Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 65933 

initiatives. A mix of restoration 

approaches will allow the greatest 

degree of flexibility in the project 

selection process and will ensure the 

greatest environmental and 

socioeconomic benefits. This Draft PEA 

compares the preferred, blended 

restoration alternative with alternatives 

that focus on a single restoration 

approach, as well as with a no-action 

alternative in which no restoration is 

implemented with natural resource 

damages (NRD) funds. This Draft PEA is 

part of the restoration planning and 

implementation phase of the General 

Electric/Housatonic River Natural 

Resource Damage Assessment and 

Restoration (NRDAR) case. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before December 1, 

2005. 

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the 

Draft PEA may be made to: U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, Attention: 

Veronica Varela, New England Field 

Office, 70 Commercial Street, Suite 300, 

Concord, New Hampshire 03301. 

Written comments or materials 

regarding the Draft PEA should be sent 

to the same address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Veronica Varela, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, New England Field Office, 70 

Commercial Street, Suite 300, Concord, 

New Hampshire 03301. Interested 

parties may also call 603–223–2541 or email Veronica_Varela@fws.gov for 

further information. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: During the 

period between the late 1930s and the 

late 1970s, the General Electric 

Company (GE) facility in Pittsfield, 

Massachusetts released polychlorinated 

biphenyls (PCBs), via the wastewater 

and storm systems associated with the 

facility, to the Housatonic River and 

Silver Lake in Pittsfield. In addition, a 

number of former oxbows were 

straightened and filled to alleviate 

flooding, and subsequently have been 

found to contain PCB-contaminated 

soils and fill. The release of PCBs 

adversely affected natural resources 

including fish, birds, amphibians, 

reptiles and their habitats, and impacted 

natural resource-based recreational uses. 

On October 7, 1999, the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency; the 

U.S. Department of Justice; the 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

Department of Environmental 

Protection, the Office of the Attorney 

General, and the Executive Office of 

Environmental Affairs; the Connecticut 

Department of Environmental Protection 

and the Office of the Attorney General; 

the U.S. Department of the Interior; the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration; the City of Pittsfield, 

Massachusetts; the Pittsfield Economic 

Development Authority; and GE reached 

a comprehensive agreement concerning 

the cleanup of GE’s Pittsfield facility, 

certain off-site properties, and the 

Housatonic River, and concerning 

compensation for NRD. The 

comprehensive agreement was lodged 

with the U.S. District Court of 

Massachusetts, Springfield, 

Massachusetts, and approved on 

October 27, 2000. Under this agreement, 

GE provided $15.5 million for 

compensatory restoration activities. Of 

this amount, $7.75 million (plus 

interest) will be managed to restore, 

rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the 

equivalent of injured natural resources 

and/or the services they provide to 

compensate for natural resources 

adversely affected by PCBs in the 

Massachusetts watershed of the 

Housatonic River. The other $7.75 

million will be managed under a 

separate program for compensatory 

restoration in the Connecticut 

watershed of the Housatonic River. This 

Draft PEA examines alternatives for 

implementing a compensatory 

restoration program in the 

Massachusetts portion of the Housatonic 

River watershed; implementation 

alternatives in the Connecticut portion 

will be examined in a later document. 

The proposed Preferred Alternative in 

the Draft PEA is a restoration program 

featuring a mix of restoration 

approaches, including aquatic 

restoration, wildlife/terrestrial 

restoration, enhancement of recreational 

opportunities, and education/outreach 

initiatives. A mix of restoration 

approaches will allow the greatest 

degree of flexibility in the project 

selection process and will ensure the 

greatest environmental and 

socioeconomic benefits. This Draft PEA 

compares the preferred, blended 

restoration alternative with alternatives 

that focus on a single restoration 

approach, as well as with a no-action 

alternative in which no restoration is 

implemented with NRD funds. 

Interested members of the public are 

invited to review and comment on the 

Draft PEA. Copies of the Draft PEA are 

available for review at public libraries in 

the towns of Great Barrington, Lee, 

Lenox, Pittsfield, Sheffield, and 

Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 

Additionally, the Draft PEA will be 

available for review at the following 

Web site: http://www.mahousatonicrestoration.org. Written 

comments will be considered and 

addressed in the Final PEA as part of 

the restoration planning process. 

Author: The primary author of this 

notice is Veronica Varela, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, New England Field 

Office, 70 Commercial Street, Suite 300, 

Concord, New Hampshire 03301. 

Authority: The authorities for this action are 

the NRDAR provisions under the 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 

(CERCLA, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 9601 et 

seq.) and the Clean Water Act (CWA, 33 

U.S.C. 1251–1376), which allow natural 

resource trustees to bring claims against 

responsible parties to recover monies and 

take action to restore, replace, or acquire the 

equivalent of natural resources that have 

been injured by hazardous substances; the 

CERCLA NRDA regulations (43 CFR Part 11) 

that guide the allocation and expenditure of 

NRD recoveries for restoration activities; and 

the National Environmental Policy Act (42 

U.S.C. 4321–4347). 

Dated: October 18, 2005. 

Richard O. Bennett, 

Acting Regional Director, Region 5, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the 

Interior, DOI Authorized Official. 

[FR Doc. 05–21692 Filed 10–31–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[WO–310–06–1310–GEOT] 

Implementation of the Geothermal 

Sections of the Energy Policy Act of 

2005; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting. 

SUMMARY: A public meeting is being 

held by the Bureau of Land Management 

and the U.S. Forest Service to solicit 

suggestions from the public and 

industry on how to best implement the 

geothermal provisions of the Energy 

Policy Act of 2005. 

DATES: The meeting date is scheduled as 

follows: November 17, 2005; 1–4 p.m., 

local time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the following location: Reno Hilton 

Hotel, 2500 East 2nd Street, Reno, 

Nevada 89595. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Bebout, National Geothermal Program 

Lead for the BLM at (202) 557–3375 or 

Bob Fujimoto, Geothermal Lead for the 

U.S. Forest Service at (503) 808–2430. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting will begin with an overview of 

the geothermal provisions of the Energy 

Policy Act. Participants who request to 

speak will be given a set amount of time 

to provide suggestions that address 

65934 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 

implementation as well as major areas 

of interest/concern with the geothermal 

sections of the Act. 

Dated: October 26, 2005. 

Thomas P. Lonnie, 

Assistant Director, Minerals, Realty and 

Resource Protection. 

[FR Doc. 05–21676 Filed 10–31–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–84–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[CO–922–05–1310–FI; COC66816] 

Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of 

Terminated Oil and Gas Lease 

COC66816 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management; 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Proposed 

Reinstatement of Terminated Oil and 

Gas Lease. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

30 U.S.C. 188(d) and (e), and 43 CFR 

3108.2–3(a) and (b)(1), a petition for 

reinstatement of oil and gas lease 

COC66816 for lands in Rio Blanco 

County, Colorado, was timely filed and 

was accompanied by all the required 

rentals accruing from the date of 

termination. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bureau of Land Management, Beverly A. 

Derringer Chief, Fluid Minerals 

Adjudication, at 303.239.3765. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The lessee 

has agreed to the amended lease terms 

for rentals and royalties at rates of $5.00 

per acre, or fraction thereof, per year 

and 16 2/3 percent, respectively. The 

lessee has paid the required $500 

administrative fee and $155 to 

reimburse the Department for the cost of 

this Federal Register notice. The lessee 

has met all the requirements for 

reinstatement of the lease as set out in 

Section 31(d) and (e) of the Mineral 

Lands Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 

188), and the Bureau of Land 

Management is proposing to reinstate 

lease COC66816 effective May 1, 2004, 

subject to the original terms and 

conditions of the lease and the 

increased rental and royalty rates cited 

above. 

Dated: November 19, 2004. 

Beverly A. Derringer, 

Chief, Fluid Minerals Adjudication. 

[FR Doc. 05–21739 Filed 10–31–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JB–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

[MT–922–05–1310–FI–P; (MTM 93129)] 

Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of 

Terminated Oil and Gas Lease MTM 

93129 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Per 30 U.S.C. 188(d), the 

lessee, Quicksilver Resources Inc. 

timely filed a petition for reinstatement 

of oil and gas lease MTM 93129, Hill 

County, Montana. The lessee paid the 

required rental accruing from the date of 

termination, April 1, 2005. 

No leases were issued that affect these 

lands. The lessee agrees to new lease 

terms for rentals and royalties of $10 per 

acre and 162⁄3 percent or 4 percentages 

above the existing competitive royalty 

rate. The lessee paid the $500 

administration fee for the reinstatement 

of the lease and $155 cost for publishing 

this Notice. 

The lessee met the requirements for 

reinstatement of the lease per Sec. 31(d) 

and (e) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 

1920 (30 U.S.C. 188). We are proposing 

to reinstate the lease, effective the date 

of termination subject to: 

• The original terms and conditions 

of the lease; 

• The increased rental of $10 per 

acre; 

• The increased royalty of 162⁄3

percent or 4 percentages above the 

existing competitive royalty rate; and 

• The $155 cost of publishing this 

Notice. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen L. Johnson, Chief, Fluids 

Adjudication Section, BLM Montana 

State Office, PO Box 36800, Billings, 

Montana 59107, 406–896–5098. 

Dated: September 22, 2005. 

Karen L. Johnson, 

Chief, Fluids Adjudication Section. 

[FR Doc. 05–21738 Filed 10–31–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–$$–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[WY–920–1310–01; WYW 146279] 

Notice of Proposed Reinstatement of 

Terminated Oil and Gas Lease 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed 

reinstatement of terminated oil and gas 

lease. 

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of 30 

U.S.C. 188(d) and (e), and 43 CFR 

3108.2–3(a) and (b)(1), the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) received a 

petition for reinstatement of oil and gas 

lease WYW146279 from Gulf 

Exploration LLC for lands in Converse 

County, Wyoming. The petition was 

filed on time and was accompanied by 

all the rentals due since the date the 

lease terminated under the law. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bureau of Land Management, Pamela J. 

Lewis, Chief, Branch of Fluid Minerals 

Adjudication, at (307) 775–6176. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The lessee 

has agreed to the amended lease terms 

for rentals and royalties at rates of 

$10.00 per acre or fraction thereof, per 

year and 162⁄3 percent, respectively. The 

lessee has paid the required $500 

administrative fee and $166 to 

reimburse the Department for the cost of 

this Federal Register notice. The lessee 

has met all the requirements for 

reinstatement of the lease as set out in 

section 31(d) and (e) of the Mineral 

Lands Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 

188), and the Bureau of Land 

Management is proposing to reinstate 

lease WYW146279 effective October 1, 

2004, under the original terms and 

conditions of the lease and the 

increased rental and royalty rates cited 

above. BLM has not issued a valid lease 

affecting the lands. 

Pamela J. Lewis, 

Chief, Branch of Fluid Minerals Adjudication. 

[FR Doc. 05–21740 Filed 10–31–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Minerals Management Service 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Policy 

Committee; Notice and Agenda for 

Meeting 

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The OCS Policy Committee 

meeting scheduled for November 15–16, 

2005, at the Days Hotel and Conference 

Center at Dulles in Herndon, Virginia. 

DATES: Tuesday, November 15, 2005, 

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, 

November 16, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 

12:15 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The Days Hotel and 

Conference Center at Dulles, 2200 

Centreville Road, Herndon, Virginia 

20170, telephone (703) 471–6700. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Jeryne Bryant at Minerals Management