Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Notices 60319 

Extension includes allotted trust lands, 

the South Extension development plan 

would not be implemented if the BIA 

does not approve all surface use 

agreements between the allottee surface 

owners and WRI. The coal contained in 

the South Extension tract on the Crow 

Indian Reservation would not be mined. 

WRI would, however, receive approval 

from MDEQ and OSMRE to revise 

Absaloka Mine’s existing mine and 

reclamation plan to include the Tract III 

Revision area. Under this alternative, 

approximately 13 million tons of 

additional coal would be mined and the 

mine life would be extended to about 

2011. 

Under the No Action Alternative, 

none of the proposed actions would 

occur and WRI would not implement 

the South Extension development plan. 

The remaining (already permitted) 14 

million tons of in-place coal reserves 

would be mined by approximately 2009 

at the current 6.5 to 7.0 million-ton 

annual production rate. 

In addition to the BIA’s proposed 

action alternatives described above, the 

EIS analyzes the proposed action for the 

EPA to issue a Clean Water Act National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 

(NPDES) permit for discharges of storm 

water associated with the proposed 

mine expansion onto the Crow Indian 

Reservation. The proposed stormwater 

management alternative is for EPA 

Region 8 to issue an NPDES permit for 

the use of 24 sediment traps to contain 

the 2-year, 24-hour runoff event during 

the initial clearing and grubbing and 

during the reclamation phase. 

Supplemental internal sediment traps 

would be used during the operational 

phase to contain 10-year, 24-hour runoff 

volume in aggregate. Sediment traps 

would then be reduced in size to small 

depressions as a best management 

practice as reclamation is completed. 

A second alternative analyzed is to 

issue an NPDES permit for the use of 

conventional sediment pond dams to 

detain the 10-year, 24-hour runoff event 

plus sediment storage. A third, is to 

issue an NPDES permit for the use of a 

single large dam on the main stem of 

Middle Fork Sarpy Creek, downstream 

of mine operations. The No Action 

Alternative for the proposed 

management corresponds with BIA 

alternatives that do not involve 

expansion of the mine onto the Crow 

Indian Reservation, in which case, EPA 

would not issue an NPDES permit. 

The BIA has afforded government 

agencies and the public full opportunity 

to participate in the preparation of this 

EIS. The BIA published a notice of 

intent to prepare the EIS for the 

proposed action in the Federal Register 

on November 28, 2006 (71 FR 68831); 

and held a public scoping meeting on 

December 14, 2006, in West Hardin, 

Montana. A Notice of Availability for 

the Draft EIS was published in the 

Federal Register on March 21, 2008 (73 

FR 15189). The Draft was available for 

public comment until May 5, 2008, with 

an extension until June 4, 2008, 

published in the Federal Register on 

May 2, 2008 (73 FR 24304). The BIA 

held a public hearing on the Draft EIS 

on April 23, 2008, in West Hardin, 

Montana. This date was announced in 

the Federal Register on April 2, 2008 

(73 FR 17995), in correction of an April 

10, 2008, meeting date erroneously 

announced in the March 21, 2008, 

Notice of Availability (73 FR 15189). 

Public Comment Availability 

Comments, including names and 

addresses of respondents, will be 

available for public review at the BIA 

address shown in the ADDRESSES

section, during business hours, 8 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except holidays. Before including your 

address, phone number, e-mail address, 

or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Authority: This notice is published in 

accordance with section 1503.1 of the 

Council of Environmental Quality 

Regulations (40 CFR, Parts 1500 through 

1508) implementing the procedural 

requirements of the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 

4371 et seq.), Department of the Interior 

Manual (516 DM 1–6), and is in the exercise 

of authority delegated to the Director, Office 

of Environmental Policy and Compliance, via 

516 DM 6.3 B. and Environmental Statement 

Memorandum ESM04–12.6(e). 

Willie R. Taylor, 

Director, Office of Environmental Policy and 

Compliance. 

[FR Doc. E8–23784 Filed 10–9–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–W7–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[F–14888–A; AK–965–1410–KC–P] 

Alaska Native Claims Selection 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of decision approving 

lands for conveyance. 

SUMMARY: As required by 43 CFR 

2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an 

appealable decision approving lands for 

conveyance pursuant to the Alaska 

Native Claims Settlement Act will be 

issued to The Kuskokwim Corporation, 

Successor in Interest to Lower Kalskag 

Incorporated. The lands are in the 

vicinity of Lower Kalskag, Alaska, and 

are located in: 

Seward Meridian, Alaska 

T. 16 N., R. 60 W., 

Secs. 27 to 30, inclusive. 

Containing approximately 2,254 acres. 

T. 16 N., R. 61 W., 

Secs. 25 to 29, inclusive. 

Containing approximately 3,145 acres. 

T. 16 N., R. 63 W., 

Secs. 8, 17, and 19. 

Containing approximately 1,821 acres. 

T. 14 N., R. 64 W., 

Secs. 1, 2, and 3; 

Secs. 10 to 16, inclusive. 

Containing approximately 4,949 acres. 

Aggregating approximately 12,169 acres. 

The subsurface estate in these lands 

will be conveyed to Calista Corporation 

when the surface estate is conveyed to 

The Kuskokwim Corporation. Notice of 

the decision will also be published four 

times in the Tundra Drums. 

DATES: The time limits for filing an 

appeal are: 

1. Any party claiming a property 

interest which is adversely affected by 

the decision shall have until November 

10, 2008 to file an appeal. 

2. Parties receiving service of the 

decision by certified mail shall have 30 

days from the date of receipt to file an 

appeal. 

Parties who do not file an appeal in 

accordance with the requirements of 43 

CFR Part 4, Subpart E, shall be deemed 

to have waived their rights. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the decision may 

be obtained from: Bureau of Land 

Management, Alaska State Office, 222 

West Seventh Avenue, #13, Anchorage, 

Alaska 99513–7504. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 

Bureau of Land Management by phone 

at 907–271–5960, or by e-mail at 

ak.blm.conveyance@ak.blm.gov. Persons 

who use a telecommunication device 

(TTD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877– 

8330, 24 hours a day, seven days a 

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60320 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 198 / Friday, October 10, 2008 / Notices 

week, to contact the Bureau of Land 

Management. 

Robert Childers, 

Land Law Examiner, Land Transfer 

Adjudication II. 

[FR Doc. E8–24133 Filed 10–9–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[UT030–4310–DS] 

Notice of Availability of Draft 

Monument Management Plan 

Amendment and Draft Rangeland 

Health Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument 

Planning Area in Kane and Garfield 

Counties, UT and Coconino County, 

AZ 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 

the Federal Land Policy and 

Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 

U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) has prepared Draft 

Monument Management Plan 

Amendment and Draft Rangeland 

Health Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS) (hereafter referred to as the ‘Draft 

Rangeland Health Amendment’) and by 

this notice is announcing the opening of 

the comment period. 

DATES: To ensure that comments will be 

considered, the BLM must receive 

written comments on the Draft 

Rangeland Health Amendment within 

90 days following the date the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes the Notice of Availability in 

the Federal Register. The BLM will 

announce future meetings or hearings 

and any other public involvement 

activities at least 15 days in advance 

through public notices, media news 

releases, and/or mailings. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any of the following methods: 

• E-mail: UT_GSENM_NEPA@

blm.gov. 

• Fax: (435) 644–4350. 

• Mail: Draft Rangeland Health 

Amendment Comments—Attention Paul 

Chapman, Grand Staircase-Escalante 

National Monument, Bureau of Land 

Management, 190 East Center Street, 

Kanab, Utah 84741. 

Copies of the Draft Rangeland Health 

Amendment are available in the BLM 

Grand Staircase-Escalante National 

Monument main office at the above 

address; the BLM Utah State Office in 

Salt Lake City; and may be viewed and 

downloaded in PDF format at http:// 

www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/planning/ 

existing_plans.html. Please note that 

public comments and information 

submitted including names, street 

addresses, and email addresses of 

respondents will be available for public 

review and disclosure at the above 

address during regular business hours (8 

a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday through Friday, 

except holidays. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information and/or to have your 

name added to the planning project 

mailing list, contact Paul Chapman, 

Grand Staircase-Escalante National 

Monument, Bureau of Land 

Management, 190 East Center Street, 

Kanab, Utah 84741, telephone: (435) 

644–4309, or e-mail: 

UT_GSENM_NEPA@blm.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Escalante, Paria, Vermilion and Zion 

Management Framework Plans (MFPs) 

provided the planning analysis baseline 

for this Draft EIS. This baseline will be 

carried forward as the Rangeland Health 

Amendment into the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument 

Management Plan (MMP) through a Plan 

Amendment. Once approved, the 

Record of Decision (ROD) for the 

Rangeland Health Amendment will 

modify or replace all existing livestock 

management determinations for the 

planning area. 

The planning area includes all of the 

public land grazing allotments managed 

or administered by the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument in Kane 

and Garfield Counties, Utah and 

Coconino County, Arizona. The 

planning area encompasses public lands 

currently managed under the Grand 

Staircase-Escalante National MMP, and 

portions of lands managed or 

administered under the Escalante, Paria, 

Vermilion, and Zion MFPs. Under 

Public Law 92–593, the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument 

administers grazing on a portion of the 

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, 

which is managed by the National Park 

Service under the Glen Canyon National 

Recreation Area General Management 

Plan. The planning area includes 

approximately 2.2 million acres of lands 

on which BLM administers livestock 

grazing in the three county areas, 

including approximately 250,000 acres 

in the Glen Canyon National Recreation 

Area. 

The Draft Rangeland Health 

Amendment analyzes five alternatives. 

The alternatives present differing 

management balances between the 

various resources and uses, and vary in 

both context and intensity. The 

alternatives are: 

Alternative A (No Action): The 

current level of resource use and 

protection would be maintained. 

Grazing permits would be renewed with 

existing Terms and Conditions. 

Alternative B: Rangeland Health 

Standards, with minimal stocking 

adjustments and improved livestock 

distribution and management, would be 

emphasized. Rangeland restoration and 

the future installation of structural 

improvements would be assessed. 

Grazing permits would be renewed with 

modified Terms and Conditions 

consistent with the actions proposed in 

this alternative. 

Alternative C (Preferred Alternative): 

Rangeland Health Standards would be 

achieved over the life of the MMP by 

making allotment specific modifications 

to grazing management. These 

management changes would include 

distribution of adjustments, stocking 

adjustments, and temporary 

suspensions on less than 10% of 

allotments when Rangeland Health 

Standards assessments and monitoring 

indicate such actions are needed to meet 

resource objectives. This alternative 

includes the range restoration and 

future structural improvements assessed 

under Alternative B. Grazing permits 

would be renewed with modified Terms 

and Conditions consistent with the 

actions proposed in this alternative. 

Alternative D: Rangeland Health 

Standards would be achieved over the 

life of the MMP by making 

modifications to grazing management 

including temporary grazing 

suspensions on allotments which fail to 

meet Utah BLM’s Rangeland Health 

Standards for upland soils or desired 

specifics. Range restoration and the 

installation of structural range 

improvements would be assessed under 

this alternative, but to a lesser degree 

than in Alternatives B and C. Grazing 

permits would be renewed with 

modified Terms and Conditions 

consistent with the actions proposed in 

this alternative. 

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