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

On November 9, 2015, the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) published a notice of intent requesting comments and nominations for Tribal representatives for the Accountability Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (Committee). The comment period for that notice of intent closed December 24, 2015. On April 14, 2016, the BIE reopened the comment and nomination period with a new deadline of May 31, 2016. The BIE is further extending the comment period for Tribes to nominate individuals for membership on the Committee. The BIE also solicits comments on the proposal to establish the Committee, including comments on additional interests not identified in this notice of intent and comments on the expansion of the scope of the Committee. The BIE is also correcting a drafting error in the April 14, 2016 Notice that omitted from Section III the central purpose of the Committee under the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which requires the Secretary of the Interior, using a negotiated rulemaking process, to develop regulations for implementation no later than the 2017-2018 academic year. It also requires the Secretary to define the standards, assessments, and accountability system consistent with Section 1111 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for the schools funded by BIE on a national, regional, or tribal basis.

This is the Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for the sale of one commercial wind energy lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, pursuant to 30 CFR 585.216. BOEM proposes to offer Lease OCS-A 0508 for sale using an ascending-bid auction. In this PSN, you will find information pertaining to the area available for leasing, proposed lease provisions and conditions, auction details, the lease form, criteria for evaluating competing bids, award procedures, appeal procedures, and lease execution. BOEM invites public comment during a 60-day comment period following publication of this notice. The issuance of the proposed lease resulting from this sale would not constitute an approval of project- specific plans to develop offshore wind energy. Such plans, expected to be submitted by the auction winner, would be subject to subsequent environmental and technical reviews prior to a decision to proceed with development. This document is also a Request for Interest (RFI), pursuant to 30 CFR 585.212, to assess if there has been a change in competitive interest in the area encompassing proposed lease OCS-A 0508 since the publication of the North Carolina Call for Information and Nominations (Call) (77 FR 74204) on December 13, 2012. If BOEM determines that competitive interest in the proposed lease area (OCS-A 0508) still exists, BOEM will proceed with the competitive process set forth in 30 CFR 585.211 through 585.225. If BOEM determines competitive interest in the proposed lease area (OCS-A 0508) no longer exists because only one potential lessee is interested in the area, BOEM may proceed with the non-competitive process set forth in 30 CFR 585.231(d)-(i) following the receipt of the acquisition fee specified in 30 CFR 585.502(a).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has filed the plats of survey of the lands described below in the BLM Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, Wyoming, on the dates indicated.

Per the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, Hilcorp Energy I, L.P. filed a petition for reinstatement of competitive oil and gas lease WYW178492, in Crook County, Wyoming. The petition was filed on time, and the lessee paid the required rentals accruing from the date of termination. No leases that affect these lands were issued before the petition was filed.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications for a permit to conduct activities intended to enhance the survival of endangered species. Federal law prohibits certain activities with endangered species unless a permit is obtained.

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 for 30 CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities, as well as the associated forms. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has assigned control number 1010-0106 to this information collection.

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 (Act) prohibits activities with endangered and threatened species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act also requires that we invite public comment before issuing recovery permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), proposed in an earlier document this year to establish annual hunting regulations for certain migratory game birds for the 2017-18 hunting season. This supplement to that proposed rule provides the regulatory alternatives for the 2017-18 duck hunting seasons, announces the Service Migratory Bird Regulations Committee (SRC) and Flyway Council meetings, and provides Flyway Council recommendations resulting from their March meetings.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposes to amend the regulations requiring lessees and owners of operating rights to submit summaries of actual decommissioning expenditures incurred for certain decommissioning activities related to oil and gas and sulfur operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The proposed rule would expand the scope of the current regulations to require lessees, owners of operating rights, and right-of-way (ROW) holders to submit summaries of actual expenditures incurred for pipeline decommissioning activities.

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. This collection is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2016.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West of Devers Upgrade Project and by this notice is announcing its availability.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under Subpart L, Oil and Gas Production Measurement, Surface Commingling, and Security. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the revised paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

The National Park Service is soliciting comments on the significance of properties nominated before July 23, 2016, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Texas hornshell (Popenaias popeii), a freshwater mussel species from New Mexico and Texas, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (Act). If we finalize this rulemaking as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to this species.

The United States Forest Service (USFS) has filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requesting that the Secretary of the Interior withdraw approximately 82.5 acres of National Forest System land from location and entry under the United States mining laws, but not leasing under the mineral leasing laws for a 20-year term to protect the recreational resources at the Spanish Creek Campground located in the Plumas National Forest, California. Publication of this notice temporarily segregates the land for up to 2 years from location and entry under the United States mining laws while the withdrawal application is being processed. This notice also gives the public an opportunity to comment on the withdrawal application and to request a public meeting. The land has been and will remain open to such forms of disposition allowed by law on National Forest System land and to mineral leasing, except for location and entry under the mining laws.

We (National Park Service, NPS) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as a part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on this IC. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is announcing that the Advisory Board for Exceptional Children (Advisory Board) will hold its next meeting in Lawrence, Kansas. The purpose of the meeting is to meet the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) for Indian children with disabilities.

This final rule establishes regulations for seasons, harvest limits, and methods and means related to the taking of wildlife for subsistence uses in Alaska for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) completes the biennial process of revising subsistence hunting and trapping regulations in even-numbered years and subsistence fishing and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable biennial cycle. This rule also revises wildlife customary and traditional use determinations.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is announcing its intention to request renewed approval for the collection of information for Permit ApplicationsMinimum Requirements for Legal, Financial, Compliance, and Related Information. The information collection request has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request describes the nature of the information collection and the expected burden and cost.

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

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado River Valley Field Office (CRVFO), located in Silt, Colorado, prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that analyzes the environmental impacts of previous decisions to issue 65 leases on lands within the White River National Forest (WRNF) from 1995 to 2012.

BOEM is extending the comment period for the Notice of Intent entitled, ``Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore the Island of Oahu, Hawaii,'' which appeared in the Federal Register on June 24, 2016, (81 FR 41334). The Environmental Assessment will address environmental impacts and socioeconomic effects related to the issuance of future commercial wind energy leases and approval of site assessment activities on those leases offshore the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The comment period has been extended an additional 30 days to September 7, 2016.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, amend the format of the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (Lists) to reflect current practices and standards that will make the regulations and Lists easier to understand. The Lists, in the new format, are included in their entirety and have been updated to correct identified errors.

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has completed an inventory of human remains, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and present-day Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice that wish to request transfer of control of these human remains should submit a written request to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

The preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Uinkaret Mountains Landscape Restoration Project is no longer required and the process is hereby terminated. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on October 21, 2014, published a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS. The EIS would have analyzed proposed vegetation treatments in the Uinkaret Mountains Landscape Restoration Project area.