Indian Affairs Bureau March 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987, and as authorized by the Secretary of Transportation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) intends to make funds available to federally recognized Indian tribes on an annual basis for implementing traffic safety projects, which are designed to reduce the number of traffic crashes, death, injuries, and property damage within Indian Country. All project applications received will be reviewed and selected on a competitive basis. This notice informs Indian tribes that grant funds are available and that information packets are being mailed to all tribal leaders on the latest Tribal Leaders list that is compiled by the BIA. A copy of the Application Packet can also be obtained by contacting the BIA Indian Highway Safety Office.

The Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs made a final agency determination to acquire approximately 10.2 acres of land into trust for the Puyallup Tribe of Washington on March 14, 2008. This notice is published in the exercise of authority delegated by the Secretary of the Interior to the Assistant SecretaryIndian Affairs by 209 Departmental Manual 8.1.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) as joint lead agencies, with the Crow Tribe of Indians, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as cooperating agencies, intend to file a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) with the EPA for the proposed extension of the existing Absaloka mine onto the Crow Indian Reservation and for related Federal and state permitting actions; and that the DEIS is now available for public review. The purpose of the proposed action is to maximize the economic benefit from the coal trust resource by continuing to provide benefits to the Crow Tribe, including royalty, tax income and employment; as well as allow Westmoreland Resources Inc. (WRI) to continue to access coal resources, owned by the Crow Tribe, for the sale to customers using it for electric power generation. This notice also announces a public hearing to receive comments on the DEIS.

Pursuant to 25 CFR 83.10(l)(2), notice is hereby given that the Department of the Interior (Department) declines to acknowledge the group known as the Steilacoom Tribe of Indians (STI) of 1515 Lafayette Street, P.O. Box 88419, Steilacoom, Washington 98388, c/o Mr. Danny Marshall, as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. This notice is based on a determination that the petitioner does not satisfy four of the seven mandatory criteria for acknowledgment, specifically Sec. Sec. 83.7(a), 83.7(b), 83.7(c), and 83.7(e), as defined in 25 CFR part 83. Consequently, the STI does not meet the requirements for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) is promulgating final regulations providing that Indian tribes, at their discretion, may enter into business agreements and leases for energy resource development and grant rights-of-way for pipelines or electric transmission or distribution lines on tribal land without the Secretary's review and approval. Indian tribes entering into such business agreements, leases, and grants of rights-of-way must execute them under an approved tribal energy resource agreement (TERA) between the Secretary and the tribe. These final regulations provide the process under which a tribe may apply for, and the Secretary may grant, authority for an Indian tribe to review and approve leases and business agreements and grant rights-of-way for specific energy development activities on tribal lands through an approved TERA. The regulations also cover processes for implementation of TERAs, including periodic review and evaluation of a tribe's activities under a TERA, enforcement of TERA provisions, and administrative appeals. The regulations also include a process for a tribe's voluntarily rescinding a TERA.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as lead agency, with the National Indian Gaming Commission, the City of Calexico and the Manzanita Band of Kumeyaay Indians (Tribe) as cooperating agencies, intends to gather information necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed 60.8-acre fee-to-trust transfer and casino project in Calexico, Imperial County, California. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting to identify potential issues, concerns and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.

This notice publishes an approval of Amendment II of the Amended and Restated Class III Gaming Compact between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the State of Oregon.