Department of the Interior December 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation and the National Park Service, is extending the public scoping period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Adoption of a Long-term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) for the Operation of Glen Canyon Dam to January 31, 2012. The Notice to Solicit Comments and Hold Public Scoping Meetings was published in the Federal Register on October 17, 2011 (76 FR 64104). The public scoping period was originally scheduled to end on Friday, December 30, 2011.

Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770, 5 U.S.C. App 1, Section 10) of a meeting of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission.

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) Dominguez- Escalante Advisory Council (Council) will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southwest Colorado Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet in January, April and October 2012.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce a public meeting of the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (Council).

The surface owner, Lotocka, LLC, filed an application on September 22, 2010, for the conveyance of the federally owned mineral interests of a 459.60 acre tract of land in Pinal County, Arizona. Publication of this notice temporarily segregates the Federal mineral interests in the land covered by the application from appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws, for up to 2 years while the application is being processed.

This order revokes a withdrawal in its entirety created by a Secretarial Order dated October 8, 1907, as it affects the remaining 46.68 acres of National Forest System land withdrawn for use by the United States Forest Service as an administrative site. This order also opens the land to appropriation and use of all kinds under the public land laws, excluding the mining laws, subject to other segregations of record.

As required by 43 CFR 2650.7(d), notice is hereby given that an appealable decision will be issued by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to Doyon, Limited. The decision approves conveyance of the surface and subsurface estates in the lands described below pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601, et seq). The lands are in the vicinity of Healy Lake, Alaska, and are located in:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) is seeking comments on a proposed information collection related to grants to fund tribal job placement and training programs. Federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska federally recognized tribal entities may apply for the funding by providing certain information. All federally recognized tribes and Alaska federally recognized tribal entities are eligible for these grants, including those that do not participate in the Public Law 102-477 Workforce Development Program. Grants shall only be disbursed on a tribe-by-tribe basis and will be unavailable for training programs that are national or regional in scope absent submission of a duly- enacted tribal resolution from the governing body of each participating federally recognized tribe or Alaska federally recognized tribal entity. Timely-submitted applications will be competed, juried, and evaluated based on their potential to provide tribal members or Alaskan Natives with sustainable employment on or near Native communities. Applicants receiving funding must provide quarterly and final reports summarizing the progress of its Native Employment Training (NET Grant) program, including the number of tribal members trained, the identities and locations of employers from whom they have obtained jobs, and the direct assistance and case management services which have facilitated employment placement for training graduates. This notice requests comments on the information collection associated with the application and final report.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS) are revising the 1978 listing of the Minnesota population of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to conform to current statutory and policy requirements. We rename what was previously listed as the Minnesota population of the gray wolf as the Western Great Lakes (WGL) Distinct Population Segment (DPS), and delineate the boundaries of the expanded Minnesota population segment to include all of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and portions of the adjacent states. We are removing the WGL DPS from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We are taking this action because the best available scientific and commercial information indicates that the WGL DPS does not meet the definitions of threatened or endangered under the Act. This final rule also removes the designated critical habitat for the wolf in Minnesota and Michigan and the special regulations under section 4(d) of the Act for wolves in Minnesota. We are separating our determination on the delisting of the Western Great Lakes DPS from the determination on our proposal regarding all or portions of the 29 eastern States we considered to be outside the historical range of the gray wolf. This rule finalizes our determination for the WGL DPS. A subsequent decision will be made for the rest of the eastern United States.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the project, located in San Diego County. The Secretary of the Interior approved the ROD on December 19, 2011, which constitutes the Department's final decision.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered or threatened species. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), prohibits activities with endangered and threatened species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act also requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), BSEE is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns a revision to the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR part 282, ``Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur''.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Coeur d'Alene District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004 (FLREA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Twin Falls District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) and subcommittee for the Jarbidge Resource Management Plan (RMP) will meet as indicated below.

This action proposes to amend NIGC regulations to include tribes, wholly owned tribal entities, and national banks that are already federally regulated or required to undergo a background investigation and licensure by a state or tribe pursuant to a tribal- state compact as entities that the Chair may exercise discretion regarding the submission of information and background investigations. This process may provide for a streamlined review for such entities in the background investigation process required for management contracts. The proposed revision may reduce duplication of efforts while maintaining the integrity of NIGC review. The proposal maintains the Chair's discretion in determining which entities should be allowed to proceed through an expedited background investigation. This amendment has been included in this proposed rule. The Commission also considered revising its regulations to clarify that a management contractor should be required to submit background information when the contract is for management of both Class II and Class III gaming activities. Many public comments noted that it was not a necessary revision. The Commission agrees with those public comments and does not propose that clarification.

The National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) will meet on January 12, 2012, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST. The meeting will be held via Web conference and teleconference. The NGAC, which is composed of representatives from governmental, private sector, non-profit, and academic organizations, has been established to advise the Chair of the Federal Geographic Data Committee on management of Federal geospatial programs, the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and the implementation of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-16. Topics to be addressed at the meeting include:

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the California State Lands Commission (CSLC) intend to jointly review a proposal to develop offshore oil and gas resources, located in California state waters, from an existing oil and gas platform located in Federal waters. This review will lead to a joint assessment of the potential environmental impacts and appropriate mitigation measures. This is the Notice of Preparation/Notice of Intent (NOP/NOI) to jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) and hold public scoping meetings for the Carpinteria Offshore Field Redevelopment Project. This notice initiates the public scoping process.

The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council has completed an inventory of human remains in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the remains and any present-day Indian tribe. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains may contact the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Disposition of the human remains to the Indian tribes stated below may occur if no additional requestors come forward.

Pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) John Day-Snake Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below:

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northeast California Resource Advisory Council's wild horse and burro management subcommittee will meet as indicated below.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, are notifying the public that we intend to grant funds to eligible applicants for purposes authorized under the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation Program. Additionally we are notifying the public that we intend to grant funds to eligible applicants for regulating coal mining within their jurisdictional borders. We will award these grants after October 1, 2011, because our award authority commences at the beginning of the fiscal year.

In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the Framework Agreement for Early Restoration Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the Federal and State natural resource trustee agencies (Trustees) have prepared a Draft Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (DERP/EA) describing and proposing a suite of early restoration projects intended to commence the process of restoring natural resources and services injured or lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on or about April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of the availability of the DERP/EA and to seek written comments on the proposed restoration alternative presented in the DERP/ EA.