Department of the Interior July 19, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS), propose to designate critical habitat for five distinct population segments (DPSs) of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA or Act). The five DPSs include the federally threatened North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Central North Pacific DPSs and the federally endangered Central South Pacific and Central West Pacific DPSs. In total, approximately 8,870 acres (ac) (3,590 hectares (ha)) are proposed across 101 units in the States of Florida and Hawai[revaps]i; the territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam; the commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and two USFWS-managed areas (Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll). We also announce five public informational meetings and public hearings and the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed critical habitat designation for the terrestrial areas included in this proposed rule. Elsewhere in today's Federal Register, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is also proposing to designate specific areas in the marine environment as critical habitat for DPSs of the green sea turtle.

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

Pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice is hereby given that a public meeting of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) will meet as indicated below.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Boston Children's Museum 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 Cross County, AR; Poinsett County, AR; New Madrid, MO; and an unknown location or locations.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Nipomo Community Service District (Applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The Applicant requests the ITP to take the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) incidental to the construction of a new lift station and associated facilities to decommission the existing Blacklake Wastewater Reclamation Facility, in San Luis Obispo County, California. We request public comment on the application, which includes the Applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.