Department of the Interior 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Sacramento Municipal Utility District (applicant) for an incidental take permit (permit) under the Endangered Species Act and an accompanying draft habitat conservation plan (plan). We also announce the availability of a draft environmental assessment pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed plan, and the Service's draft environmental assessment. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.

The National Park Service revises regulations that govern the solicitation, award, and administration of concession contracts to provide commercial visitor services at National Park System units under the authority granted through the Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998 and the National Park Service Centennial Act. The changes reduce administrative burdens and expand sustainable, high quality, and contemporary concessioner-provided visitor services in national parks.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California Desert District Office, Palm Springs, California, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider the effects of the Control-Silver Peak Project (Project) and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the National Park Service (NPS) is hereby giving notice that the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site Advisory Commission (Commission) will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northern California District Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as follows.

This notice announces the extension of the Class III gaming compacts between three Tribes in California and the State of California.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

The National Park Service is soliciting electronic comments on the significance of properties nominated before December 16, 2023, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Western Washington University (WWU) has amended a Notice of Inventory Completion published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2022. This notice amends the minimum number of individuals in a collection removed from Skagit County, WA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Georgia, Laboratory of Archaeology intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The cultural items were removed from Dade County, GA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Navajo National Monument (NAVA) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Coconino and Navajo Counties, AZ.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Shelburne Museum intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of an object of cultural patrimony and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The cultural item was removed from an unknown location.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains were removed from Winston or Blount County, AL.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Filson Historical Society intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The cultural items were removed from Essex County, VA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, Brown University (Haffenreffer Museum) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from an area near Phoenix, AZ, and an unknown geographic location, AZ.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the State Historical Society of Wisconsin intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of an object of cultural patrimony and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The cultural item was removed from Black River Falls, Jackson County, WI.

This notice announces the approval of an amendment to the existing Class III gaming compact between the Seneca Nation of Indians and the State of New York.

The plat of survey of the following described lands is scheduled to be officially filed in the Bureau of land Management (BLM), Eastern States Office, Falls Church, Virginia, 30 days from the date of this publication. The survey, executed at the request of the Northeastern States District Office, BLMEastern States, is required for the management of these lands.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the coal darter (Percina brevicauda), a small, benthic freshwater fish native to the Mobile River Basin in Alabama, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the coal darter. 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 coal darter as a threatened species with a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act (``4(d) rule'') to provide for the conservation of the species. 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 findings that 10 species are not warranted for listing as endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that it is not warranted at this time to list Hupp's Hill cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus parvicollis), Hubbard's cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus hubbardi), overlooked cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus praetermissus), Shenandoah cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus limicola), Little Kennedy cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus cordicollis), Holsinger's cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus holsingeri), Hubricht's cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus hubrichti), silken cave beetle (Pseudanophthalmus sericus), Pinale[ntilde]o talussnail (Sonorella grahamensis), and San Xavier talussnail (Sonorella eremita). However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time any new information relevant to the status of any of the species mentioned above or their habitats.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the West Virginia spring salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus), an amphibian species from Greenbrier County, West Virginia, as an endangered species and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the West Virginia spring salamander. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the species is warranted. We also propose to designate critical habitat for the West Virginia spring salamander under the Act. In total, approximately 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. We announce the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the West Virginia spring salamander. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to the species and its designated critical habitat.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the New York University, College of Dentistry (NYU College of Dentistry) has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human remains and any Indian Tribe. The human remains were removed from Queens, Dutchess, and Bronx Counties, NY.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma (SNOMNH) has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from McCurtain County, OK.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Kansas intends to repatriate a certain cultural item that meets the definition of a sacred object and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The cultural item was removed from Sonora, Mexico.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Michigan has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from San Joaquin County, CA.