[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 1, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45650-45651]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18723]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


Interior Fire Program Assessment 2012

AGENCY: Office of Wildland Fire, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Tribal consultations and informational meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Wildland Fire is announcing tribal consultations 
to discuss the following topics: (1) The Interior Fire Program 
Assessment 2012; and (2) potential options being considered as a result 
of the Interior Fire Program Assessment 2012.

DATES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for 
consultation dates.

ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for 
locations where the consultations will be held.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Douglas, Senior Advisor, Public 
Safety, Resource Protection, and Emergency Services, (202) 208-7754.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federally recognized tribes are invited to 
attend one or more of the consultation and informational sessions 
regarding the Interior Fire Program Assessment 2012.
     In their report on the Department of the Interior, 
Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 
2012, the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations stated, 
in part, ``The Committee is aware of the duplication that exists in the 
Department of the Interior's wildland fire programs, with multiple 
parallel organizations in four bureaus, each having nearly identical 
administrative organizations at the national, state, and regional 
levels, and at the local level.'' The Committee went on in the report 
to direct the Department of the Interior to ``complete an assessment of 
the Department's wildland fire management programs in order to 
determine the most cost effective, efficient means of providing 
comprehensive fire management services in support of the Departmental 
and bureau missions and to better direct scarce resources from 
duplicative administrative management organizations to focus resources 
on the protection of lives, property and natural and cultural 
resources.'' The Committee asked for a set of options for restructuring 
and conducting the wildland fire management programs.
     In response to the Committee's report, the Department of 
the Interior contracted the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers (the 
Assessment Team) to conduct an assessment considering the specific 
areas of wildland fire management referenced in the report to include, 
``the Department and bureau roles and responsibilities for 
administration and management of preparedness, suppression operation, 
hazardous fuels reduction, burned area rehabilitation, fire facilities, 
fire science, community assistance, and budget and finance functions.'' 
The Assessment Team was also asked to, evaluate existing alternative 
models for service delivery, including the Alaska Fire Service, state, 
and other countries and identify resources that can be redirected to 
on-the-ground services through reorganization of its wildland fire 
management programs.''
     This review is ongoing and has included the Office of 
Wildland Fire, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, 
National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological 
Survey, and the Bureau of Reclamation. Although the USDA Forest Service 
is not included in the review, they have been consulted and interviews 
have been conducted as they are a major partner in the Federal wildland 
fire management program.
     On June 19, 2012, Task 1, the identification of potential 
opportunities, was completed; and Task 2, development of 
recommendations, began. As part of Task 2, and in support of the 
Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments

[[Page 45651]]

requirements outlined in Executive Order 13175 and the Secretary of the 
Interior's Order No. 3317, the Department of the Interior is conducting 
three Tribal Consultation sessions during the week of August 26, 2012.
     At these sessions the Department will present background 
information on the Interior Fire Program Assessment 2012 project, the 
options that have been prepared by the Assessment Team, and the 
criteria for evaluating those options.
     The Assessment Team's summary document will be available 
at: http://www.doi.gov/pmb/owf/Tribal_Consultation_Advance_Materials.cfm no later than July 27, 2012.
     After the consultations are completed, there will be an 
opportunity to provide additional feedback to the Assessment Team by 
emailing your comments to [email protected], by 5 p.m., on September 
12, 2012.

Meeting Dates and Locations

    The consultation sessions will be held on the following dates, at 
the following locations:

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                 Meeting date                                       Location                           Time
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August 27, 2012...............................  National Indian Programs Training Center, 1011         0830-1200
                                                 Indian School Road N.W., Suite 254,
                                                 Albuquerque, NM 87104.
August 28, 2012...............................  Northern Quest Resort and Casino, 2012 Northern        0830-1200
                                                 Quest Casino, 100 North Hayford Road, Airway
                                                 Heights, WA 99001.
August 31, 2012...............................  Mid-West Regional Office, Bureau of Indian             0830-1200
                                                 Affairs, Department of the Interior, Norman
                                                 Pointell Building, 5600 West America Blvd.,
                                                 Suite 500, Bloomington, MN 55347.
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                             Meeting Agenda
                          [All times are local]
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                  Time                                Topic
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0830-0900..............................  Welcome and Introductions.
0900-1000..............................  Presentation.
1000-1200..............................  Questions and Concerns.
1200...................................  Adjourn.
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    Dated: July 24, 2012.
Amy Holley,
Chief of Staff, Policy, Management and Budget.
[FR Doc. 2012-18723 Filed 7-31-12; 8:45 am]
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