61362 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 201 / Tuesday, October 17, 2000 / Notices

3.20 What Is The Relationship

Between Ecological Integrity and

Comprehensive Conservation Planning?

We integrate the principles of this

policy into all aspects of comprehensive

conservation planning as we write plans

to direct long range refuge management

and identify desired future conditions

for planned refuges (602 FW 1.7 D).

3.21 How Do We Protect Ecological

Integrity From Actions Outside Of

Refuges?

When actions of others that occur off

refuge lands or waters that injure or

destroy the natural resources of a refuge,

refuge managers should address those

problems as soon as possible to protect

the property of the United States and to

protect the biological integrity,

biological diversity, and environmental

health of the refuge and the System. The

refuge manager should first inform the

person or entity responsible and request

cooperation. Our first effort to avoid and

rectify injury should always be

partnerships or voluntary cooperation

with adjacent landowners and others. If

these efforts fail to protect the refuge,

refuge managers should request the

Office of the Solicitor for assistance in

pursuing civil remedies, such as an

injunction or damages, just as any other

landowner would.

Primary Author: Brian Czech,

Conservation Biologist, Branch of

Wildlife Resources, National Wildlife

Refuge System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, is the primary author of this

notice.

Dated: September 24, 2000.

Jamie Rappaport Clark,

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 00–26398 Filed 10–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT–921–01–1320–EL–P; MTM 88405]

Notice of Competitive Coal Lease

Offering by Sealed Bid

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Montana State Office

ACTION: Notice of competitive coal lease

offering by sealed bid MTM 88405.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the coal resources in the lands described

below in Big Horn County, Montana,

will be offered for competitive lease by

sealed bid. This offering is being made

as a result of an application filed by

Spring Creek Coal Company, in

accordance with the provisions of the

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as

amended (41 Stat. 437; 30 U.S.C. 181 et

seq.).

The lease sale will be held at 11:00

a.m., Monday, November 27, 2000, in

the main conference room, side B, at the

Bureau of Land Management, 5001

Southgate Drive, Billings, Montana

59102. Bids for the tract will be in the

form of sealed bids. Sealed bids clearly

marked ‘‘Sealed Bid for MTM 88405

Coal Sale—Not to be opened before

11:00 a.m., Monday, November 27,

2000’’ must be submitted on or before

10:00 a.m., November 27, 2000, to the

cashier, Bureau of Land Management,

Montana State Office, 5001 Southgate

Drive, Post Office Box 36800, Billings,

Montana 59107–6800.

An Environmental Assessment of the

proposed coal development and related

requirements for consultation, public

involvement, and hearings have been

completed in accordance with 43 CFR

3425. The results of these activities were

a finding of no significant

environmental impact. The coal resource to be offered

consists of all recoverable reserves in

the following-described lands:

T. 8 S., R. 39 E., P.M.M.

Sec. 13: SW1⁄4SW1⁄4SW1⁄4,

SW1⁄4SE1⁄4SW1⁄4SW1⁄4

Sec. 14: S1⁄2SW1⁄4NE1⁄4SE1⁄4,

S1⁄2NE1⁄4SE1⁄4SE1⁄4,

NW1⁄4NE1⁄4SE1⁄4SE1⁄4, S1⁄2SE1⁄4SE1⁄4,

NW1⁄4SE1⁄4SE1⁄4

Sec. 23: NE1⁄4NE1⁄4, SE1⁄4SW1⁄4NW1⁄4NE1⁄4,

N1⁄2SW1⁄4NW1⁄4NE1⁄4, E1⁄2NW1⁄4NE1⁄4

Sec. 24: NW1⁄4SE1⁄4NW1⁄4NW1⁄4,

N1⁄2SW1⁄4NW1⁄4NW1⁄4, N1⁄2NW1⁄4NW1⁄4

Containing 150.00 acres, Big Horn County,

Montana.

The tract in this lease offering

contains split estate lands. The surface

is not held by a qualified surface owner

as defined in the regulations, 43 CFR

3400.0–5.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The tract

will be leased to the qualified bidder of

the highest cash amount provided that

the high bid meets the fair market value

of the coal resource. The minimum bid

for the tract is $100 per acre or fraction

thereof. No bid that is less that $100 per

acre, or fraction thereof, will be

considered. The bids should be sent by

certified mail, return receipt requested,

or be hand-delivered. The cashier will

issue a receipt for each hand-delivered

bid. Bids received after 10:00 a.m.,

Monday, November 27, 2000, will not be

considered. The minimum bid is not

intended to represent fair market value.

The fair market value will be

determined by the authorized officer

after the sale.

If identical high bids are received, the

tying high bidders will be requested to

submit follow-up sealed bids until a

high bid is received. All tie-breaking

sealed bids must be submitted within 15

minutes following the Sale Official’s

announcement at the sale that identical

high bids have been received.

A lease issued as a result of this

offering will provide for payment of an

annual rental of $3 per acre, or fraction

thereof; and a royalty payable to the

United States of 12.5 percent of the

value of coal mined by surface methods

and 8.0 percent of the value of coal

mined by underground methods. The

value of the coal shall be determined in

accordance with 30 CFR 206.250.

Bidding instructions for the tract

offered and the terms and conditions of

the proposed coal lease are included in

the Detailed Statement of Lease Sale.

Copies of the statement and the

proposed coal lease are available at the

Montana State Office. Casefile MTM

88405 is also available for public

inspection at the Montana State Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bettie Schaff, Land Law Examiner or

Rebecca Good, Coal Coordinator at (406)

896–5063 or 896–5080, respectively.

Dated: October 11, 2000.

Randy D. Heuscher,

Chief, Branch of Solid Minerals.

[FR Doc. 00–26560 Filed 10–16–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–$$–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Lower St. Croix National Scenic

Riverway; Environmental Impact

Statement

AGENCY: National Park Service,

Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources, Wisconsin Department of

Natural Resources.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the final

cooperative management plan/final

environmental impact statement for the

Lower St. Croix National Scenic

Riverway, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2) of

the National Environmental Policy Act

of 1969, the National Park Service,

Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources, and Wisconsin Department

of Natural Resources announce the

availability of the final cooperative

management plan/final environmental

impact statement (FCMP/FEIS) for the

Lower St. Croix National Scenic

Riverway.

The purpose of the cooperative

management plan is to set forth the

basic management philosophy for the

riverway and to provide the strategies

for addressing issues and achieving