BIA is reviewing regulations that require the Bureau of Indian Education to follow 23 different State adequate yearly progress standards; the review will determine whether a uniform standard would better meet the needs of students at Bureau-funded schools. With regard to undergraduate education, the Bureau of Indian Education is reviewing regulations that address grants to tribally controlled community colleges and other Indian education regulations. These reviews will identify provisions that need to be updated to comply with applicable statutes and ensure that the proper regulatory framework is in place to support students in Bureau-funded schools.

Over the years, BIA has received significant comments from American Indian groups and members of Congress on the Federal acknowledgment process. Most of these comments criticize the current process as cumbersome, overly restrictive, and lacking transparency. BIA is reviewing the Federal acknowledgment regulations to determine how regulatory changes may streamline the acknowledgment process and clarify criteria by which an Indian group is examined.

BIA is making a concentrated effort to improve the readability and precision of its regulations. Because trust beneficiaries often turn to the regulations for guidance on how a given BIA process works, BIA is ensuring that each revised regulation is written as clearly as possible and accurately reflects the current organization of the Bureau. The Bureau is also simplifying language and eliminating obsolete provisions. In the coming year, the Bureau also plans to revise regulations regarding rights-of-way (25 CFR 169); Indian Reservation Roads (25 CFR 170); and certain regulations specific to the Osage Nation.

Bureau of Land Management

BLM manages the 245-million-acre National System of Public Lands, located primarily in the western States, including Alaska, and the 700-million-acre subsurface mineral estate located throughout the Nation. In doing so, BLM manages such varied uses as energy and mineral development, outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and forestry and woodlands products. BLM's complex multiple-use mission affects the lives of millions of Americans, including those who live near and visit the public lands, as well as those who benefit from the commodities, such as minerals, energy, or timber, produced from the lands' rich resources. In undertaking its management responsibilities, BLM seeks to conserve our public lands' natural and cultural resources and sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In the coming year, BLM's highest regulatory priorities include:

BLM's existing regulations applicable to hydraulic fracturing were promulgated over 20 years ago and do not reflect modern technology. In seeking to modernize its requirements and ensure the protection of our Nation's public lands, BLM will finalize a rule that will disclose to the public chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing on public land and Indian land, strengthen regulations related to well-bore integrity, and address issues related to recovered fluids.

BLM recently published a proposed rule that would establish an efficient competitive process for leasing public lands for solar and wind energy development. The amended regulations would establish competitive bidding procedures for lands within designated solar and wind energy development leasing areas, define qualifications for potential bidders, and structure the financial arrangements necessary for the process. The rule would enhance BLM's ability to capture fair market value for the use of public lands, ensure fair access to leasing opportunities for renewable energy development, and foster the growth and development of the renewable energy sector of the economy.

BLM's current requirements regarding venting and flaring from oil and gas operations are over three decades old. The agency is currently preparing a proposed rule to address emissions reductions and minimize waste through improved standards for venting, flaring, and fugitive losses of methane from oil and gas production facilities on Federal and Indian lands.

BLM issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) requesting information from the public that might assist the bureau in the establishment of a program to capture, use, or destroy waste mine methane from Federal coal leases and Federal leases for other solid minerals. The BLM is currently reviewing the information received through that process to identify potential appropriate regulatory approaches to reduce the waste of methane from mining operations on public lands.

BLM is preparing a final rule that would ensure responsible development of federal oil shale resources and evaluate necessary safeguards to protect scarce water resources and important wildlife habitat while ensuring a fair royalty to the American people.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) promotes energy independence, environmental protection, and economic development through responsible, science-based management of offshore conventional and renewable energy resources. It is dedicated to fostering the development of both conventional and renewable energy and mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in an efficient and effective manner, balancing the need for economic growth with the protection of the environment. BOEM thoughtfully considers and balances the potential environmental impacts involved in exploring and extracting these resources. BOEM's near-term regulatory agenda will focus on a number of issues, including:

As part of President Obama's comprehensive plan to expand domestic clean energy sources, BOEM has held multiple offshore renewable energy lease sales along the Atlantic coast. These lease sales are the result of years of collaboration, data gathering and analysis, and outreach and have resulted in the identification of areas that are rich with potential wind resources but also minimize conflicts with other important OCS uses. . Based on the experiences to date in the offshore renewable energy program, BOEM is evaluating lessons learned and identifying opportunities for improvement in the program. As a part of this effort, BOEM is conducting a comprehensive review of our renewable energy regulations and highlighting areas for potential revision. For example, the Bureau recently completed a rulemaking to provide additional time for renewable energy developers to submit certain plans, after BOEM determined that the previous timelines for submission were proving to be unreasonable. This change provides an appropriate balance between ensuring diligent progress on our renewable energy leases and accounting for the needs of the renewable energy development community.

Two proposed rulemakings address recommendations submitted to BOEM by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies and its stakeholders. Specifically, these include recommendations to: develop and incorporate state of the art wind turbine design standards and to clarify the role of Certified Verification Agents as part of the process of designing, fabricating, and installing offshore wind energy facilities for the OCS.

BOEM, jointly with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), is developing proposed rules to promote safe, responsible, and effective drilling activities on the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf, while also ensuring the protection of Alaska's coastal communities and the marine environment.

In a continuing effort to ensure that the effects of any future potential oil spills can be minimized and fully mitigated, BOEM is amending its regulations to raise the limits of liability associated with future spills. BOEM has teamed with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Justice in developing new regulations to ensure that necessary resources will be made available to address potential contingencies of any future oil spill and associated damages.

BOEM's original air quality rules date largely from 1980 and have not been updated substantially since that time. From 1990 to 2012, DOI has exercised jurisdiction for air quality only for OCS sources operating in the Gulf of Mexico. In fiscal year 2012, Congress expanded DOI's authority by transferring to it responsibility for monitoring OCS air quality off the North Slope Borough of the State of Alaska, including the Beaufort Sea, the Chukchi Sea, and part of the Hope Basin. BOEM is in the process of updating its regulations to reflect changes that have occurred over the past thirty-four years and the new regulatory jurisdiction. In its development of proposed regulations, BOEM will continue to consult and coordinate its efforts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

BOEM is developing a final rule to update and streamline the existing OCS leasing regulations to better reflect modern policy priorities, including incentivizing diligent development, as well as to reflect changes in applicable laws that have occurred over the past several years. The final rule reorganizes leasing requirements to communicate more effectively and clearly the leasing process as it has evolved, and to better delineate the roles, responsibilities and associated liabilities of all parties having an economic interest in leases or facilities on the OCS.

In light of the continuing need to provide resources to protect the coast from natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy, BOEM is developing policies and goals to formally address the use of OCS sand, gravel, or shell resources funded by the Federal government. These policies are intended to ensure that necessary sand and gravel resources remain available to help communities that have been harmed by hurricanes and other disasters, so that beaches and other natural resources can effectively be restored, without adversely impacting the development of transmission lines and pipelines needed for energy development projects. Taken together, these policies will ensure that the development of renewable and conventional energy resources continues to take place in areas adjacent to key sand and gravel resource zones and that sand and gravel resources continue to be available for construction projects, shore protection, beach replenishment, or wetlands restoration purposes.

BOEM has the responsibility to ensure that lessees and operators on the OCS do not engage in activities that could generate an undue risk of financial loss to the government. BOEM formally established a program office to review these issues, and issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking feedback on potential regulatory approaches to promote effective financial assurance and risk management. Agency staff will continue to work with industry and others to determine how to improve the regulatory regime to better align with the realities of aging offshore infrastructure, hazard risks, and increasing costs of decommissioning.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

BSEE's mission is to regulate safety, emergency preparedness, environmental responsibility and appropriate development and conservation of offshore oil and natural gas resources. BSEE's regulatory priorities are guided by the BSEE FY 2012-2015 Strategic Plan, which includes two strategic goals to focus the Bureau's priorities in fulfillment of its mission:

BSEE has identified the following four areas of regulatory priorities: (1) Safety; (2) Oil Spill Response; (3) Arctic; and (4) Managing and Mitigating Risk via Improved Technology. Other regulatory topics under development include decommissioning costs, pipelines, and renewable energy.

BSEE will be requesting comments on regulatory options for improving aviation safety, crane safety, and safety management systems.

BSEE will update regulations for offshore oil spill response planning and preparedness. This rule will incorporate lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon incident, improved preparedness capability standards, and applicable research findings.

BSEE is working with BOEM on a joint proposed rule to promote safe, responsible, and effective drilling activities on the Arctic OCS while ensuring protection of the Arctic's communities and marine environment.

BSEE will develop a proposed rule containing requirements on blowout preventers and critical reforms in the areas of well design, well control, casing, cementing, real-time monitoring, and subsea containment. This proposed rule will address and implement multiple recommendations resulting from various investigations from the Deepwater Horizon incident.

Additionally, BSEE will finalize revisions of its rule on production safety systems and life cycle analysis. This rule will expand the use of life cycle management of critical equipment. The rule addresses issues such as subsurface safety devices, safety device testing, and expands the requirements for operating production systems on the OCS.

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

ONRR will continue to collect, account for, and disburse revenues from Federal offshore energy and mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands. The program operates nationwide and is primarily responsible for timely and accurate collection, distribution, and accounting for revenues associated with mineral and energy production. ONRR's regulatory plan is as follows:

ONRR plans to simplify the regulations at title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 1206 for establishing the value for royalty purposes of (1) oil and natural gas produced from Federal leases; and (2) coal produced from Federal and Indian leases. Additionally, the proposed rules would consolidate sections of the regulations common to all minerals, such as definitions and instructions regarding how a payor should request a valuation determination. ONRR published Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRMs) to initiate the rulemaking process and to obtain input from interested parties.

This rule would amend ONRR civil penalty regulations to: (1) codify application of those regulations to solid minerals and geothermal leases as the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 authorizes; (2) adjust Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act civil penalty amounts for inflation as the Federal Civil Penalty Inflation Adjustment Act requires; (3) clarify and simplify the existing regulations for issuing notices of noncompliance and civil penalties under 30 CFR part 1241; and (4) provide notice that ONRR will post its matrices for civil penalty assessments on the ONRR website.

ONRR would amend the regulations on the distribution and disbursement of qualified revenues from certain leases on the Gulf of Mexico's Outer Continental Shelf, under the provisions of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. These proposed regulations set forth the formulas and methodologies for calculating and allocating revenues during the second phase of revenue sharing to: the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas; their eligible Coastal Political Subdivisions; the Land and Water Conservation Fund; and the United States Treasury. Additionally, in this proposed rule, the Department of the Interior moves the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006's Phase I regulations from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's 30 CFR chapter V to ONRR's 30 CFR chapter XII, and proposes additional clarification and minor definition changes to the current revenue-sharing regulations.

ONRR would ensure that Indian lessors receive maximum revenues from their mineral resources, as required by statute and the Secretary's trust responsibility. The existing rule was published in 1988 with some amendments published in December 2007. Changes in the oil markets have raised concerns regarding the valuation methods for Indian oil. Generally, Indian leases have a provision that place the value of their oil at the highest price paid for a major portion of production of like-quality oil from the same field or area. Proposed changes that followed the 1988 rule were met with disagreement from Tribes and industry.

In 2011, the Secretary convened the Indian Oil Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (Committee), established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, to address the major portion provision of the current Indian oil and gas rule. The Committee submitted its recommendations to ONRR in September 2013. Those recommendations form the basis of this proposed rule. By revising the method for valuing oil produced on Indian leases, the proposed rule provides clarity and certainty to all concerned parties while additionally assuring that Tribes and allottees receive, in a timely fashion, royalties that satisfy the major portion provision contained in most Indian leases.

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) was created by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). Under SMCRA, OSM has two principal functions - the regulation of surface coal mining and reclamation operations and the reclamation and restoration of abandoned coal mine lands. In enacting SMCRA, Congress directed OSM to "strike a balance between protection of the environment and agricultural productivity and the Nation's need for coal as an essential source of energy." In response to its statutory mandate, OSM has sought to develop and maintain a stable regulatory program that is safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sound. A stable regulatory program ensures that the coal mining industry has clear guidelines for operation and reclamation, and that citizens know how the program is being implemented.

OSM's Federal regulatory program sets minimum requirements for obtaining a permit for surface and underground coal mining operations, sets performance standards for those operations, requires reclamation of lands and waters disturbed by mining, and requires enforcement to ensure that the standards are met. OSM is the primary regulatory authority for SMCRA enforcement until a State or Indian tribe develops its own regulatory program, which is no less effective than the Federal program. When a State or Indian tribe achieves "primacy," it assumes direct responsibility for permitting, inspection, and enforcement activities under its federally approved regulatory program. The regulatory standards in Federal program states and in primacy states are essentially the same with only minor, non-substantive differences. Today, 24 States have primacy, including 23 of the 24 coal producing States. OSM's regulatory priorities for the coming year will focus on:

Protect streams and related environmental resources from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations. OSM plans to revise its regulations to improve the balance between environmental protection and the Nation's need for coal by better protecting streams from the adverse impacts of surface coal mining operations.

Establish Federal standards for the beneficial use of coal combustion residues on active and abandoned coal mines.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. FWS also provides opportunities for Americans to enjoy the outdoors and our shared natural heritage.

FWS fulfills its responsibilities through a diverse array of programs that:

• Protect and recover endangered and threatened species;
• Monitor and manage migratory birds;
• Restore native aquatic populations and nationally significant fisheries;
• Enforce Federal wildlife laws and regulate international trade;
• Conserve and restore wildlife habitat such as wetlands;
• Help foreign governments conserve wildlife through international conservation efforts;
• Distribute Federal funds to States, territories, and tribes for fish and wildlife conservation projects; and
• Manage the more than 150-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which protects and conserves fish and wildlife and their habitats and allows the public to engage in outdoor recreational activities.

During the next year, FWS regulatory priorities will include:

Regulations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA):

We will issue multiple rules to add species to, remove species from, and reclassify species on the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants and to designate critical habitat for certain listed species, and rules to transform the processes for listing species and designating critical habitat. We will improve the listing process by issuing rules to more clearly describe areas where listed species are protected and revise the process for submitting petitions to list, delist, or reclassify species. We will further the protection of native species and their ecosystems through a policy that will provide incentives for voluntary conservation actions taken for species prior to their listing under the ESA. We will issue rules to improve the process of critical habitat designation, including clarifying definitions of "critical habitat" and "destruction or adverse modification" of critical habitat, and a policy to explain how we consider various factors in determining exclusions to critical habitat under section 4(b)(2) of the ESA.

Regulations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA):

In carrying out our responsibility to manage migratory bird populations, we issue annual migratory bird hunting regulations, which establish the frameworks (outside limits) for States to establish season lengths, bag limits, and areas for migratory game bird hunting. To ensure proper administration of the MBTA, we will revise our regulations to prevent the wanton waste of migratory game birds to clarify that the hunting public must make reasonable efforts to retrieve birds that have been killed or injured. We will also revise our regulations regarding permits for certain take of eagles and eagle nests and propose regulations for the use of raptors other than eagles for abatement (the use of trained raptors to mitigate depredation problems caused by birds or other wildlife).

Regulations to administer the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS):

In carrying out our statutory responsibility to provide wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities on NWRS lands, we issue an annual rule to update the hunting and fishing regulations on specific refuges. To ensure protection of NWRS resources, we will issue a proposed rule to ensure that businesses conducting oil or gas operations on NWRS lands do so in a manner that prevents or minimizes damage to the lands, visitor values, and management objectives. We will also issue a policy for managing cultural resources (archaeological resources, historic and architectural properties, and areas or sites of traditional or religious significance to Native Americans) on NWRS lands.

Regulations to carry out the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Act:

To strengthen our partnership with State conservation organizations, we are working on several rules to update and clarify our WSFR regulations. States rely on FWS to distribute finances, and the FWS relies on the States to implement eligible conservation projects. We will expand on existing regulations that prescribe processes that applicants and grantees must follow when applying for and managing grants from FWS. Among other rules, we will also revise our regulations under the Clean Vessel Act and Boating Infrastructure Grant programs to improve management and execution of those programs.

In accordance with section 3(a) of Executive Order 13609 ("Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation"), we will issue the following rulemaking actions:

Regulations to carry out the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):

We will update our CITES regulations to incorporate provisions resulting from the 16^th Conference of the Parties to CITES. The revisions will help us more effectively promote species conservation and help U.S. importers and exporters of wildlife products understand how to conduct lawful international trade. We will also rewrite a substantial portion of our regulations for the importation, exportation, and transportation of wildlife by proposing changes to the port structure and inspection fees and making the regulations easier to understand.

To help protect African elephants, we will revise our regulations regarding ivory from African elephants to prohibit interstate commerce and export, except for antique specimens and certain other items. Import of sport-hunted trophies would still be allowed, but the number of trophies that could be imported by a hunter in a given year would be limited.

Finally, to protect native species and prevent the spread of injurious species, we will propose regulations to improve our process for making injurious wildlife determinations for foreign species under the Lacey Act to prevent the interstate transportation and commerce of injurious wildlife.

National Park Service

The NPS preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values within more than 400 units of the National Park System encompassing nearly 84 million acres of lands and waters for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. NPS also cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout the United States and the world.

To achieve this mission NPS adheres to the following guiding principles:

• Excellent Service: Providing the best possible service to park visitors and partners.
• Productive Partnerships: Collaborating with Federal, State, tribal, and local governments, private organizations, and businesses to work toward common goals.
• Citizen Involvement: Providing opportunities for citizens to participate in the decisions and actions of the National Park Service.
• Heritage Education: Educating park visitors and the general public about their history and common heritage.
• Outstanding Employees: Empowering a diverse workforce committed to excellence, integrity, and quality work.
• Employee Development: Providing developmental opportunities and training so employees have the "tools to do the job" safely and efficiently.
• Wise Decisions: Integrating social, economic, environmental, and ethical considerations into the decision-making process.
• Effective Management: Instilling a performance management philosophy that fosters creativity, focuses on results, and requires accountability at all levels.
• Research and Technology: Incorporating research findings and new technologies to improve work practices, products, and services.

NPS regulatory priorities for the coming year include:

Rules for Fire Island National Seashore, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and Cape Lookout National Seashore would allow for management of off-road vehicle (ORV) use, to protect and preserve natural and cultural resources, and provide a variety of visitor use experiences while minimizing conflicts among user groups. Further, the rules would designate ORV routes and establish operational requirements and restrictions.

New rules would authorize and manage bicycling at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park.

(1) A new rule would establish a process for disposition of Unclaimed Human Remains and Funerary Objects discovered after November 16, 1990, on Federal or Indian Lands.

(2) A rule revising the existing regulations would describe the NAGPRA process in plain language, eliminate ambiguity, clarify terms, and include Native Hawaiians in the process. The rule would eliminate unnecessary requirements for museums and would not add processes or collect additional information.

The rule would account for new technology and industry practices, eliminate regulatory exemptions, update new legal requirements, remove caps on bond amounts, and allow the NPS to recover compliance costs associated with administering the regulations.

The rule will define and differentiate service animals from pets, and will describe the circumstances under which service animals would be allowed in a park area. The rule will ensure NPS compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (28 U.S.C 794) and better align NPS regulations with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 1211 et seq.) and the Department of Justice Service Animal regulations of 2011 (28 CFR 36.104).

This rule would implement provisions of the Paleontological Resources Protection Act. The rule would preserve, manage, and protect paleontological resources on Federal lands and ensure that these resources are available for current and future generations to enjoy as part of America's national heritage. The rule would address management, collection, and curation of paleontological resources from Federal lands using scientific principles and expertise. Provisions of the rule will ensure that resources are collected in accordance with permits and curated in an approved repository. The rule would also protect confidential locality data, and authorize penalties for illegally collecting, damaging, altering, defacing, or selling paleontological resources.

The rule would propose authorizing Park Superintendents to enter into agreements with federally recognized tribes to permit tribal members to collect limited quantities of plant resources in parks to be used for traditional cultural practices and activities.

Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation's mission is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. To accomplish this mission, we employ management, engineering, and science to achieve effective and environmentally sensitive solutions.

Reclamation projects provide: Irrigation water service, municipal and industrial water supply, hydroelectric power generation, water quality improvement, groundwater management, fish and wildlife enhancement, outdoor recreation, flood control, navigation, river regulation and control, system optimization, and related uses. We have continued to focus on increased security at our facilities.

Our regulatory program focus in fiscal year 2015 is to publish a proposed minor amendment to 43 CFR part 429 to bring it into compliance with the requirements of the recently published final rule, 43 CFR part 5, Commercial Filming and Similar Projects and Still Photography on Certain Areas under Department Jurisdiction. Publishing this rule will implement the provisions of Public Law 106-206, which directs the establishment of permits and reasonable fees for commercial filming and certain still photography activities on public lands.