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<br />Federal Register/Vol. 70, No. 59/Tuesday, March 29, 200S/Notices
<br />
<br />15873
<br />
<br />F. Tampering or attempting to tamper
<br />with property or real property, or
<br />moving, manipulating, or setting in
<br />motion any of the parts thereof.
<br />Violation of the prohibition listed in
<br />43 CFR part 423 is punishable by fine
<br />or imprisonment for not more than 6
<br />months, or both.
<br />
<br />Dated: March 2, 2005.
<br />Michael J. Ryan,
<br />Area Manager, Northern California Area
<br />Office, Mid-Pacific Region.
<br />[FR Doc. 05-6112 Filed 3-28-05; 8:45 amI
<br />BilliNG CODe 431G-MN-P
<br />
<br />DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
<br />
<br />Bureau of Reclamation
<br />
<br />Review of Existing Coordinated Long-
<br />Range Operating Criteria for Colorado
<br />River Reservoirs (Operating Criteria)
<br />
<br />AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation
<br />(Reclamation), Interior.
<br />ACTION: Notice of final decision
<br />regarding the operating criteria.
<br />
<br />SUMMARY: The purpose of this action is
<br />to provide public notice that the
<br />Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) has
<br />made a number of limited modifications
<br />to the text of the Operating Criteria
<br />developed pursuant to section 602 of
<br />the Colorado River Basin Project Act of
<br />1968. The bases for the changes are: (1)
<br />Specific change in Fede~alla,,: .
<br />applicable to the Operatmg CrIterIa, (2)
<br />language in the current text of the
<br />Operating Criteria that is outdated, and
<br />(3) specific modifications to Article
<br />N(b) of the Operating Criteria that
<br />reflect actual operating experience. The
<br />review of the Operating Criteria has
<br />been conducted through a public review
<br />process, including consultation with the
<br />seven Colorado River Basin States, tribal
<br />representatives, and interested parties
<br />and stakeholders.
<br />DATES: Effective Date: March 21, 2005.
<br />FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
<br />Jayne Harkins, Bureau of Reclamation,
<br />Lower Colorado Region, P.O. Box 61470,
<br />Boulder City, Nevada 89006-1470;
<br />telephone (702) 293-8411; faxogram
<br />(702) 293-8614; e-mail:
<br />jharkins@lc.usbr.gov; or Tom Ryan,
<br />Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado
<br />Region, 125 South State Street, Room
<br />6107, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1147;
<br />telephone (801) 524-3732; faxogram
<br />(801) 524-5499; e-mail:
<br />tryan@uc.usbr.gov.
<br />
<br />SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
<br />public review process began with a
<br />Federal Register notice published on
<br />January 15,2002, announcing the sixth
<br />
<br />review of the Operating Criteria and
<br />inviting comments regarding whether
<br />the Operating Criteria should be
<br />modified, and if so, how they should be
<br />modified (67 FR 1986). The January 15,
<br />2002, notice provided for a comment
<br />period that ended on March 18, 2002.
<br />On March 6, 2002, a second notice was
<br />published in the Federal Register
<br />extending the comment period to March
<br />29, 2002, and inviting public feedback
<br />on whether or not Reclamation should
<br />conduct a public meeting to solicit
<br />comments as part of the sixth review of
<br />the Operating Criteria (67 FR 10225). A
<br />letter was then sent to all interested
<br />parties, tribes, and stakeholders on
<br />March 7, 2002, that included copies of
<br />both Federal Register notices and the
<br />Operating Criteria.
<br />On June 27, 2002, a Fact Sheet
<br />providing information on the Operating
<br />Criteria, scope of the review process,
<br />public participation, timelin~ for the.
<br />review process, and contact mformatIon
<br />was sent to all interested parties and
<br />stakeholders. In addition to the Fact
<br />Sheet, Reclamation set up a Web site
<br />(http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/
<br />lroc) for the sixth review of the
<br />Operating Criteria that contained further
<br />information on the review, copies of all
<br />comment letters received, and links to
<br />technical documents Reclamation felt
<br />would be useful during the review
<br />
<br />process.
<br />Detailed written comments were
<br />received from 16 interested parties
<br />providing Reclamation with numerous
<br />issues, comments, and concerns
<br />regarding possible changes to the
<br />Operating Criteria. The names of the
<br />parties that provided comments, as well
<br />as the corresponding number assigned
<br />by Reclamation to the comment letter,
<br />are as follows:
<br />1. Western Area Power
<br />Administration, Phoenix, Arizona.
<br />2. Quechan Indian Tribe.
<br />3. Metropolitan Water District of
<br />Southern California.
<br />4. National Park Service.
<br />5. Arizona Department of Water
<br />Resources.
<br />6. Sierra Club, Southwest Rivers,
<br />Defenders of Wildlife, Land and Water
<br />Fund of the Rockies, Environmental
<br />Defense, Pacific Institute, Friends of
<br />Arizona Rivers, Living Rivers, and
<br />American Rivers.
<br />7. Interested Party (this entity
<br />requested that their name be withheld
<br />from public disclosure). "
<br />8. Colorado River Board of Cahforma.
<br />9. Western Area Power
<br />Administration, Salt Lake City, Utah.
<br />10. Upper Colorado River
<br />Commission.
<br />
<br />11. Irrigation & Electrical Districts
<br />Association of Arizona.
<br />12. Colorado Water Conservation
<br />Board, State of Colorado.
<br />13. New Mexico Interstate Stream
<br />Commission.
<br />14. Office ofthe Attorney General,
<br />Water & Natural Resources Division,
<br />State of Wyoming.
<br />15. International Boundary and Water
<br />Commission, United States and Mexico.
<br />16. State of Utah, Department of
<br />Natural Resources, Division of Water
<br />Resources.
<br />The comment letters were reviewed
<br />for identification of and analysis of the
<br />issues. Responses to the comment
<br />letters, as well as the corresponding
<br />number of the party that made the
<br />comment, are provided under the
<br />Synopsis of Comments and Responses
<br />section of this notice.
<br />As required by Federal law, formal
<br />consultation with the seven Basin
<br />States, interested parties and
<br />stakeholders, as well as government-to-
<br />government consultation with trib~
<br />representatives, was conducted durmg
<br />this review of the Operating Criteria.
<br />The January 15, 2002, Federal Register
<br />notice stated that open public meetings
<br />would be conducted as part of this
<br />review, and in the March 6, 2002,
<br />Federal Register notice, Reclamation
<br />asked for comments on whether or not
<br />a public meeting should be held. At the
<br />end ofthe comment period (March 29,
<br />2002), several of those who provided
<br />comments stated that a public meeting
<br />to solicit comments on the need to
<br />revise the Operating Criteria was not
<br />needed. Accordingly, Reclamation did
<br />not conduct a public meeting at that
<br />point in the review process.
<br />On November 3,2004, a Notice of
<br />Proposed Decision Regarding the
<br />Operating Criteria and Announcement
<br />of Public Consultation Meeting was
<br />published in the Federal Register (69
<br />FR 64096). The Notice identified the
<br />proposed changes to the Operating
<br />Criteria as Reclamation's response to
<br />comments received and invited public
<br />input on those changes. The notice
<br />announced that a public consultation
<br />meeting would be held in Henderson,
<br />Nevada, on November 19, 2004, and
<br />provided for a comment period that
<br />ended on December 6, 2004. On
<br />November 4, 2004, a letter was sent to
<br />all interested parties, tribes, and
<br />stakeholders containing a copy of the
<br />November 3,2004, Federal Register
<br />notice.
<br />On November 19,2004, a public
<br />consultation meeting was conducted to
<br />(1) Discuss the proposed changes to the
<br />Operating Criteria as Reclamation's
<br />response to comments received, (2)
<br />
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