14086 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 38 / Monday, February 26, 2024 / Notices 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Comment Procedures 

A. How do I comment on submitted 

applications? 

We invite the public and local, State, 

Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment 

on applications. Before issuing any of 

the requested permits, we will take into 

consideration any information that we 

receive during the public comment 

period. 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods in 

ADDRESSES. We will not consider 

comments sent by email or to an address 

not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider 

or include in our administrative record 

comments we receive after the close of 

the comment period (see DATES). 

When submitting comments, please 

specify the name of the applicant and 

the permit number at the beginning of 

your comment. Provide sufficient 

information to allow us to authenticate 

any scientific or commercial data you 

include. The comments and 

recommendations that will be most 

useful and likely to influence agency 

decisions are: (1) Those supported by 

quantitative information or studies; and 

(2) those that include citations to, and 

analyses of, the applicable laws and 

regulations. 

B. May I review comments submitted by 

others? 

You may view and comment on 

others’ public comments at https://

www.regulations.gov unless our 

allowing so would violate the Privacy 

Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of 

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). 

C. Who will see my comments? 

If you submit a comment at https://

www.regulations.gov, your entire 

comment, including any personal 

identifying information, will be posted 

on the website. If you submit a 

hardcopy comment that includes 

personal identifying information, such 

as your address, phone number, or 

email address, you may request at the 

top of your document that we withhold 

this information from public review. 

However, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. Moreover, all 

submissions from organizations or 

businesses, and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

made available for public disclosure in 

their entirety. 

II. Background 

To help us carry out our conservation 

responsibilities for affected species, and 

in consideration of section 10(c) of the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 

we invite public comments on permit 

applications before final action is taken. 

With some exceptions, the ESA 

prohibits certain activities with listed 

species unless Federal authorization is 

issued that allows such activities. 

Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) 

of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited 

activities for scientific purposes or to 

enhance the propagation or survival of 

the affected species. Service regulations 

regarding prohibited activities with 

endangered species, captive-bred 

wildlife registrations, and permits for 

any activity otherwise prohibited by the 

ESA with respect to any endangered 

species are available in title 50 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations in part 17. 

III. Permit Applications 

Applicant: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Forensics Laboratory, Ashland, 

OR; Permit No. PER8152300 

The applicant requests a permit to 

import a specimen derived from a 

rhinoceros species (Rhinoceros 

unicornis) from Canada for law 

enforcement purposes. This notification 

is for a single import. 

Applicant: Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, 

MO; Permit No. PER8298704 

The applicant requests a permit to reexport two live, captive-born horned 

guans (Oreophasis derbianus) from 

Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri, to Africam 

Safari, Mexico, for the purpose of 

enhancing the propagation or survival of 

the species. This notification is for a 

single re-export. 

Applicant: The Board of Trustees of the 

University of Illinois DBA Sponsored 

Programs Administration, Champaign, 

IL; Permit No. PER7081584 

The applicant requests authorization 

to import biological samples from wild 

or captive-born populations of cheetah 

(Acinonyx jubatus), northern white 

rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum 

cottoni), Sumatran rhinoceros 

(Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), black 

rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), Asian 

elephant (Elephas maximus), Pakistan 

sand cat (Felis margarita scheffeli), 

black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), largeeared hutia (Capromys auritus), 

Cabrera’s hutia (Capromys 

angelcabrerai), dwarf hutia (Capromys 

nana), little earth hutia (Capromys 

sanfelipensis), lion (Panthera leo leo), 

jaguar (Panthera onca), leopard 

(Panthera pardus), tiger (Panthera 

tigris), Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros 

sondaicus), great Indian rhinoceros 

(Rhinoceros unicornis), Cuban 

solenodon (Solenodon cubanus), 

Haitian solenodon (Solenodon 

paradoxus), Central American tapir 

(Tapirus bairdii), and Asian tapir 

(Tapirus indicus) for the purpose of 

scientific research. This notification 

covers activities to be conducted by the 

applicant over a 5-year period. 

IV. Next Steps 

After the comment period closes, we 

will make decisions regarding permit 

issuance. If we issue permits to any of 

the applicants listed in this notice, we 

will publish a notice in the Federal 

Register. You may locate the notice 

announcing the permit issuance by 

searching https://www.regulations.gov 

for the permit number listed above in 

this document. For example, to find 

information about the potential issuance 

of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to 

regulations.gov and search for 

‘‘12345A’’. 

V. Authority 

We issue this notice under the 

authority of the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.), and its implementing regulations. 

Timothy MacDonald, 

Government Information Specialist, Branch 

of Permits, Division of Management 

Authority. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03836 Filed 2–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Geological Survey 

[GX24AC0000EXP00] 

Advisory Committee for Science 

Quality and Integrity Establishment; 

Request for Nominations 

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, 

Department of the Interior 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA) of 1972, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) is establishing and 

seeking nominations for the Advisory 

Committee for Science Quality and 

Integrity (Committee). The Committee 

will advise the Secretary of the Interior 

and the Director of the USGS on matters 

related to the responsibilities of the 

USGS Office of Science Quality and 

Integrity (OSQI) including monitoring 

and enhancing the integrity, quality, 

and health of all USGS science through 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 38 / Monday, February 26, 2024 / Notices 14087 

executive oversight and development of 

strong practices, policy, and supporting 

programs. Functional areas in the OSQI 

include Scientific Integrity; Science 

Quality; Fundamental Science Practices; 

Office of Tribal Relations; Youth and 

Education in Science (YES); Science, 

Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics (STEM); Laboratories; 

Postdoctoral Research; and Research 

and Equipment Development Grade 

Evaluations of USGS scientists. 

DATES: Comments regarding the 

establishment of this Committee must 

be submitted no later than March 12, 

2024. Nominations for the Committee 

must be submitted by April 11, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

and/or nominations by any of the 

following methods: Mail comments and/ 

or nominations to Joanne C. Taylor, U.S. 

Geological Survey, Office of Science 

Quality and Integrity, 12201 Sunrise 

Valley Drive, Mailstop 911, Reston, VA 

20192; or email comments and/or 

nominations to jctaylor@usgs.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joanne C. Taylor, Designated Federal 

Officer (DFO), by U.S. mail at the U.S. 

Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley 

Drive, Mailstop 911, Reston, VA 20192; 

by telephone at 703–648–6837; or by 

email at jctaylor@usgs.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Committee is established under the 

authority of the Secretary of the Interior 

(Secretary) and regulated by the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 

U.S.C. ch. 10). The Committee’s duties 

are strictly advisory and will include 

advising on: (a) Identification of key 

scientific quality and integrity processes 

to advance the USGS mission. (b) 

Effective mechanisms for engaging the 

next-generation USGS workforce and 

others through the YES program and 

with other Federal agencies in STEM 

and underserved communities. (c) The 

nature and effectiveness of mechanisms 

to provide oversight of science quality 

within USGS laboratories. (d) 

Mechanisms that may be employed by 

the USGS to ensure high standards of 

science quality and integrity in its 

programs and products. 

The Committee will meet 

approximately one to two times per 

year. The Committee will consist of no 

more than 15 members appointed by the 

Secretary who represent the diversity of 

this nation’s constituencies, and include 

the following interests: 

• Local and State governments; 

• Non-governmental organizations; 

• Native American, Native Alaskan, 

and Native Hawaiian organizations, 

including representatives from Tribal 

governments and Tribal colleges; 

• Academia; and 

• Other stakeholders and sectors, 

including private industry, that make 

use of USGS science including, but not 

limited to, areas including laboratory 

sciences, natural resource managers, 

natural hazards protections, and 

wildlife organizations. 

The Committee may include scientific 

experts and will include rotating 

representation from one or more local, 

Tribal, State, regional, and/or national 

organizations. 

Nominations should include a resume 

providing an adequate description of the 

nominee’s qualifications, including 

information that would enable the 

Department of the Interior (DOI) to make 

an informed decision regarding meeting 

the membership requirements of the 

Committee and to permit a potential 

member to be contacted. 

Members of the Committee serve 

without compensation. However, while 

away from their homes or regular places 

of business, Committee and 

subcommittee members engaged in 

Committee or subcommittee business 

that the DFO approves may be allowed 

travel expenses, including per diem in 

lieu of subsistence, as authorized by 5 

U.S.C. 5703, in the same manner as 

persons employed intermittently in 

Federal Government service. 

Public Disclosure of Comments: 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personally identifiable information (PII) 

in your comment, you should be aware 

that your entire comment—including 

your PII—may be made publicly 

available at any time. While you may 

ask us in your comment to withhold 

your PII from public review, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

Certification Statement: I hereby 

certify that the Advisory Committee for 

Science Quality and Integrity is 

necessary, in the public interest, and is 

in connection to the responsibilities of 

the DOI, USGS, under the President’s 

Memorandum on Restoring Trust in 

Government Through Scientific 

Integrity and Evidence-Based 

Policymaking, January 27, 2021; the DOI 

policy on Integrity of Scientific and 

Scholarly Activities (305 DM 3); and the 

USGS policy on Scientific Integrity (SM 

500.25). 

Authority: 5 U.S.C. ch. 10. 

Deb Haaland, 

Secretary of the Interior. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03829 Filed 2–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4338–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Office of the Secretary 

[BLM_HQ_FRN_MO4500176277] 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Implementing Procedures for the 

Bureau of Land Management (516 DM 

11) 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed policy 

revisions. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

intent to revise the Bureau of Land 

Management’s (BLM) policies and 

procedures for compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), as amended, various Executive 

Orders, and the Council on 

Environmental Quality’s NEPA 

Implementing Regulations by proposing 

to remove four administratively 

established categorical exclusions (CXs) 

and to incorporate two CXs established 

by Congress. 

DATES: Comments must be postmarked 

no later than March 27, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: The public can review the 

proposed changes to the Departmental 

Manual (DM) online BLM’s ePlanning 

site: https://eplanning.blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/home. Comments can be 

submitted: 

Through the BLM National NEPA 

Register: https://eplanning.blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/home. Follow the 

instruction at this website. 

By mail: Director (210), Attention: 

Senior NEPA Lead, P.O. Box 261117, 

Lakewood, CO 80226. 

By personal or messenger delivery: 

Director (210), Attention: Senior NEPA 

Lead, Denver Federal Center, Building 

40 (Door W–4), Lakewood, CO 80215 DC 

20003. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Heather Bernier, Division Chief, 

Decision Support, Planning, and NEPA, 

at (303) 239–3635, or hbernier@blm.gov. 

Individuals in the United States who are 

deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have 

a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, 

TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services for 

contacting Heather Bernier. Individuals 

outside the United States should use the 

relay services offered within their 

country to make international calls to 

the point-of-contact in the United 

States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM 

is proposing to revise its NEPA 

procedures. Specifically, BLM is 

proposing to revise the list of BLM 

actions that are normally categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES