Department of the Interior September 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to renew an information collection.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) is issuing a public notice of its intent to rescind the Privacy Act system of records notice, INTERIOR/DOI-03, Financial Interest Statements and Ethics Counselor Decisions. During a review of the INTERIOR/DOI-03 system of records notice, DOI determined that employee public financial disclosure reports, financial interest statements, conflict of interest decisions, and other related records are covered under two Government- wide system of records notices published by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE). This rescindment will eliminate an unnecessary duplicate notice and promote the overall streamlining and management of DOI Privacy Act systems of records.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce our 12-month finding on a petition to list the pyramid pigtoe (Pleurobema rubrum), a freshwater mussel species from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia, as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the species is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the pyramid pigtoe as a threatened species with a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act (``4(d) rule''). If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce our 90-day finding in response to a petition to revise critical habitat for the jaguar (Panthera onca) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The petition requests the Service to revise the existing critical habitat designation by removing approximately 20,234 hectares (50,000 acres) of land in the northern Santa Rita Mountains in Arizona and an adjoining critical habitat subunit, including land containing the proposed Rosemont Mine. Our 90-day finding is that the petition does not present substantial scientific information indicating that the requested revision to the critical habitat designation may be warranted.

On August 31, 2021, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published the ``Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Sunrise Wind Farm Project on the Northeast Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf'' in the Federal Register (86 FR 48763). The NOI announced that BOEM will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) as part of its review of a construction and operations plan submitted by Sunrise Wind LLC and provided project information. The NOI stated that comments received by September 30, 2021, will be considered. This notice corrects two statements in the NOI regarding the agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the proposed foundation types. In addition, this notice extends the comment period.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation and survival of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approved the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona Business Site Leasing Ordinance under the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act of 2012 (HEARTH Act). With this approval, the Tribe is authorized to enter into Business leases without further BIA approval.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approved the Title XVI Pueblo of Jemez Tribal Leasing Code under the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act of 2012 (HEARTH Act). With this approval, the Tribe is authorized to enter agricultural, business, and wind and solar leases without further BIA approval.

This notice publishes the approval of the Fourth Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact (Fourth Amendment) for Class III Gaming between the Suquamish Tribe (Tribe) and the State of Washington (State), and the Fifth Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact (Fifth Amendment) for Class III Gaming between the Suquamish Tribe and the State of Washington.

This notice publishes the approval of the Tenth Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact (Amendment) for Class III Gaming between the Tulalip Tribes of Washington (Tribe) and the State of Washington (State).

This notice publishes the approval of the Fifth Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact (Amendment) for Class III Gaming between the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (Tribe) and the State of Washington (State).

This notice publishes the approval of Sixth Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact (Amendment) for Class III Gaming between the Puyallup Tribe of Indians (Tribe) and the State of Washington (State).

This notice publishes the approval of Fifth Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact (Amendment) for Class III Gaming between the Lummi Nation (Tribe) and the State of Washington (State).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to remove the snail darter (Percina tanasi), a small freshwater fish native to the Tennessee River watershed, from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List). Our review of the best available scientific and commercial data indicates that the threats to the species have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the species no longer meets the definition of an endangered or a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). If we finalize this rule as proposed, the prohibitions and conservation measures provided by the Act, particularly through sections 7 and 9, would no longer apply to the snail darter. We request information and comments from the public regarding this proposed rule to remove the snail darter from the List (i.e., ``delist'' the species).