### 77582 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 239 / Tuesday, December 13, 2011 / Notices

procedures used to implement them, beginning on or about January 3, 2012.
Background

The guidelines governing ECA’s grant program were established in 1983 and have been modified from time-to-time to comply with new directives and mandates. The four modifications outlined in this announcement will serve to further support the Department’s Greening Diplomacy Initiative, help the Department adhere to new OMB guidance to all Federal agencies to streamline, standardize and simplify grants processes, allow for expanded monitoring and oversight over programs and increase opportunities for new organizations to compete for ECA

programs.

The modifications are: (1) Eliminating use of the Federal Register to announce ECA grant funding opportunities referred to as Request for Grant Proposals (RFGPs) and rely exclusively on the Grants.gov and ECA Web sites for this purpose.

(2) Requiring all applicants submitting proposals in response to RFGPs to utilize the grants.gov web— portal site exclusively for submission of grant proposals. Thus, eliminating the current ‘‘hard- copy’’ submission option.

(3) Increasing the ‘‘pilot grant limit’’ for awards to organizations with less than four years of experience conducting international exchanges from the current $60,000 level established in 1983 to $130,000 which reflects a comparable ceiling in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation. ECA will also update the pilot grant limit from time to time in the future, not to exceed the 1983 level adjusted for inflation.

(4) Modifying ECA’s current grant renewal process to allow for Option Years for certain programs. Individual announcements for competed programs will contain information on whether a program will be renewed through additional awards or through the use of option years, pending successful performance and the availability of funds.

Additional Information

For additional information please contact Hans Posey, Program Management Division, ECA/EX/PM, U.S. Department of State, 2200 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20037, (202) 632– 6385, email: PoseyHE@state.gov. Dated: December 7, 2011. J. Adam Ereli, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2011–31974 Filed 12–12–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4710–11–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF STATE**

**[Public Notice: 7726]**

**Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ‘‘Cindy**  **Sherman’’**

**SUMMARY :**  Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et
seq. ), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, and Delegation of Authority No. 236–3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ‘‘Cindy Sherman,’’ imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to loan agreements with the foreign owners or custodians. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York, from on or about February 26, 2012, until on or about June 11, 2012, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California, from on or about July 14, 2012, until on or about October 7, 2012, the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from on or about November 3, 2012, until on or about February 10, 2013, and the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, from on or about March 17, 2013, until on or about June 9, 2013, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register

.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  For further information, including a list of the exhibit objects, contact Paul W. Manning, Attorney-Adviser, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State (telephone: (202) 632–6469). The mailing address is U.S. Department of State, SA–5, L/PD, Fifth Floor (Suite 5H03), Washington, DC 20522–0505. Dated: December 6, 2011. J. Adam Ereli, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2011–31981 Filed 12–12–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4710–05–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF STATE**

**[Public Notice: 7725]**

**Culturally Significant Objects Imported for Exhibition Determinations: ‘‘Beauty**  **and Belief: Crossing Bridges With the Arts of Islamic Culture’’** 

**SUMMARY :**  Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et
seq. ), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, and Delegation of Authority No. 236–3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ‘‘Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture,’’ imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to loan agreements with the foreign owners or custodians. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo, Utah, from on or about February 24, 2012, until on or about September 29, 2012, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana, from on or about November 2, 2012, until on or about January 13, 2013, the Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey, from on or about February 13, 2013, until on or about May 19, 2013, the Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, from on or about June 15, 2013, until on or about September 8, 2013, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register

. **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  For further information, including a list of the exhibit objects, contact Paul W. Manning, Attorney-Adviser, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State (telephone: (202) 632–6469). The mailing address is U.S. Department of State, SA–5, L/PD, Fifth Floor (Suite 5H03), Washington, DC 20522–0505.


### 77583 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 239 / Tuesday, December 13, 2011 / Notices

1 According to the application, the ethane transported in the Vantage Pipeline is a flammable liquid that is non-corrosive, odorless, and colorless. It has similar characteristics to natural gas, the fuel that is used in furnaces to heat homes. Ethane is currently used as a feedstock by the Alberta petrochemical industry and is ultimately converted to plastics, anti-freeze, rubber, detergents, solvents, and like products. Dated: December 6, 2011. J. Adam Ereli, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2011–31984 Filed 12–12–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4710–05–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF STATE**

**[Public Notice 7728]**

**Vantage Pipeline US LP; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental**  **Assessment and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues,**  **and To Initiate Consultation Under Section 106 of the National Historic**  **Preservation Act for the Proposed Vantage Pipeline Project** 

December 9, 2011.

The staff of the United States Department of State (DOS) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will discuss the environmental impacts of the Vantage Pipeline Project involving construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities at the U.S.- Canada border by Vantage Pipeline US LP (Vantage) in Williams and Divide Counties, North Dakota. This EA will be used by the DOS in its decision-making process to determine whether the project would serve the national interest and be issued a Presidential Permit.

This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the DOS will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies on the project. Your input will help the DOS staff determine what issues need to be evaluated in the EA. Please note that the scoping period will close on January 17, 2011.

This notice is being sent to the DOS’ current environmental mailing list for this project. State and local government representatives are asked to notify their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.

If you are a landowner receiving this notice, you may have already been or may be contacted by a pipeline company representative about the acquisition of an easement to construct, operate, and maintain the proposed facilities. The company would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement. However, if the project is approved by the DOS, that approval conveys with it the right of eminent domain. Therefore, if easement negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation proceedings where compensation would be determined in accordance with state law. Additionally, the DOS has determined that issuance of a Presidential Permit for the Vantage Pipeline Project triggers review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and is consequently initiating the required consultation under that statute. Consultation will be conducted with State Historic Preservation Officers, Indian tribes, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and other consulting parties, as appropriate, to determine the locations (if any) of potential sites for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the potential eligibility and findings of effect for cultural resources identified within the Vantage Pipeline Project Area of Potential Effect.

A fact sheet prepared by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?’’ is available for your review on the DOS’ Web site for the project (see the Additional Information section, below). Although the proposed Vantage project involves an ethane pipeline, many of the typically asked questions addressed in the fact sheet also apply to this project. It is also available for viewing on the FERC Web site (http:// www.ferc.gov ). Summary of the Proposed Project

Vantage proposes to construct and operate 77.4 miles of 10-inch-diameter ethane 1 pipeline in Williams and Divide Counties, North Dakota. The project would also include the installation of mainline valves at seven locations along the pipeline and the use of various ancillary facilities ( e.g., access roads, yards). According to Applicant, the Vantage Pipeline Project would serve the national interest by providing the natural gas, oil, and ethane-producing Bakken Formation region of North Dakota with access to the existing ethane infrastructure and market associated with the Alberta Ethane Gathering System in Alberta. Currently no market exists for petrochemical grade (also known as ‘‘specification’’ or ‘‘pure grade’’) ethane in North Dakota; however, the construction of the Vantage Pipeline will make it feasible to extract theethane byproduct from North Dakotaproduced natural gas and export it for use in the Canadian petrochemical industry. The Applicant contends that the pipeline will therefore enhance exports from the United States, allow U.S. natural gas producers to recognize benefits from an existing resource from which they are not presently recognizing any financial benefit, and will contribute to the national economy in terms of job creation and tax payments.

The general location of the project facilities is at http:// www.vantagepipeline.state.gov. Land Requirements for Construction

Construction of the proposed facilities would disturb about 700 acres of land for the aboveground facilities and the pipeline. Following construction, about 280 acres would be maintained for permanent operation of the project’s facilities; the remaining acreage would be restored and allowed to revert to former uses.

The EA Process

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the DOS take into account the environmental impacts that could result from the approval of a Presidential Permit authorizing construction, operation, and maintenance of pipeline facilities of natural gas liquids to be located at the international border of the United States and Canada. NEPA also requires the DOS to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this notice, the DOS requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments received will be considered during the preparation of the EA.

In the EA, the DOS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these general headings:

• Geology and soils;

• Water resources and wetlands;

• Vegetation and wildlife (including endangered and threatened species);

• Land use, recreation, and visual

resources;

• Socioeconomics;

• Cultural resources;

• Air quality and noise;

• Public safety; and

• Cumulative impacts. The DOS will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource

areas.