Department of the Interior May 29, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for renewal for the collection of information titled, ``Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Contracts, 25 CFR part 900,'' OMB Control Number 1076-0136. This information collection expires May 31, 2013.

This proposed rule revises a section of regulations governing decisions by the Secretary to approve or deny applications to acquire land in trust under this part. This rule is appropriate to address changes in the applicability of the Quiet Title Act as interpreted by a recent United States Supreme Court decision. This rule revises a regulatory provision the Department added in 1996 to ensure that interested parties had the opportunity to timely seek judicial review of decisions when available under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Department had determined the provision was necessary because, consistent with Federal court decisions at the time, once the Secretary acquired title, the Quiet Title Act precluded judicial review of the Secretary's decision to take the land into trust. The Supreme Court has since held that the Quiet Title Act does not preclude timely Administrative Procedure Act challenges to agency decisions to acquire land in trust unless the aggrieved party claims an ownership interest in the property at issue. This rule revises the regulation to reflect this change in the law and to make other revisions to codify the current process for issuing decisions approving or denying requests to acquire land in trust under this part. It also broadens and clarifies the notice of decisions to acquire land in trust under this part, including broadening notice of any right to file an administrative appeal.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we), announce that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Shadura Natural Gas Development Project is available for public review. 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.