1152 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2001 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM091–9941–EK–HE931]

Extension of Approved Information

Collection, OMB Approval Number

1004–0180

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

announces its intention to request

extension of an existing approval to

collect certain information from owners

and operators of helium-bearing natural

gas wells and transmission lines

pertaining to natural gas analyses. BLM

uses this information to evaluate the

helium resources of the United States

(BLM Form 3100–12).

DATES: You must submit your comments

to BLM at the appropriate address below

on or before March 6, 2001. BLM will

not necessarily consider any comments

received after the above date.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed

to: Regulatory Affairs Group (630),

Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C

Street NW, Room 401LS, Washington,

DC 20240.

Comments may be sent via Internet to:

WOComment@blm.gov. Please include

‘‘ATTN: 1004–0180’’ and your name

and return address in your Internet

message.

Comments may be hand-delivered to

the Bureau of Land Management,

Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620

L Street, NW, Washington, DC.

Comments will be available for public

review at the L Street address during

regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15

p.m.), Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You

may contact Brent Gage on (806) 324–

2659 (Commercial or FTS). Persons who

use a telecommunications device for the

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

Information Relay Service at 1–800–

877–8330, 24 hours a day, seven days a

week, to contact Mr. Gage.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 5 CFR

1320.12(a) requires BLM to provide 60-

day notice in the Federal Register

concerning a collection of information

contained in BLM Form 3100–12 to

solicit comments on (a) whether the

proposed collection of information is

necessary for the proper performance of

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection, including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance

the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and (d)

ways to minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including through the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

BLM will receive and analyze any

comments sent in response to this

notice and include them with its request

for approval from the Office of

Management and Budget under 44

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

The Gas Well Data-Survey of HeliumBearing Natural Gas, BLM Form 3100–

12, provides for the gas sampling and

analysis program used to locate helium

occurrences in natural gases. BLM

carries out this program under 74 Stat.

920, Public Law 104–273, Helium

Privatization Act of 1996. The

knowledge of helium occurrences is part

of the Government’s conservation

program. BLM uses this information to

evaluate the extent of any helium

resources existing in the natural gas.

Without this information, BLM would

not possess knowledge of the nature,

location, and extent of domestic helium

resources. The location and

development of helium reserves and

helium conservation and production are

necessary to assure a supply of helium

is available to the Federal Government.

Based on BLM’s experience

administering the activities described

above, we estimate the public reporting

burden for the information collected to

average 15 minutes per response. The

respondents include owners and

operators of helium-bearing natural gas

wells and transmission lines. The

frequency of response is annual. The

estimated number of responses per year

is 200. The estimated total annual

burden is 50 hours. BLM specifically

requests your comments on its estimate

of the amount of time that it takes to

prepare a response.

BLM will summarize all responses to

this notice and include them in the

request for Office of Management and

Budget approval. All comments will

also become a matter of public record.

Dated: January 2, 2001.

Michael Schwartz,

BLM Information Collection Clearance

Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–373 Filed 1–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–84–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CO–SJFO–01–0001EIS]

Notice of Availability of Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft

environmental impact statement oil and

gas development on the southern Ute

Indian reservation.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to 40 CFR 1500–

1508, The Bureau of Land Management,

in cooperation with the Bureau of

Indian Affairs and the Southern Ute

Indian Tribe, has prepared a

comprehensive Draft Environmental

Impact Statement to give Tribal leaders

and agency decision-makers more

comprehensive environmental impact

information on which to base oil and

gas leasing and development decisions.

The document was prepared by a third

party contractor chosen by BLM and its

cooperators and funded by the agencies,

the Southern Ute Tribe, and oil and gas

lessees.

DATES: Written comments will be

accepted on the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement for a period until, on,

or before March 6, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please address questions,

comments, or request for copies of the

DEIS to the Bureau of Land

Management, San Juan Field Office,

Attn: Donald Englishman, 15 Burnett

Court, Durango, CO 81310.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donald Englishman at the above address

or phone: 970–385–1346.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A limited

number of individual copies of the DEIS

may be obtained from the Bureau of

Land Management, 15 Burnett Court,

Durango, CO 81301.

Dated: December 20, 2000.

Calvin N. Joyner,

San Juan Field Office Manager, Colorado,

Bureau of Land Management, USDI.

[FR Doc. 01–9 Filed 1–04–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[MT–060–1220DM–00]

Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) announces the

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2001 / Notices 1153

availability of a Final Off-Highway

Vehicle (OHV) Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) and Proposed Plan

Amendment. The Final EIS describes

the analysis completed on proposed

management changes in off-highway

vehicle area designations on public

lands administered by the Bureau of

Land Management and Forest Service,

Northern Region, in Montana, North

Dakota, and portions of South Dakota.

The BLM and Forest Service are joint

lead agencies responsible for

preparation of the final EIS. The

purpose and need are to address the

impacts of OHV travel on open areas

that are currently available to motorized

wheeled cross-country travel. The

preferred alternative would restrict

motorized wheeled cross-country travel

yearlong on approximately 6 million

acres of public land administered by the

BLM and 10 million acres of National

Forest System lands. These lands would

be designated limited or restricted

yearlong for motorized wheeled crosscountry travel.

DATES: The proposed plan amendment

is subject to a BLM 30-day protest

period commencing with the date of

publication of the Environmental

Protection Agency’s notice of

availability in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Written protests must be

sent to: Director, Bureau of Land

Management, Attention: Ms Brenda

Williams, Protests Coordinator, WO–

210/LS–1075, Department of the

Interior, Washington, D.C.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry

Majerus, 406–538–1924.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final

EIS and Proposed Plan Amendment

discloses the potential environmental

consequences of managing motorized

wheeled cross-country travel on public

lands administered by the BLM and

Forest Service, Northern Region, in

Montana, North Dakota, and portions of

South Dakota (excluding the Black Hills

National Forest, Buffalo Gap Grasslands

and the Fort Pierre Grasslands). A Draft

OHV EIS and Plan Amendment was

released for a 90-day public comment

period in November 1999. Over 1,500

peopled attended 35 open houses that

were held around Montana, North

Dakota and South Dakota and 2,300

comment letters were received on the

Draft OHV EIS and Plan Amendment.

Six alternatives, including a No

Action Alternative, were analyzed in the

Final OHV EIS and Proposed Plan

Amendment. The No Action Alternative

would maintain current management

and areas currently open seasonally or

yearlong to motorized wheeled crosscountry travel would remain open.

Alternatives 1, 2 and 5 would restrict

motorized wheeled cross-country travel

yearlong and the alternatives vary by

exceptions allowed for cross-country

travel. Alternative 3 would restrict

motorized wheeled cross-country travel

yearlong in North Dakota, most of

Montana, and portions of South Dakota.

Alternative 4 would limit motorized

wheeled cross-country travel seasonally

from September 1 to December 1 and

February 16 to June 14. Alternative 5 is

the preferred alternative.

Alternative 5, the preferred

alternative, was developed in response

to comments on the Draft OHV EIS and

Plan Amendment from the public and

other agencies. It restricts motorized

wheeled cross-country travel yearlong

throughout the analysis area to protect

riparian areas, wetlands, crucial wildlife

habitat, threatened or endangered

species, soils and vegetation, aquatic

resources, and to reduce user conflicts.

Through subsequent site-specific

planning, the BLM would designate

roads and trails for motorized use. The

following BLM resource management

plans (Big Dry, Powder River, Billings,

Headwaters, West HiLine, Judith-ValleyPhillips, North Dakota, and South

Dakota) and the Dillon management

framework plan would be amended to

designate approximately 6 million acres

limited yearlong for motorized wheeled

cross-country travel under 43 CFR 8342.

The BLM’s resource management

planning process includes an

opportunity for administrative review

via a plan protest to the BLM’s Director

(43 CFR 1610.5–2). Any person who

participated in the planning process and

has an interest which is or may be

adversely affected by the approval of an

amendment to a resource management

plan may protest such approval. Careful

adherence to the following guidelines

will assist in preparing a protest that

will assure the greatest consideration to

your point of view. Only those persons

or organizations who participated in the

planning process may protest. A

protesting party may raise only those

issues which were commented on

during the planning process. New issues

may be raised at any time but should be

directed to the appropriate BLM field

office for consideration in plan

implementation, as potential plan

amendments, or as otherwise

appropriate. The protest period extends

for 30 days. There is no provision for

any extension of time. To be considered

timely, your protest must be postmarked

no later than the last day of the protest

period. Also, although not a

requirement, we suggest that you send

your protest by certified mail, return

receipt requested. In order to be

considered complete, your protest must

contain, at a minimum, the following

information:

(1) The name, mailing address,

telephone number and interest of the

person filing the protest.

(2) A statement of the issue or issues

being protested.

(3) A statement of the part or parts of

the amendment being protested. To the

extent possible, this should be done by

reference to specific pages, paragraphs,

sections, tables, maps, etc. included in

the proposed amendment.

(4) A copy of all documents

addressing the issue or issues submitted

during the planning process by the

protesting party or an indication of the

discussion date of the issue(s) for the

record.

(5) A concise statement explaining

why the proposed decision is believed

to be incorrect. This is a critical part of

your protest. Take care to document all

relevant facts. As much as possible,

reference or cite the planning

documents, environmental analysis

documents, available planning records

(i.e., meeting minutes or summaries,

correspondence, etc.). A protest which

merely expresses disagreement with the

proposed decision, without any data

will not provide us with the benefit of

your information and insight. In this

case, the Director’s review will be based

on the existing analysis and supporting

data.

At the end of the 30-day protest

period, the BLM may issue a Record of

Decision, approving implementation of

any portions of the proposed plan

amendment not under protest. Approval

will be withheld on any portion of the

plan under protest until the protest has

been resolved.

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

2747 (43 U.S.C. 1712))

Dated: December 27, 2000.

Mat Millenbach,

State Director.

[FR Doc. 01–105 Filed 1–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DN–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NM–930–1310–01; NMNM 0557388]

New Mexico: 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 NMNM 0557388 for

lands in Rio Arriba County, New

Mexico, was timely filed and was

accompanied by all required rentals and