Department of the Interior – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.

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 are known lineal descendants connected to the human remains in this notice.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of Toledo 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.

This final rule updates procedures governing the BLM's renewable energy and right-of-way programs, focusing on two main topics. The first topic is solar and wind energy generation rents and fees, implementing new authority from the Energy Act of 2020 to "reduce acreage rental rates and capacity fees, or both, for existing and new wind and solar authorizations" and making certain findings required by the statute. The second topic is expanding agency discretion to process applications for solar and wind energy generation rights-of-way inside designated leasing areas (DLAs). In addition to these two main topics, this final rule makes technical changes, corrections, and clarifications to the regulations. This final rule will update the BLM's procedures governing the BLM's administration of rights-of-way issued under Title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), including for solar and wind energy applications and development authorizations.

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

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposes to hold Pacific Lease Sale 2 and offer one or more lease areas (Lease Areas) for commercial wind power development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Lease Areas are located in the Brookings and Coos Bay wind energy areas (WEAs) offshore the State of Oregon. This proposed sale notice (PSN) contains information pertaining to the areas available for leasing, certain lease provisions and conditions, auction details, criteria for evaluating competing bids, and procedures for lease award, appeals, and lease execution. BOEM proposes a multiple factor bidding format using a simultaneous clock auction and will use new auction software for the lease sale, resulting in changes to its previous auction rules. Any lease resulting from this sale does not constitute approval for any offshore wind energy facilities. Lessees must first submit project-specific plans to BOEM and obtain BOEM's approval before they may start any construction of an OCS wind energy facility. BOEM will make such plans available for environmental, technical, and public reviews before deciding whether the proposed development should be authorized.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southeastern States District Office, Flowood, Mississippi, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider the effects of offering two Federal coal leases by holding a competitive lease sale for each respective Lease By Application (LBA) received from Warrior Met Coal, Inc. This notice is announcing the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues.

The National Park Service is soliciting electronic comments on the significance of properties nominated before April 20, 2024, for listing or related actions in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is finalizing a supplementary rule for all public lands within the Cotoni-Coast Dairies (C-CD) unit of the California Coastal National Monument (CCNM) in Santa Cruz County, California. The final supplementary rule will allow the BLM to manage recreation, address public safety, and provide resource protection on BLM-managed public lands within the C-CD unit of the CCNM. The supplementary rule is needed to enforce the BLM's decisions established in the CCNM Resource Management Plan, as amended.

The plats of survey of lands described in this notice are scheduled to be officially filed in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska State Office, Anchorage, Alaska. The surveys, which were executed at the request of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the BLM, are necessary for the management of these lands.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application from Prosperity Wind LLC (applicant), for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act, for its Prosperity Wind Project (project). If approved, the ITP would be for a 6-year period and would authorize the incidental take of two endangered species, the Indiana bat and the northern long-eared bat, and one species proposed as endangered, the tricolored bat. The applicant has prepared a proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) in support of the application. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's HCP, and on 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.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on an application to conduct certain activities with a foreign species that is 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 activity. 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, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability of a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Ambler Road project.

In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Steens Mountain Advisory Council (SMAC) will meet as follows.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of a sacred objects and that has a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Repository for Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

The Department of the Interior (the Department or DOI), acting through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is amending its risk management and financial assurance regulations. This final rule revises criteria for determining whether oil, gas, and sulfur lessees, right-of-use and easement (RUE) grant holders, and pipeline right-of- way (ROW) grant holders are required to provide financial assurance above the current minimum bonding levels to ensure compliance with their Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) obligations. This final rule streamlines the criteria for evaluating the financial health of lessees and grantees, codifies the use of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's (BSEE) probabilistic estimates of decommissioning costs in setting the level of demands for supplemental financial assurance, removes restrictive provisions for third-party guarantees and decommissioning accounts, adds new criteria for cancelling supplemental financial assurance, and clarifies bonding requirements for RUEs serving Federal leases. BOEM estimates that a total of $6.9 billion in new supplemental financial assurance will be required from lessees and grant holders under this final rule to cover potential costs of decommissioning activities. This final rule significantly increases the amount of financial assurance available to the U.S. Government in the case of a lessee default and meaningfully reduces the risk to the government and consequently to the U.S. taxpayer. This final rulemaking does not apply to renewable energy activities.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) as an 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 listing the lake sturgeon as an endangered or threatened species is not warranted at this time. However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time any new information relevant to the status of the lake sturgeon or its habitat.

This notice publishes the approval of the Seventh Amendment to the Tribal-State Compact for Class III Gaming between the Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation and the State of Washington, titled Memorandum of Incorporation of Most Favored Nation Amendments to the Tribal State Compact for Class III Gaming between the Suquamish Tribe and the State of Washington.

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 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) has prepared a Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the GridLiance West Core Upgrades Transmission Line Project and by this notice is providing information announcing the opening of the comment period on the Draft RMP Amendment/EIS.

The Department of the Interior (Department) is adopting the United States Forest Service's (USFS) categorical exclusion for short- term mineral, energy, or geothermal investigations and the Department of the Navy's (DON) categorical exclusion for pre-lease upland exploration activities for oil, gas, or geothermal reserves, (e.g., geophysical surveys) pursuant to section 109 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to use for proposed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval of geothermal exploration operations. This notice describes the limited categories of proposed actions for which the BLM intends to use the USFS and DON categorical exclusions and details the consultation between the respective agencies.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are proposing to renew an information collection.

The Department of the Interior (Department) gives notice that the group known as the Chihene Nde Nation of New Mexico has filed a documented petition for Federal acknowledgment as an American Indian tribe with the Assistant Secretary- Indian Affairs. The Department seeks comment and evidence from the public on the petition.