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

This notice sets forth the dates of the February 22; May 17; August 23; and November 8, 2013, meetings of the Na Hoa Pili O Kaloko- Honokohau National Historical Park Advisory Commission.

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) Boise District Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will hold a meeting as indicated below.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Las Cruces District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

This rule revises the regulations that the Department of the Interior (the ``Department'') follows in processing records under the Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA''). The revisions clarify and update procedures for requesting information from the Department and procedures that the Department follows in responding to requests from the public. The revisions also incorporate clarifications and updates resulting from changes to the FOIA and case law. Finally, the revisions include current cost figures to be used in calculating and charging fees and increase the amount of information that members of the public may receive from the Department without being charged processing fees.

In accordance with the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Osage Negotiated Rulemaking Committee will meet as indicated below.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Acting Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for renewal of the collection of information for Water Request, 25 CFR 171, authorized by OMB Control Number 1076-0141. This information collection expires December 31, 2012.

This notice publishes the Approval of the Amended Tribal-State Compact between the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation and State of South Dakota

This notice publishes the Approval of the Tribal-State Compact between the State of Montana and the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska State Office, is issuing the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) Final Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/EIS).

In accordance with Title IV of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act, Quinex Energy Corporation timely filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease UTU88055 for lands in Uintah County, Utah, and paid all required rentals and royalties accruing from March 1, 2012, the date of termination.

The plats of survey of the described lands were officially filed in the Arizona State Office, Bureau of Land Management, Phoenix, Arizona, on dates indicated.

In accordance with Title IV of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982, Chesapeake Louisiana, LP, filed a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease numbered LAES 056461 for lands in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. Petitioner has paid all required rentals and royalties accruing from December 1, 2011, the date of termination.

Under the provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a petition for reinstatement of oil and gas lease NMNM 126063 from the lessee Nadel & Gussman Permian LLC, for lands in Eddy County, New Mexico. The petition was filed on time and was accompanied by all the rentals due since the date the lease terminated under the law.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS), propose to reclassify the continental United States (U.S.) breeding population of wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the best available scientific and commercial data indicate that the endangered designation no longer correctly reflects the current status of the continental U.S. breeding population of the wood stork due to a substantial improvement in the species' overall status. This proposed rule also constitutes our 12-month finding on the petition to reclassify the species.

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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Washington, DC, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the use of aminopyralid, fluroxypyr, and rimsulfuron herbicides as part of the its vegetation treatment programs on public lands in 17 Western States. By this notice, the BLM is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

The purpose of this public notice is to: (1) Describe the proposal submitted to BOEM by the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Mines Minerals and Energy (DMME) to acquire an OCS lease for wind energy research activities; (2) solicit public input regarding the proposal, its potential environmental consequences, and the use of the area in which the proposed project would be located; and (3) solicit indications of competitive interest for a research lease in the area identified by DMME for activities that would support future, potential commercial wind development. On June 1, 2012, BOEM received an unsolicited request for a research lease from DMME. The objective of DMME is to obtain a lease under 30 CFR 585.238 for renewable energy research activities, including the siting of two meteorological and ocean monitoring platforms for pre-and post-construction collection of resource data, including wind velocities, water levels, waves, and bird and bat activities, to support the future production of renewable energy within and around the Wind Energy Area (WEA) offshore Virginia, identified by BOEM. This RFCI is published pursuant to subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, as amended by section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3)), and the implementing regulations at 30 CFR Part 585.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Shadura Natural Gas Development Project is available for public review and comment. The EIS was prepared pursuant to the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA); the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (Refuge Administration Act), as amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (Refuge Improvement Act); and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). It describes five alternatives for accessing the subsurface natural gas estate owned by Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI), and provides analysis of the effects of those alternatives. The Service does not have a preferred alternative.

The California State Director for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is establishing interim final supplementary rules and requests public comments. These interim final supplementary rules will become effective immediately upon their publication in the Federal Register and will apply to public lands within the Carrizo Plain National Monument in Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties, California (Monument). The BLM has determined that these interim final supplementary rules are necessary to promote the health and sustainability of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, while reducing the risks to the Monument's ecosystem that, if left unchecked, could cause undue ecological degradation. These rules are in accordance with the Approved Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision (RMP/ROD) for the Monument.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is issuing this Draft Statement of Policy to announce its expectation that individuals and organizations performing or overseeing activities regulated by BSEE establish and maintain a positive safety culture commensurate with the significance of their activities and the nature and complexity of their organizations and functions. The BSEE defines safety culture as the core values and behaviors resulting from a collective commitment by leaders and individuals to emphasize safety, over competing goals, to ensure protection of people and the environment. This draft policy statement would apply to all lessees, the owners or holders of operating rights, designated operators or agents of the lessee(s), pipeline right-of-way holders, State lessees granted a right-of-use and easement, and contractors. The BSEE is requesting comments on the Draft Safety Culture Policy Statement and associated questions.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada will hold a joint meeting of its three Resource Advisory Councils (RACs), the Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin RAC, the Northeastern Great Basin RAC, and the Mojave-Southern Great Basin RAC in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting is open to the public and a public comment period will be available.

This notice provides BOEM's determination that there is no competitive interest in the area requested by Statoil North America (Statoil NA) for a commercial wind lease as described in the Notice of Potential Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Maine, Request for Interest (RFI), that BOEM published on August 10, 2012, (77 FR 47877). The RFI described Statoil NA's application for a commercial lease for a four-turbine wind energy project on the OCS off the coast of Maine, and provided an opportunity for the public to submit comments about the proposal.

The National Parks Air Tour Management Act (NPATMA) requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Park Service (NPS) to develop an air tour management plan for units of the national park system where an operator has requested authority to provide commercial air tours. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 amended various provisions of NPATMA. One provision exempted national park units with 50 or fewer annual flights from the provisions of NPATMA and requires FAA and NPS to jointly publish a list of exempt parks. This notice includes an initial list of parks that are exempt from the provisions of the NPATMA.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are removing the regulations that govern the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) translocation program, including the establishment of an experimental population of southern sea otters, and all associated management actions. Removal of the regulations terminates the program. We analyzed the environmental consequences of this action, and alternatives to it, in a final supplemental environmental impact statement (final SEIS), which we made available to the public on November 9, 2012. This Federal Register document records our decision to select the preferred alternative, Alternative 3C.

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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Searchlight Wind Energy Project and by this notice is announcing its availability.