Department of the Interior January 30, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we) is issuing this final rule, in accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, to adjust for inflation the statutory civil monetary penalties that may be assessed for violations of Service-administered statutes and their implementing regulations. We are required to adjust civil monetary penalties annually for inflation according to a formula specified in the Inflation Adjustment Act. This rule replaces the previously issued amounts with the updated amounts after using the 2023 inflation adjustment multiplier provided in the OMB guidance.

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

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the National Park Service (NPS) are proposing to renew an information collection.

In light of recent geopolitical events and concurrent with the return of primary helium data-collection responsibility from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the USGS is soliciting input from the public, including domestic helium users, that will aid the USGS in analyzing whether there is an increasing risk of helium-supply disruption; whether that risk stems from supply from countries that may be unwilling or unable to continue to supply the United States; and whether those risks pose a significant likelihood of increasing the Nation's import reliance or creating a concentration and risk of permanent or intermittent supply disruptions from a small number of international or domestic supply sources. The USGS is also soliciting input that will aid the USGS in analyzing whether potential disruptions to helium supply would jeopardize manufacturing or use of products vital to the defense, healthcare, aerospace, consumer electronics, and other industries.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Michigan State Police 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 Gladwin County, MI.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, University of Kentucky (WSWM) 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: Breathitt, Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Greenup, Jessamine, Johnson, Lewis, Nicholas, Perry, and Scott Counties, KY.

The Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs made a final agency determination to acquire in trust 110.34 acres, more or less, of land known as the Far West Valley Site in Maricopa County, Arizona, (Site) for the Tohono O'odham Nation, (Nation) for gaming and other purposes.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Museum of Us 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 Tunica County, MS.

The Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) is amending department regulations to provide parties to a hearing or appeal the option of sending and receiving documents electronically; to specifically recognize the OHA Director's authority to issue Standing Orders to provide procedural information to parties and the public; and to make clear that OHA will communicate information on how and where to file and serve documents through OHA Standing Orders issued by the Director and posted on OHA's Department of the Interior website. This rule removes specific office addresses, some outdated, from the regulatory text and provides for up-to-date contact information to be provided in OHA Standing Orders on Contact Information. This rule further provides that OHA may issue Standing Orders to provide procedural information in an emergency or to address an immediate need, such as an office closure, natural disaster or other unanticipated event. This rule, and the associated Standing Orders, would not add to, change, or diminish any substantive rights of any parties or the public.

The first Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) renewable energy regulations were promulgated in 2009 by BOEM's predecessor, the Minerals Management Service (MMS). BOEM's renewable energy program has matured over the past 13 years, during which time BOEM conducted eleven auctions and issued and managed 27 active commercial leases. Based on this experience, the Department has identified opportunities to modernize its regulations to facilitate the development of offshore wind energy resources to meet U.S. climate and renewable energy objectives. This proposed rule contains reforms identified by the Department and recommended by industry since 2010, including proposals for incremental funding of decommissioning accounts; more flexible geophysical and geotechnical survey submission requirements; streamlined approval of meteorological (met) buoys; revised project verification procedures; reform of BOEM's renewable energy auction process; and greater clarity regarding safety requirements. This proposed rule would advance the Department of the Interior's (DOI) energy policies in a safe and environmentally sound manner that would provide a fair return to the U.S. taxpayer.