Bureau of Land Management May 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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) Western Montana Resource Advisory Council (Council) will meet as follows.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) San Rafael Swell Recreation Area Advisory Council (Council) will meet as indicated below.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLMPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for federal coal managed by the Buffalo Field Office and by this notice is announcing the opportunity to protest the Proposed RMP Amendment.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on April 12, 2024.

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) Wyoming Resource Advisory Council (Council) will meet as follows.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is issuing a public notice of its intent to modify the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Privacy Act system of records, INTERIOR/BLM-16, Timber Sale Information System (TSIS). DOI is publishing this revised system of records notice (SORN) to change the system name to INTERIOR/BLM-16, Forest Resources Information System (FRIS), to provide organizational clarification related to the overall management of the forest resources program and to update all sections of the notice in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policy. This modified system will be included in DOI's inventory of record systems.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) promulgates this final rule, pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, and other relevant authorities, to advance the BLM's multiple use and sustained yield mission by prioritizing the health and resilience of ecosystems across public lands. To support ecosystem health and resilience, the rule provides that the BLM will protect intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and make informed management decisions based on science and data. To support these activities, the rule applies land health standards to all BLM-managed public lands and uses, codifies conservation tools to be used within FLPMA's multiple-use framework, and revises existing regulations to better meet FLPMA's requirement that the BLM prioritize designating and protecting areas of critical environmental concern (ACECs). The rule also provides an overarching framework for multiple BLM programs to facilitate ecosystem resilience on public lands.

This rule governs the management of surface resources and Special Areas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (Reserve or NPR-A). The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the NPR-A consistent with its duties under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act, as amended (NPRPA), Federal Land Policy and Management Act, as amended, (FLPMA), and other authorities. The rule revises the framework for designating and assuring maximum protection of Special Areas' significant resource values and protects and enhances access for subsistence activities throughout the NPR-A. It also incorporates aspects of the NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) approved in April 2022.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hereby provides constructive notice that it will issue an appealable decision approving conveyance of the surface and subsurface estates in certain lands to Cook Inlet Region, Inc., an Alaska Native regional corporation, pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and the Act of January 2, 1976.

This final rule updates procedures governing the BLM's renewable energy and right-of-way programs, focusing on two main topics. The first topic is solar and wind energy generation rents and fees, implementing new authority from the Energy Act of 2020 to "reduce acreage rental rates and capacity fees, or both, for existing and new wind and solar authorizations" and making certain findings required by the statute. The second topic is expanding agency discretion to process applications for solar and wind energy generation rights-of-way inside designated leasing areas (DLAs). In addition to these two main topics, this final rule makes technical changes, corrections, and clarifications to the regulations. This final rule will update the BLM's procedures governing the BLM's administration of rights-of-way issued under Title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), including for solar and wind energy applications and development authorizations.