Indian Affairs Bureau – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the information collection, titled Grazing Permits, 25 CFR 166, OMB Control Number 1076-0157, for renewal. The purpose of this data collection is to collect information for 25 CFR 166 General Grazing Regulations as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is issuing public notice of our intent to change an existing Privacy Act system of records notices entitled Interior BIA-04 ``Indian Land Records,'' published at 48 FR 41098 (September 13, 1983). BIA proposes to: (1) Update the information on the location of the records and the technology used to store and retrieve records; (2) identify new information that will be included in the system of records; (3) clearly state the current routine uses of the records by organizations and individuals outside of the Department of the Interior (DOI); and (4) expand the routine uses of such information to include the disclosure of names and mailing addresses of owners of trust and restricted lands, among other information, to certain statutorily defined categories of persons. BIA is accomplishing these changes in part by updating its system of records through conversion to a new application, Trust Asset and Accounting Management System (TAAMS), which has or will replace several BIA legacy systems such as the Land Records Information System (LRIS) and Integrated Records Management System (IRMS).

The Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is issuing public notice of its intent to add a new Privacy Act system of records to its inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). This action is necessary to meet the requirements of the Privacy Act to publish in the Federal Register notice of the existence and character of records systems maintained by the agency (5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4)). The new Privacy Act system of records is entitled ``Interior BIA-27: BIA Probate Files.''

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as lead agency, with Hannahville Tribe of Potawatomi Indians (Tribe) as a cooperating agency, intends to gather information necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed hotel and casino project to be located on 9.8 acres of a 24.8 acre parcel owned by the Tribe in Romulus, Michigan. The purpose of the proposed action is to help address the socioeconomic needs of the Tribe. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting to identify public and agency concerns and alternatives to be considered in the EIS. The Tribes' application seeks to have a portion of the off-reservation parcel taken into trust pursuant to Section 5 of the Indian Reorganization Act and implementing regulations in 25 CFR part 151, and requests a Secretarial determination pursuant to Section 20(b)(1)(A) of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that a proposed gaming establishment on the parcel would be in the best interest of the Tribe and its members, and not detrimental to the surrounding community. We are aware that some members of the public have expressed concerns about off-reservation gaming. In this case, the parcel is located over 450 miles from the Tribe's reservation. We are soliciting and will consider accommodating the views of elected officials (State, county, city, etc.) and community members in the local areas as part of our decision- making process. We also plan a more detailed consideration of the broad implications associated with new gaming operations within established communities where gaming is not currently conducted.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is seeking comments on the proposed renewal of the information collection, Leases and Permits, 1076-0155. This action is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act.

This notice publishes the Pueblo of Pojoaque Liquor Control Act. The Act regulates and controls the possession, sale and consumption of liquor within the Pueblo of Pojoaque Indian Reservation. The reservation is located on trust land and this Act allows for the possession and sale of alcoholic beverages within the exterior boundaries of the Pueblo of Pojoaque Indian Reservation. This Act will increase the ability of the tribal government to control the distribution and possession of liquor within their reservation, and at the same time will provide an important source of revenue and strengthening of the tribal government and the delivery of tribal services.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Bureau of Indian Education is announcing that the Advisory Board for Exceptional Children will hold its next meeting in Washington, DC. The purpose of the meeting is to meet the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA) on Indian children with disabilities.

This notice publishes the Liquor Control Ordinance of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan (Tribe). The Ordinance regulates and controls the possession, sale and consumption of liquor within the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Reservation. This reservation is described as ``all lands, the title to which is held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians; and * * * all lands * * * part of the Tribe's reservation.'' This ordinance, however, applies only to the Tribe's reservation lands within the State of Michigan. This Ordinance allows for possession and sale of alcoholic beverages within the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Reservation, and increases the ability of the tribal government to control the Tribe's liquor distribution and possession. At the same time it will provide an important source of revenue for the continued operation and strengthening of the tribal government and the delivery of tribal services.

This document reopens the comment period for the proposed rule published on December 4, 2006 (71 FR 70335), which establishes procedures that an Indian tribe must follow in seeking to conduct gaming on lands acquired after October 17, 1988.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service are submitting the information collection, titled ``Indian Self- Determination and Education Assistance Act Programs, 25 CFR 900'' to the Office of Management and Budget for renewal. The information collection, OMB Control 1076-0136, is used to process contracts, grants or cooperative agreements for award by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service as authorized by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, as amended. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services invite you to submit comments to the OMB on the information collection described below.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), with the cooperation of the Native Village of Eyak, the Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, intends to file a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the proposed oil spill facility at Shepard Point, near Cordova, Alaska, and that the FEIS is now available for public review. The purpose of the proposed project, the Cordova Area Oil Spill Facility, is to provide a deepwater staging facility for the rapid deployment of equipment to the sites of any oil spills that might occur in the Prince William Sound and environs.

The Associate Deputy Secretary made a final agency determination to acquire approximately 31,777.066 acres, more or less, of land into trust for the Jicarilla Apache Tribe of New Mexico on December 4, 2006. This notice is published in the exercise of authority delegated by the Secretary of the Interior to the Associate Deputy Secretary by 209 DM 8.

This document extends the comment period for the proposed rule published on Thursday, October 5, 2006 (71 FR 58769), which establishes procedures that an Indian tribe must follow in seeking to conduct gaming on lands acquired after October 17, 1988. This document also contains corrections to the proposed rule. The regulation relates to gaming on trust lands acquired after October 17, 1988.

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 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as Cooperating Agencies, intend to gather information necessary for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Extension of the Absaloka Coal Mine on the Crow Indian Reservation, Montana. The proposed BIA action, taken under the Indian Mineral Development Act, is the approval of a coal lease by the Crow Tribe to Westmoreland Resources Inc. (WRI) and associated approval of allotted Indian and Crow tribal surface estate use agreements. In addition, the OSMRE will use this EIS to support a decision on the application for a surface mining permit to be filed by WRI involving the same acreage, commonly known as the Absaloka Mine ``South Extension;'' the MDEQ will use it in considering approval of permit revisions to facilitate mining of coal adjacent to the South Extension that is presently under the Absaloka Mine, which MDEQ administers; and the EPA may use the EIS in considering issuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for any point source water discharges on the Reservation. The purpose of this project is to extend the operating life of the Absaloka Mine and continue to provide an economic base for the Crow Tribe, while providing an energy source for the generation of electricity at distant power plants. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting to identify potential issues and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.

The Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (OIEED), is seeking comments on the collection of information necessary for utilization of the Loan Guaranty, Insurance, and Interest Subsidy Program. This is necessary to continue the use of forms for this program approved by the Office of Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The public will have the opportunity to comment on the time and expense required by these forms to access the program.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) owns, or has an interest in, irrigation facilities located on various Indian reservations throughout the United States. We are required to establish rates to recover the costs to administer, operate, maintain, and rehabilitate those facilities. We request your comments on the proposed rate adjustments.

On August 8, 2006, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of the Secretary proposed to amend several of their regulations related to Indian trust management (see 71 FR 45173). The purpose of the amendments is to further fulfill the Secretary's fiduciary responsibilities to federally recognized tribes and individual Indians and to meet the Indian trust management policies in the Indian Land Consolidation Act (ILCA), as amended by the American Indian Probate Reform Act of 2004 (AIPRA). These amendments address Indian trust management issues in the areas of probate, probate hearings and appeals, tribal probate codes, life estates and future interests in Indian land, the Indian land title of record, and conveyances of trust or restricted land. There is also an ``Application for Consolidation by Sale'' form that is associated with one of these amendments. This notice reopens the comment period for an additional 60 days to January 2, 2007. The BIA and Office of Secretary are reopening the comment period for an additional 60 days to ensure that all interested parties, including tribes and individual Indians, have the opportunity to review the proposed rule and prepare their comments.

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are renewing the information collection found in the general grazing regulations. The purpose of this data collection is to ensure that grazing regulations are administered for the benefit of Indian tribes and individual Indians. We invite your comments on this renewal of OMB Control No. 1076-0157.

This notice announces that the Information Collection Request for Documented Petitions for Federal Acknowledgment as an Indian Tribe will expire December 31, 2006. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are seeking comments on this information collection before we request extension from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget.

This notice informs the public of the Secretary's approval of the Tribal-State Compact between the State of Oklahoma and Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) instead of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed operations and maintenance of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project upon transfer. This notice also announces a public comment period. The purpose of this notice and public comment period is to obtain additional suggestions and information from other agencies and the public regarding BIA's intention to prepare an EA instead of an EIS. Because the BIA has already held public meetings to satisfy scoping requirements for preparation of an EIS, and the subject matter of the EA is identical, at this time, the BIA does not intend to hold additional public meetings. However, if the need for additional public meetings becomes evident through public comment or otherwise, the BIA will hold additional public meetings.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs proposes to establish procedures that an Indian tribe must follow in seeking to conduct gaming on lands acquired after October 17, 1988. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act allows Indian tribes to conduct class II and class III gaming activities on land acquired after October 17, 1988, only if the land meets certain exceptions. This proposed rule establishes a process for submitting and considering applications from Indian tribes seeking to conduct class II or class III gaming activities on lands acquired in trust after October 17, 1988.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), with the cooperation of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI), intends to collect information necessary to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed 61 acre fee-to- trust land transfer in Jackson County, Mississippi, and for the proposed use of that land, together with an adjacent 40 acre tract of Choctaw Reservation land in the same county, for a casino project. The purpose of the proposed action is to help meet land base and economic needs of the MBCI. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting to identify potential issues, alternatives and content for inclusion in the EIS.

This notice publishes approval of the Tribal-State Compact between the State of Oklahoma and Caddo Nation of Oklahoma.

This notice publishes approval of the Memorandum of Incorporation of Most Favored Nations Amendments to the Tribal-State Compact for class III gaming between the State of Washington and Lummi Nation.