[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 222 (Friday, November 15, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 58500-58501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-29307]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

43 CFR Part 2620

[WO-130-1820-00-24 1A]
RIN 1004-AC71


State Grants--Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to remove the 
regulations at 43 CFR subpart 2627 addressing grants made to the State 
of Alaska. This subpart restates statutory requirements and explains 
how the State of Alaska files selection applications under the Alaska 
Statehood Act and the Act of January 21, 1929 (University Grant). BLM 
is proposing to remove 43 CFR 2627 because its provisions are outdated 
and not necessary for program implementation.

DATES: Comments: Commenters must submit comments by January 14, 1997. 
BLM will consider comments received or postmarked on or before this 
date in the preparation of the final rule.

ADDRESSES: Comments: You may hand-deliver your comments to the Bureau 
of Land Management, Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L St., NW., 
Washington, DC; or mail comments to the Bureau of Land Management, 
Administrative Record, Room 401LS, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20240. You may transmit comments electronically via the Internet to: 
WOC[email protected]. Please include ``attn: AC71'' and your name and 
address in your message. If you do not receive a conformation from the 
system that we have received your Internet message, contact us 
directly.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erica Petacchi, Regulatory Management 
Group, Bureau of Land Management, at (202) 452-5084.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures
II. Background and Discussion of Rule
III. Procedural Matters

I. Public Comment Procedures

Written Comments

    Written comments on the proposed rule should be specific, should be 
confined to issues pertinent to the proposed rule, and should explain 
the reason for any recommended change. Where possible, comments should 
reference the specific section or paragraph of the proposal which the 
commenter is addressing. BLM may not necessarily consider or include in 
the Administrative Record for the final rule comments which BLM 
receives after the close of the comment period (see DATES) or comments 
delivered to an address other than those listed above (see ADDRESSES).

II. Background and Discussion of Rule

    BLM proposes to remove 43 CFR 2627 because its provisions are no 
longer necessary or useful, specifically:
    1. A substantial portion of these regulations explain requirements 
the State must follow when filing applications for land under the 
Alaska Statehood Act. The time period for filing new applications under 
the Alaska Statehood Act expired on January 3, 1994;
    2. A substantial portion of these regulations simply restate the 
provisions of the Alaska Statehood Act. Congress changed many 
provisions of the Alaska Statehood Act in Section 906(e) of the Alaska 
National Interest Lands Conservation Act, but the regulations were 
never revised to reflect those changes;

[[Page 58501]]

    3. The Alaska Statehood Act, as modified by the Alaska National 
Interest Lands Conservation Act, contains sufficient detail for 
processing State selection applications; and
    4. The BLM's land transfer processes, including land transfers to 
the State of Alaska, are being reviewed by a National Reinvention 
Laboratory for the purpose of increasing efficiency and improving 
customer service. New procedures will be written if the Laboratory 
concludes there is a need for significant change in the way BLM 
processes State selection applications.
    The removal of the regulations would not be retroactive, and BLM 
would replace the current regulations with a statement that:
    (a) BLM will process applications filed by the State of Alaska 
under the Alaska Statehood Act according to the regulations in 
existence at the time of filing; and
    (b) BLM will process applications filed by the State of Alaska 
under the Act of January 21, 1929, according to the regulations in 
existence at the time of filing, unless the State and BLM enter into a 
subsequent exchange or agreement.
    Also unaffected by the proposed removal of subpart 2627 are the 
three sets of regulations referred to in current subpart 2627: 43 CFR 
2620; 43 CFR 2094; and 43 CFR 1824.

III. Procedural Matters

National Environmental Policy Act

    BLM has determined that this rule, which proposes to remove the 
obsolete regulations at 43 CFR Part 2627, is a purely technical action. 
Therefore, it is categorically excluded from environmental review under 
section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act, pursuant to 
516 Departmental Manual (DM), Chapter 2, Appendix I, Item 1.10, and 
that the proposed rule does not meet any of the 10 criteria for 
exceptions to categorical exclusion listed in 516 DM, Chapter 2, 
Appendix 2. Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality regulations 
(40 CFR 1508.4) and the environmental policies and procedures of the 
Department of the Interior, the term ``categorical exclusions'' means a 
category of actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a 
significant effect on the human environment and that have been found to 
have no such effect in procedures adopted by a Federal agency and for 
which neither an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact 
statement is required.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This rule does not contain collections of information that require 
approval by the Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    BLM has determined that this proposed rule will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities 
under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The rule 
proposes to remove obsolete regulations concerning land selections by 
the State of Alaska. There are no small entities affected by the 
proposed rule.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    Removal of 43 CFR part 2627 will not result in any unfunded mandate 
to State, local or tribal governments in the aggregate, or to the 
private sector, of $100 million or more in any one year.

Executive Order 12612

    This rule would not have sufficient federalism implications to 
warrant BLM preparation of a Federalism Assessment.

Executive Order 12630

    This rule does not represent a government action that interferes 
with constitutionally protected property rights. Section 2(a)(1) of 
Executive Order 12630 specifically exempts actions abolishing 
regulations or modifying regulations in a way that lessens interference 
with private property use from the definition of ``policies that have 
takings implications.'' Since the primary function of the rule is to 
abolish unnecessary regulations, there will be no private property 
rights impaired as a result. Therefore, the Department of the Interior 
has determined that the rule would not cause a taking of private 
property, or require further discussion of takings implications under 
this Executive Order.

Executive Order 12866

    According to the criteria listed in section 3(f) of Executive Order 
12866, BLM has determined that this rule is not a significant 
regulatory action. As such, the rule is not subject to Office of 
Management and Budget review under section 6(a)(3) of the order.

Executive Order 12988

    The Department has determined that this rule meets the applicable 
standards provided in sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of Executive Order 
12988.

    Author: The principal author of this rule is Olivia Short, 
Bureau of Land Management, Regulatory Management Team, 1849 C Street 
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240; Telephone: (202) 452-0345 (Commercial 
or FTS).

List of Subjects in 43 CFR Part 2620

    Land Management Bureau; State Grants, Alaska; Public lands.

    For the reasons stated above, and under the authority of 43 U.S.C. 
1740, part 2620, Group 2600, Subchapter B, Chapter II of Title 43 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations is proposed to be amended as set forth 
below:

PART 2620--STATE GRANTS--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for part 2620 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: R.S. 2478; 43 U.S.C. 1201.

    2. Subpart 2627 is revised to read as follows:

Subpart 2627--Alaska


Sec. 2627.1  The Bureau of Land Management will process applications 
filed by the State of Alaska under the Alaska Statehood Act according 
to the regulations in existence at the time of filing. The Bureau of 
Land Management will process applications filed by the State of Alaska 
under the Act of January 21, 1929, according to the regulations in 
existence at the time of filing, unless the State and the Bureau of 
Land Management enter into a subsequent exchange or agreement.

[See Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for 43 CFR Chapter II, 
revised as of October 1, 1995.]

    Dated: November 7, 1996.
Sylvia V. Baca,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 96-29307 Filed 11-14-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P