14698 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 59 / Thursday, March 27, 1997 / Notices

Dated: March 18, 1997.

Jo Simpson,

Assistant District Manager, External Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–7534 Filed 3–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–40–M

[CO–934–97–5700–00; COC56821]

Colorado; Proposed Reinstatement of

Terminated Oil and Gas Lease

Under the provisions of Public Law

97–451, a petition for reinstatement of

oil and gas lease COC56821, Huerfano

County, Colorado, was timely fined and

was accompanied by all required rentals

and royalties accruing from September

1, 1996, the date of termination.

No valid lease has been issued

affecting the lands. The lessee has

agreed to new lease terms or rental and

royalties at rates of $10 per acre and

162⁄3 percent, respectively. The lessee

has paid the required $500

administrative fee for the lease and has

reimbursed the Bureau of Land

Management for the cost of this Federal

Register notice.

Having met all the requirements for

reinstatement of the lease as set out in

Section 31 (d) and (e) of the Mineral

Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, (30

U.S.C. 188 (d) and (e)), the Bureau of

Land Management is proposing to

reinstate the lease effective September 1,

1996, subject to the original terms and

conditions of the lease and the

increased rental and royalty rates cited

above.

Questions concerning this notice may

be directed to Patti Gillard of the

Colorado State Office (303) 239–3777.

Dated: March 18, 1997.

Patti Gillard,

Land Law Examiner, Oil and Gas

Management Team.

[FR Doc. 97–7801 Filed 3–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–JB–M

[MT–923–07–1020–04–WEED]

Notice of Proposed Supplementary

Rules To Require the Use of Certified

Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage or

Pelletized Feed on U.S. Forest Service

and Bureau of Land Managementadministered Lands in Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Montana State Director of

the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

is proposing a requirement that BLM

visitors in Montana use certified

noxious weed seed free hay, grain,

straw, mulch, cubes and pelletized feed

when visiting BLM-administered lands

in Montana. This requirement will affect

visitors who use hay, grain, cubes, straw

or pelletized feed on the BLMadministered lands in Montana such as:

recreationists using pack and saddle

stock, ranchers with grazing permits,

outfitters, and contractors who use

straw or other mulch for reseeding or

erosion control purposes. These

individuals or groups would be required

to purchase certified noxious weed seed

free forage products, for use while on

BLM-administered lands in Montana.

DATES: The comment period ends on

April 28, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to:

Director (923), USDI Bureau of Land

Management, 222 North 32nd Street,

P.O. Box 36800, Billings, Montana

59107–6800.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Noxious weeds are a serious problem in

the western United States. Species like

leafy spurge, spotted knapweed, Russian

knapweed, musk thistle, Dalmatian

toadflax, purple loosestrife, and many

others are alien to the United States and

have no natural enemies to keep their

populations in balance. Consequently,

these undesirable weeds invade healthy

ecosystems, displace native vegetation,

reduce species diversity, and destroy

wildlife habitat. Widespread

infestations lead to soil erosion and

stream sedimentation. Furthermore,

noxious weed invasions weaken

reforestation efforts, reduce forage for

domestic and wild ungulates

occasionally irritate public land users

by aggravating allergies and other

ailments, and threaten federally

protected plants and animals.

To curb the spread of noxious weeds,

a growing number of western states have

jointly developed noxious weed-free

forage certification standards and, in

cooperation with various federal, state,

and county agencies, passed weed

management laws. Because hay and

other forage products containing

noxious weed seed are part of the

infestation problem, Montana has

developed a state forage inspectioncertification-identification process;

participates in a regional inspectioncertification-identification process; and

encourages forage producers to grow

noxious weed seed free products.

In cooperation with the State of

Montana, and the Forest Service as

published elsewhere in this issue of the

Federal Register, the BLM is

proposing—for all BLM-administered

lands within Montana—a ban on hay,

straw, mulch, cubes or pellets that have

not been certified. This proposal

includes a public information plan to

ensure that: (1) this ban (a.d.a. closure

order) is well publicized and

understood; and (2) BLM visitors will

know where they can purchase statecertified hay or other products.

These supplementary rules will not

appear in the Code of Federal

Regulations.

The principal author of these

proposed supplementary rules is Hank

McNeel, Weed Management Specialist,

BLM Montana State Office.

For the reasons stated above, under

the authority of 43 CFR 8365.1–6, the

BLM Montana State Office, proposes

supplementary rules to read as follows:

Supplementary Rules to Require the Use

of Certified Noxious Weed Seed Free

Forage on BLM-Administered Lands in

Montana:

(a)(1) To prevent the spread of weeds

on BLM-administered lands in Montana,

effective May 20, 1997, all BLM lands

within the State of Montana, at all times

of the year, shall be closed to possessing

or storing hay, straw, or mulch that has

not been certified as free of noxious

weed seed.

(2) Certification must be by an

authorized State Department of

Agriculture official or designated county

official.

(3) The following persons are exempt

from this order: anyone with a permit

signed by BLM’s authorized officer at

the BLM Resource Area Office

specifically authorizing the prohibited

act or omission within that area.

(b) Any person who knowingly and

willfully violates the provisions of these

supplemental rules regarding the use of

noncertified noxious weed seed free

hay, straw, mulch, cubes or pellets

when visiting BLM-administered lands

in Montana without authorization

required, may be commanded to appear

before a designated United States

magistrate and may be subject to a fine

of not more than $1,000 or

imprisonment of not more than 12

months, or both, as defined in 43 U.S.C.

1733(a).

Dated: March 14, 1997.

Thomas P. Lonnie,

Deputy State Director, Division of Resources.

[FR Doc. 97–7753 Filed 3–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DN–M

Minerals Management Service

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Policy

Committee of the Minerals

Management Advisory Board; Notice

and Agenda for Meeting

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service,

Interior.