Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 194 / Thursday, October 5, 2000 / Notices 59461

mandated that these lands be

administered by the Secretary through

the Fish and Wildlife Service ‘‘for the

conservation of wildlife, and for the

development of the agricultural,

recreational, industrial, and related

purposes specified in this Act.’’

The 43,890-acre Refuge contains three

large man-made lakes and numerous

small ponds totaling 9,000 acres, 26,000

acres of forest and brush land, 5,000

acres of cropland, 2,000 acres of

grassland, and 2,000 acres of

administrative lands. The Refuge

supports an extensive variety of plant

and animal species, hosts 1.2 million

recreational visitors per year, provides

facilities for industrial tenants, and

sponsors cooperative farmers and

permittee graziers. The 4,050-acre Crab

Orchard Wilderness, the first wilderness

are a designated in the State of Illinois,

is within the Refuge.

Dated: September 29, 2000.

Marvin E. Moriarty,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 00–25552 Filed 10–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Operation and Maintenance Rate

Adjustment for the Colorado River

Irrigation Project, Arizona

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rate

adjustment.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs

proposes to adjust the assessment rates

for operating and maintaining the

Colorado River Irrigation Project for the

2001 irrigation season.

DATES: Interested parties may submit

comments on the proposed rate

adjustment. Comments must be

submitted on or before December 4,

2000.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning

the proposed rate adjustment must be in

writing and addressed to the Bureau of

Indian Affairs, Director of Trust

Responsibilities, ATTN: Irrigation and

Power, Mail Stop 3061, 1849 C Street,

NW., Washington, DC 20240, telephone;

(202) 208–5480.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Regional Director, Bureau of Indian

Affairs, Western Region, P.O. Box 10,

Phoenix, Arizona 85001; telephone

(602) 379–6956.

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 14,

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. The new

rates are specified in the following

schedule.

This notice is given in accordance

with Section 171.1(e) and 171.1(g) 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 of

Bureau of Indian Affairs irrigation

projects.

Background

The assessment rates are based on a

prepared 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 salaries and benefits for

the project engineer/manager and our

employees under his management/

control;

(b) Materials and supplies;

(c) Major and minor vehicle and

equipment repairs;

(d) Equipment, including

transportation, fuel, oil, grease, lease

and replacement;

(e) Capitalization expenses;

(f) Acquisition expenses; and

(g) 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. No water

shall be delivered to any farm unit until

all irrigation charges have been paid.

Within 180 days a delinquent debt will

be forwarded to the U.S. Treasury for

further action in accordance with Debt

Collection Improvement Act of 1996

(Public Law 104–134).

Rate Adjustment

The following table illustrates the

impact of the rate adjustment:

COLORADO RIVER IRRIGATION PROJECT

[Irrigation rate per assessable acre]

Present 2000 Proposed 2001 Proposed 2002

Up to 5 acre-feet/acre ............................................................... $38.50 $37.00 ..................................... $37.00.

Excess Water/acre-foot ............................................................. 17.00 Unchanged .............................. Unchanged.

Determinations and Certifications

Regulatory Planning and Review (E.O.

12866): This rate adjustment is not a

significant regulatory action and has

been reviewed by the Office of

Management and Budget under

Executive Order 12866.

Regulatory Flexibility Act: This rate

making is not a rule for the purposes of

the Regulatory Flexibility Act because it

is ‘‘a rule of particular applicability

relating to rates’’ (5 U.S.C. § 601(2)).

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: This

rate adjustment imposes no unfunded

59462 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 194 / Thursday, October 5, 2000 / Notices

mandates on any governmental or

private entity and is in compliance with

the provisions of the Unfunded

Mandates Reform Act of 1995.

Takings Implication Assessment (E.O.

12630): The Department has determined

that this rate adjustment does not have

significant ‘‘takings’’ implications.

Federalism (E.O. 13132): The

Department has determined that this

rate adjustment does not have

significant Federalism effects because it

pertains solely to Federal-tribal relations

and will not interfere with the roles,

rights, and responsibilities of states.

Civil Justice Reform (E.O. 12988): The

Department has certified to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) that

this rate adjustment meets the

applicable standards provided in

sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of Executive

Order 12988.

Paperwork Reduction Act: This rate

adjustment does not contain collections

of information requiring approval under

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA): The Department has

determined that this rate adjustment

does not constitute a major Federal

action significantly affecting the quality

of the human environment and that no

detailed statement is required under the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969.

Public Comment Solicitation

Interested persons may submit written

comments regarding the proposed rate

adjustment to the location identified in

the ADDRESSES section of this document.

Our practice is to make comments,

including names and home addresses of

respondents, available for public review

during regular business hours.

Individual respondents may request

confidentiality. If you wish to request

that we consider withholding your

name, street address, and other contact

information (such as Internet address,

FAX, or phone number) from public

review or from disclosure under the

Freedom of Information Act, you must

state this prominently at the beginning

of your comment. We will honor your

request to the extent allowable by law.

However, we will not consider

anonymous comments. We will make all

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.

Dated: September 27, 2000.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs

[FR Doc. 00–25531 Filed 10–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV–910–00–0777XQ–241A]

Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin

Resource Advisory Council,

Northeastern Great Basin Resource

Advisory Council, and MojaveSouthern Great Basin Resource

Advisory Council; Notice of Meeting

Locations and Times

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Combined Resource Advisory

Council meeting locations and times.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Federal Land Policy and Management

Act and the Federal Advisory

Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the

Department of the Interior, Bureau of

Land Management (BLM) Council

meetings will be held as indicated

below. Topics for discussion will be a

presentation and discussion of Fiscal

Year 2000 operations, and outlook for

Fiscal Year 2001 of the BLM in Nevada;

opening and closeout reports of the

three RACs; implementation of the

Southern Nevada Public Land

Management Act of 1998; breakout

meetings of the three RACs; and other

topics the Councils may raise. There

will be luncheon speakers both days.

All meetings are open to the public.

The public may present written

comments to the Council. The public

comment period for the Council meeting

will be at such times during the meeting

as determined by the State Director, and

at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27.

Individuals who plan to attend and

need further information about the

meeting or need special assistance such

as sign language interpretation or other

reasonable accommodations, should

contact Robert Stewart at the Nevada

State Office, BLM, 1340 Financial Blvd.,

Reno, telephone (775) 861–6586.

DATES, TIMES: The Council will meet on

Thursday, October 26, 2000, from 8:30

a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday, October

27, 2000, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., or when

business is complete, at The Casa

Blanca Hotel in Mesquite, Nevada. If

due to unforeseeable problems this site

is not available, the meeting will be

rescheduled. Public comment will be

received at the discretion of the State

Director, as meeting moderator, with a

general public comment period on

Friday, October 27, 2000, at 2 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert Stewart, Public Affairs

Specialist, Office of Communications,

BLM Nevada State Office, 1340

Financial Blvd., Reno, Nevada, 89502–

7147, telephone (775) 861–6586.

Dated: September 29, 2000.

Robert V. Abbey,

Nevada State Director.

[FR Doc. 00–25551 Filed 10–04–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT–924–1430–ET; MTM 89002]

Public Land Order No. 7463;

Withdrawal of Public Land for Devil’s

Elbow Recreation Site; Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Public Land Order.

SUMMARY: This order withdraws 100.81

acres of public land from surface entry

and mining for a period of 20 years for

protection and development of a Bureau

of Land Management public

campground and day use recreation

area. The land has been and will remain

open to mineral leasing.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 5, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sandra Ward, BLM Montana State

Office, P.O. Box 36800, Billings,

Montana 59107, 406–255–2949, or Susie

Williams, BLM Butte Field Office, P.O.

Box 3388, Butte, Montana 59702–3388,

406–494–7634.

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 land is 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)),

but not from leasing under the mineral

leasing laws, for protection and

development of Devil’s Elbow

Recreation Site:

Principal Meridian, Montana

T. 11 N., R. 2 W.,

Sec. 23, that portion of the E1⁄2NE1⁄4 lying

east of the York Road (State Highway

280) as set out on the Certificate of

Survey (COS) filed under Document No.

259800 and tracts 7 and 8 as set out on

the COS filed under Document No.

452285/T;