Department of the Interior March 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are announcing receipt of a proposed amendment to the Virginia regulatory program (the Virginia program) under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act). Through this proposed amendment, Virginia seeks to revise its program regulations to require Virginia to enter permit information into the Applicant Violator System (AVS) database upon receipt of a complete permit application and require Virginia to conduct a final compliance review between the application approval and permit issuance. This document gives the times and locations that the Virginia program and this proposed amendment to that program are available for your inspection, the comment period during which you may submit written comments on the amendment, and the procedures that we will follow for the public hearing; if one is requested.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has examined and found suitable for classification for conveyance under the provisions of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended, 211.73 acres of public land in Cibola County, New Mexico. Cibola County proposes to use the land to develop a public shooting range complex.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have prepared a final environmental impact report (EIR)/environmental impact statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1967, as amended, and its implementing regulations. The EIR portion of the joint document was prepared by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This notice also announces receipt of a final natural community conservation plan/habitat conservation plan (HCP) from the applicant, OTCA.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is announcing the availability of the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 2018 (2018 Draft Supplemental EIS). The 2018 Draft Supplemental EIS provides an analysis of the potential significant impacts of a proposed action (a region wide lease sale) and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. This Supplemental EIS is expected to be used to inform decisions on each of the two lease sales scheduled in 2018, and to be supplemented as necessary for future Gulf of Mexico region wide lease sales. This Notice of Availability also serves to announce the beginning of the 45- day public comment period for the Draft Supplemental EIS. The Draft Supplemental EIS and associated information are available on BOEM's Web site at https://www.boem.gov/nepaprocess/. BOEM will primarily distribute digital copies of the Draft Supplemental EIS on compact discs. You may request a compact disc, a paper copy or the location of a library with a digital copy of the Draft Supplemental EIS from the BOEM, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Public Information Office (GM 335A), 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 or by telephone at 1-800-200-GULF.

Pursuant to 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) Mount Lewis Field Office, Battle Mountain, Nevada, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential impacts of approving the proposed Deep South Expansion Project in Lander and Eureka Counties, Nevada. This notice announces the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues and alternatives; and serves to initiate public consultation, as required, under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

The National Park Service is soliciting comments on the significance of properties nominated before March 4, 2017, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.

Heart of Texas Wind, LLC (applicant), has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. If granted, the permit would be in effect for 30 years and would authorize incidental take of the black-capped vireo (covered species), a bird listed as endangered under the Act. The applicant has completed a draft HCP (dHCP) as part of the application package. The Service also announces the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment (dEA) 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 dHCP, and dEA, available for public review and comment.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Boise District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as indicated below.

This notice publishes the liquor ordinance of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. The liquor ordinance regulates and controls the possession, sale, manufacture, and distribution of alcohol in conformity with the laws of the State of Washington. Enactment of this ordinance will help provide a source of revenue to strengthen Tribal government, provide for the economic viability of Tribal enterprises, and improve delivery of Tribal government services.

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

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 (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

We, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are notifying the public that we intend to prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the impacts of alternatives relating to the San Juan Coal Company's proposed mining plan modification for the Deep Lease Extension (DLE). The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the Company's DLE mining plan modification, Federal Coal Lease NM-99144, at the existing San Juan Mine. The EIS will also analyze the effects of coal combustion at the Public Service Company of New Mexico's San Juan Generating Station (SJGS or the Generating Station). OSMRE is soliciting public comments on the proposed Project, scope of the EIS, and the significant issues that should be analyzed in the EIS.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC). The purpose of the ISAC is to provide advice to the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) on a broad array of issues related to preventing the introduction of invasive species and providing for their control and minimizing the economic, ecological, and human health impacts that invasive species cause.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental assessment (EA) for Massasoit National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for public review and comment. Massasoit NWR is located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and is administered by staff at Eastern Massachusetts NWR Complex based in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The draft CCP and EA describes two alternatives for managing Massasoit NWR for the next 15 years. Alternative B is identified as the Service-preferred alternative. Also available for public review and comment are the draft compatibility determinations, which are included as appendix B in the draft CCP and EA.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is scheduled to file plats of survey 30 calendar days from the date of this publication in the BLM Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, Wyoming. The surveys, which were executed at the request of the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM, are necessary for the management of these lands. The lands surveyed are: The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the north boundary and portions of the subdivisional lines, and the survey of the subdivision of section 3, Township 27 North, Range 71 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 943, were accepted on December 13, 2016. The plat and field notes representing the dependent resurvey of a portion of the 1963-65 adjusted original meanders of the left bank of the Snake River, Township 41 North, Range 117 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Wyoming, Group No. 946, were accepted on January 13, 2017.

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, Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf, pertaining to an Application for Permit to Modify (APM) and supporting documentation. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the revised paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

The St. Joseph Museums, Inc., 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 the St. Joseph Museums, Inc. 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.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the 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. The meeting is open to the public and a public comment period is scheduled for April 5, 2017.

The Human Remains Repository, Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 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 Human Remains Repository, Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. 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 Nebraska State Historical Society (NSHS) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, 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 associated funerary objects 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 and associated funerary objects should submit a written request to the NSHS. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 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 sacred 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 the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 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.

The Museum of Northern Arizona has corrected an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, published in a Notice of Inventory Completion in the Federal Register on September 11, 2006. This notice corrects the number of associated funerary objects. 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 and associated funerary objects should submit a written request to the Museum of Northern Arizona. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

The Department of Anthropology, The University of Tulsa has completed an inventory of human remains, in consultation with the appropriate Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations, and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human remains and any present-day Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. 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 Department of Anthropology, The University of Tulsa. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains to the Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest, has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects, 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 associated funerary objects 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 and associated funerary objects should submit a written request to the Ouachita National Forest. If no additional requestors come forward, transfer of control of the human remains and associated funerary objects to the lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations stated in this notice may proceed.

Under the Endangered Species Act, as amended (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on an incidental take permit application for the federally listed American burying beetle. The applicant anticipates the take of American burying beetle as a result of impacts to habitat the species uses for breeding, feeding, and sheltering in Oklahoma. The take would be incidental to the applicant's activities associated with oil and gas well field and pipeline infrastructure (gathering, transmission, and distribution), including geophysical exploration (seismic), construction, maintenance, operation, repair, decommissioning, and reclamation. If approved, the permit would be issued under the approved American Burying Beetle Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan (ICP) Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permit Issuance in Oklahoma.