Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57317 

laws and regulations from any of the 

littoral states in the Caspian Sea basin. 

Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, 

Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and 

Turkmenistan have therefore failed to 

meet the conditions of the special rule. 

As a result, beluga sturgeon caviar 

(including products containing caviar, 

such as cosmetics) and meat from these 

countries are no longer eligible for the 

exemption from threatened species 

permits provided by the special rule. 

Therefore, you may not import or reexport, sell or offer for sale in foreign 

commerce, or deliver, receive, carry, 

transport, or ship in foreign commerce 

in the course of a commercial activity 

any beluga sturgeon caviar or meat from 

these Caspian Sea countries on or after 

the effective date of this Federal 

Register notice (see DATES section) 

without a threatened species permit. 

Beluga sturgeon caviar or meat 

originating in these countries that has 

been shipped on or after the effective 

date of this Federal Register notice (see 

DATES section) without a threatened 

species permit issued under 50 CFR 

17.32 will be refused clearance upon 

arrival in the United States, including 

shipments that have been exported 

directly from the countries listed above 

in this paragraph, re-exported through 

an intermediary country, or transported 

as personal or household effects. 

Threatened species permits may only 

be issued for beluga sturgeon from the 

Caspian Sea basin if we determine that 

the proposed import, re-export, or 

interstate or foreign commerce would 

meet the regulatory requirements in 50 

CFR 17.32. Applicants must 

demonstrate that their proposed 

activities would provide for the 

conservation of the species. 

Beluga sturgeon products legally 

imported before the trade suspension. 

Beluga sturgeon caviar or meat from 

Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, 

Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, or 

Turkmenistan that was legally imported 

into the United States prior to the trade 

suspension will continue to be 

authorized for interstate commerce 

under the special rule without a 

threatened species permit. Due to the 

perishable nature of sturgeon caviar and 

meat, the exemption for interstate 

commerce in beluga sturgeon caviar and 

meat legally imported prior to the trade 

suspension will continue for a period of 

no more than 18 months after the date 

of issuance of the original Convention 

on International Trade in Endangered 

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

(CITES) export permit, in accordance 

with the CITES resolution on the 

‘‘Conservation of and trade in sturgeons 

and paddlefish’’ (Resolution Conf. 12.7 

(Rev. CoP13)). Individuals should 

maintain accurate records to be able to 

demonstrate that their beluga sturgeon 

caviar and meat were legally imported 

prior to the trade suspension. 

Conditions for lifting of the trade 

suspension. Under the special rule, if 

the littoral states fail to submit a basinwide management plan for beluga 

sturgeon, or if we are unable to confirm 

that all littoral states in the basin are 

signatories to the plan, we will 

immediately suspend trade with all 

littoral states in the basin until we are 

satisfied that such a management plan 

exists. Likewise, under the special rule, 

if the littoral states fail to submit copies 

of national laws and regulations that 

implement the basin-wide management 

plan, we will immediately suspend 

trade with the given littoral states until 

we are satisfied that such laws and 

regulations are in effect. For us to 

consider lifting the trade suspension, 

the littoral states of the Caspian Sea 

basin must submit a basin-wide 

management plan for beluga sturgeon, 

agreed to by all littoral states in the 

basin. In addition, each littoral state 

wishing to export beluga sturgeon caviar 

and meat to the United States under the 

exemption provided by the special rule 

must submit copies of their national 

laws and regulations that implement the 

basin-wide plan. Information on how to 

submit such materials is located in the 

ADDRESSES section. 

Black Sea basin. We are in the process 

of reviewing information received from 

littoral states in the Black Sea basin. In 

accordance with the special rule, trade 

may continue from the littoral states of 

the Black Sea that have declared export 

quotas for beluga sturgeon (i.e., 

Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia and 

Montenegro), as required under CITES, 

while we complete our review. 

Aquaculture facilities. The special 

rule allows aquaculture facilities 

outside the Caspian and Black Sea 

basins to obtain an exemption from 

threatened species permits otherwise 

required under 50 CFR 17.32 if they 

meet certain conditions. We have not 

yet received any requests for such an 

exemption. Under the special rule, there 

is no deadline for receipt of applications 

from aquaculture facilities seeking an 

exemption. 

Authority: The authority for this action is 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

Dated: September 22, 2005. 

Craig Manson, 

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and 

Parks. 

[FR Doc. 05–19580 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[AK–040–05–1610–DP–086L] 

Notice of Availability of the Ring of Fire 

Draft Resource Management Plan and 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Anchorage Field Office, Bureau 

of Land Management, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act (FLPMA), and the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

management policies, the Ring of Fire 

Draft Resource Management Plan and 

Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/ 

EIS) has been prepared for public lands 

and resources administered by the 

Bureau of Land Management’s 

Anchorage Field Office The Ring of Fire 

Draft RMP/EIS will provide the 

management guidance for resource 

decisions on 1.3 million acres of 

fragmented BLM-administered lands 

spread from below the Dixon Entrance 

in southeast Alaska to Attu Island at the 

end of the Aleutian Chain. The Ring of 

Fire RMP/EIS will revise management 

direction for approximately 10 percent 

of the lands covered by the Southcentral 

Management Framework Plan of 1980, 

and will provide management for 

approximately 90 percent of the lands 

not previously addressed in a 

management plan. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be mailed or hand delivered to the BLM 

Anchorage Field Office, Ring of Fire 

RMP/EIS, 6881 Abbott Loop Road, 

Anchorage, Alaska 99507–2599. The 

public is invited to review and comment 

on the range and adequacy of the draft 

alternatives and associated 

environmental effects. For comments to 

be most helpful, they should relate to 

specific concerns or conflicts that are 

within the legal responsibilities of the 

BLM and can be resolved in this 

planning process. Comments can also be 

sent via e-mail to akrofrmp@blm.gov. To 

request a CD or hard copy of the 

document or to be included on the 

mailing list, contact Amy Lewis via email at Amy_Lewis@urscorp.com, or via 

phone at (907) 261–9730. Comments, 

including names and street addresses of 

respondents, may be published as part 

of the Final EIS and Proposed RMP. 

Individual respondents may request 

confidentiality. If you wish to withhold 

your name or street address from public 

review or from disclosure under the 

Freedom of Information Act, you must 

state this prominently at the beginning 

57318 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 

of your written comments. Such 

requests will be honored to the extent 

allowed by the law. All submissions 

from organizations and business, and 

from individuals identifying themselves 

as representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses will be 

available for public inspection in their 

entirety. 

DATES: Comments on the Ring of Fire 

Draft RMP/EIS will be accepted for 90 

days following the date the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes their Notice of Availability in 

the Federal Register. Comments on the 

Ring of Fire Draft RMP/EIS must be 

received on or before the end of the 

comment period at the physical address 

or e-mail address listed above. Specific 

dates and locations of public meetings 

to gather public comment will be 

announced through news releases and 

notices. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Lloyd (akrofrmp@blm.gov) at 

(907) 267–1246 or Amy Lewis 

(Amy_Lewis@urscorp.com) at (907) 261–

9730. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Ring 

of Fire RMP planning area covers 1.3 

million acres of BLM-administered 

lands. The Ring of Fire Draft RMP/EIS 

focuses on the principles of multiple 

use and sustained yield as prescribed by 

section 202 of FLPMA. The Ring of Fire 

Draft RMP/EIS considers and analyzes 

four alternatives, including a No Action 

and a preferred alternative. The 

alternatives provide variable levels of 

support to all resources and programs 

present in the planning area and are 

designed to guide future management 

and resolve land management issues 

identified during the early stages of the 

planning process. The alternatives were 

developed based on extensive public 

scoping and involvement. 

There are five main resources 

addressed through this planning 

process. The Lands and Realty section 

addresses the need to determine the 

appropriate mix of lands and realty 

actions needed to provide a balance 

between land use and resource 

protection. The Off-highway Vehicles 

(OHV) section addresses management of 

access trails and roads for the use of 

OHVs for various purposes, including 

recreation, commercial uses, subsistence 

activities, and the general enjoyment of 

public lands while protecting natural 

and cultural resources. The Recreation 

section examines how recreation should 

be managed to provide a diversity of 

experiences on BLM-managed lands. 

The document analyzes what measures 

are necessary to ensure that a diversity 

of recreational opportunities is 

maintained, and what level of 

commercial recreational use is 

appropriate to maintain a diversity of 

recreational opportunities. The Leasable 

Minerals section and the Locatable 

Minerals section address the need to 

determine which areas should be made 

available for mineral exploration and 

development One Area of Critical 

Environmental Concern (ACEC) is 

recommended for designation in the 

preferred alternative and is also 

considered in other alternatives—the 

Neacola Mountains ACEC, containing 

approximately 229,000 acres. The ACEC 

would have the following resource use 

limitations: (1) Closed to locatable and 

saleable mineral entry (but open to 

mineral leasing), (2) OHV use limited, 

(3) VRM Class III, and (4) ROW 

avoidance. The public involvement and 

collaboration process implemented for 

this effort included 10 public scoping 

meetings. Notices of these meetings and 

invitations to participate in the 

development of this plan were sent to 

over 400 individuals, organizations, and 

tribal entities, as well as to State, 

Federal, and local government agencies. 

Meetings were held at the Native Village 

of Eklutna in Eklutna and at the Chilkat 

Indian Village IRA in Klukwan. 

Continuous involvement throughout the 

planning process has taken place with 

the State of Alaska, and several 

meetings have been held between the 

State and the BLM at varying levels of 

authority to discuss the Ring of Fire 

RMP/EIS. A joint BLM-State position 

was created as part of this project, with 

that person acting as liaison between the 

State of Alaska and the BLM during this 

planning process. 

After comments on the Ring of Fire 

Draft RMP/EIS are reviewed and any 

adjustments to the document are made, 

a Proposed RMP and Final EIS are 

expected to be available in spring 2006. 

Julia Dougan, 

Acting State Director. 

[FR Doc. 05–19492 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[CA–190–05–1610–DT] 

Notice of Availability of Proposed Plan 

Amendment and Final Environmental 

Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 and the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976, the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) has prepared 

a proposed Resource Management Plan 

Amendment (RMPA) and Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for the Clear Creek Management Area 

(CCMA). 

DATES: For decisions being considered 

that would amend the existing plan 

decisions, BLM Planning Regulations 

(43 CFR 1610.5–2) state that any person 

who participated in the planning 

process, and has an interest that may be 

adversely affected, may protest. The 

protest must be filed within 30 days of 

the date that the Environmental 

Protection Agency publishes its notice 

of receipt of the Final EIS for the CCMA 

in the Federal Register. Instructions for 

filing of protests are described in the 

front cover of the Proposed RMPA and 

Final EIS for the CCMA and included in 

the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 

of this notice. Decisions that make 

designations on individual routes are 

not protestable, but are appealable to the 

Interior Board of Land Appeals under 43 

CFR part 4 upon adoption of a Record 

of Decision. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

George Hill, (831) 630–5000. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

planning project considers designating a 

route network and off-highway vehicle 

(OHV) area designations (open, limited, 

closed) for serpentine barren areas (soils 

devoid of vegetation) and the 

designation of expanded boundaries for 

the San Benito Mountain Research 

Natural Area (SBMRNA), an Area of 

Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) 

in the CCMA. The planning area is 

approximately 75,000 acres located in 

San Benito and Fresno Counties, 

California and is managed by the (BLM) 

Hollister Field Office. The area is 

currently managed according to the 

CCMA RMPA, as adopted in 1999. 

The Proposed Action contained in the 

Proposed RMPA and Final EIS for the 

CCMA contains the following proposed 

decisions: Designations for OHV use on 

the routes currently inventoried and 

assessed by the BLM; adoption of route 

designation and area designation criteria 

for serpentine barren areas; and 

designation of an expanded boundary 

and interim management for the 

SBMRNA. The Draft RMPA and Draft 

EIS for the CCMA was published in May 

2004. BLM accepted public comment on 

the Draft EIS from July 16 through 

November 15 of 2004. Comments 

received from the public during the 

review period and comments from