12248 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 50 / Friday, March 14, 1997 / Notices

measures for habitat loss. The

anticipated Plan would eliminate the

need for project surveys and mitigation

negotiations, and would be limited to

payment of a fee (or in-lieu land

dedications, if preferred) and

implementation of incidental take

avoidance measures.

The anticipated Plan would be

completed by the San Joaquin Council

of Governments (Council of

Governments) through a planning

process pursuant to a Memorandum of

Understanding adopted by the Service,

San Joaquin Council of Governments,

San Joaquin County, the California

Department of Fish and Game, Caltrans,

and the cities of Escalon, Lathrop, Lodi,

Manteca, Ripon, Stockton, and Tracy.

Only those agencies adopting the Plan

would be covered by it. Agencies

indicating interest in adopting the

anticipated Plan are: the San Joaquin

Council of Governments; San Joaquin

County; Caltrans; Federal Highway

Administration; San Joaquin Area Flood

Control Agency; Stockton East Water

District; Reclamation Districts, some

local School Districts; East Bay

Municipal Utilities District; and the

cities of Escalon, Lathrop, Lodi,

Manteca, Ripon, Stockton, and Tracy.

To receive coverage under the Plan,

incidental take authorizations would be

required by each of these entities from

the Service and California Department

of Fish and Game.

The Plan would be voluntary for

individual project proponents. This

means that if the anticipated Plan is

prepared and approved and its

associated incidental take permit issued,

individuals would have the option of

either participating in the Plan or

negotiating directly with the State and

Federal permitting agencies.

Specifically, for local jurisdictions

adopting the Plan, the following

alternatives would be available to

individuals undertaking activities

covered by the Plan within that

jurisdiction unless exempted by the

Plan: (1) Pay the appropriate fee; (2)

dedicate, as conservation easements or

fee title, habitat lands; or (3) perform/

undertake alternative mitigation as

approved by the permittee. Such

alternative mitigation would be

equivalent to, or otherwise consistent

with, the purposes of the anticipated

Plan.

Alternatives

To date, the following alternatives

have been considered during the

planning process:

Full Plan Alternative/Proposed

Project: The anticipated Plan would

include coverage for approximately 100

special status species and 52 vegetative

communities occurring in the County,

including wetlands, specifically vernal

pools.

No Plan Alternative: This alternative

would maintain the current process of

negotiating mitigation and obtaining

incidental take permits for impacts to

wildlife habitat on a project-by-project

basis.

Moderate Plan Alternative A: This

alternative would exclude species not

currently listed under the State and

Federal Endangered Species Acts (i.e.,

non-listed species of special concern)

and would exclude wetland mitigation

under the anticipated Plan.

Moderate Plan Alternative B: This

alternative would address Plan funding

if some jurisdictions do not participate

in the Plan and if a five-acre exemption

is adopted during reauthorization of the

Federal Endangered Species Act.

Economic Alternatives: This

alternative would involve a single fee

versus the tiered fee provided for in the

Proposed Project.

Mitigation Alternatives: This would

involve a one-half to one compensation

level with increased preserve

enhancements for agricultural habitat

lands versus the one-to-one

compensation with lesser preserve

enhancements provided for in the

Proposed Project.

The comment period will provide an

opportunity to address the potential

effects of these alternatives and to

propose others. Interested persons are

encouraged to comment on the issues

and alternatives to be addressed in the

joint Statement/Report.

Environmental review of the joint

Statement/Report will be in accordance

with the requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.),

National Environmental Policy Act

regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508),

other appropriate regulations, and

Service procedures for compliance with

those regulations. The notice is being

furnished in accordance with section

1501.7 of the National Environmental

Policy Act to obtain suggestions and

information from other agencies and the

public on the scope of issues to be

addressed in the joint Statement/Report.

Dated: March 7, 1997.

Thomas J. Dwyer,

Regional Director, Region 1,

Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97–6494 Filed 3–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

Bureau of Land Management

[MT–962–1430–00-CCAM]

Notice of Availability for the Proposed

Cooke City Area Mineral Withdrawal

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: This notice of availability is

issued by the Bureau of Land

Management, Interior, with the Forest

Service, Agriculture, as the joint lead

agency. The draft Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) documents the effects of

withdrawing from federal mineral

location and entry up to 22,000 acres of

federal mineral estate near Cooke City,

Montana. The proposed mineral

withdrawal would also apply to

hardrock minerals acquired by the

United States and managed as leasable

minerals. The proposed mineral

withdrawal would be subject to review

after 20 years.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

Thompson, BLM Co-Lead, or Larry

Timchak, FS Co-Lead, CCAM, P.O. Box

36800, Billings, MT 59107–6800. Phone

(406) 255–0322.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS

analyzes the environmental

consequences of two alternatives. The

proposed withdrawal of federal

locatable minerals would not allow new

mining claims to be filed on federal

lands. Unpatented mining claims with

valid existing rights and private lands

would not be affected. The no action

alternative (No Mineral Withdrawal)

provides a baseline for comparison. This

alternative would continue the

management that existed prior to

September 1, 1995.

DATES: Public informational meetings

(open houses) will be held April 1,

1997, in Cooke City, Montana, at the

Fire Hall; April 3, 1997, in Livingston,

Montana, at the Best Western

Yellowstone Inn; April 9, 1997, in Cody,

Wyoming, at the Cody Club Room; and

April 10, 1997, in Red Lodge, Montana,

at the LuPine Inn. Officials from the

BLM and FS will be present at these

open houses from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00

p.m. each day.

Dated: February 27, 1997.

Daniel T. Mates,

Acting Deputy State Director, Division of

Resources.

[FR Doc. 97–5401 Filed 3–13–97; 8:45 am]

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