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

The National Park Service is soliciting electronic comments on the significance of properties nominated before December 2, 2023, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.

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

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hereby provides constructive notice that it will issue an appealable decision approving conveyance of the surface estate in certain lands to The Tatitlek Corporation for the Native village of Tatitlek, pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA). The subsurface estate in the same lands will be conveyed to Chugach Alaska Corporation when the surface estate is conveyed to The Tatitlek Corporation.

The National Park Service is soliciting electronic comments on the significance of properties nominated before November 25, 2023, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are reopening the comment periods on notices announcing three incidental take permit applications, three proposed habitat conservation plans, and related documents. We are taking this action because of a disruption in the public's access to regulations.gov as a means of viewing documents and submitting comments when the three notices were initially published. We invite comments from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies. If you already submitted a comment, you do not need to resubmit it.

The Department of the Interior proposes changes to the Department of the Interior acquisition regulations to update its nomenclature to align with recent changes to agency procurement governance. This proposal enables acquisition programs to more efficiently meet the Department's mission needs and comply with all applicable law and regulations.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on an application 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 National Park Service (NPS) are proposing to renew an information collection.

Notice is hereby given of contractual actions that have been proposed to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and are new, discontinued, or completed since the last publication of this notice. This notice is one of a variety of means used to inform the public about proposed contractual actions for capital recovery and management of project resources and facilities consistent with section 9(f) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939. Additional announcements of individual contract actions may be published in the Federal Register and in newspapers of general circulation in the areas determined by Reclamation to be affected by the proposed action.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the northern distinct population segment (DPS) of the western spadefoot (Spea hammondii), an amphibian occurring in central and northern California, and the southern DPS of the western spadefoot, occurring in southern California and northwestern Mexico, as threatened DPSs under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. This determination serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the western spadefoot range-wide. After a review of the best scientific and commercial information available, we find that listing the northern and southern DPSs of the western spadefoot as threatened is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the northern and southern DPSs of the western spadefoot as threatened DPSs with a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act (``4(d) rule''). If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add the northern DPS and southern DPS of the western spadefoot to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the two DPSs. Due to the current lack of data sufficient to perform required analyses, we conclude that the designation of critical habitat for the northern DPS and southern DPS of the western spadefoot is not determinable at this time.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History (LACMNH) intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects and certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects of cultural patrimony, and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The cultural items were removed from Orange and Los Angeles Counties, CA.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Berkeley intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects and have a cultural affiliation with the Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice. The cultural items were removed from the Hawaiian Islands.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Kansas 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 Geary, Riley, Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Jefferson, Douglas, Leavenworth, Johnson, and Wyandotte Counties, KS.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University (PMAE) 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 collected at Fort Totten in Benson County, ND, Pierre Indian School in Hughes County, SD, ``Standing Rock School'' in Fort Yates, Sioux County, ND, and ``U.S. Indian School'' (now Flandreau Indian School) in Flandreau, Moody County, SD.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University (PMAE) 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 collected at the Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs, Field Services in Kodiak Island Borough, AK.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University (PMAE) 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 collected at the Genoa Industrial Indian School in Nance County, NE.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) 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 Walton County, FL.

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 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) intends to prepare Resource Management Plan (RMP) amendments with an associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Section 368 energy corridors, and by this notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping period to solicit public comments and identify issues and is providing the planning criteria for public review.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives notice of a public meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the ANS Task Force is to develop and implement a program for U.S. waters to prevent introduction and dispersal of aquatic invasive species; to monitor, control, and study such species; and to disseminate related information.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for the distinct population segment (DPS) of the North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) occurring in the contiguous United States. This rule adds the contiguous U.S. DPS of the North American wolverine to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We are also issuing an interim rule under the authority of section 4(d) of the Act (an ``interim 4(d) rule'') that provides the prohibitions, and exceptions to those prohibitions, necessary and advisable for the conservation of the contiguous U.S. DPS of the North American wolverine.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing a new information collection in use without Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce findings that seven 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 Edison's ascyrum (Hypericum edisonianum), Florida (lowland) loosestrife (Lythrum flagellare), Florida pinesnake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitu), mimic cavesnail (Phreatodrobia imitata), northern cavefish (Amblyopsis spelaea), smallscale darter (Etheostoma microlepidum), and Texas troglobitic water slater (Lirceolus smithii). 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.

The plats of survey of the following described lands are scheduled to be officially filed in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado State Office, Lakewood, Colorado, 30 calendar days from the date of this publication. The surveys, which were executed at the request of the U.S. Forest Service, the BLM, and the Mt. Emmons Mining Company, are necessary for the management of these lands.

The BOEM announces the availability of the joint ROD for the construction and operations plan (COP) submitted by Empire Wind, LLC (Empire Wind) for its proposed Empire Wind Offshore Wind Farm Projects (Projects) offshore New York. The final environmental impact statement (EIS) analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the Projects as described in the COP (the proposed action) and the alternatives to the proposed action. The joint ROD includes the decision of the Department of the Interior (DOI) regarding the COP, and the decision of NMFS regarding Empire Wind's requested incidental take regulations (ITR) and an associated letter of authorization (LOA) under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). NMFS has adopted the final EIS to support its decision of whether to issue the requested ITR. The joint ROD concludes the National Environmental Policy Act process for each agency.