2017-27829. Invasive Species Advisory Committee; Request for Nominations

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of the Interior, on behalf of the interdepartmental National Invasive Species Council (NISC), proposes to appoint new members to the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC). The Secretary of the Interior, acting as administrative lead, is requesting nominations for qualified persons to serve as members of the ISAC.

DATES:

Nominations must be postmarked by February 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Nominations should be sent to Jamie K. Reaser, Executive Director, National Invasive Species Council (OS/NISC), Regular/Express Mail: 1849 C Street NW (Mailstop 3530), Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kelsey Brantley, Coordinator for NISC and ISAC Operations, at [phone], fax: [phone], or by email at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Advisory Committee Scope and Objectives

Executive Order (E.O.) 13112 authorized the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) to provide interdepartmental coordination, planning, and leadership for the Federal Government on the prevention, eradication, and control of invasive species. This authorization was recently reiterated in E.O. 13751. NISC is currently comprised of the senior-most leadership of thirteen Federal Departments/Agencies and three Executive Offices of the President. The Co-chairs of NISC are the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce. The Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) advises NISC. NISC is requesting nominations for individuals to serve on the ISAC.

NISC provides high-level interdepartmental coordination of Federal invasive species actions and works with other Federal and non-Federal groups to address invasive species issues at the national level. NISC duties, consistent with E.O. 13751, are to provide national leadership regarding invasive species and: (a) Work to ensure that the Federal agency and interagency activities concerning invasive species are coordinated, complementary, cost-efficient, and effective; (b) undertake a National Invasive Species Assessment that evaluates the impact of invasive species on major U.S. assets, including food security, water resources, infrastructure, the environment, human, animal, and plant health, natural resources, cultural identity and resources, and military readiness, from ecological, social, and economic perspectives; (c) advance national incident response, data collection, and rapid reporting capacities that build on existing frameworks and programs and strengthen early detection of and rapid response to invasive species, including those that are vectors, reservoirs, or causative agents of disease; (d) publish an assessment by 2019 that identifies the most pressing scientific, technical, and programmatic coordination challenges to the Federal Government's capacity to prevent the introduction of invasive species, and that incorporate recommendations and priority actions to overcome these challenges into the National Invasive Species Council Management Plan, as appropriate; (e) support and encourage the development of new technologies and practices, and promote the use of existing technologies and practices, to prevent, eradicate, and control invasive species, including those that are vectors, reservoirs, and causative agents of disease; (f) convene annually to discuss and coordinate interagency priorities and report annually on activities and budget requirements for programs that contribute directly to the implementation of this order; and (g) publish a National Invasive Species Council Management Plan; (h) enhancing cooperative stewardship with states, territories, and federally-recognized tribes to address invasive species, including by identifying and overcoming regulatory and non-regulatory barriers to effective and cost-efficient cooperation; (i) restoring ecosystems, included human-managed landscapes (e.g., rangelands, forestlands), and other national assets impacted by invasive species; and (j) reducing the impact of invasive species on the American economy, including by safeguarding employment and income generated through the enjoyment and utilization of natural resources, as well as by creating employment opportunities for preventing, eradicating, and controlling invasive species; and engaging the hunting and fishing communities in preventing, eradicating, or controlling invasive species.

ISAC is chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2). At the request of NISC, ISAC provides advice to NISC members on topics related to NISC's aforementioned duties, as well as emerging issues prioritized by the Administration. As a multi-stakeholder advisory committee, ISAC is intended to play a key role in recommending plans and actions to be taken at local, tribal, state, territorial, regional, and landscape-based levels to achieve the goals and objectives of the Management Plan. It is hoped that, collectively, ISAC will represent the views of the broad range of individuals and communities knowledgeable of and affected by invasive species.

Prospective members of ISAC need to have knowledge in the prevention, eradication, and/or control of invasive species, as well as to demonstrate a high degree of capacity for: Advising individuals in leadership positions, team work, project management, tracking relevant Federal government programs and policy making procedures, and networking with and representing their peer-community of interest. ISAC members need not be scientists. Membership from a wide range of disciplines and professional sectors is encouraged. At this time, we are particularly interested in applications from representatives of tribes, states, territories, non-governmental organizations, outdoor recreational groups, the private sector, and large-scale land management entities (urban and rural).

After consultation with the other members of NISC, the Secretary of the Interior will appoint members to ISAC. Members will be selected based on their individual qualifications, as well as the overall need to achieve a balanced representation of viewpoints, subject matter expertise, regional knowledge, and representation of communities of interest. ISAC member terms are limited to three (3) years from their date of appointment to ISAC. Following completion of their first term, an ISAC member may request consideration for reappointment to an additional term. Reappointment is not guaranteed.

Typically, ISAC will hold at least one in-person meeting per year. Between meetings, ISAC members are expected to participate in committee work via conference calls and email exchanges. Members of the ISAC and its subcommittees serve without pay. However, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services of the ISAC, members may be reimbursed for travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as persons employed intermittently in the government service, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code. Employees of the Federal Government ARE NOT eligible for nomination or appointment to ISAC.

Individuals who are federally registered lobbyists are ineligible to serve on all FACA and non-FACA boards, committees, or councils in an individual capacity. The term “individual capacity” refers to individuals who are appointed to exercise their own individual best judgment on behalf of the government, such as when they are designated Special Government Employees, rather than being appointed to represent a particular interest.

Nominations should include a resume that provides an adequate description of the nominee's qualifications, particularly information that will enable the Department of the Interior to make evaluate the nominee's potential to meet the membership requirements of the Committee and permit the Department of the Interior to contact a potential member. Please refer to the membership criteria stated in this notice.

Any interested person or entity may nominate one or more qualified individuals for membership on the ISAC. Self-nominations are also accepted. Persons or entities submitting nomination packages on the behalf of others must confirm that the individual(s) is/are aware of their nomination. Nominations must be postmarked no later than February 26, 2018 to Jamie K. Reaser, Executive Director, National Invasive Species Council (OS/NISC), Regular Mail: 1849 C Street NW (Mailstop 3530), Washington, DC 20240.

Public Disclosure of Comments: Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your nominations and/or comments, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your nomination/comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2

Dated: December 20, 2017.

Jamie K. Reaser,

Executive Director, National Invasive Species Council Secretariat.