Department of the Interior August 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to continue the collection of information that enables the BLM to manage Federal coal resources in accordance with applicable statutes. The OMB previously approved this information collection activity, and assigned it control number 1004-0073.

The purpose of this notice is to reopen the request for public nominations for certain New Mexico Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Resource Advisory Councils (RAC) that have member terms expiring this year. These RACs provide advice and recommendations to the BLM on land use planning and management of the National System of Public Lands within their geographic areas. The RACs covered by this request for nominations are identified below. The BLM will accept public nominations for 30 days after the publication of this notice.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to continue the collection of information that enables the BLM to collect information from applicants for free use permits for vegetative or mineral material. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has assigned control number 1004-0001 to this information collection.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is seeking comments and will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval on the new collection of information, Bureau of Indian Education Medication Authorization and Incident Report Forms.

On behalf of the United States Forest Service, this order withdraws, subject to valid existing rights, 73 acres of National Forest System land in the Bighorn National Forest from location and entry under the United States mining laws, but not from leasing under the mineral leasing laws, for a period of 20 years to protect capital improvements constructed for the Burgess Junction Visitor Center and Administrative Site.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are initiating 5-year status reviews of 22 species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). A 5-year review is an assessment of the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. Therefore, we are requesting submission of information that has become available since the last review of each of these species.

This notice advises the public that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD; applicant) has applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an enhancement of survival permit pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The permit application includes a proposed programmatic safe harbor agreement (agreement) between the applicant and the Service that would authorize incidental take resulting from voluntary activities to restore, maintain, enhance, or create habitat for the endangered Houston toad. The Service also announces the availability of a draft environmental assessment (EA) that has been prepared to evaluate the permit application in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. We are making the permit application package, including the draft safe harbor agreement, and draft environmental assessment available for public review and comment.

We (National Park Service, NPS) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act 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 information collection is scheduled to expire on May 31, 2017. 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.

The Bureau of Reclamation, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State of Colorado Department of Natural Resources Dam Safety Branch, and various water irrigation districts that operate Federal canals, is seeking new ideas for cost-effective ways to prevent rodents from burrowing into the earthen embankments of dams, canals, and levees. These burrows cause seepage paths in the embankment system which can lead to structural failures that endanger water supplies, and cause property damage and loss of life. Many of the more traditional and ``intuitive'' methods have been tried with little success to date. We are hoping the Solver community can dig deeper than the rodents to find creative and effective solutions to this Challenge.

The purpose of this notice is to request a second call for nominations for five open positions on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah Resource Advisory Council (RAC) because we did not receive a sufficient number of applications from the first call for nominations. The RAC provides advice and recommendations to the BLM on land use planning and management of the National System of Public Lands within their geographic areas. The BLM will accept public nominations for 30 days after the publication of this notice.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Orange County Utilities Department, is requesting a 5-year ITP. We request public comment on the permit application and accompanying proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), as well as on our preliminary determination that the plan qualifies as low effect under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which are also available for review.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Sheep Mountain Uranium Project and by this notice is announcing its availability.

This notice announces the extension of the Class III gaming compact between the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and the State of South Dakota.

The purpose of this document is to propose amendments to the procedures followed by the National Indian Gaming Commission (Commission) when processing a request under the Privacy Act of 1974. The proposed amendments make the following changes to the current regulations. These changes will serve to update certain Commission information, streamline how the Commission processes its Privacy Act requests, and aligns those processes with its procedures for processing Freedom of Information Act requests.

The plats of survey of the following described lands are scheduled to be officially filed in the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office, Portland, Oregon, 30 days from the date of this publication.

We (the U.S. Geological Survey) are notifying the public that we have submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the information collection request (ICR) described below. To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 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 ICR.

The National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, proposes to appoint new members to the Na Hoa Pili O Kaloko-Honokohau (The Friends of Kaloko-Honokohau) (Commission), an advisory commission for Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (Park). The Superintendent of the Park, acting as administrative lead, is requesting nominations for qualified persons to serve as members of the Commission.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are initiating 5-year status reviews of 14 Caribbean species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). A 5-year review is an assessment of the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We are requesting submission of information that has become available since the last review of each of these species.

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 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, 2016. 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.

The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to amend its special regulation for off-road vehicle (ORV) use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, to revise the times that certain beaches open to ORV use in the morning, extend the dates that certain seasonal ORV routes are open in the fall and spring, and modify the size and location of vehicle-free areas. Consideration of changes to this special regulation was required by section 3057 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. The NPS also proposes to amend this special regulation to allow the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to issue ORV permits that would be valid for different lengths of time than currently exist, and to replace an ORV route designation on Ocracoke Island with a park road to allow vehicle access and pedestrian use of a soundside area without the requirement for an ORV permit.

Consistent with the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), BOEM is announcing its intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed GOM Lease Sales 250 and 251 (2018 GOM Lease Sales 250 and 251 Supplemental EIS) as scheduled in the 2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program (2017-2022 Proposed Program). This Notice of Intent (NOI) serves to announce the EIS scoping process for the 2018 GOM Lease Sales 250 and 251 Supplemental EIS. The 2018 GOM Lease Sales 250 and 251 Supplemental EIS will tier from the 2017-2022 GOM Multisale EIS. Section 18 of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) requires the development of an OCS oil and gas leasing program every five years. The Program sets forth a schedule of lease sales designed to best meet the Nation's energy needs. The lease sales proposed in the GOM in the 2017- 2022 Proposed Program are areawide sales encompassing both the Western and Central Planning Areas, and a portion of the Eastern Planning Area not subject to Congressional moratorium. These planning areas are located off the States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. By proposing lease sales that offer all available GOM acreage, BOEM seeks to provide more opportunity for industry to bid on rejected, relinquished, or expired OCS lease blocks and facilitate better planning to explore resources that straddle the U.S./Mexico boundary. During the pre-lease sale process, the size of any individual lease sale could be reduced, and a smaller area offered for leasing, should circumstances warrant. For example, an individual lease sale could be focused on a single GOM Planning Area as in the 2012-2017 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program.

Pursuant to Public Law 106-503, the National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council (NEPEC) will hold its next meeting by phone. The Committee is comprised of members from academia and the Federal government. The Committee provides advice and recommendations to the Director of the USGS on earthquake predictions and related scientific research. In this brief meeting by phone, the Council will receive updates on the status of pertinent activities of the Earthquake Hazards Program, and will deliver its recommendations on the testing of earthquake prediction hypotheses.

Notice is hereby given that the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah State Office, will offer the Federal coal resources described below as the Greens Hollow Tract (UTU-84102) for competitive sale by sealed bid, in accordance with the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and the applicable implementing regulations. The sale tract is located in Sanpete and Sevier Counties, Utah.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is scheduled to file plats of survey thirty (30) calendar days from the date of this publication in the BLM Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, Wyoming. The surveys were executed at the request of the U. S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land Management and are necessary for the management of these lands. The lands surveyed are: The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of portions of the west and north boundaries and portions of the subdivisional lines, and the survey of the subdivision of certain sections, Township 30 North, Range 52 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Nebraska, Group No. 183, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the subdivisional lines, and the survey of the subdivision of section 24, Township 30 North, Range 53 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Nebraska, Group No. 183, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the corrective dependent resurvey of portions of the subdivisional lines and the subdivision of section 32, the dependent resurvey of portions of the east, south and west boundaries, the subdivisional lines and subdivision of section lines, and the survey of the subdivision of certain sections, Township 26 North, Range 6 East, Sixth Principal Meridian, Nebraska, Group No. 184, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of portions of Lot No. 43, a portion of the Fourteenth Guide Meridian West, through Township 24 North, between Ranges 112 and 113 West, portions of the subdivisional lines, and the 1899 meanders of the banks of the Green River, the survey of the subdivision of section 5, the survey of the 2013 meanders of the westerly shore of Fontenelle Reservoir in section 5, and the metes and bounds survey of the west right-of-way of Wyoming State Highway No. 189 through section 5, Township 24 North, Range 112 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 894, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the Sixth Standard Parallel North, through Range 112 West, portions of the subdivisional lines, and the 1901 meanders of the banks of the Green River, the survey of the subdivision of certain sections, the survey of the 2013-2014 meanders of the westerly shore of Fontenelle Reservoir in certain sections, and the metes-and-bounds survey of the west right-of-way of Wyoming State Highway No. 189 through certain sections, Township 25 North, Range 112 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 895, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the east boundary and subdivisional lines, and the survey of the subdivision of section 24, Township 13 North, Range 82 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 929, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the subdivisional lines and the survey of the subdivision of section 27, Township 54 North, Range 85 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 930, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of portions of the north boundary and subdivisional lines, and the survey of the subdivision of sec. 2, Township 13 North, Range 77 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 931, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of portions of the subdivisional lines, subdivision of section 24 and lots 10, 11 and 12, section 24, Township 14 North, Range 84 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 932, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the east boundary and the survey of the subdivision of section 12, Township 29 North, Range 100 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 933, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the subdivisional lines, and a portion of the subdivision of section 15, Township 18 North, Range 80 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 935, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the subdivisional lines and the survey of the subdivision of section 19, Township 50 North, Range 63 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 936, was accepted August 11, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the Thirteenth Auxiliary Guide Meridian West, through Township 31 North, between Ranges 108 and 109 West, the subdivisional lines and the 1892 meanders of the banks of New Fork River in section 12, and the survey of the subdivision of section 12, Township 31 North, Range 109 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 939, was accepted August 11, 2016.

The Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary is announcing a public meeting of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council's (EVOSTC) Public Advisory Committee.