29022 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 101 /Wednesday, May 27, 1998 / Notices

governing permits for endangered

species are at 50 CFR 17.22.

Section 9 of the Act generally does

not prohibit take of federally listed

plants on private lands unless the take

or action resulting in take would violate

State law. The Applicants have

requested a permit for plants to the

extent that their take would be a

violation of the Act. Impacts to listed

plants also must be addressed in the

intra-Service consultation required

pursuant to section 7(a) of the Act.

The Service proposes to issue a 100-

year permit to the Applicant for

incidental take of four listed species

during phase two of proposed mining

activities in the future mining area of

Quail Hollow Quarry. The proposed

action would result in the loss of habitat

for, and individuals of, the Mount

Hermon June beetle, Zayante bandwinged grasshopper, Ben Lomond

wallflower, and Ben Lomond

spineflower in the future mining area as

the natural vegetation communities in

which they are found are removed

during mining operations. This action

could directly and indirectly affect the

species described above (the Plan

Species).

The proposed action would authorize

the incidental take of all Mount Hermon

June beetles and Zayante band-winged

grasshoppers in the future mining area

on approximately 83 acres of the 220-

acre quarry site. The future mining area

contains approximately 27 acres of

suitable habitat for these listed wildlife

species. In addition, 5 acres of habitat

occupied by the Ben Lomond

wallflower and 5.5 acres of habitat

occupied by the Ben Lomond

spineflower would be lost from the

future mining area.

The Applicant developed a Habitat

Conservation Plan as part of a

settlement agreement for litigation it

had filed seeking a vested right to mine

the entire quarry. This agreement set out

to resolve all of the endangered species

and habitat protection issues on the

property. Under this agreement, the

Applicant, Santa Cruz County, Sierra

Club, California Native Plant Society,

and the South Ridge Watershed

Association established the minimum

mitigation requirements under which

continued sand mining in Quail Hollow

Quarry would be allowed. The

agreement is in the form of a stipulation

for entry of judgment (Stipulation

Agreement).

Consistent with this Stipulation

Agreement, the Habitat Conservation

Plan proposes the following

minimization and mitigation measures

for phase two mining. At the time the

Applicant receives authorization to

commence mining in the future mining

area, and prior to habitat disturbance

within the future mining area, it will: (1)

grant a conservation easement in

perpetuity to Santa Cruz County for the

20.6-acre West Ridge Habitat Set Aside

and provide for protection and longterm management of the area; (2)

provide funding for and carry-out longterm management of the 32.6-acre South

Ridge Habitat Set Aside which the

County of Santa Cruz is legally entitled

and committed to purchase at the agreed

upon fair market value; (3) implement

all provisions of the Habitat

Conservation Plan in order to avoid

disturbing Plan Species in all areas of

the quarry property except for areas

within the current and future mining

areas, overburden and stockpile areas,

and existing access road, as shown in

Map 2 of the Habitat Conservation Plan;

(4) provide written agreement to protect

in perpetuity from any and all

disturbance all areas of the project site

(except for areas within the current and

future mining areas, overburden and

stockpile areas, and existing access road

as shown in Map 2) containing the Plan

Species, State listed species, and

County-defined rare, endangered, or

threatened species and sensitive

habitats; (5) enhance 3 acres of

disturbed sand parkland and 5.2 acres of

disturbed maritime chaparral on the

project site in a location satisfactory to

the County of Santa Cruz, the Service

and the California Department of Fish

and Game; (6) protect and provide long

term management of the on-site

restoration areas, along with the 32.2-

acre North and West Ridge habitat set

asides; and (7) revegetate slopes within

the future mining area with the goal of

reestablishing habitat for the Plan

Species.

Environmental Assessment

The Environmental Assessment

considers the environmental

consequences of the proposed action

and no action alternatives. A no take

alternative was not feasible due to the

widespread distribution of the Plan

Species on-site. Under the proposed

action, the Applicant would implement

phase two of their Habitat Conservation

Plan consistent with the Stipulation

Agreement (see Background for a

description of the proposed action).

Under the no action alternative, the

Service would not issue an incidental

take permit to the Applicant and a

Habitat Conservation Plan would not be

implemented. The Applicant would

continue to mine areas B and C until the

sand supply was exhausted. The

Applicant would then reclaim all

previously disturbed areas of the quarry

consistent with their reclamation plan

as required by the Surface Mining and

Reclamation Act. The Applicant would

be prevented from legally carrying out

mining in other areas of the quarry due

to the presence of listed animal species

in the area. The no action alternative

would negate the terms of the

Stipulation Agreement and could result

in continued and lengthy litigation. In

the meantime, the absence of the Habitat

Conservation Plan would effectively

preclude the sale of the South Ridge

property to Santa Cruz County and the

establishment of the West Ridge

conservation easement.

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10 (a) of the Endangered Species

Act and Service regulations for

implementing the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (40

CFR 1506.6). The Service will evaluate

the application, associated documents,

and comments submitted thereon to

determine whether the application

meets the requirements of law. If the

Service determines that the

requirements are met, a permit will be

issued for the incidental take of the

listed species. A final decision on

permit issuance will be made no sooner

than 30 days from the date of this

notice.

Dated: May 19, 1998.

David L. McMullen,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland,

Oregon.

[FR Doc. 98–13953 Filed 5–26–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Information Collection Submitted to

the Office of Management and Budget

for Review Under the Paperwork

Reduction Act

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that

the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has

submitted the proposed renewal of the

information collection request for the

Housing Assistance Application,

codified at 25 CFR Part 256.5, to the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for approval under the

paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.). On February 19, 1997, BIA

published a notice in the Federal

Register (62 FR 7469–7470) requesting

comments on the proposed information

collection. The regulations for the

Housing Improvement Program (HIP)
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 101 /Wednesday, May 27, 1998 / Notices 29023

have been modified for the purpose of

simplifying administrative guidelines,

presenting the regulations in a clear and

unambiguous manner (plain English)

and making the program more flexible

and responsive to the needs of Tribes.

The final rule was published in the

Federal Register (FR 10124–10139) on

March 2, 1998. One comment regarding

this information collection was received

after the close of the prescribed time

period published in the Federal

Register. The OMB requested that the

BIA more fully demonstrate compliance

with the Privacy Act and that

respondents be informed of the legal

significance of the displayed OMB

control number. The BIA has complied

with OMB’s request. The BIA is

requesting OMB approval of the

collection of information on a regular

basis, within 30 days.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of the collection of information

form may be obtained by contacting

June Henkel, Bureau of Indian Affairs,

Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street

NW, MS–4603–MIB, Washington, DC

20240. Telephone: (202) 208–3667.

DATES: OMB is required to respond to

this request within 60 days after

publication of this notice in the Federal

Register, but may respond after 30 days;

therefore, your comments should be

submitted to OMB within 30 days of

publication to assure maximum

consideration.

ADDRESSES: Your comments and

suggestions on the requirements should

be made directly to the attention: Desk

Officer for the Department of the

Interior, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget, Room 10102,

725 17th Street NW, Washington DC

20503. Telephone: (202) 395–7340.

Please provide a copy to June Henkel,

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of

the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, MS–

4603–MIB, Washington, DC 20240.

Telephone: (202) 208–3667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The information is needed to establish

an applicant’s eligibility to receive

services under the Housing

Improvement Program and to establish

the priority order in which eligible

applicants may receive services under

the program. An agency may not

conduct or sponsor, and a person is not

required to respond to a collection of

information unless it displays a

currently valid OMB control number.

II. Request for Comments

We specifically request your

comments be submitted to OMB at the

address provided above with a copy to

the Bureau of Indian Affairs within 30

days concerning the following:

1. Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the BIA,

including whether the information will

have practical utility;

2. The accuracy of the BIA’s estimate

of the burden to collect the information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

3. The quality, utility and clarity of

the information to be collected; and,

4. How to minimize the burden of the

information collection on those who are

to respond, including the use of

appropriate automated electronic,

mechanical or other forms of

information technology.

III. Data

Title of the Collection of Information:

Department of the Interior, Bureau of

Indian Affairs, Housing Assistance

Application.

OMB Number: 1076–0084.

Affected Entities: Individual members

of Indian tribes who are living on or

near a tribally or legally defined service

area.

Frequency of Response: At least

annually.

Estimated Number of Annual

Responses: 3500.

Estimated Time per Application: 1⁄2

hour.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 1,750 hours.

Dated: April 23, 1998.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 98–13949 Filed 5–26–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Extension of Post-Sale Evaluation

Period for Central Gulf of Mexico

Lease Sale 169

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice to extend post-sale

evaluation period for Central Gulf of

Mexico Lease Sale 169.

SUMMARY: This notice extends by 30

days, the post-sale evaluation period for

Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 169.

Minerals Management Service (MMS)

will complete the evaluation of all bids

received in this sale by July 15, 1998.

This action is necessary due to the

unusually high number of bids received

in response to this lease sale.

DATES: The post-sale evaluation period

ends on July 15, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gary L. Lore, Regional Supervisor,

Resource Evaluation, Gulf of Mexico

Region, telephone (504) 736–2710.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the

Central Gulf of Mexico Sale 169, held

March 18, 1998, MMS received 1,188

bids on 794 tracts, 512 of which passed

to a second phase required for detailed

evaluations. This continued aggressive

bidding activity is, in part, due to the

enactment of the Outer Continental

Shelf Deep Water Royalty Relief Act

(Pub. L. 104–58) but is also influenced

by other factors, such as the high

number of quality prospects on recently

expired unexplored tracts in newly

established deepwater hydrocarbon

plays and by the unprecedented costsaving technological advances related to

hydrocarbon development and

production in the Gulf of Mexico’s

deepwater environment. Consequently,

MMS is unable to conduct and complete

a comprehensive evaluation and bid

review process within the scheduled 90

days, i.e., by June 15, 1998. Under

provisions of § 256.47(e)(2), MMS is

extending the bid evaluation period

until July 15, 1997.

Dated: May 19, 1998.

Chris C. Oynes,

Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 98–13939 Filed 5–26–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–M

OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT

CORPORATION

Sunshine Act Meeting

June 9, 1998.

TIME AND DATE: Tuesday, June 9, 1998,

1:00 PM (OPEN Portion), 1:30 PM

(CLOSED Portion).

PLACE: Offices of the Corporation,

Twelfth Floor Board Room, 1100 New

York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

STATUS: Meeting OPEN to the Public

from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM. Closed

portion will commence at 1:30 PM

(approx.).

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:

1. President’s Report.

2. Approval of March 10, 1998

Minutes (Open Portion).

3. Meeting schedule through March,

1999.

FURTHER MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED:

(Closed to the Public 1:30 PM).

1. Insurance Project in Philippines.