27344 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2018 / Notices 

Authority: 43 CFR 1784.4–2. 

Melanie Barnes, 

Deputy State Director, Lands and Resources. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12610 Filed 6–11–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–FB–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNV912000 L10200000.PH0000 

LXSS0006F0000; 12–08807; 

MO#4500120116; TAS: 14X1109] 

Notice of Public Meeting: Sierra FrontNorthwestern Great Basin Resource 

Advisory Council, Nevada 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: 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, the Bureau 

of Land Management (BLM) Sierra 

Front-Northwestern Great Basin 

Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will 

meet as indicated below. 

DATES: The SFNW RAC will hold a 

public meeting on Thursday, July 26, 

2018, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a field 

trip to the Pine Forest Wilderness on 

Friday, July 27, 2018, from 7:00 a.m. to 

4 p.m. Public comment periods will be 

held on July 26 at 8:05 a.m. and 3:30 

p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The July 26, 2018, meeting 

will be held at the BLM Winnemucca 

District Office, 5100 East Winnemucca 

Boulevard, Winnemucca, Nevada, 

89445. Field trip participants will meet 

at the BLM Winnemucca District Office 

at 7:00 a.m. on July 27, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa 

Ross, Public Affairs Specialist, at 775– 

885–6107, Carson City District Office, 

5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, 

NV 89701, or lross@blm.gov. Persons 

who use a telecommunications device 

for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

to contact the above individual during 

normal business hours. The FRS is 

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 

to leave a message or question with the 

above individual. You will receive a 

reply during normal business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 15- 

member Sierra Front-Northwestern 

Great Basin RAC was chartered to serve 

in an advisory capacity concerning the 

planning and management of the public 

land resources located within Nevada. 

Members represent an array of 

stakeholder interests in the land and 

resources from within the local area and 

statewide. Both the meeting and field 

trip are open to the public. However, the 

public is required to provide its own 

transportation for the field trip. 

Topics for discussion at each meeting 

will include, but are not limited to: 

• July 26, 2018—Planned agenda 

items at the meeting include, but are not 

limited to district manager and 

subcommittee reports, wildlife 

management, and updates on energy 

and mineral development and Burning 

Man. 

• July 27, 2018—Field trip to the Pine 

Forest Wilderness. 

The RAC may raise other topics at the 

meetings. Final agendas are posted 

online two weeks prior to the meeting 

on the BLM Sierra Front-Northwestern 

Great Basin RAC website at https://

go.usa.gov/xQTsA. 

Individuals who plan to attend and 

need special assistance, such as sign 

language interpretation or other 

reasonable accommodations, or who 

wish to receive a copy of each agenda, 

may contact the person listed above no 

later than 10 days prior to the meeting. 

Persons wishing to make comments 

during the public comment period of 

the meeting should register in person 

with the BLM, at the meeting location, 

before the meeting’s public comment 

period. Depending on the number of 

persons wishing to comment, the 

amount of time for individual oral 

comments may be limited. The public 

may also submit written comments to 

the person listed above no later than 

July 20 to be made available to the RAC 

at the July 26, 2018, meeting. All written 

comments received will be provided to 

the council members. Before including 

your address, phone number, email 

address, or other personal information 

in your comments, please 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 comment 

to withhold your personal information 

from public review, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

Authority: 43 CFR 1784.4–2. 

Rudy Evenson, 

Deputy Chief, Office of Communications. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12611 Filed 6–11–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Indian Gaming Commission 

Renewals of Information Collections 

and Request for New Collection Under 

the Paperwork Reduction Act 

AGENCY: National Indian Gaming 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice of request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

National Indian Gaming Commission 

(NIGC or Commission) is seeking 

comments on the renewal of 

information collections for the following 

activities: Indian gaming management 

contract-related submissions, as 

authorized by Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) Control Number 

3141–0004 (expires on November 30, 

2018); Indian gaming fee paymentsrelated submissions, as authorized by 

OMB Control Number 3141–0007 

(expires on November 30, 2018); 

minimum internal control standards for 

class II gaming submission and 

recordkeeping requirements, as 

authorized by OMB Control Number 

3141–0009 (expires on November 30, 

2018); facility license-related 

submission and recordkeeping 

requirements, as authorized by OMB 

Control Number 3141–0012 (expires on 

November 30, 2018); and minimum 

technical standards for class II gaming 

systems and equipment submission and 

recordkeeping requirements, as 

authorized by OMB Control Number 

3141–0014 (expires on November 30, 

2018). 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

August 13, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Comments can be mailed, 

faxed, or emailed to the attention of: 

Tim Osumi, National Indian Gaming 

Commission, 1849 C Street NW, Mail 

Stop #1621, Washington, DC 20240. 

Comments may be faxed to (202) 632– 

7066 and may be sent electronically to 

info@nigc.gov, subject: PRA renewals. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim 

Osumi at (202) 632–7054; fax (202) 632– 

7066 (not toll-free numbers). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Request for Comments 

You are invited to comment on these 

collections concerning: (i) Whether the 

collections of information are necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (ii) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimates of the burdens 

(including the hours and cost) of the 

proposed collections of information, 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2018 / Notices 27345 

including the validity of the 

methodologies and assumptions used; 

(iii) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information to be 

collected; (iv) ways to minimize the 

burdens of the information collections 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other collection techniques or forms of 

information technology. Please note that 

an agency may not conduct or sponsor, 

and an individual need not respond to, 

a collection of information unless it has 

a valid OMB control number. 

It is the Commission’s policy to make 

all comments available to the public for 

review at its headquarters, located at 90 

K Street NE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 

20002. Before including your address, 

phone number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you may ask in your comment 

that the Commission withhold your 

personal identifying information from 

public review, the Commission cannot 

guarantee that it will be able to do so. 

II. Data 

Title: Management Contract 

Provisions. 

OMB Control Number: 3141–0004. 

Brief Description of Collection: The 

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA or 

the Act), Public Law 100–497, 25 U.S.C. 

2701, et seq., established the National 

Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC or 

Commission) and laid out a 

comprehensive framework for the 

regulation of gaming on Indian lands. 

Amongst other actions necessary to 

carry out the Commission’s statutory 

duties, the Act requires the NIGC 

Chairman to review and approve all 

management contracts for the operation 

and management of class II and/or class 

III gaming activities, and to conduct 

background investigations of persons 

with direct or indirect financial interests 

in, and management responsibility for, 

management contracts. 25 U.S.C. 2710, 

2711. The Commission is authorized to 

‘‘promulgate such regulations and 

guidelines as it deems appropriate to 

implement’’ IGRA. 25 U.S.C. 

2706(b)(10). The Commission has 

promulgated parts 533, 535, and 537 of 

title 25, Code of Federal Regulations, to 

implement these statutory requirements. 

Section 533.2 requires a tribe or 

management contractor to submit a 

management contract for review within 

60 days of execution, and to submit all 

of the items specified in § 533.3. Section 

535.1 requires a tribe to submit an 

amendment to a management contract 

within 30 days of execution, and to 

submit all of the items specified in 

§ 535.1(c). Section 535.2 requires a tribe 

or a management contractor, upon 

execution, to submit the assignment by 

a management contractor of its rights 

under a previously approved 

management contract. Section 537.1 

requires a management contractor to 

submit all of the items specified in 

§ 537.1(b),(c) in order for the 

Commission to conduct background 

investigations on: Each person with 

management responsibility for a 

management contract; each person who 

is a director of a corporation that is a 

party to a management contract; the ten 

persons who have the greatest direct or 

indirect financial interest in a 

management contract; any entity with a 

financial interest in a management 

contract; and any other person with a 

direct or indirect financial interest in a 

management contract, as otherwise 

designated by the Commission. This 

collection is mandatory, and the benefit 

to the respondents is the approval of 

Indian gaming management contracts, 

and any amendments thereto. 

Respondents: Tribal governing bodies 

and management contractors. 

Estimated Annual Responses: 43 

(submissions of contracts, contract 

amendments, contract assignments, and 

background investigation material). 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Depending on the type of submission, 

the range of time can vary from 10.0 

burden hours to 20.0 burden hours for 

one item. 

Frequency of Response: Usually no 

more than once per year. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours on Respondents: 692. 

Estimated Total Non-Hour Cost 

Burden: $500,000. 

Title: Fees. 

OMB Control Number: 3141–0007. 

Brief Description of Collection: The 

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA or 

the Act), 25 U.S.C. 2701, et seq., laid out 

a comprehensive framework for the 

regulation of gaming on Indian lands. 

Amongst other actions necessary to 

carry out the Commission’s statutory 

duties, the Act requires Indian tribes 

that conduct a class II and/or class III 

gaming activity to pay annual fees to the 

Commission on the basis of the 

assessable gross revenues of each 

gaming operation using rates established 

by the Commission. 25 U.S.C. 2717. The 

Commission is authorized to 

‘‘promulgate such regulations and 

guidelines as it deems appropriate to 

implement’’ IGRA. 25 U.S.C. 

2706(b)(10). The Commission has 

promulgated part 514 of title 25, Code 

of Federal Regulations, to implement 

these statutory requirements. 

Section 514.6 requires a tribe to 

submit, along with its fee payments, 

quarterly fee statements (worksheets) 

showing its assessable gross revenues 

for the previous fiscal year in order to 

support the computation of fees paid by 

each gaming operation. Section 514.7 

requires a tribe to submit a notice 

within 30 days after a gaming operation 

changes its fiscal year. Section 514.15 

allows a tribe to submit fingerprint 

cards to the Commission for processing 

by the Federal Bureau of Investigation 

(FBI), along with a fee to cover the 

NIGC’s and FBI’s cost to process the 

fingerprint cards on behalf of the tribes. 

Part of this collection is mandatory and 

the other part is voluntary. The required 

submission of the fee worksheets allows 

the Commission to both set and adjust 

fee rates, and to support the 

computation of fees paid by each 

gaming operation. In addition, the 

voluntary submission of fingerprint 

cards allows a tribe to conduct 

statutorily mandated background 

investigations on applicants for key 

employee and primary management 

official positions. 

Respondents: Indian gaming 

operations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

651. 

Estimated Annual Responses: 71,375. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Depending on the type of submission, 

the range of time can vary from 0.5 

burden hours to 2.0 burden hours for 

one item. 

Frequency of Response: Quarterly (for 

fee worksheets); varies (for fingerprint 

cards and fiscal year change notices). 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 38,292. 

Estimated Total Non-Hour Cost 

Burden: $1,467,585. 

Title: Minimum Internal Control 

Standards for Class II Gaming. 

OMB Control Number: 3141–0009. 

Brief Description of Collection: The 

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA or 

the Act), 25 U.S.C. 2701, et seq., laid out 

a comprehensive framework for the 

regulation of gaming on Indian lands. 

Amongst other actions necessary to 

carry out the Commission’s statutory 

duties, the Act directs the Commission 

to monitor class II gaming conducted on 

Indian lands on a continuing basis in 

order to adequately shield Indian 

gaming from organized crime and other 

corrupting influences, to ensure that the 

Indian tribe is the primary beneficiary of 

the gaming operation, and to assure that 

gaming is conducted fairly and honestly 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
27346 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2018 / Notices 

by both the operator and players. 25 

U.S.C. 2702(2), 2706(b)(1). The 

Commission is also authorized to 

‘‘promulgate such regulations and 

guidelines as it deems appropriate to 

implement’’ IGRA. 25 U.S.C. 

2706(b)(10). The Commission has 

promulgated part 543 of title 25, Code 

of Federal Regulations, to aid it in 

monitoring class II gaming on a 

continuing basis. 

Section 543.3 requires a tribal gaming 

regulatory authority (TGRA) to submit 

to the Commission a notice requesting 

an extension to the deadline (by an 

additional six months) to achieve 

compliance with the requirements of the 

new tier after a gaming operation has 

moved from one tier to another. Section 

543.5 requires a TGRA to submit a 

detailed report after the TGRA has 

approved an alternate standard to any of 

the NIGC’s minimum internal control 

standards, and the report must contain 

all of the items specified in § 543.5(a)(2). 

Section 543.23(c) requires a tribe to 

maintain internal audit reports and to 

make such reports available to the 

Commission upon request. Section 

543.23(d) requires a tribe to submit two 

copies of the agreed-upon procedures 

(AUP) report within 120 days of the 

gaming operation’s fiscal year end. This 

collection is mandatory and allows the 

NIGC to confirm tribal compliance with 

the minimum internal control standards 

in the AUP reports. 

Respondents: Tribal governing bodies. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

466. 

Estimated Annual Responses: 834. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Depending on the tier level of the 

gaming facility, the range of time can 

vary from 1 burden hour to 108 burden 

hours for one AUP audit report. 

Frequency of Response: Annually. 

Estimated Total Annual Hourly 

Burden to Respondents: 11,340. 

Estimated Total Non-Hour Cost 

Burden: $8,736,040. 

Title: Facility License Notifications 

and Submissions. 

OMB Control Number: 3141–0012. 

Brief Description of Collection: The 

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA or 

the Act), 25 U.S.C. 2701, et seq., laid out 

a comprehensive framework for the 

regulation of gaming on Indian lands. 

Amongst other actions necessary to 

carry out the Commission’s statutory 

duties, the Act requires Indian tribes 

that conduct class II and/or class III 

gaming to issue ‘‘a separate license . . . 

for each place, facility, or location on 

Indian lands at which class II [and class 

III] gaming is conducted,’’ 25 U.S.C. 

2710(b)(1), (d)(1), and to ensure that 

‘‘the construction and maintenance of 

the gaming facilities, and the operation 

of that gaming is conducted in a manner 

which adequately protects the 

environment and public health and 

safety.’’ 25 U.S.C. 2710(b)(2)(E). The 

Commission is authorized to 

‘‘promulgate such regulations and 

guidelines as it deems appropriate to 

implement’’ IGRA. 25 U.S.C. 

2706(b)(10). The Commission has 

promulgated part 559 of title 25, Code 

of Federal Regulations, to implement 

these requirements. 

Section 559.2 requires a tribe to 

submit a notice (that a facility license is 

under consideration for issuance) at 

least 120 days before opening any new 

facility on Indian lands where class II 

and/or class III gaming will occur, with 

the notice containing all of the items 

specified in § 559.2(b). Section 559.3 

requires a tribe to submit a copy of each 

newly issued or renewed facility license 

within 30 days of issuance. Section 

559.4 requires a tribe to submit an 

attestation certifying that by issuing the 

facility license, the tribe has determined 

that the construction, maintenance, and 

operation of that gaming facility is 

conducted in a manner that adequately 

protects the environment and the public 

health and safety. Section 559.5 requires 

a tribe to submit a notice within 30 days 

if a facility license is terminated or 

expires or if a gaming operation closes 

or reopens. Section 559.6 requires a 

tribe to maintain and provide applicable 

and available Indian lands or 

environmental and public health and 

safety documentation, if requested by 

the NIGC. This collection is mandatory 

and enables the Commission to perform 

its statutory duty by ensuring that tribal 

gaming facilities on Indian lands are 

properly licensed by the tribes. 

Respondents: Indian tribal gaming 

operations. 

Estimated Annual Responses: 110. 

Estimated Annual Responses: 269. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Depending on the type of submission, 

the range of time can vary from 0.5 

burden hours to 13.0 burden hours for 

one item. 

Frequency of Response: Varies. 

Estimated Total Annual Hourly 

Burden to Respondents: 2,232. 

Estimated Total Non-Hour Cost 

Burden: $6,663. 

Title: Minimum Technical Standards 

for Class II Gaming Systems and 

Equipment. 

OMB Control Number: 3141–0014. 

Brief Description of Collection: The 

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA or 

the Act), 25 U.S.C. 2701, et seq., laid out 

a comprehensive framework for the 

regulation of gaming on Indian lands. 

Amongst other actions necessary to 

carry out the Commission’s statutory 

duties, the Act directs the Commission 

to monitor class II gaming conducted on 

Indian lands on a continuing basis in 

order to adequately shield Indian 

gaming from organized crime and other 

corrupting influences, to ensure that the 

Indian tribe is the primary beneficiary of 

the gaming operation, and to assure that 

gaming is conducted fairly and honestly 

by both the operator and players. 25 

U.S.C. 2702(2), 2706(b)(1). The Act 

allows Indian tribes to use ‘‘electronic, 

computer, or other technologic aids’’ to 

conduct class II gaming activities. 25 

U.S.C. 2703(7)(A). The Commission is 

authorized to ‘‘promulgate such 

regulations and guidelines as it deems 

appropriate to implement’’ IGRA. 25 

U.S.C. 2706(b)(10). The Commission has 

promulgated part 547 of title 25, Code 

of Federal Regulations, to aid it in 

monitoring class II gaming facilities that 

are using electronic, computer, or other 

technologic aids to conduct class II 

gaming. 

Section 547.5(a)(2) requires that, for 

any grandfathered class II gaming 

system made available for use at any 

tribal gaming operation, the tribal 

gaming regulatory authority (TGRA): 

Must retain copies of the gaming 

system’s testing laboratory report, the 

TGRA’s compliance certificate, and the 

TGRA’s approval of its use; and must 

maintain records identifying these 

grandfathered class II gaming systems 

and their components. Section 

547.5(b)(2) requires that, for any class II 

gaming system generally, the TGRA 

must retain a copy of the system’s 

testing laboratory report, and maintain 

records identifying the system and its 

components. As long as a class II 

gaming system is available to the public 

for play, section 547.5(c)(3) requires a 

TGRA to maintain records of any 

modification to such gaming system and 

a copy of its testing laboratory report. 

Section 547.5(d)(3) requires a TGRA to 

maintain records of approved 

emergency hardware and software 

modifications to a class II gaming 

system (and a copy of the testing 

laboratory report) so long as the gaming 

system remains available to the public 

for play, and must make the records 

available to the Commission upon 

request. Section 547.5(f) requires a 

TGRA to maintain records of its 

following determinations: (i) Regarding 

a testing laboratory’s (that is owned or 

operated or affiliated with a tribe) 

independence from the manufacturer 

and gaming operator for whom it is 

providing the testing, evaluating, and 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 12, 2018 / Notices 27347 

reporting functions; (ii) regarding a 

testing laboratory’s suitability 

determination based upon standards no 

less stringent than those set out in 25 

CFR 533.6(b)(1)(ii) through (v) and 

based upon no less information than 

that required by 25 CFR 537.1; and/or 

(iii) the TGRA’s acceptance of a testing 

laboratory’s suitability determination 

made by any other gaming regulatory 

authority in the United States. The 

TGRA must maintain said records for a 

minimum of three years and must make 

the records available to the Commission 

upon request. Section 547.17 requires a 

TGRA to submit a detailed report for 

each enumerated standard for which the 

TGRA approves an alternate standard, 

and the report must include: (i) An 

explanation of how the alternate 

standard achieves a level of security and 

integrity sufficient to accomplish the 

purpose of the standard it is to replace; 

and (ii) the alternate standard as 

approved and the record on which the 

approval is based. This collection is 

mandatory and allows the NIGC to 

confirm tribal compliance with NIGC 

regulations on ‘‘electronic, computer, or 

other technologic aids’’ to conduct class 

II gaming activities. 

Respondents: Tribal governing bodies. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

492. 

Estimated Annual Responses: 500. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

Depending on the type of submission, 

the range of time can vary from 2.0 

burden hours to 6.0 burden hours for 

one item. 

Frequency of Response: Annually. 

Estimated Total Annual Hourly 

Burden to Respondents: 2,456. 

Estimated Total Non-Hour Cost 

Burden: $0. 

Dated: May 31, 2018. 

Christinia Thomas, 

Chief of Staff (A). 

[FR Doc. 2018–12498 Filed 6–11–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7565–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–NERO–GATE–25299; PPNEGATEB0, 

PPMVSCS1Z.Y00000] 

Gateway National Recreation Area Fort 

Hancock 21st Century Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of renewal. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior 

is giving notice of renewal of the 

Gateway National Recreation Area Fort 

Hancock 21st Century Advisory 

Committee. The Committee provides 

advice on the development of a specific 

reuse plan and on matters relating to the 

future uses of the Fort Hancock Historic 

Landmark District within the Sandy 

Hook Unit of Gateway National 

Recreation Area. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Daphne Yun, Acting Public Affairs 

Officer, Gateway National Recreation 

Area, 210 New York Avenue, Staten 

Island, New York 10305, or by 

telephone (718) 354–4602, or by email 

daphne_yun@nps.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice is published in accordance with 

Section 9(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act of 1972 (Pub. L. 92–463, 

as amended). The certification of 

renewal is published below. 

Certification Statement: I hereby 

certify that the renewal of the Gateway 

National Recreation Area Fort Hancock 

21st Century Advisory Committee is 

necessary and in the public interest in 

connection with the performance of 

duties imposed on the Department of 

the Interior by the National Park Service 

Organic Act (54 U.S.C. 100101(a) et 

seq.), and other statutes relating to the 

administration of the National Park 

Service. 

Authority: 54 U.S.C. 100906; 54 U.S.C. 

100101(a) et seq. 

Ryan K. Zinke, 

Secretary of the Interior. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12559 Filed 6–11–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–52–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Reclamation 

[RR03510000, XXXR0680R1, 

RR171260120019400] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement, New 

Mexico Unit of the Central Arizona 

Project; Catron, Grant, and Hidalgo 

Counties, New Mexico 

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation 

(Reclamation), as the lead Federal 

agency, and the New Mexico Interstate 

Stream Commission (ISC), as joint lead 

agency, intend to gather information 

necessary for preparing an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

to evaluate the effects of the 

construction and operation of a New 

Mexico Unit (NM Unit) of the Central 

Arizona Project (CAP). Reclamation and 

the ISC will work with land owners that 

may be impacted by construction and 

operation of the NM Unit. Reclamation 

and the ISC will evaluate and disclose 

the potential environmental effects on 

these lands to determine consistency 

with any applicable land use plans or 

other guiding documents. This notice 

also opens public scoping to identify 

potential issues, concerns, and 

alternatives to be considered in the EIS. 

DATES: Comments on the scope of the 

EIS are due 30 days after publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register. 

Eight public scoping meetings will be 

held to solicit comments on the scope 

of the EIS and the issues and 

alternatives that should be analyzed. 

The dates and locations of the scoping 

meetings will be announced at least 15 

days in advance through local media, 

newspapers, and the project website at: 

https://www.nmuniteis.com. At the time 

of this publication, the dates and 

locations of the scoping meetings will 

be on the project website. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on 

the scope of the EIS to the Phoenix Area 

Office, Bureau of Reclamation (ATTN: 

NM Unit EIS), 6150 West Thunderbird 

Road, Glendale, Arizona 85306, or by 

email to NMUnitEIS@empsi.com. If 

emailing comments, please use ‘‘NM 

Unit EIS’’ as the subject of your email. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Sean Heath at (623) 773–6250, or by 

email at NMUnitEIS@empsi.com. 

Additional information is available 

online at https://www.nmuniteis.com. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 42 

U.S.C. 4231–4347; the Council on 

Environmental Quality’s Regulations for 

Implementing the Procedural Provisions 

of NEPA, 40 CFR parts 1500 through 

1508; and the Department of the 

Interior’s regulations, 43 CFR part 46, 

Reclamation and the ISC, as joint lead 

agencies, intend to prepare an EIS on 

the NM Unit of the CAP. The Proposed 

Action would develop a NM Unit of the 

CAP to permit the consumptive use of 

Gila River water, diverted in accordance 

with the Consumptive Use and 

Forbearance Agreement (CUFA), and 

pursuant to the terms of the Arizona 

Water Settlements Act, Public Law 108– 

451 (AWSA). 

Background 

The Colorado River Basin Project Act 

of 1968, Public Law 90–537, 43 U.S.C. 

Ch. 32, as amended by the AWSA, 

authorizes the Secretary of the Interior 

(Secretary) to contract with water users 

in New Mexico for water from the Gila 

River, its tributaries and underground 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES