Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices 25519

ACTION: Notice of approved amendment

to Tribal-State Compact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 11 of the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988,

Pub. L. 100–497, 25 U.S.C. 2710, the

Secretary of the Interior shall publish, in

the Federal Register, notice of approved

Tribal-State Compacts for the purpose of

engaging in Class III (casino) gambling

on Indian reservations. The Assistant

Secretary—Indian Affairs, Department

of the Interior, through his delegated

authority, has approved the Fifth

Renewal of Agreement between the

Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the State

of Montana regarding Class III gaming

on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation

which was executed on February 17,

1998.

DATES: This action is effective May 8,

1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nancy J. Pierskalla, Acting Director,

Indian Gaming Management Staff,

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington,

D.C. 20240, (202) 219–4068.

Dated: April 30, 1998.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 98–12261 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Indian Gaming

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of approved amendment

to Tribal-State Compact.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 11 of the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988,

Pub. L. 100–497, 25 U.S.C. 2710, the

Secretary of the Interior shall publish, in

the Federal Register, notice of approved

Compacts for the purpose of engaging in

Class III (casino) gambling on Indian

reservations. The Assistant Secretary—

Indian Affairs, Department of the

Interior, through his delegated

authority, has approved Amendment II

to the Amended Gaming Compact

Between the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux

Tribe and the State of South Dakota,

which was executed on January 13,

1998.

DATES: This action is effective May 8,

1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nancy J. Pierskalla, Acting Director,

Indian Gaming Management Staff,

Bureau of Indian Affairs,Washington,

D.C. 20240, (202) 219–4068.

Dated: April 30, 1998.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 98–12260 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK–962–1410–00–P; F–19155–4]

Notice for Publication; Alaska Native

Claims Selection

In accordance with Departmental

regulation 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is

hereby given that a decision to issue

conveyance under the provisions of

Section 14(e) of the Alaska Native

Claims Settlement Act of December 18,

1971, 43 U.S.C. 1601, 1613(e), will be

issued to Doyon, Limited for

approximately 120 acres. The lands

involved are in the vicinity of Birch

Creek, Alaska, within T. 19 N., R. 7 E.

and T. 17 N., R. 11 E., Fairbanks

Meridian, Alaska.

A notice of the decision will be

published once a week, for four (4)

consecutive weeks, in the Fairbanks

Daily News-Miner. Copies of the

decision may be obtained by contacting

the Alaska State Office of the Bureau of

Land Management, 222 West Seventh

Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513–

7599 ((907) 271–5960).

Any party claiming a property interest

which is adversely affected by the

decision, an agency of the Federal

government or regional corporation,

shall have until June 8, 1998, to file an

appeal. However, parties receiving

service by certified mail shall have 30

days from the date of receipt to file an

appeal. Appeals must be filed in the

Bureau of Land Management at the

address identified above, where the

requirements for filing an appeal may be

obtained. Parties who do not file an

appeal in accordance with the

requirements of 43 CFR Part 4, Subpart

E, shall be deemed to have waived their

rights.

Elizabeth Sherwood,

Land Law Examiner, ANCSA Team, Branch

of 962 Adjudication.

[FR Doc. 98–12237 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–U

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR–050–1150–00:G8–0170]

Prineville District; Cave Closure;

Oregon

May 1, 1998.

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice is hereby given that Stout

Cave, Deschutes County, Oregon, is

closed yearlong to all visitor use for a

three-year period ending on May 1,

2001.

Effective immediately, Stout Cave, in

Deschutes County, Oregon, is closed to

all visitor use (caving, sport climbing,

etc.) for a three-year period ending on

May 1, 2001. The term ‘‘cave’’ applies

to any naturally occurring void, cavity,

recess, or system of interconnected

passages which occurs beneath the

surface of the earth and to any natural

pit, sinkhole, or other feature which is

an extension of the entrance. The term

‘‘sinkhole’’ applies to the area below the

rim and extending to the cave’s

entrance. The purpose of this closure is

to protect roosting western big-eared

bats from human disturbance. This

Special Status species is extremely

sensitive to human disturbance. Also,

this closure is necessary in order to

determine the specific type and location

of bat use in the absence of human

disturbance. Current levels of human

disturbance prevent further evaluation

of bat use. Without this information,

impacts to biota from current and

proposed human uses at the cave cannot

be analyzed. BLM cave management

policy directs that protective measures,

including cave closures, be

implemented where known or potential

adverse impacts to sensitive animals is

present. Closure needs will be reevaluated at the end of the three-year

closure period. Exemptions to this

closure will apply to administrative

personnel for monitoring purposes;

other exemptions to this restriction may

be made on a case-by-case basis by the

authorized officer. Exemptions could

include approved research, essential

search and rescue, and other emergency

actions or administrative operations for

the protection of cave resources. The

authority for this closure is 43 CFR

8364.1: Closure and restriction orders.

A more specific location of public

lands under this closure order is not

provided in order to protect sensitive

cave resources. Cave locations are

exempt from the Freedom of

Information Act under the Federal Cave

Resources Protection Act of 1988.
25520 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sarah Nichols, Cave Protection

Specialist, BLM Prineville District, P.O.

Box 550, Prineville, Oregon 97754,

telephone (541) 416–6725.

SUPPLEMENTAY INFORMATION: Violation of

this closure order is punishable by a

fine not to exceed $1,000 and/or

imprisonment not to exceed 12 months

as provided in 43 CFR 8360.0–7.

Dated: May 1, 1998.

James G. Kenna,

Deschutes Area Manager, Prineville District

Office.

[FR Doc. 98–12194 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–33–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT–060–08–1610–00, 1616P]

Notice of Availability of the Draft Oil

and Gas Supplemental Resource

Management Plan and Environmental

Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Land

Policy and Management Act and the

National Environmental Policy Act the

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has

prepared a Draft Oil and Gas

Supplemental Resource Management

Plan and Environmental Impact

Statement (RMP/EIS). This is a draft

supplement to the 1992 Judith-ValleyPhillips RMP and is available to the

public for a 90-day review period. The

Draft Oil and Gas Supplemental RMP/

EIS addresses two additional

alternatives for oil and gas leasing on

3.4 million acres in northcentral

Montana: Fergus, Petroleum, Judith

Basin, Phillips, and Valley Counties and

the southern portion of Chouteau

County. One of the alternatives would

avoid oil and gas leasing in areas with

valuable wildlife habitat. The other

alternative, the preferred alternative,

would provide for oil and gas leasing

while protecting other resource values

through stipulations or closing areas

where resource values are not

compatible with exploration and

development.

DATES: The agency must receive

comments on or before August 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments to

David L. Mari, District Manager, Bureau

of Land Management, Lewistown

District Office, P.O. Box 1160,

Lewistown, MT 59457–1160.

Copies of the Draft Oil and Gas

Supplemental RMP/EIS are available

from the Bureau of Land Management,

Lewistown District Office, P.O. Box

1160, Lewistown, Montana 59457–1160.

Public reading copies will be

available for review at the following

Bureau of Land Management locations:

Montana State Office, 222 North 32nd

Street, Billings, Montana; Lewistown

District Office, Airport Road,

Lewistown, Montana; Phillips Resource

Area, 501 S 2nd Street East, Malta,

Montana: and Valley Resource Area,

Hwy 2 W, Glasgow, Montana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry

Majerus, 406–538–7461.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

September 1988, the National Wildlife

Federation protested the issuance of oil

and gas leases by the BLM in the State

of Montana. The reasons for the protest

were an inadequate analysis under the

National Environmental Policy Act and

non-compliance with the Endangered

Species Act. The BLM’s November 1988

decision on this protest was that BLM

would suspend lease issuance on tracts

with special wildlife stipulations until a

new RMP/EIS was completed meeting

the Bureau’s supplemental program

guidance.

In September 1988, the BLM issued a

notice of intent to prepare an RMP/EIS

for public lands in northcentral

Montana. One of the issues identified

for the RMP was oil and gas leasing. The

draft Judith-Valley-Phillips RMP/EIS

was released for public comment in July

1991. The National Wildlife Federation

comments on the draft raised the

concern that the November 1988

decision was not mentioned, much less

identified as a practical alternative. The

BLM responded to this comment in the

final Judith-Valley-Phillips RMP/EIS

that areas nominated for lease which

require special stipulations to protect

wildlife would not be offered for lease

but this was an interim policy until the

RMP/EIS was completed and not an

alternative.

In December 1992 the BLM released

the final Judith-Valley-Phillips RMP/EIS

for a 30 day protest period. In January

1993, the National Wildlife Federation

protested the final RMP/EIS because the

document neither mentioned the 1988

decision nor identified an alternative of

carrying the temporary arrangement

forward to avoid leasing valuable

wildlife habitat. After careful review of

this issue by the BLM’s Director the

protest warranted a supplement to the

final RMP/EIS addressing an alternative

for oil and gas leasing that would avoid

leasing valuable wildlife habitat.

(Authority: Sec. 202, Pub. L. 94–579, 90 Stat.

2747 (43 U.S.C. 1712) and Sec. 102, Pub. L.

91–190, 83 Stat. 852 as amended (42 U.S.C.

4332))

Dated: April 27, 1998.

B. Gene Miller,

Associate District Manager.

[FR Doc. 98–12187 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[UTU–60470, UTU–69463]

Utah; Proposed Reinstatement of

Terminated Oil and Gas Leases

In accordance with Title IV of the

Federal Oil and Gas Royalty

Management Act (Pub. L. 97–451), a

petition for reinstatement of oil and gas

leases UTU–60470 and UTU–69463 for

lands in Carbon County, Utah, was

timely filed and required rentals

accruing from April 1, 1998, the date of

termination, have been paid.

The lessee has agreed to new lease

terms for rentals and royalties at rates of

$5 per acre and 16–2⁄3 percent,

respectively. The $500 administrative

fee for each lease has been paid and the

lessee has reimbursed the Bureau of

Land Management for the cost of

publishing this 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 (30 U.S.C. 188), the

Bureau of Land Management is

proposing to reinstate leases UTU–

60470 and UTU–69463, effective April

1, 1998, subject to the original terms and

conditions of the lease and the

increased rental and royalty rates cited

above.

Robert Lopez,

Group Leader, Minerals Adjudication Group.

[FR Doc. 98–12211 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CA–370–1430–01, CA 15801, CAS 308, CAS

309, CA 6549, CAS 310]

Notice of Realty Action: Intent To

Convey Lands for Landfill Purposes,

Modoc County, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Intent to convey lands for

landfill purposes.

SUMMARY: The County of Modoc has

requested that five landfills currently