[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 224 (Thursday, November 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69125-69126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27463]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-17163; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review 
Committee: Meeting

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given in accordance with the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, (5 U.S.C. Appendix 1-16), of a meeting of the Native 
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee (Review 
Committee). The Review Committee will meet on March 3-4, 2015. All 
meetings will be open to the public.

DATES: The Review Committee will meet on March 3-4, 2015. Public 
comment requests and accompanying materials must be received by 
February 2, 2015, and requests for culturally unidentifiable (CUI) 
disposition must be received by January 16, 2015. Requests for findings 
of fact must be received by January 5, 2015. Requests to convene 
parties and facilitate the resolution of a dispute must be received by 
January 5, 2015.

ADDRESSES: The Review Committee will meet in the Murray D. Lincoln 
Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way, University of Massachusetts 
Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, on March 3-4, 2015. Electronic submissions 
are to be sent to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given in accordance with 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act, (5 U.S.C. Appendix 1-16), of a 
meeting of the Review Committee. The Review Committee was established 
in Section 8 of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation 
Act of 1990 (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3006.
    The Review Committee will meet on March 3-4, 2015, in the Murray D. 
Lincoln Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way, University of Massachusetts 
Amherst, Amherst, MA, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EASTERN). This 
meeting will be open to the public. The agenda for this meeting will 
include the discussion of the Review Committee Report to Congress for 
2015; discussion of dispute procedures; and, if published, comments 
upon proposed regulations to revise 43 CFR Part 10. In addition, the 
agenda may include requests to the Review Committee for a 
recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior, as required by law, in 
order to effect the agreed-upon disposition of Native American human 
remains determined to be culturally unidentifiable; public comment by 
Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, Federal 
agencies, and the public; requests to the Review Committee, pursuant to 
25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(3), for review and findings of fact related to the 
identity or cultural affiliation of human remains or other cultural 
items, or the return of such items; and facilitation of the resolution 
of disputes among parties convened by the Review Committee pursuant to 
25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(4). Presentation to the Review Committee by 
telephone may be requested but is not guaranteed. The agenda and 
materials for this meeting will be posted on or before February 17, 
2015, at http://www.nps.gov/nagpra.
    The Review Committee is soliciting public comment by Indian tribes, 
Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, and Federal agencies on the 
following two topics: (1) The progress made, and any barriers 
encountered, in implementing NAGPRA and (2) the outcomes of disputes 
reviewed by the Review Committee pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3006 (c)(4). The 
Review Committee also will consider other public comment by Indian 
tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, Federal agencies, and 
the public. A public comment request must, at minimum, include an 
abstract of the presentation and contact information for the 
presenter(s). Public comment requests and presentation materials must 
be received by February 2, 2015.
    The Review Committee will consider requests for a recommendation to 
the Secretary of the Interior, as required by law, in order to effect 
the agreed-upon disposition of Native American human remains determined 
to be CUI. A CUI disposition request must include the appropriate, 
completed form posted on the National NAGPRA Program Web site and, as 
applicable, the ancillary materials noted on the form. To access and 
download the appropriate form--either the form for CUI with a ``tribal 
land'' or ``aboriginal land'' provenience

[[Page 69126]]

or the form for CUI without a ``tribal land'' or ``aboriginal land'' 
provenience--go to http://www.nps.gov/nagpra, and then click on 
``Request for CUI Disposition Forms.'' CUI disposition requests must be 
received by January 16, 2015.
    The Review Committee will consider requests, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 
3006 (c)(3), for review and findings of fact related to the identity or 
cultural affiliation of human remains or other cultural items, or the 
return of such items, where consensus among affected parties is unclear 
or uncertain. A request for findings of fact must be accompanied by a 
statement of the fact(s) at issue and supporting materials, including 
those exchanged by the parties to consultation concerning the Native 
American human remains and/or other cultural items. To access 
procedures for presenting findings of fact, go to http://www.nps.gov/nagpra/REVIEW/Procedures.htm. Requests for findings of fact must be 
received by January 5, 2015.
    The Review Committee will consider requests, pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 
3006 (c)(4), to convene parties and facilitate the resolution of a 
dispute, where consensus clearly has not been reached among affected 
parties regarding the identity or cultural affiliation of human remains 
or other cultural items, or the return of such items. A request to 
convene parties and facilitate the resolution of a dispute must be 
accompanied by a statement of the decision of the museum or Federal 
agency subject to the dispute resolution request, a statement of the 
issue and the materials exchanged by the parties concerning the Native 
American human remains and/or other cultural items. To access 
procedures for presenting disputes, go to http://www.nps.gov/nagpra/REVIEW/Procedures.htm. Requests to convene parties and facilitate 
resolution of a dispute must be received by January 5, 2015.
    Electronic submissions should be sent to [email protected]. Such 
items are subject to posting on the National NAGPRA Program Web site 
prior to the meeting.

General Information

    Information about NAGPRA, the Review Committee, and Review 
Committee meetings is available on the National NAGPRA Program Web site 
at http://www.nps.gov/nagpra. For the Review Committee's meeting 
procedures, click on ``Review Committee,'' then click on 
``Procedures.'' Meeting minutes may be accessed by going to the Web 
site, then clicking on ``Review Committee,'' and then clicking on 
``Meeting Minutes.'' Approximately fourteen weeks after each Review 
Committee meeting, the meeting transcript is posted on the National 
NAGPRA Program Web site.
    Review Committee members are appointed by the Secretary of the 
Interior. The Review Committee is responsible for monitoring the NAGPRA 
inventory and identification process; reviewing and making findings 
related to the identity or cultural affiliation of cultural items, or 
the return of such items; facilitating the resolution of disputes; 
compiling an inventory of culturally unidentifiable human remains that 
are in the possession or control of each Federal agency and museum, and 
recommending specific actions for developing a process for disposition 
of such human remains; consulting with Indian tribes and Native 
Hawaiian organizations and museums on matters affecting such tribes or 
organizations lying within the scope of work of the Review Committee; 
consulting with the Secretary of the Interior on the development of 
regulations to carry out NAGPRA; and making recommendations regarding 
future care of repatriated cultural items. The Review Committee's work 
is carried out during the course of meetings that are open to the 
public.
    Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you may 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: November 14, 2014.
Alma Ripps,
Chief, Office of Policy.
[FR Doc. 2014-27463 Filed 11-19-14; 8:45 am]
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