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 plans to finalize regulations that address grants to tribally controlled community colleges and other Indian education regulations. These reviews 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.

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 finalize revisions to regulations regarding rights-of-way (25 CFR 169); Secretarial elections (25 CFR 81); the Housing Improvement Program (25 CFR 256); Indian Reservation Roads (25 CFR 170); and Indian Child Welfare Act proceedings (25 CFR 23).

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:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is updating and improving the current versions of Onshore Oil and Gas Orders (Order) for Site Security (Order 3), Oil Measurement (Order 4), and Gas Measurement (Order 5). These Orders were last updated in 1989. The primary purpose for these updates is to keep pace with changing industry practices, emerging and new technologies, respond to recommendations from the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Department of the Interior (Department) Office of the Inspector General, and the Department's Subcommittee on Royalty Management. The proposed changes address findings and recommendations that in part formed the basis for the GAO's inclusion of the Department's oil and gas program on the GAO's High Risk List in 2011 (GAO-11-278) and for its continuing to keep the program on the list in the 2013 and 2015 updates. The Orders will be published as proposed rules in 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3173, 3174 and 3175 respectively.

BLM's current requirements regarding venting and flaring of natural gas 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.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended to the BLM that steps be taken to revise its regulations with respect to onshore royalty rates to provide flexibility to change those rates. On April 21, 2015, the BLM issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on potential updates to BLM rules governing oil and gas royalty rates, rental payments, lease sale minimum bids, civil penalty caps and financial assurances. Over 82,000 comments were received by the end of the comment period on June 19, 2015. Most of the comments focused on fiscal lease terms - royalty rates, rentals, and minimum bids. There were a few comments on bonding and very few on civil penalties. The analysis of these comments is on-going and is expected to be complete by the end of calendar year 2015. Following completion of the analysis of these comments the BLM will consider possible revisions to its regulations as contemplated by GAO recommendations.

BLM will finalize a rule that would establish an efficient competitive process for leasing public lands for solar and wind energy development. The regulations will 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 will 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.

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 offering opportunities to develop the conventional and renewable energy and the underlying mineral resources of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in an efficient and effective manner, balancing the need for economic growth with the protection of the environment. BOEM oversees the expansion of domestic energy production, enhancing the potential for domestic energy independence and the generation of revenue to support the economic development of the country. BOEM thoughtfully considers and balances the potential environmental impacts associated with exploring and extracting OCS resources with the critical need for domestic energy production. BOEM's near-term regulatory agenda will focus on a number of issues, including:

One rulemaking in particular has been proposed to address recommendations submitted to BOEM by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, and other stakeholders in the renewable energy development process. Specifically, this rulemaking will clarify the role of Certified Verification Agents as part of the process of designing, fabricating, and installing offshore wind energy facilities for the OCS. Additionally, BOEM is working to transfer regulatory oversight responsibilities relating to offshore renewable energy inspections and certain enforcement activities to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). This transfer in being undertaken in an effort to implement Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3299, and will help ensure that these oversight activities will be conducted by the DOI bureau with the appropriate experience and expertise in operational matters.

BOEM's original air quality rules date largely from 1980 and have not been updated substantially since that time. From 1990 to 2011, DOI exercised jurisdiction for air quality only for OCS sources operating in the Gulf of Mexico. In fiscal year 2011, 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, and the Chukchi Sea.. BOEM will propose 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 coordinated with other bureaus and agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

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 is working 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. In order to minimize the potential adverse impact of any proposed regulations, and in an effort to take all issues and views into proper account, BOEM published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and has engaged with industry on the subject. BOEM has since issued a Notice to Lessees, will review comments, finalize guidance, and determine whether to update its regulation in this area.

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 priorities in fulfillment of its mission are to: (1) Regulate, enforce, and respond to OCS development using the full range of authorities, policies, and tools to compel safety and environmental responsibility and appropriate development of offshore oil and natural gas resources; and (2) Build and sustain the organizational, technical, and intellectual capacity within and across BSEE's key functions - capacity that keeps pace with OCS industry technology improvements, innovates in regulation and enforcement, and reduces risk through systemic assessment and regulatory and enforcement actions.

BSEE has identified the following four areas of regulatory priorities:

BSEE will finalize a rule regarding crane safety on fixed offshore platforms and will propose a rule for helicopter/helideck safety.

BSEE will update regulations for offshore oil spill response plans by incorporating requirements for improved procedures. The procedures that will be required are based on lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon spill, as well as nearly two decades of agency oversight and applicable BSEE research.

BSEE and BOEM will finalize a joint rule that promotes safe, responsible, and effective exploratory drilling activities on the Arctic OCS by taking into account the unique aspects and risks of operating in the Arctic, in order to ensure protection of the Arctic's communities and marine environment.

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

Additionally, BSEE will finalize revisions of its regulations on production safety systems and life cycle analysis. This final rule will expand the use of life cycle management of critical equipment and will address issues such as subsurface safety devices, safety device testing, and 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 is promulgating final rules to ensure compliance with the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996, which will also clarify regulatory processes and direction for lessors on Federal leases.

ONRR plans to finalize 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 rule consolidates sections of the regulations common to all minerals, such as definitions and instructions regarding how a payor should request a valuation determination. Clarify and simplify issuing notices of non-compliance and civil penalties

This rule will 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 is amending the regulations on the distribution and disbursement of qualified revenues from certain leases on the Gulf of Mexico's Outer Continental Shelf, per the statutory direction contained in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. This regulation sets 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 final 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 provides additional clarification and minor definition changes to the current revenue-sharing regulations.

The new regulations will implement the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) governing the payment of advance royalty on coal resources produced from Federal leases. The EPAct provisions amend the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (MLA). ONRR is also adding information collection requirements that are applicable to all solid minerals leases and also are necessary to implement the EPAct Federal coal advance royalty provisions.

This Direct Final Rule (DFR) amends those sections of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) pertaining to how to submit rental and bonus payments for onshore lease sales. The goals are to increase flexibility in how the Department collects these payments and to provide consistency between onshore and offshore lease sale payments and collections. The DFR changes references to paying rents and bonuses from the BLM State Office to paying rents and bonuses as stipulated in the terms of a BLM Lease Sale Notice. BLM will notify potential bidders of their payment options in the Lease Sale Notice during the pre-sale notification process, which occurs 90 days prior to the lease sale date. This additional flexibility will allow for a transition period for successful implementation and coordination between BLM and ONRR.

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 finalize 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:

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. We will issue a rule to improve the process for listing species by revising 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. In accordance with Executive Order 13563 ("Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review"), 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.

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. In compliance with E.O. 13563, beginning with the 2016-17 hunting season, we are using a new schedule for promulgating these regulations that is more efficient and will provide potential season dates for the States to consider much earlier than was possible under the old process. For example, we anticipate proposing season frameworks in December 2015, instead of during the summer of 2016, which will make planning easier for the States and all parties interested in migratory bird hunting.

We will also issue a programmatic environmental impact statement to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a proposal to authorize incidental take of migratory birds under the MBTA. We are considering rulemaking to address various approaches to regulating incidental take of migratory birds. The rulemaking would establish appropriate standards for any such regulatory approach to ensure that incidental take of migratory birds is appropriately mitigated, which may include requiring measures to avoid or minimize take or securing compensation.

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.

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 from trust fund and excise tax revenues, and the FWS relies on the States to implement eligible conservation projects. Planned regulatory revisions will help to reflect several new decisions that State and Federal partners have agreed upon, and to clarify language in clear and precise terms. We will expand on existing regulations that prescribe processes that applicants and grantees must follow when applying for and managing grants from FWS. We will also revise our regulations under the Clean Vessel Act program to improve management and execution of that program.

In accordance with section 3(a) of Executive Order 13609 ("Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation"), 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 finalize 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 importation and interstate transportation and commerce of injurious wildlife.

National Park Service

The National Park Service (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. The 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.

The NPS regulatory priorities for the coming year include:

Rules for Fire Island National Seashore, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Cape Lookout National Seashore, and Big Cypress National Preserve 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.

A new rule would authorize and allow for management of bicycling at Rocky Mountain 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.

NPS will revise its existing regulations to 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 will authorize 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 2016 is to publish a proposed minor amendment to 43 CFR part 429 to bring it into compliance with the requirements of 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.