70932 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 28, 2000 / Notices

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has

information collection approval from

OMB through February 28, 2001. OMB

Control Number 1018–0093. Federal

Agencies may not conduct or sponsor

and a person is not required to respond

to a collection of information unless it

displays a current valid OMB control

number.

Documents and other information

submitted with these applications are

available for review, subject to the

requirements of the Privacy Act and

Freedom of Information Act, by any

party who submits a written request for

a copy of such documents to the

following office within 30 days of the

date of publication of this notice: U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203. Phone: (703/358–2104);

FAX: (703/358–2281).

Dated: November 21, 2000.

Charlie Chandler,

Chief, Branch of Permits, Division of

Management Authority.

[FR Doc. 00–30285 Filed 11–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Draft Stage

I Assessment Plan for the Kalamazoo

River Environment Site Natural

Resource Damage Assessment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of comment period.

SUMMARY: Notice is given that the draft

‘‘Stage I Assessment Plan [for the]

Kalamazoo River Environment Site’’ is

available for public review and

comment. The public comment period

started with local newspaper notices

and placement of the document at

repositories at the Allegan Public

Library, Charles Ransom Library,

Kalamazoo Public Library, Otsego

District Library, Saugatuck-Douglas

Library, and Waldo Library on

November 20, 2000.

The U.S. Department of the Interior

(‘‘Department’’), the Michigan

Department of Environmental Quality,

the Michigan Attorney General, and the

U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration are acting as co-trustees

for natural resources considered in this

assessment plan, pursuant to subpart G

of the National Oil and Hazardous

Substances Pollution Contingency Plan,

40 CFR 300.600 and 300.610, and

Executive Order 12580.

The assessment plan describes the

first stage of a natural resource damage

assessment which the trustees are

conducting pursuant to the Natural

Resource Damage Assessment

Regulations found at 43 CFR Part 11.

The public review of the assessment

plan announced by this Notice is

provided for in 43 CFR 11.32(c)(1).

Interested members of the public are

invited to review and comment on the

assessment plan. Copies of the

assessment plan can be requested from

the address listed below. The trustees

may revise the assessment plan in

response to issues raised during the

comment period. All written comments

will be considered.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

and the Michigan Department of

Environmental Quality will hold an

informational meeting regarding the

assessment plan at 7 p.m. on Monday,

December 4, 2000, at the Plainwell

Comfort Inn, 622 Allegan Street (M–89),

Plainwell, MI (616–685–9891).

DATES: Written comments on the

assessment plan described in this notice

must be submitted on or before January

16, 2001.

ADDRESSES: The assessment plan is

available at repositories at the Allegan

Public Library, Charles Ransom Library,

Kalamazoo Public Library, Otsego

District Library, Saugatuck-Douglas

Library, and Waldo Library, all in

southwestern Michigan. The document

can be also accessed online through the

Internet at the following website: http:/

/midwest.fws.gov/nrda/kalamazoo.

Written requests for paper copies may

be made to: Lisa L. Williams, Ph.D., U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 2651

Coolidge Road, Suite 101, East Lansing,

MI 48823.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of this natural resource damage

assessment is to confirm and quantify

injuries to natural resources, resultant

economic damages, and the natural

resource restoration necessary to

address those injuries in the Kalamazoo

River environment resulting primarily

from exposure to polychlorinated

biphenyls released by Kalamazoo River

and Portage Creek paper mills. The

injury and required restoration are

assessed under the Comprehensive

Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act, as

amended, the Clean Water Act, as

amended, and, for the state trustees,

Michigan’s Natural Resources and

Environmental Protection Act, as

amended.

Dated: November 20, 2000.

William F. Hartwig,

Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 00–30247 Filed 11–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[HE–952–9911–00]

Extension of Approved Information

Collection, OMB Number 1004–0179

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is

announcing its intention to request

renewal of an existing approval to

collect certain information from those

persons with an In-Kind Crude Helium

Sales Contract. BLM also collects

helium sales information from Federal

agencies and helium suppliers on major

helium requirements to balance crude

helium sales with the sale of helium to

Federal agencies (43 CFR 3195).

DATES: You must submit your comments

to BLM at the appropriate address below

on or before January 29, 2001. BLM will

not necessarily consider any comments

received after the above date.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed

to: Regulatory Affairs Group (630),

Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C

Street NW, Room 401LS, Washington,

D.C. 20240.

Comments may be sent via Internet to:

WOComment@blm.gov. Please include

‘‘ATTN: 1004–0179’’ and your name

and return address in your Internet

message.

Comments may be hand-delivered to

the Bureau of Land Management,

Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620

L Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.

Comments will be available for public

review at the L Street address during

regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15

p.m., Monday through Friday).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Connie H. Neely, Crude Helium Sales

Analyst, (806) 324–2635.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

accordance with 5 CFR 1320.12(a), the

BLM is required to provide 60-day

notice in the Federal Register

concerning a collection of information

contained in a published current rule to

solicit comments on (a) whether the

proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 28, 2000 / Notices 70933

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on those who are to respond, including

through the use of appropriate

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology. The BLM will receive and

analyze any comments sent in response

to this notice and include them with its

request for approval from the Office of

Management and Budget under 44

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

The Helium Privatization Act of 1996

requires the Department of the Defense,

the Atomic Energy Commission, the

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration, and other Federal

agencies to purchase major helium

requirements from authorized

contractors. These contractors are then

required to purchase an equivalent

amount of crude helium from the

Department of the Interior, Bureau of

Land Management.

The respondents are Federal agencies

and helium suppliers (contractors) who

purchase major helium requirements

and report to BLM the sales information

for an accurate account of helium to

Federal agencies from Federal helium

suppliers.

BLM estimates an average of 76

respondents and 304 responses

annually. The frequency of response is

once for the In-Kind Crude Helium

Sales Contract and quarterly for the

required helium sales information under

43 CFR 3195. Based on the BLM’s

experience, it will take a respondent

approximately one hour to supply the

requested information in the In-Kind

Crude Helium Sales Contract. It will

take a respondent from 15 minutes to 2

hours to supply the required helium

sales information under 43 CFR 3195.

The estimated total annual burden is

912 hours collectively.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for Office of Management and Budget

approval. All comments will also

become a matter of public record.

Dated: November 20, 2000.

Michael Schwartz,

BLM Information Collection Clearance

Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–30189 Filed 11–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–84–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR–035–5900–DH: GP1–0031]

Notice of Intent to Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for the Lookout Mountain Landscape

Area Management Plan and Baker

Resource Management Plan

Amendment in Baker County, Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

USDI.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for the Lookout Mountain Landscape

Area Management Plan and Baker

Resource Management Plan (RMP)

Amendment in Baker County, Oregon

and Notice of Scoping.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969, the Bureau of Land Management,

Vale District, Baker Field Office, will be

preparing an EIS on the impacts of

proposed management activities in the

Lookout Mountain geographic

management area and a Resource

Management Plan (RMP) Amendment

(43 CFR 1610.5–5). Proposed projects

include, range improvements,

vegetation manipulation, forest health

enhancement, watershed restoration and

wildlife habitat enhancement. At a

minimum, the proposed RMP

Amendment would change the Visual

Resource Management (VRM)

allocations within the Lookout

Mountain geographic area based on new

inventories.

DATES: Written comments for the initial

scoping will be accepted until January

8, 2001. A public meeting will be held

in Baker County prior to finalizing the

alternatives for the DEIS. The time,

place and date of the public meeting

will be published in Baker City Harold,

Hells Canyon Journal, and the Argus

Observer. Additional meetings will be

considered as appropriate. Comment

period length will be noted at each

point in the planning and analysis

process.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

project area consists of approximately

25,000 acres of public lands located

between the Brownlee Reservoir of the

Snake River and Durkee, Oregon. The

area includes portions of the Morgan

Creek, Hibbard Creek, Fox Creek,

Conner Creek, Daley Creek and Sisley

Creek drainages. Potential activities may

include, but are not limited to, timber

harvesting, tree thinning, prescribed

burning, tree planting, juniper removal,

fence construction, noxious weed

treatment, rangeland seeding, riparian

planting, placement of large woody

debris in stream channels, new road

construction, road improvements and

road closures. Interdisciplinary team

disciplines to be represented will

include; forestry, recreation, range

conservation, hydrology, wildlife,

fisheries, botany, archeology, geology

and engineering.

The Baker Field Office originally

started public scoping for these projects

with a letter that went out on May 21,

1999 and a field trip to the area in the

fall of 1999. Based on this scoping and

the initial assessment, the analysis has

been elevated from an Environmental

Assessment to an Environmental Impact

Statement. Comments received during

the initial scoping have been retained

and will be carried forward through the

planning process.

The Tentative Project Schedule Is as

Follows:

File Draft EIS—Spring, 2001

File Final EIS—Fall, 2001

Record of Decision—Winter, 2002

Public participation will be especially

important at several points during the

analysis and planning process. The

scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7) for this

analysis will include;

1. Identification of the issues to be

addressed,

2. Identification of viable alternatives,

3. Identifying and notifying interested

groups, individual and agencies to

determine level of participation and

obtain additional information

concerning issues to be addressed in the

EIS.

Comments, including names and

addresses of respondents, will be

available for public review at the Baker

Field Office during normal working

hours (7:45 AM to 4:30 PM except

holidays), and may be published as part

of the EIS or other related documents.

Individuals may request confidentiality.

If you wish to withhold your name or

address from public review or from

disclosure under the Freedom of

Information Act, you must state this

promptly at the beginning of your

comment. Such requests will be

honored to the extent allowed by law.

All submissions from organizations or

businesses will be made available for

public inspection in their entirety. The

planning documents and direct

supporting record for the analysis and

plan amendment will be available for

inspection at the Baker Field Office

during normal working hours. Historical

records may also be posted on the BLM

inter-net site to facilitate public access.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to

Penelope Dunn Woods, Field Manager,