Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 137 / Thursday, July 17, 2003 / Notices 42419

Procedural threatened Chipola slabshell (Elliptio , Florida, and . They All meetings are open to the public. chipolaensis) and purple bankclimber were once distributed across hundreds Please note that the meeting may close (Elliptoideus sloatianus). These of stream miles in these basins and now early if all business is finished. At the are endemic to several river basins survive in a few relatively small, Chair’s discretion, members of the (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint, isolated populations scattered public may make oral presentations Ochlockonee, Suwannee, and Econfina throughout their former range. during the meetings. If you would like Creek) in Alabama, Florida, and Habitat alteration, including to make an oral presentation, please Georgia. Recent research has greatly impoundments, channelization, gravel notify the Executive Director no later increased our understanding of the mining, contaminants, sedimentation, than August 7, 2003. Written material ecology of these species. The agency and stream-flow depletion, are likely the for distribution at a meeting should draft recovery plan includes specific principal causes of these species’ reach the Coast Guard no later than recovery objectives and criteria to be decline in range and abundance. August 7, 2003. If you would like a copy met in order to downlist these mussels Genetic factors associated with of your material distributed to each to threatened status or delist them under increasingly small and isolated member of the Council in advance of the the Endangered Species Act of 1973, (16 populations and the introduction of meeting, please submit 25 copies to the U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) as amended (Act). alien species may present additional Executive Director no later than August We solicit review and comment on this obstacles to their recovery. agency draft recovery plan from local, 1, 2003. Restoring an endangered or State, and Federal agencies and the threatened or plant to the point Information on Services for Individuals public. With Disabilities where it is again a secure, self- DATES: In order to be considered, we sustaining member of its ecosystem is a For information on facilities or must receive comments on the draft primary goal of the endangered species services for individuals with disabilities recovery plan on or before August 18, program. To help guide the recovery or to request special assistance at the 2003. meetings, contact the Executive Director effort, we are preparing recovery plans as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: If you wish to review this for most listed species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe Dated: July 9, 2003. agency draft recovery plan, you may obtain a copy by contacting the Panama actions considered necessary for T.H. Gilmour, City Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife conservation of the species, establish Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant Service, 1601 Balboa Avenue, Panama criteria for downlisting or delisting, and Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and estimate time and cost for implementing Environmental Protection. City, Florida 32405 (telephone 850/769– 0552), or by visiting our recovery plan recovery measures. [FR Doc. 03–18118 Filed 7–16–03; 8:45 am] Web site at http:// The Act requires the development of BILLING CODE 4910–15–P www.endangered.fws.gov. If you wish to recovery plans for listed species unless comment, you may submit your such a plan would not promote the comments by any one of several conservation of a particular species. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR methods: Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to Fish and Wildlife Service 1. You may submit written comments provide a public notice and an and materials to the Project Leader, at opportunity for public review and Notice of Availability of an Agency the above address. comment during recovery plan Draft Recovery Plan for the 2. You may hand-deliver written development. We will consider all Endangered Fat Threeridge (Amblema comments to our Panama City Field information presented during a public neislerii), Shinyrayed Pocketbook Office, at the above address, or fax your comment period prior to approval of (Lampsilis subangulata), Gulf comments to 850/763–2177. each new or revised recovery plan. We Moccasinshell ( 3. You may send comments by e-mail and other Federal agencies will take penicillatus), Ochlockonee Moccasinshellto [email protected]. For directions these comments into account in the (Medionidus simpsonianus), and Oval on how to submit electronic filing of course of implementing approved Pigtoe (Pleurobema pyriforme), and comments, see the ‘‘Public Comments recovery plans. the Threatened Chipola Slabshell Solicited’’ section. We developed a technical/agency (Elliptio chipolaensis) and Purple Comments and materials received are draft of this recovery plan and released Bankclimber (Elliptoideus sloatianus), available on request for public it for review by the professional for Review and Comment inspection, by appointment, during community, interested agencies, and the normal business hours at the above public on September 16, 1999 (64 FR AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, address. 50301). We incorporated received Interior. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry comments, where appropriate, into this ACTION: Notice of document availability Ziewitz at the above address (telephone subsequent agency draft recovery plan, and public comment period. 850/769–0552, ext. 223). which we are now making available for SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: review by all interested agencies and Service, announce the availability of the parties, including the general public. agency draft recovery plan for seven Background The objective of this draft plan is to freshwater mussels—the endangered fat Pursuant to the Act, we listed these provide a framework for the recovery of threeridge (Amblema neislerii), seven mussels, five as endangered and these seven species so that protection shinyrayed pocketbook (Lampsilis two as threatened species, on March 16, under the Act is no longer necessary. As subangulata), Gulf moccasinshell 1998 (63 FR 12664). The seven recovery criteria are met, the status of (Medionidus penicillatus), Ochlockonee freshwater mussels are restricted to a the species will be reviewed and they moccasinshell (Medionidus few river basins (Apalachicola- will be considered for removal from the simpsonianus), and oval pigtoe Chattahoochee-Flint, Ochlockonee, Federal List of Endangered and (Pleurobema pyriforme), and the Suwannee, and Econfina Creek) in Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

VerDate Jan<31>2003 19:01 Jul 16, 2003 Jkt 200001 PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\17JYN1.SGM 17JYN1 42420 Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 137 / Thursday, July 17, 2003 / Notices

Public Comments Solicited (68 FR 8306) of the proposed Notice of a timely seismic data acquisition We solicit written comments on the Sale for Sale 186, which included lease program. The revised sliding-scale recovery plan described. We will terms and conditions providing for a rental terms are intended to encourage consider all comments received by the minimum bid amount of $62 per hectare expeditious exploration of domestic date specified above prior to final and a rental rate of $13 per hectare, energy resources. In Zone A, which we approval of the plan. consistent with past OCS sales in the believe holds the most promise for near Please submit electronic comments as Alaska Region. After further term development and production of oil an ASCII file format and avoid the use consideration, the MMS has tentatively resources, the minimum bid and rentals of special characters and encryption. determined that the minimum bid levels are set slightly above those for Zone B. Please also include your name and for Sale 186 should be reduced and We set the terms in Zone B similar to return address in your e-mail message. rentals set on a sliding scale. The MMS those used by the State of Alaska for If you do not receive a confirmation is announcing this proposed action at some leases in the northern portion of from the system that we have received this time to give potential bidders and the state as well as to the terms used by your e-mail message, contact us directly other interested parties ample time to the Bureau of Land Management for the by calling our Panama City Field Office consider these changes in preparing for leasing of less prospective acreage in the (see ADDRESSES section). the lease sale. This proposed change in National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska. Our practice is to make all comments, the financial terms and conditions of the Hence, the revised terms presented here including names and home addresses of proposed sale does not affect minimum will allow the Federal offshore lease respondents, available for public review royalty requirements, royalty offering to be comparable to other sales during regular business hours. suspension volumes, size, timing, in this area. We have determined that Individual respondents may request that location, or potential impacts of the these new proposed terms will not we withhold their home address from sale. The final Notice of Sale will increase the level or range of oil and gas the record, which we will honor to the establish all terms and conditions for development activities contemplated extent allowable by law. In some Sale 186 and will be issued at least 30 and addressed in the Final days before the sale is held. Anyone circumstances, we would withhold also Environmental Impact Statement or the wishing to comment should send from the record a respondent’s identity, Coastal Zone Management Act comments by August 1, 2003 to the as allowable by law. If you wish for us consistency determination. Alaska OCS Region, 949 East 36th to withhold your name and/or address, The MMS is required to assure that you must state this prominently at the Avenue, 3rd Floor, Anchorage, Alaska 99508–4302. fair market value is received for all OCS beginning of your comments. However, lands leased and rights conveyed. we will not consider anonymous DATES: Beaufort Sea OCS Lease Sale 186 is scheduled for September 24, 2003. Although we are proposing to change comments. We will make all the minimum bid and rental ADDRESSES: The proposed Notice of Sale submissions from organizations or requirements, all bids received in Sale and associated documents are available businesses, and from individuals 186 will undergo an extensive at: Alaska OCS Region, Information identifying themselves as evaluation to determine if they Resource Center, Minerals Management representatives or officials of represent fair market value. Thus, Service, 949 East 36th Avenue, Room organizations or businesses, available regardless of the minimum bid level, the 330, Anchorage, Alaska 99508–4302, for public inspection in their entirety. high bid received for any block must Telephone: (907) 271–6438 or 1–800– satisfy the bid adequacy criteria Authority 764–2627. established by the MMS for a lease to be The authority for this action is section 4(f) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MMS awarded. Note that this change in terms of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. proposes to apply the minimum bid 1533 (f). is intended to apply only to Sale 186 amounts and rental rates in the table and does not necessarily represent a Dated: July 3, 2003. presented below for Sale 186. Refer to general policy change for future Alaska J. Mitch King, the February 2003 proposed Notice of or other OCS lease sales. In accordance Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region, Sale for descriptions of Zones A and B. with the 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Leasing Program for 2002–2007, TABLE OF MINIMUM BIDS AND RENTAL [FR Doc. 03–18081 Filed 7–16–03; 8:45 am] minimum bids and rental rates are ATES BILLING CODE 4310–55–P R considered on a sale-by-sale basis. Terms (values per Johnnie Burton, hectare) Zone A Zone B DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Director, Minerals Management Service. Minimum Bid ...... $37.50 $25.00 [FR Doc. 03–18139 Filed 7–16–03; 8:45 am] Minerals Management Service Rental Rates: BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P Year 1 ...... $7.50 $2.50 Notice of Proposed Intent To Reduce Year 2 ...... 7.50 3.75 Minimum Bid Requirements and Set Year 3 ...... 7.50 5.00 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Sliding-Scale Rentals for Proposed Year 4 ...... 7.50 6.25 Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf Year 5 ...... 7.50 7.50 Minerals Management Service (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 186 Year 6 ...... 12.00 10.00 Year 7 ...... 17.00 12.00 AGENCY: Minerals Management Service Year 8 ...... 22.00 15.00 Notice of Availability of the Proposed (MMS), Interior. Year 9 ...... 30.00 17.00 Notice of Sale for Outer Continental ACTION: Notice of proposed intent to Year 10 ...... 30.00 20.00 Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale reduce minimum bid levels and set 189 in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico sliding-scale rentals for OCS sale 186. The new bidding requirements (GOM) outlined above are designed in part to SUMMARY: On February 20, 2003, the provide potential bidders the incentive AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, MMS published a Notice of Availability to acquire sufficient acreage to support Interior.

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