[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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