Department of the Interior June 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior, announces the proposed renewal of a public information collection required by The American Indian Trust Fund Management Reform Act of 1994, ``Application to Withdraw Tribal Funds from Trust Status, 25 CFR 1200,'' OMB Control No. 1035-0003, and that it is seeking comments on its provisions. After public review, the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians will submit the information collection to Office of Management and Budget for renewal.

The Bureau of Reclamation intends to submit a request for renewal of an existing approved information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Reclamation Rural Water Supply Program (OMB Control Number 1006-0029). Title 43 CFR part 404 requires entities interested in participating in the Rural Water Supply Program (Rural Water Program) to submit information to allow Reclamation to evaluate and prioritize requests for financial or technical assistance.

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. This information collection is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2012. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. However, under OMB regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) for a new approval of the paperwork requirements under 30 CFR part 250, subpart A, General. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

The Departments, in compliance with the determinations of the District Court in Peratrovich v. United States, No. 3:92-cv-00734-HRH (D. Alaska), announce the initiation of reviews of pre-statehood withdrawals and reservations in the Tongass National Forest. These reviews, as ordered by the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, will be used in regulatory proceedings for the purpose of implementing Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act with respect to submerged public lands within the Tongass National Forest.

The Museum of the Plains Indian, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, 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 Museum of the Plains Indian, Indian Arts and Crafts Board. Disposition of the human remains to the Indian tribes stated below may occur if no additional requestors come forward.

The University of Alabama Museums has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and present-day Indian tribes. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary objects may contact the museums. Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the Indian tribes stated below may occur if no additional claimants come forward.

The University of Maine, Hudson Museum has completed an inventory of human remains in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and present-day Indian tribes. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains may contact the University of Maine, Hudson Museum. Repatriation of the human remains to the Indian tribes stated below may occur if no additional claimants come forward.

The Department of Anthropology Museum at the University of California, Davis, 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 tribe. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains may contact the Department of Anthropology Museum at the University of California, Davis. Disposition of the human remains to the tribes stated below may occur if no additional requestors come forward.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the University of Tennessee McClung Museum (McClung Museum) have completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, and have determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects, and a present-day Indian tribe. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the human remains and associated funerary objects may contact the TVA and McClung Museum. Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the Indian tribe stated below may occur if no additional claimants come forward.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the University of Tennessee McClung Museum (McClung Museum), in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes, have determined that the cultural items meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects, and repatriation to the Indian tribes identified below may occur if no additional claimants come forward. Representatives of any Indian tribe that believes itself to be culturally affiliated with the cultural items may contact the TVA and McClung Museum.

On May 23, 2012, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a Notice of Filing of Plats by the Colorado State Office, Lakewood, Colorado [77 FR 30550]. The plat and field notes of the dependent resurvey and survey in Township 48 North, Range 6 West, New Mexico Principal Meridian, Colorado, accepted May 3, 2012, was incorrectly listed as Range 68 West. This Notice of Correction is intended to correct this to Range 6 West.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will file the plat of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Montana State Office, Billings, Montana, on July 5, 2012.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to delist the Inyo California towhee (Pipilo crissalis eremophilus), and to reclassify from endangered to threatened the arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus), Indian Knob mountainbalm (Eriodictyon altissimum), Lane Mountain milk-vetch (Astragalus jaegerianus), Modoc sucker (Catostomus microps), and Santa Cruz cypress (Cupressus abramsiana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating status reviews of these taxa to determine if the respective actions of delisting and reclassifying are warranted. Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the Act also requires a status review of listed species at least once every 5 years. The status reviews we are initiating will also fulfill the requirements of section 4(c)(2) of the Act. To ensure that these status reviews are comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding these species and subspecies. Based on these status reviews, we will issue 12-month findings for each of the species in the petition, which will address whether the petitioned actions are warranted under section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Act.

The Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary is announcing a public meeting of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Public Advisory Committee.