Department of the Interior August 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the collection of information for Federal Acknowledgment of Tribes. This information collection is currently authorized by OMB Control Number 1076-0104, which expires August 31, 2014.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board announces the proposed extension of a public information collection and seeks public comments on the provisions thereof.

We (National Park 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, 2014. 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.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received applications from Apache Alaska Corporation (Apache), SAExploration, Inc., LLC (SAE), and BlueCrest Energy, Inc. (BlueCrest), formerly Buccaneer Alaska Operations, LLC, for authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA), as amended, to take small numbers of northern sea otters from the Southcentral stock by harassment incidental to proposed oil and gas exploration activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska. In accordance with provisions of the MMPA, we request comments on our proposed authorization for the applicant to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of northern sea otters from the Southcentral stock for a period of 1 year. We anticipate no take by injury or death and include none in this proposed authorization, which would be for take by harassment only.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa), an amphibian species from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. The effect of this regulation will be to add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have issued the following permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act, as amended (Act).

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. With some exceptions, 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 requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

This rule prescribes final early-season frameworks from which the States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands may select season dates, limits, and other options for the 2014-15 migratory bird hunting seasons. Early seasons are those that generally open prior to October 1, and include seasons in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The effect of this final rule is to facilitate the selection of hunting seasons by the States and Territories to further the annual establishment of the early-season migratory bird hunting regulations.

This order partially revokes a withdrawal created by an Executive Order insofar as it affects 40 acres of public land withdrawn from settlement, sale, location, or entry under the public land laws, including location for non-metalliferous minerals under the United States mining laws, for protection of springs and waterholes and designated as Public Water Reserve No. 107. This order also opens the land to sale to resolve an occupancy trespass.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, the Department of the Interior is issuing public notice of its intent to delete the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Privacy Act system of records, ``Safety Management Information, BLM-13'' from its existing inventory of records systems. The BLM relies on the Department of the Interior ``Safety Management Information System, DOI-60'' to cover safety management program records.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of the Record of Decision for the Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Final GMP/EIS), Gateway National Recreation Area (Gateway), New Jersey and New York. On June 11, 2014, the Regional Director, Northeast Region, signed the Record of Decision approving a new General Management Plan (GMP) for Gateway. As soon as practicable, the NPS will begin to implement the selected alternative.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Aztec Ruins National Monument, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, has determined that the cultural items listed in this notice meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects. Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to claim these cultural items should submit a written request to Aztec Ruins National Monument. If no additional claimants come forward, transfer of control of the cultural items to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for Diplacus vandenbergensis (Vandenberg monkeyflower), a plant species from Santa Barbara County, California. The effect of this regulation will be to add this species to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), designate critical habitat for Physaria globosa (Short's bladderpod), Helianthus verticillatus (whorled sunflower), and Leavenworthia crassa (fleshy- fruit gladecress) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 1,006 hectares (ha) (2,488 acres (ac)) in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee fall within the boundaries of the critical habitat designations.

In accordance with the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, we announce that the Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science will hold a meeting.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) 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 the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 551, Geological and Geophysical (G&G) Explorations of the Outer Continental Shelf.

This notice announces proposed revisions to two existing categorical exclusions included in the Department of the Interior's Departmental Manual 516 DM 9. The proposed revisions to the categorical exclusions pertain to two types of activities conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): the excavation of trenches across potentially active faults to assess the history of earthquakes along those faults; and the removal of hydrologic and water-quality monitoring structures and equipment and restoration of the sites. USGS experience with these activities indicates that they do not have the potential for significant environmental impacts. The intent of the revisions is to improve the efficiency of the environmental review process.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs as lead agency, with the Samish Indian Nation and the City of Anacortes, serving as cooperating agencies, intends to file a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Samish Indian Nation Trust Acquisition and Casino Project, City of Anacortes, Skagit County, Washington. The DEIS is now available for public review and a public hearing will be held to receive comments.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a notice in the Federal Register of July 5, 2013, concerning a ``Direct Sale of Public Lands in Pima County, AZ.'' That notice cited an erroneous serial number in its heading. This notice corrects that error.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received two applications for transfer of permits associated with two habitat conservation plans issued under the Endangered Species Act (Act). The new landowners have agreed to assume the responsibilities of, and to be bound by, the terms and conditions of the original permits. We intend to transfer these permits as long as the applicants meet issuance criteria under the Act and all other requirements for holding a permit.

The National Park Service is amending its special regulations for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve to designate trails in the portion of the Nabesna District located within the National Preserve where motor vehicles may be used off roads for recreational purposes. The rule prohibits the use of certain types of vehicles based upon size and weight, and closes certain areas in designated wilderness within the Nabesna District that are located outside of established trails and trail corridors to the use of motor vehicles for subsistence.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to sell a 1.06-acre parcel of public land in Teton County, Wyoming, to TSR Limited under the provisions of Section 203 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of October 21, 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, for not less than the appraised fair market value of $75,000. This parcel is in an inaccessible location that is difficult and uneconomical for the BLM to manage as it is surrounded by private lands, most of which belongs to TSR Limited, and is not suitable for management by another Federal agency.

We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This collection is scheduled to expire on October 31, 2014.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a revised 12-month finding on a petition to list the Upper Missouri River distinct population segment (Upper Missouri River DPS) of Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Upper Missouri River DPS of Arctic grayling is not warranted at this time. The best available scientific and commercial information indicates that habitat-related threats previously identified, including habitat fragmentation, dewatering, thermal stress, entrainment, riparian habitat loss, and effects from climate change, for the Upper Missouri River DPS of Arctic grayling have been sufficiently ameliorated and that 19 of 20 populations of Arctic grayling are either stable or increasing. This action removes the Upper Missouri River DPS of the Arctic grayling from our candidate list. Although listing is not warranted at this time, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the threats to the Upper Missouri River DPS of Arctic grayling or its habitat at any time.