 

Deputy Chief Legal Counsel, International 

Boundary and Water Commission, United 

States Section. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25784 Filed 11–21–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7010–01–P 

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 

COMMISSION 

[USITC SE–23–055] 

Sunshine Act Meetings 

AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: United 

States International Trade Commission. 

TIME AND DATE: November 30, 2023 at 11 

a.m. 

PLACE: Room 101, 500 E Street SW, 

Washington, DC 20436, Telephone: 

(202) 205–2000. 


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