[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 98 (Monday, May 20, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25234-25236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12363]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of the Secretary
List of Eligible Programs for Inclusion in Fiscal Year 1997
Annual Funding Agreements To Be Negotiated by the Bureau of the
Department of the Interior Other Than the Bureau of Indian Affairs and
the Self-Governance Tribes
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice lists programs or portion of programs that are
eligible for inclusion in Fiscal Year 1997 annual funding agreements
with Self-Governance Tribes and lists programmatic targets for each of
the non-BIA bureaus, pursuant to Section 405(c)(4) of the Tribal Self-
Governance Act.
DATES: Eligibility for inclusion in Fiscal Year 1997 annual funding
agreements expires on September 30, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Inquires or comments regarding this notice may be directed
to the Office of Self-Governance, 1849 C Street, NW, 2548 MIB,
Washington, DC 20240. Telephone (202) 219-0240.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Indian Self-Determination Act Amendments of 1994 (P.L. 103-413,
hereinafter referred to as the ``Self-Governance Act'' or the ``Act'')
instituted a permanent Tribal Self-Governance Program at the Department
of the Interior (DOI). Under the Self-Governance Program, certain
programs, functions, services and activities or portions thereof in
Interior bureaus other than the Bureau of Indian Affairs (hereinafter
referred to as ``non-BIA'') are eligible to be planned, conducted,
consolidated, and administered by a Self-Governance tribal government.
Under Section 405(c) of the Self-Governance Act, the Secretary of
the Interior is required to publish annually (1) a list of non-BIA
programs, services, activities, and functions or portions thereof, that
are eligible for inclusion in agreements negotiated under the Self-
Governance Program and (2) programmatic targets for these bureaus.
Under the Self-Governance Act, two types of non-BIA programs are
eligible for Self-Governance funding agreements. First, pursuant to
Section 403(b)(2) of the Act, any non-BIA program, service, function or
activity that is administered by Interior that is ``otherwise available
to Indian tribes or Indians'' is eligible to be administered by a
tribal government through a Self-Governance agreement. Section
403(b)(2) specifies that ``nothing in this subsection may be construed
to provide any tribe with a preference with respect to the opportunity
of the tribe to administer programs, services, functions and
activities, or portions thereof, unless such preference is otherwise
provided for by law.'' Second, under Section 403(c) of the Act, other
programs, services, functions, and activities, or portions thereof,
that are of ``special geographic, historical, or cultural
significance'' to a Self-Governance Tribe may be included in a Self-
Governance Agreement.
II. Eligible Programs of the Department of the Interior Non-BIA
Bureaus
Below is a listing by bureau of the type of non-BIA programs, or
portions thereof, that may be eligible for Self-Governance annual
funding agreements because they are either ``otherwise available to
Indians'' and not precluded by any other law from being contracted out
or may have ``special geographic, historical, or cultural
significance'' to a participating tribe. This summary is a general
listing of the types of programs that are the bureaus' best estimate of
those that are eligible for negotiation at the request of the Self-
Governance tribe. The listing is not intended to be exhaustive,
especially in terms of programs, services, functions or activities that
may have a ``special geographic, historical, or cultural significance''
to a participating tribe.
The listing also provides a point of contact for each non-BIA
bureau.
A. Eligible Programs of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)--
Aspects of the following programs for functions are potentially
eligible for negotiations:
Tribal Mineral Resources.
Field Survey Related to Tribal Lands.
Resource Monitoring, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation.
BLM initial point of contact for questions regarding Self-
Governance is Dr. Marilyn Nickels, 1849 C Street, NW, (204-LS),
Washington, D.C. 20240; telephone (202) 452-0330.
B. Eligible Programs of the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)--
Aspects of the following programs or functions are potentially eligible
for negotiations:
Water Resources Management: hydroelectric power
generation, municipal and industrial water supply systems, flood
control, outdoor recreation, fish and wildlife habitant enhancement,
and research.
Construction: construction of municipal and industrial
systems, safety of dams, operation and maintenance of facilities, and
management of water resources projects and associated facilities.
Reclamation initial point of contact for questions regarding Self-
Governance is Dr. Barbara McDowell, Native American Affairs Office,
Bureau of Reclamation (W-6100), 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
20240-0001; telephone (202) 208-4733.
C. Eligible Programs of the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Aspects
of the following programs or functions are potentially eligible for
negotiations:
Refuge Operations and Management: weed control, habitat
management, maintenance, wildlife surveys/studies, visitor services/
visitor center operations, acquisition, appraisals, refuge management
planning, wetland restoration projects, land surveys, and building site
restoration.
Ecological Services: prelisting (conservation agreements
development/management), recovery: development of recovery plans, bald
eagle surveys, and wildlife surveys.
Cultural Resources: survey work, cultural resource
planning (on as-needed basis), and archaeological surveys.
Fisheries: cooperative fishing management and restoration
agreements, fish collection (site-specific), fish tagging (site-
specific).
FWS initial point of contact for questions regarding Self-
Governance is Duncan Brown, Native American Liaison, Fish and Wildlife
Service (MS 3012), 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240-0001;
telephone (202) 208-4133.
D. Eligible Programs of the Minerals Management Service (MMS)
Aspects of the following programs or functions are potentially eligible
for negotiations:
Royalty Management Program: royalty internship program,
online monitoring of royalties and accounts, audit of royalty programs,
verification of royalty payments, royalty reporting, accounting, data
management, and royalty management for allottee leases.
Offshore Minerals Management: environmental assessments,
environmental impact statements, and environmental studies.
MMS initial point of contact for questions regarding Self-
Governance is Joan Killgore, Royalty Liaison Office, Minerals
Management Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240-0001;
telephone (202) 208-3512.
E. Eligible Programs of the National Park Service (NPS) Aspects of
the following programs or functions are potentially eligible for
negotiations:
On-Going Programs and Activities: archaeological surveys,
cultural
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resource management projects, ethnographic studies, erosion control,
fire protection, hazardous fuel reduction, housing construction and
rehabilitation, gathering baseline subsistence data (Alaska),
janitorial services, maintenance, natural resource management projects,
range assessment (Alaska), reindeer grazing (Alaska), road repair,
solid waste collection and disposal, and trail rehabilitation.
Special Programs: Beringia research and Elwha River
restoration.
NPS initial point of contact for questions regarding Self-
Governance is Dr. Patricia Parker, American Indian Liaison Office,
National Park Service (MS 3410-MIB), PO Box 37127, Washington, D.C.
20013-7127; telephone (202) 208-5475.
F. Eligible Programs of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement (OSM) Aspects of the following programs or functions
are potentially eligible for negotiations:
Regulatory Program.
Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program.
OSM initial point of contact for questions regarding Self-
Governance is Maria Mitchell, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement, 1951 Constitution Avenue NW (MS 210-SIB), Washington, D.C.
20240; telephone (202) 208-2727.
G. Eligible Programs of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Aspects
of the following programs or functions are potentially eligible for
negotiations:
Mineral, Environmental, and Energy Assessments.
Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program.
Water Resources Data Collection and Investigations.
Biological Resources Inventory, Monitoring, Research, and
Information and Transfer Activities.
Biological resources activities described above are those of the
National Biological Service (NBS), which will be merged with the USGS
on or before October 1, 1996. NBS will be renamed the Biological
Resources Division of USGS, and will continue its programmatic
activities in a substantially unchanged manner.
USGS initial point of contact for questions regarding Self-
Governance is Sue Marcus, American Indian/Alaska Native Liaison, U.S.
Geological Survey (MS 105), National Center, Reston, VA 22092,
telephone 703-648-4437.
III. Programmatic Targets
Each of the non-BIA bureaus will successfully negotiate at least
one annual funding agreement with a Self-Governance Tribe for Fiscal
Year 1997.
Dated: May 10, 1996.
Glynn D. Key,
Counselor to the Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-12363 Filed 5-17-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-02-M