Department of the Interior 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is amending its renewable energy regulations to update the definition of Outer Continental Shelf and add the definition of State in conformity with the Inflation Reduction Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in accordance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), provide a list to the public of permits issued under the ESA. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that authorizes or exempts the taking under the ESA. We provide this list to the public as a summary of our permit issuances for candidate conservation agreements with assurances, safe harbor agreements, habitat conservation plans, and recovery activities for calendar year 2022.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northern California District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as follows.

Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act that a meeting of the National Historic Landmarks Committee (Committee) of the National Park System Advisory Board (Board) will meet as indicated below.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the northwestern pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata), a species from Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and northern and central California, and the southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida), a species from central and southern California and Baja California, Mexico, as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the western pond turtle, which is now recognized as two separate species (northwestern pond turtle and southwestern pond turtle). After a review of the best scientific and commercial information available, we find that listing the northwestern pond turtle and southwestern pond turtle is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the northwestern pond turtle and southwestern pond turtle as threatened species with rules issued under section 4(d) of the Act (``4(d) rule'') for each species. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add the northwestern pond turtle and southwestern pond turtle to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the two species. Due to the current lack of data sufficient to perform required analyses, we conclude that the designation of critical habitat for the northwestern pond turtle and southwestern pond turtle is not determinable at this time.

The plats of survey of the following described lands are scheduled to be officially filed 30 days after the date of this publication in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), New Mexico State Office, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The surveys announced in this notice are necessary for the management of lands administered by the agency indicated.

Notice is hereby given that 3,479 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered public lands described later in this notice in Deschutes and Jefferson Counties, Oregon, will be temporarily closed to all forms of entry seasonally for up to 2 years to protect the habitat of bald eagles, golden eagles, prairie falcons, and other nesting raptors during sensitive breeding and nesting time frames.

The National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior, is requesting nominations for qualified persons to serve as members of the Preservation Technology and Training Board (Board).

The Bureau of Reclamation is publishing this notice to announce that a Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Advisory Council (Council) will take place. This meeting is open to the public.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit public nominations for three positions on the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board (Board) that will become vacant on January 11, 2024. The Board provides advice concerning the management, protection, and control of wild free-roaming horses and burros on public lands administered by the Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Department of Agriculture, through the U.S. Forest Service.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we, the National Park Service (NPS), are proposing to renew an information collection with revisions.

BOEM is announcing the availability of the Proposed Final Program (PFP) for the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program (2024-2029 Program, National OCS Program, or Program), as well as the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the 2024-2029 Program (Final Programmatic EIS).

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the National Park Service (NPS) is hereby giving notice that the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names (Committee) will meet as noted below.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Northwest California Integrated Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft RMP/EIS) for the Redding Field Office and Arcata Field Office. By this notice, the BLM is providing information announcing the opening of the comment period on the Draft RMP/EIS and is announcing the comment period on the BLM's proposed areas of critical environmental concern (ACECs).

This notice informs the public that the Assistant Secretary Indian Affairs proclaimed approximately 254.363 acres, more or less, as an addition to the reservation of Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation of Washington.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approved the Soboba Band of Luise[ntilde]o Indians, California Residential Leasing Ordinance under the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act of 2012 (HEARTH Act). With this approval, the Tribe is authorized to enter into residential leases without further BIA approval.

BOEM announces the availability of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the construction and operations plan (COP) submitted by Virginia Electric and Power Company (dba Dominion Energy) for the proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project (Project), offshore Virginia Beach, Virginia. The FEIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the Project as described in the COP (the proposed action) and the alternatives to the proposed action, including the no action alternative. The FEIS will inform BOEM's decision whether to approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove the COP.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Kansas State University has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Platte County, MO.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Tulare County, CA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the California State University, Chico (CSU Chico) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The associated funerary objects were removed from Chico, CA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Riverside has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The associated funerary objects were removed from Riverside, CA.

This order extends the duration of the withdrawal created by Public Land Order (PLO) No. 6476, as extended by PLO No. 7572, for an additional 20-year period. PLO No. 6476 withdrew 334 acres of National Forest System lands in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest from location and entry under the United States mining laws to protect the Wheeler Creek Research Natural Area (RNA).

This final rule updates the fees set forth in the Department of the Interior's onshore mineral resources regulations for the processing of certain minerals program-related actions. It also adjusts certain filing fees for minerals-related documents. These updated fees include those for actions such as lease renewals, mineral patent adjudications, and Applications for Permits to Drill (APDs).

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Louisiana State University, Museum of Natural Science (LSUMNS) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Iberville Parish, Louisiana.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human remains and any Indian Tribe. The human remains were removed from Alameda County, CA.