4206 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 18 /Wednesday, January 28, 1998 / Proposed Rules

Copies of the State submittal and

EPA’s analysis of it are available for

inspection at: Regulation Development

Section, Air Programs Branch (AR–18J),

United States Environmental Protection

Agency, Region 5, 77 West Jackson

Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60604.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William Jones at (312) 886–6058 and

Francisco Acevedo at (312) 886–6061.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For

additional information see the direct

final rule published in the rules section

of this Federal Register.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401–7671q.

Dated: January 9, 1998.

Michelle D. Jordan,

Acting Regional Administrator.

[FR Doc. 98–2085 Filed 1–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

40 CFR Part 52

[FRL–5956–7]

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR)

for NOX SIP Call—Clarification of

Comment Process

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; clarification of

comment process.

SUMMARY: On November 7, 1997, the

Federal Register published the

Environmental Protection Agency’s (the

Agency’s) Finding of Significant

Contribution and Rulemaking for

Certain States in the Ozone Transport

Assessment Group Region for Purposes

of Reducing Regional Transport of

Ozone; Proposed Rule, 40 CFR part 52.

The proposed rule provides a 120-day

comment period which ends March 9,

1998. The proposed rule also states that

‘‘Because commenters may wish to

submit technical information that may

require additional time to develop, EPA

will accept additional pertinent

information beyond the 120-day time

frame and will do what is possible to

take the information into account for the

final rulemaking.’’ However, the EPA is

publishing today’s document to clarify

that certain information, described

below, must be submitted by the end of

the 120-day comment period to be

considered in the final rulemaking.

As part of the final rulemaking, EPA

intends to perform certain air quality

modeling analyses. In order for these

analyses to be completed in time for the

final rulemaking, emission inventory

data need to be finalized by mid-March.

Therefore, any comments concerning

emission inventory data that are to be

considered in the modeling analyses

must be received by EPA within the

official 120-day comment period (i.e., by

March 9, 1998). Comments related to the

inventory that are received after this

date cannot be considered for the

purpose of modeling.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Laurel Schultz, Office of Air Quality

Planning and Standards, Emissions,

Monitoring and Analysis Division, MD–

14, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711,

telephone (919) 541–5511.

Dated: January 23, 1998.

Richard D. Wilson,

Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and

Radiation.

[FR Doc. 98–2207 Filed 1–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MM Docket No. 98–2; RM–9217]

Radio Broadcasting Services;

Hawesville and Whitesville, KY

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Commission requests

comments on a petition filed by WLME,

Inc., proposing the reallotment of

Channel 246A from Hawesville to

Whitesville, Kentucky, and the

modification of Station WXCM(FM)’s

license accordingly. Channel 246A can

be reallotted to Whitesville in

compliance with the Commission’s

minimum distance separation

requirements with a site restriction of

13.9 kilometers (8.6 miles) north to

accommodate petitioner’s requested

site. The coordinates for Channel 246A

at Whitesville are North Latitude 37–

48–39 and West Longitude 86–53–18. In

accordance with § 1.420(i) of the

Commission’s Rules, we will not accept

competing expressions of interest in the

use of Channel 246A at Whitesville,

Kentucky.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or

before March 16, 1998, and reply

comments on or before March 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications

Commission, Washington, DC 20554. In

addition to filing comments with the

FCC, interested parties should serve the

petitioner, or its counsel or consultant,

as follows: Patricia M. Chuh, Pepper &

Corazzini, L.L.P., 1176 K Street, NW.,

Suite 200, Washington, DC. 20006

(Counsel for Petitioner).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sharon P. McDonald, Mass Media

Bureau, (202) 418–2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

synopsis of the Commission’s Notice of

Proposed Rule Making, MM Docket No.

98–2, adopted January 14, 1998, and

released January 23, 1998. The full text

of this Commission decision is available

for inspection and copying during

normal business hours in the FCC

Reference Center (Room 239), 1919 M

Street, NW., Washington, DC. The

complete text of this decision may also

be purchased from the Commission’s

copy contractor, International

Transcription Service, Inc., (202) 857–

3800, 1231 20th Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20036.

Provisions of the Regulatory

Flexibility Act of 1980 do not apply to

this proceeding.

Members of the public should note

that from the time a Notice of Proposed

Rule Making is issued until the matter

is no longer subject to Commission

consideration or court review, all ex

parte contacts are prohibited in

Commission proceedings, such as this

one, which involve channel allotments.

See 47 CFR 1.1204(b) for rules

governing permissible ex parte contacts.

For information regarding proper

filing procedures for comments, see 47

CFR 1.415 and 1.420.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Radio broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

John A. Karousos,

Chief, Allocations Branch, Policy and Rules

Division, Mass Media Bureau.

[FR Doc. 98–2033 Filed 1–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS

COMMISSION

47 CFR Part 73

[MM Docket No. 98–3; RM–9218]

Radio Broadcasting Services; Manson,

WA

AGENCY: Federal Communications

Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The Commission requests

comments on a petition filed by Manson

Broadcasting proposing the allotment of

Channel 234C3 at Manson, Washington,

as the community’s first local aural

transmission service. Channel 234C3

can be allotted to Manson in compliance
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 18 /Wednesday, January 28, 1998 / Proposed Rules 4207

with the Commission’s minimum

distance separation requirements at city

reference coordinates. The coordinates

for Channel 234C3 at Manson are North

Latitude 47–53–18 and West Longitude

120–09–18. Since Manson is located

within 320 kilometers (200 miles) the

U.S.-Canadian border, concurrence of

the Canadian government has been

requested.

DATES: Comments must be filed on or

before March 16, 1998, and reply

comments on or before March 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Federal Communications

Commission, Washington, DC 20554. In

addition to filing comments with the

FCC, interested parties should serve the

petitioner, his counsel, or consultant, as

follows: Duane J. Polich, Manson

Broadcasting, P.O. Box 70, Oak Harbor,

Washington 98277 (Petitioner).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sharon P. McDonald, Mass Media

Bureau, (202) 418–2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a

synopsis of the Commission’s Notice of

Proposed Rule Making, MM Docket No.

98–3, adopted January 14, 1998, and

released January 23, 1998. The full text

of this Commission decision is available

for inspection and copying during

normal business hours in the FCC

Reference Center (Room 239), 1919 M

Street, NW., Washington, DC. The

complete text of this decision may also

be purchased from the Commission’s

copy contractor, International

Transcription Service, Inc., (202) 857–

3800, 1231 20th Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20036.

Provisions of the Regulatory

Flexibility Act of 1980 do not apply to

this proceeding.

Members of the public should note

that from the time a Notice of Proposed

Rule Making is issued until the matter

is no longer subject to Commission

consideration or court review, all ex

parte contacts are prohibited in

Commission proceedings, such as this

one, which involve channel allotments.

See 47 CFR 1.1204(b) for rules

governing permissible ex parte contacts.

For information regarding proper

filing procedures for comments, see 47

CFR 1.415 and 1.420.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Radio broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

John A. Karousos,

Chief, Allocations Branch, Policy and Rules

Division, Mass Media Bureau.

[FR Doc. 98–2032 Filed 1–27–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018–AE57

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; Proposed Threatened

Status for the Plant Astragalus

Desereticus (Deseret milk-vetch)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) proposes to determine

a Utah plant species, Astragalus

desereticus (Deseret milk-vetch), to be a

threatened species under the authority

of the Endangered Species Act of 1973,

as amended (Act). Astragalus

desereticus, considered extinct for 72

years prior to 1981, exists as one small

population in Utah County, Utah.

Threats to the plant include residential

development, livestock grazing,

livestock and wildlife trampling, and

threats associated with small population

size. This proposal, if made final, would

implement Federal protection provided

by the Act. The Service seeks data and

comments from the public on this

proposal.

DATES: Comments from all interested

parties must be received by March 30,

1998. Public hearing requests must be

received by March 16, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments and materials

concerning this proposal should be sent

to the Field Supervisor, Utah Ecological

Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Lincoln Plaza Suite

404, 145 East 1300 South, Salt Lake

City, Utah 84115. Comments and

materials received will be available for

public inspection, by appointment,

during normal business hours at the

above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

L. England at the above address

(telephone: 801/524–5001, ext. 138).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Marcus E. Jones collected a distinctive

Astragalus from ‘‘below Indianola,’’ a

town in Sanpete County, Utah, on June

2, 1893. The same species was again

collected by Ivar Tidestrom from ‘‘near

Indianola’’ on June 17, 1909. Specimens

from these two collections lay in

obscurity in various herbaria until

Rupert Barneby recognized their

uniqueness and described them as

Astragalus desereticus (Barneby 1964).

Efforts to relocate the species were

initially fruitless (Barneby 1964; Welsh

1978a, 1978c), leading to a presumption

of extinction (Ripley 1975; Welsh 1975,

1978b). However, a population of A.

desereticus was discovered by Elizabeth

Neese on May 27, 1981, on a sandstone

outcrop above the town of Birdseye,

Utah County, Utah, less than 16

kilometers (km) (10 miles (mi)) from

Indianola (Welsh and Chatterley 1985).

This population remains the only

known occurrence of this species

(Franklin 1990, 1991; U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (USFWS) 1991). It is

possible that this population is the one

from which Jones and/or Tidestrom

made their collections more than 70

years earlier (Franklin 1990, 1991;

Welsh and Chatterley 1985).

Astragalus desereticus is a perennial,

herbaceous plant in the bean family

(Fabaceae). Individual plants are

approximately 4 to 15 centimeters (cm)

(2 to 6 inches (in)) in height, with stems

about 6 cm (2 in) tall. The pinnately

compound leaves are 4 to 11 cm (2 to

4 in) long with 11 to 17 leaflets. The

leaflets are elliptic to ovate in shape,

with dense silvery gray hairs on both

sides. The flowers are 1.8 to 2.2 cm (0.7

to 0.9 in) long, white in color with a

purple tip on the keel, and borne on a

stalk of 5 to 10 flowers. The seed pods

are 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) long,

covered with lustrous hairs, and bear 14

to 16 ovules (Barneby 1964; Barneby in

Cronquist et al. 1989; Welsh 1978c;

Welsh et al. 1987).

Astragalus desereticus occurs

primarily on steep south- and westfacing slopes. The plant grows on soils

derived from a specific and unusual

portion of the geologic Moroni

Formation. This geologic feature is

characterized by coarse, crudely bedded

conglomerate (Franklin 1990). The plant

community in which A. desereticus

occurs is dominated by pinon pine

(Pinus edulis) and Utah juniper

(Juniperus osteosperma). Other

associated plant species include:

sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), scrub

oak (Quercus gambelii), and wild

buckwheat (Eriogonum brevicaule)

(Franklin 1990).

The only known population of

Astragalus desereticus consists of

between 5,000 and 10,000 individuals

growing in an area of less than 120

hectares (ha) (300 acres (ac)) (Franklin

1990, Stone 1992). The species’ total

range is approximately 2.6 km (1.6 mi)

long and 0.5 km (0.3 mi) across.

Extensive searches of similar habitat in

other parts of Utah have not revealed

any other populations (Franklin 1991;

Larry England, USFWS, pers. comm.,

1997). The land upon which A.

desereticus grows is owned by the State