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

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Moravian Historical Society 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 Tuscarawas County, OH.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the California Department of Parks and Recreation has amended a Notice of Intent to Repatriate published in the Federal Register on December 24, 2002. This notice amends the cultural affiliation for a collection removed from Lake County, California.

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 20,574 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands in Pennington County, South Dakota, from settlement, sale, location, or entry under the public land laws; location and entry under the United States mining laws; and leasing under the mineral and geothermal leasing laws for 20 years, subject to valid existing rights, to protect the cultural and natural resources of the Pactola ReservoirRapid Creek Watershed, including municipal water for Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base, from the adverse impacts of minerals exploration and development. Publication of this notice segregates the lands from the laws specified for up to 2 years, subject to valid existing rights. This notice initiates a 90-day public comment period and announces a public meeting regarding the USFS application.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Texas heelsplitter (Potamilus amphichaenus) as an endangered species and the Louisiana pigtoe (Pleurobema riddellii) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Both species are freshwater mussels. This document serves as our 12- month finding on a petition to list the Texas heelsplitter and Louisiana pigtoe. For the Louisiana pigtoe, we also propose a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act (a ``4(d) rule'') to provide for the conservation of the species. In addition, we propose to designate critical habitat for the Texas heelsplitter and Louisiana pigtoe under the Act. In total, approximately 831.8 river miles (1,338.6 river kilometers) in 31 counties in Texas fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation for the Texas heelsplitter, and approximately 1,028.2 river miles (1,654.3 river kilometers) in 3 counties in Arkansas, 6 parishes in Louisiana, 2 counties in Mississippi, 1 county in Oklahoma, and 21 counties in Texas fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation for the Louisiana pigtoe. We announce the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the Texas heelsplitter and Louisiana pigtoe. Finally, we announce an informational meeting followed by a public hearing on this proposed rule. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to these species and their critical habitats.

The National Park Service is soliciting electronic comments on the significance of properties nominated before March 4, 2023, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.

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

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing emergency clearance of a new collection of information.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is extending the public comment period for the proposed rule revising the regulations governing leasing of the Osage Nation's mineral estate (``Osage Mineral Estate'') for oil and gas mining. Extending the public comment period will allow more time for the public to review the proposal and submit comments.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Whitewater River Groundwater Replenishment Facility located in the Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office. The ROD constitutes the decision of the BLM.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for the bog buck moth (Hemileuca maia menyanthevora) (=H. iroquois), a moth that occurs in Oswego County, New York, and Ontario, Canada. This rule adds the bog buck moth to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and applies the protections of the Act to this species. We have determined that designation of critical habitat for the bog buck moth is not prudent at this time.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Alaska Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet as follows.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announces the availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale (Proposed NOS) for the proposed Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 261 (GOM Lease Sale 261). GOM Lease Sale 261 is required by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. BOEM is publishing this notice pursuant to its regulatory authority. Pursuant to section 19 of the OCS Lands Act the Secretary of the Interior provides Governors of affected States and the executive of any affected local government the opportunity to review and comment on the Proposed NOS. The Proposed NOS describes the proposed size, timing, and location of the sale, including lease stipulations, terms and conditions, minimum bids, royalty rates, and rental rates.

In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill Final Programmatic Damage Assessment Restoration Plan and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PDARP/ PEIS), Record of Decision and Consent Decree, the Federal natural resource trustee agencies for the Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group (Open Ocean TIG) have prepared the Draft Restoration Plan 3 and Environmental Assessment: Birds (Draft RP/EA). The Draft RP/EA proposes projects to help restore bird species injured in the DWH oil spill. The Draft RP/EA evaluates a reasonable range of 11 project alternatives under the Oil Pollution Act's Natural Resource Damage Assessment regulations and NEPA. The total cost to implement the Open Ocean TIG's seven preferred alternatives is approximately $26,000,000. A No Action alternative is also analyzed. The Open Ocean TIG invites comments on the Draft RP/EA.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of the Interior, is proposing a new information collection.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year status reviews of 27 species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. A 5-year status review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any new information on these species that has become available since the last review of the species.

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.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew an information collection without change.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has amended a Notice of Inventory Completion published in the Federal Register on April 10, 2013. This notice amends the cultural affiliation of a collection removed from San Juan County, UT.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Pittsburg State University has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is no cultural affiliation between the human remains and any Indian Tribe. The human remains were removed from Kings County, CA; Luna County, NM; and Muskogee County, OK.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Mukwonago Community Library intends to repatriate a cultural item that meets the definition of an unassociated funerary object and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes in this notice. The cultural item was removed from Sacramento County, CA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California San Diego 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 Diego County, CA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Hudson Museum intends to repatriate a 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 the Haines Borough, AK.

The National Park Service extends the public comment period for a proposed rule that would amend regulations for sport hunting and trapping in national preserves in Alaska. Extending the comment period will allow more time for the public to review the proposal and submit comments.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the NIGC is issuing public notice of its intent to modify an existing system of records entitled, Indian Gaming Individuals Record System. This system of records includes information submitted to the NIGC so that it may review and verify eligibility determinations of key employees and primary management officials for tribal licenses in Indian gaming enterprises.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) is issuing notice of its intent to establish a new system of records entitled, ``Payroll, Attendance, Retirement, and Leave RecordsNIGC-3.'' This system of records will allow the NIGC to manage human resources and payroll functions and will be included in the NIGC's inventory of record systems.