Federal Register/Vol. 63, No. 193/Tuesday, October 6, 1998

53596 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 193 / Tuesday, October 6, 1998 / Rules and Regulations a dependent child), and, in the case of ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR a child applying for or in receipt of AGENCY pension in his or her own behalf Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter in this section referred to as 40 CFR Part 52 a surviving child), of any person with 50 CFR Part 17 whom such child is residing who is [ME014±6994c; A±1±FRL±6172±8] RIN 1018±AB75 legally responsible for such child's support. Approval and Promulgation of Air Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (b) Obligation to report changes in Quality Implementation Plans; Maine; and Plants; Determination of factors affecting entitlement. Any Source Surveillance Regulation Endangered or Threatened Status for individual who has applied for or Five Desert Milk-vetch Taxa From receives pension must promptly notify AGENCY: Environmental Protection California the Secretary in writing of any change Agency (EPA). AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, affecting entitlement in any of the ACTION: Withdrawal of direct final rule. Interior. following: ACTION: Final rule. (1) Income; SUMMARY: On August 11, 1998, the EPA SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife (2) Net worth or corpus of estate; published a proposed rule (63 FR Service (Service) determines (3) Marital status; 42784) and a direct final rule (63 FR endangered status pursuant to the (4) Nursing home patient status; 42726) approving Maine's Chapter 117 Endangered Species Act of 1973, as ``Source Surveillance Regulation.'' The (5) School enrollment status of a child amended, (Act) for three plantsÐ 18 years of age or older; or EPA is withdrawing this final rule due Astragalus jaegerianus (Lane Mountain to adverse comments and will milk-vetch), Astragalus lentiginosus var. (6) Any other factor that affects summarize and address the comments coachellae (Coachella Valley milk- entitlement to benefits under the received in a subsequent final rule vetch), and Astragalus tricarinatus provisions of this part. (based upon the proposed rule cited (triple-ribbed milk-vetch); and (c) Eligibility verification reports. (1) above). threatened status for two plants, For purposes of this section the term Astragalus lentiginosus var. piscinensis DATES: This withdrawal of the direct eligibility verification report means a (Fish Slough milk-vetch), and final rule will be effective October 6, form prescribed by the Secretary that is Astragalus magdalenae var. peirsonii used to request income, net worth, 1998. (Peirson's milk-vetch). Many taxa in the dependency status, and any other ADDRESSES: Copies of the documents genus Astragalus, including the taxa information necessary to determine or relevant to this action are available for covered by this rule, are endemic to verify entitlement to pension. public inspection during normal habitats with specific substrate or (2) The Secretary shall require an business hours, by appointment at the hydrologic conditions and are, eligibility verification report under the Office of Ecosystem Protection, U.S. therefore, naturally limited in following circumstances: Environmental Protection Agency, distribution by the availability of (i) If the Social Security Region I, One Congress Street, 11th habitat. The five taxa in this rule occur Administration has not verified the floor, Boston, MA and the Bureau of Air in specific habitats within the three beneficiary's Social Security number Quality Control, Department of deserts of California; the Sonoran, Mojave, and Great Basin deserts. and, if the beneficiary is married, his or Environmental Protection, 71 Hospital Astragalus jaegerianus occurs in her spouse's Social Security number; Street, Augusta, ME 04333. (ii) If there is reason to believe that granitic soils in San Bernardino County; FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: the beneficiary or his or her spouse may A. lentiginosus var. coachellae occurs in have received income other than Social Anne E. Arnold, (617) 565±3166. the dune system of the Coachella Valley in Riverside County; A. lentiginosus var. Security during the current or previous List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52 calendar year; or piscinensis grows in moist alkaline flats Environmental protection, Air near the border of Inyo and Mono (iii) If the Secretary determines that counties; A. tricarinatus occurs in an eligibility verification report is pollution control, Incorporation by reference, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, canyon slopes and washes in Riverside necessary to preserve program integrity. and San Bernardino counties and A. Particulate matter, Reporting and (3) An individual who applies for or magdalenae var. peirsonii occurs recordkeeping requirements, Sulfur receives pension as defined in § 3.3 of primarily on dunes in Imperial County. this part shall, as a condition of receipt oxides. These five plant taxa are threatened or continued receipt of benefits, furnish Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.. by one or more of the followingÐ the Department of Veterans Affairs an Dated: September 28, 1998. mining, urban development, off- eligibility verification report upon John P. DeVillars, highway vehicle (OHV) use and request, recreational development, pipeline Regional Administrator, Region I. (d) If VA requests that a claimant or maintenance, alteration of a wetland [FR Doc. 98±26789 Filed 10±5±98; 8:45 am] beneficiary submit an eligibility ecosystem, and low recruitment verification report but he or she fails to BILLING CODE 6560±50±P possibly due to rabbit herbivory or do so within 60 days of the date of the altered soil hydrology following fishery VA request, the Secretary shall suspend enhancement activities. Military the award or disallow the claim. training, and cattle grazing are potential threats. Two of the taxa are known from (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 1506) fewer than 200 individuals during the [FR Doc. 98±26781 Filed 10±5±98; 8:45 am] last decade. They are vulnerable to BILLING CODE 8320±01±P extinction from random natural events Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 193 / Tuesday, October 6, 1998 / Rules and Regulations 53597 or unplanned activities that can destroy spp.). Descriptions of Mojave and discovery in 1992 (Connie Rutherford, a substantial portion of remaining Sonoran Desert plant communities can Service, pers. comm. 1996). At the individuals. This rule implements the be found in Rowlands et al. (1982), northern sites, A. jaegerianus occurs on protection and recovery provisions Thorne (1982), Thorne (1986), Vasek lands managed by the Department of afforded by the Act for these plants. and Barbour (1988), and Burk (1988). Defense (DOD) at the National Training DATES: This rule is effective on The sagebrush-dominated communities Center (NTC) of Fort Irwin, and on November 5, 1998. of the Great Basin Desert are described adjacent lands managed by the Bureau ADDRESSES: The complete file for this by Young et al. (1986) and Holland and of Land Management (BLM). At the rule is available for inspection, by Keil (1990). southernmost site, near Lane Mountain, plants are known to occur on BLM appointment, during normal business Discussion of the Five Taxa hours at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife lands, although Lane Mountain Mesa is Service, Ventura Field Office, 2493 Astragalus jaegerianus (Lane a patchwork of public and private lands. Mountain milk-vetch) was described by Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, At the northern sites, Astragalus Philip A. Munz (1941) based on a California, 93003. jaegerianus has been found most often specimen he collected ''. * * * 2 miles in shrub associations where Mormon tea FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: south of Jay Mine, about 12 miles south (Ephedra nevadensis) or Cooper Diane Steeck, Botanist, at the above of Goldstone * * *'' in San Bernardino goldenbush (Ericameria cooperi) are the address (telephone 805/644±1766). County, in April 1941. This species has dominant or subdominant shrub species SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: been consistently recognized by within the larger creosote bush/white Background botanists in floristic treatments (Munz bursage (Larrea tridentata/Ambrosia and Keck 1959, Munz 1974, Spellenberg dumosa) community (Brandt et al 1993). The genus Astragalus, in the pea 1993). At all sites, Astragalus jaegerianus family (Fabaceae), is well represented in Astragalus jaegerianus is a wispy plants are almost exclusively found North America with close to 400 perennial that is somewhat woody at the growing up through shrubs or, species. In California, the genus is base, with stems 30 to 50 centimeters occasionally, through clumps of dead highly diversified in the deserts and (cm) (12 to 20 inches (in)) long, that bunchgrass (Brandt et al 1993; C. surrounding desert ranges. Astragalus often grow in a zigzag pattern, usually Rutherford, pers. comm. 1996). On the jaegerianus (Lane Mountain milk- up through low bushes. Leaves have 7 NTC, Astragalus jaegerianus grows in vetch), Astragalus lentiginosus var. to 15 silvery pubescent linear leaflets, 5 granitic soils that are more coarse, at coachellae (Coachella Valley milk- to 25 millimeters (mm) (0.2 to 1.0 in) least on the surface, than surrounding vetch), Astragalus lentiginosus var. long. The flowers, 5 to 15 per stalk, are soils (Brandt et al 1993). piscinensis (Fish Slough milk-vetch), cream to purple, or lighter with veins of Threats to Astragalus jaegerianus Astragalus magdalenae var. peirsonii a deeper color. The keel petals are less include habitat destruction from dry (Peirson's milk-vetch), and Astragalus than 10 mm (0.4 in) long.

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