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. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 239 / Tuesday, December 13, 2011 / Notices 77583 

1According 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 the 

ethane 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. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES