Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 20, 2023 / Notices 64883 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Notice of Public Meeting of the U.S. 

Virgin Islands Advisory Committee to 

the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 

AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil 

Rights. 

ACTION: Notice of virtual business 

meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the U.S. Commission 

on Civil Rights (Commission) and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, that 

the U.S. Virgin Islands Advisory 

Committee (Committee) to the U.S. 

Commission on Civil Rights will hold a 

public meeting via Zoom. The purpose 

of the meeting is to discuss, plan, and 

vote as needed on matters related to the 

Committee’s inaugural civil rights 

project. 

DATES: Thursday, October 5, 2023, from 

11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Atlantic Time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via Zoom. 

Meeting Link (Audio/Visual): https:// 

www.zoomgov.com/j/1618230846. 

Join by Phone (Audio Only): 1–833– 

435–1820 USA Toll Free; Meeting ID: 

161 823 0846#. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Barreras, Designated Federal 

Officer, at dbarreras@usccr.gov or 1– 

202–656–8937. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

Committee meeting is available to the 

public through the meeting link above. 

Any interested member of the public 

may attend this meeting. An open 

comment period will be provided to 

allow members of the public to make 

oral statements as time allows. Pursuant 

to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 

public minutes of the meeting will 

include a list of persons who are present 

at the meeting. If joining via phone, 

callers can expect to incur regular 

charges for calls they initiate over 

wireless lines, according to their 

wireless plan. The Commission will not 

refund any incurred charges. Callers 

will incur no charge for calls they 

initiate over land-line connections to 

the toll-free telephone number. Closed 

captioning is available by selecting 

‘‘CC’’ in the meeting platform. To 

request additional accommodations, 

please email svillanueva@usccr.gov at 

least 10 business days prior to the 

meeting. 

Members of the public are entitled to 

submit written comments; the 

comments must be received in the 

regional office within 30 days following 

the scheduled meeting. Written 

comments may be emailed to Sarah 

Villanueva at svillanueva@usccr.gov. 

Persons who desire additional 

information may contact the Regional 

Programs Coordination Unit at 1–202– 

656–8937. 

Records generated from this meeting 

may be inspected and reproduced at the 

Regional Programs Coordination Unit 

Office, as they become available, both 

before and after the meeting. Records of 

the meetings will be available via 

www.facadatabase.gov under the 

Commission on Civil Rights, U.S. Virgin 

Islands Advisory Committee Advisory 

Committee link. Persons interested in 

the work of this Committee are directed 

to the Commission’s website, http://

www.usccr.gov, or may contact the 

Regional Programs Coordination Unit at 

svillanueva@usccr.gov. 

Agenda 

I. Welcome and Roll Call 

II. Annoucements and Updates 

III. Committee Discussion 

IV. Next Steps 

V. Public Comment 

VI. Adjournment 

Dated: September 15, 2023. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20374 Filed 9–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Notice of Public Meeting of the New 

York Advisory Committee to the U.S. 

Commission on Civil Rights 

AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil 

Rights. 

ACTION: Notice of virtual business 

meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the U.S. Commission 

on Civil Rights (Commission) and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, that 

the New York Advisory Committee 

(Committee) to the U.S. Commission on 

Civil Rights will hold a public meeting 

via Zoom. The purpose of the meeting 

is to discuss draft findings in the 

Committee’s draft report on the New 

York child welfare system and its 

impact on Black children and families. 

DATES: Friday, October 20, 2023, from 

1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via Zoom. 

Registration Link (Audio/Visual): 

https://bit.ly/3PbvgdX. 

Join by Phone (Audio Only): 1–833– 

435–1820 USA Toll Free; Webinar ID: 

161 785 2445#. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mallory Trachtenberg, DFO, at 

mtrachtenberg@usccr.gov or 1–202– 

809–9618. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

Committee meeting is available to the 

public through the registration link 

above. Any interested member of the 

public may attend this meeting. An 

open comment period will be provided 

to allow members of the public to make 

oral statements as time allows. Pursuant 

to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 

public minutes of the meeting will 

include a list of persons who are present 

at the meeting. If joining via phone, 

callers can expect to incur regular 

charges for calls they initiate over 

wireless lines, according to their 

wireless plan. The Commission will not 

refund any incurred charges. Callers 

will incur no charge for calls they 

initiate over land-line connections to 

the toll-free telephone number. Closed 

captioning is available by selecting 

‘‘CC’’ in the meeting platform. To 

request additional accommodations, 

please email svillanueva@usccr.gov at 

least 10 business days prior to the 

meeting. 

Members of the public are entitled to 

submit written comments; the 

comments must be received in the 

regional office within 30 days following 

the scheduled meeting. Written 

comments may be emailed to Mallory 

Trachtenberg at mtrachtenberg@

usccr.gov. Persons who desire 

additional information may contact the 

Regional Programs Coordination Unit at 

1–202–809–9618. 

Records generated from this meeting 

may be inspected and reproduced at the 

Regional Programs Coordination Unit 

Office, as they become available, both 

before and after the meeting. Records of 

the meetings will be available via 

www.facadatabase.gov under the 

Commission on Civil Rights, New York 

Advisory Committee link. Persons 

interested in the work of this Committee 

are directed to the Commission’s 

website, http://www.usccr.gov, or may 

contact the Regional Programs 

Coordination Unit at svillanueva@

usccr.gov. 

Agenda 

I. Welcome and Roll Call 

II. Approval of Minutes 

III. Discussion: Draft Findings 

IV. Public Comment 

V. Next Steps 

VI. Adjournment 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
64884 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 20, 2023 / Notices 

Dated: September 15, 2023. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20365 Filed 9–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

Adoption of Department of Energy 

Categorical Exclusions Under the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) has 

identified categorical exclusions (CEs) 

established by the Department of Energy 

(DOE) that cover categories of actions 

that NIST proposes to take. This notice 

identifies the DOE CEs and NIST’s 

categories of proposed actions for which 

it intends to use DOE’s CEs and 

describes the consultation between the 

agencies. 

DATES: The CEs identified below are 

available for NIST to use for its 

proposed actions effective September 

20, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Nist, NIST, telephone number 

202–302–9541, email jennifer.nist@

nist.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

NEPA and CEs 

Congress enacted the National 

Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 

4321–4347, (NEPA) in order to 

encourage productive and enjoyable 

harmony between humans and the 

environment, recognizing the profound 

impact of human activity and the 

critical importance of restoring and 

maintaining environmental quality to 

the overall welfare of humankind. 42 

U.S.C. 4321, 4331. NEPA seeks to 

ensure that agencies consider the 

environmental effects of their proposed 

major actions in their decision-making 

processes and inform and involve the 

public in that process. NEPA created the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

(CEQ), which promulgated NEPA 

implementing regulations, 40 CFR parts 

1500 through 1508 (CEQ regulations). 

To comply with NEPA, agencies 

determine the appropriate level of 

review of any major federal action—an 

environmental impact statement (EIS), 

environmental assessment (EA), or 

categorical exclusion (CE). 40 CFR 

1501.3. If a proposed action is likely to 

have significant environmental effects, 

the agency must prepare an EIS and 

document its decision in a record of 

decision. 40 CFR part 1502, 1505.2. If 

the proposed action is not likely to have 

significant environmental effects or the 

effects are unknown, the agency may 

instead prepare an environmental 

assessment (EA), which involves a more 

concise analysis and process than an 

EIS. 40 CFR 1501.5. Following the EA, 

the agency may conclude that the action 

will have no significant effects and 

document that conclusion in a finding 

of no significant impact. 40 CFR 1501.6. 

If the analysis concludes that the action 

is likely to have significant effects, 

however, then an EIS is required. 

Under NEPA and the CEQ regulations, 

a Federal agency also can establish 

CEs—categories of actions that the 

agency has determined normally do not 

significantly affect the quality of the 

human environment—in their agency 

NEPA procedures. 42 U.S.C. 4336e(1); 

40 CFR 1501.4, 1507.3(e)(2)(ii), 

1508.1(d). If an agency determines that 

a CE covers a proposed action, it then 

evaluates the proposed action for 

extraordinary circumstances in which a 

normally excluded action may have a 

significant effect. 40 CFR 1501.4(b). If 

no extraordinary circumstances are 

present, the agency may apply the CE to 

the proposed action without preparing 

an EA or EIS. 42 U.S.C. 4336(a)(2), 40 

CFR 1501.4. If extraordinary 

circumstances are present, the agency 

nevertheless may still categorically 

exclude the proposed action if it 

determines that there are circumstances 

that lessen the impacts or other 

conditions sufficient to avoid significant 

effects. 

Section 109 of NEPA, enacted as part 

of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, 

allows a Federal agency to ‘‘adopt’’ 

another Federal agency’s CEs for 

proposed actions. 42 U.S.C. 4336c. To 

use another agency’s CEs under section 

109, the borrowing agency must identify 

the relevant CEs listed in another 

agency’s (‘‘establishing agency’’) NEPA 

procedures that covers the borrowing 

agency’s category of proposed actions or 

related actions; consult with the 

establishing agency to ensure that the 

proposed adoption of the CE for a 

category of actions is appropriate; 

identify to the public the CE that the 

borrowing agency plans to use for its 

proposed actions; and document 

adoption of the CE. 42 U.S.C. 4336c. 

NIST has prepared this notice to meet 

these statutory requirements. 

NIST’s Programs 

Founded in 1901, NIST’s mission is to 

promote U.S. innovation and industrial 

competitiveness by advancing 

measurement science, standards, and 

technology in ways that enhance 

economic security and improve our 

quality of life. Historically, NIST has 

carried out this mission through, for 

example, operation of the NIST 

Laboratories, conducting world-class 

research, often in close collaboration 

with industry, that advances the 

nation’s technology infrastructure and 

helps U.S. companies continually 

improve products and services. 

In August 2022, the Congress passed 

the CHIPS Act of 2022, which amended 

Title XCIX of the William M. (Mac) 

Thornberry National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, 

15 U.S.C. 4651 et seq., also known as 

the Creating Helpful Incentives to 

Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for 

America Act. The law provides the 

Department of Commerce with $50 

billion for a suite of programs to 

strengthen and revitalize the U.S. 

position in semiconductor research, 

development, and manufacturing. 

CHIPS for America encompasses two 

offices within NIST responsible for 

implementing the law: the CHIPS 

Research and Development Office is 

investing $11 billion into developing a 

robust domestic R&D ecosystem, while 

the CHIPS Program Office is dedicating 

$39 billion to provide incentives for 

investment in facilities and equipment 

in the United States. NIST is uniquely 

positioned to successfully administer 

the CHIPS for America program because 

of the bureau’s strong relationships with 

U.S. industries, its deep understanding 

of the semiconductor ecosystem, and its 

reputation as fair and trusted. 

II. DOE Categorical Exclusions 

NIST has identified the following CEs 

listed in appendices A and B to subpart 

D of DOE’s NEPA regulations, 10 CFR 

part 1021. Each of the DOE CEs includes 

conditions on the scope or application 

of the CE within the text of the 

numbered paragraphs listed below and 

within the integral elements in DOE’s 

regulations (10 CFR part 1021, subpart 

D, appendix B (1)–(5)). Under each CE, 

NIST has described categories of 

proposed actions for which NIST may 

use the CE. The list of categories 

comprises the categories of actions for 

which NIST contemplates using the CE 

at this time; NIST may expand use of 

the CEs identified below to other 

activities where appropriate. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1