36 CFR Chapter XI - ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD

This proposed rule would establish regulations for hunting and trapping seasons, harvest limits, and methods and means related to taking of wildlife for subsistence uses during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board is on a schedule of completing the process of revising subsistence taking of wildlife regulations in even-numbered years and subsistence taking of fish and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable cycle. When final, the resulting rulemaking will replace the existing subsistence wildlife taking regulations. This rule would also amend the general regulations on subsistence taking of fish and wildlife.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is briefly postponing the effective date of its recently-promulgated final rule that establishes revised accessibility standards and guidelines for information and communication technology (ICT). The ICT final rule was published in the Federal Register on January 18, 2017, and is scheduled to become effective on March 20, 2017. A brief postponement of this effective date is necessitated by the memorandum from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” (Jan. 20, 2017), which generally calls on Federal agencies to delay the effective dates of published, but not-yet-effective, final rules for 60 days from the date of the memorandum. The ICT final rule will take effect on March 21, 2017.

NARA is amending our Location of NARA Facilities and Hours of Use regulation to add the address and contact information for the Barack Obama Presidential Library. These changes will affect all people who wish to access records from the Barack Obama Presidential administration.

In accordance with a January 20, 2017, memorandum of the Chief of Staff for the White House, we, the National Park Service, are delaying the effective date of a rule we published on January 12, 2017.

This document delays the effective date of a final rule titled, “Roadless Area Conservation; National Forest System Lands in Colorado,” that was published in the Federal Register on December 19, 2016 reinstating the North Fork Coal Mining Area exception to the Colorado Roadless Rule.

We are amending our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations on access to NARA's archival holdings and our operational records to make them consistent with the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, and a few small administrative changes to remain current. The rule affects individuals and organizations that file FOIA requests for access to NARA operational records and archival holdings.

The National Park Service amends it regulations for National Park System units in Alaska to allow qualified subsistence users to collect nonedible fish and wildlife parts and plants for creating handicrafts for barter and customary trade. The rule also clarifies that capturing, collecting or possessing living wildlife is generally prohibited and adopts restrictions on using human-produced foods to bait bears for subsistence uses.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board or Board) is issuing accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment. The standards for medical diagnostic equipment (MDE Standards) contain minimum technical criteria to ensure that medical diagnostic equipment, including but not limited to, examination tables, examination chairs, weight scales, mammography equipment, and other imaging equipment used by health care providers for diagnostic purposes are accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. The MDE Standards will allow independent entry to, use of, and exit from the equipment by individuals with disabilities to the maximum extent possible. The MDE Standards do not impose any mandatory requirements on health care providers or medical device manufacturers. However, other agencies, referred to as enforcing authorities in the MDE Standards, may issue regulations or adopt policies that require health care providers subject to their jurisdiction to acquire accessible medical diagnostic equipment that complies with the MDE Standards.

The National Park Service proposes to revise the regulation that defines smoking to include the use of electronic cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems. The National Park Service also proposes to allow a superintendent to close an area, building, structure, or facility to smoking when necessary to maintain public health and safety.

The National Park Service (NPS) amends its special regulation for off-road vehicle (ORV) use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, to revise the times that certain beaches open to ORV use in the morning, to extend the dates that certain seasonal ORV routes are open in the fall and spring, and to modify the size and location of certain vehicle-free areas. The NPS was required to consider these changes by section 3057 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. The NPS also amends this special regulation to allow the Superintendent to issue ORV permits for different lengths of time than are currently allowed, and to remove an ORV route designation on Ocracoke Island to allow vehicle access to a soundside area without the requirement of an ORV permit.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reinstating the North Fork Coal Mining Area exception to the Colorado Roadless Rule. The Colorado Roadless Rule is a State-specific rule that establishes management direction for the conservation of roadless area values and characteristics across approximately 4.2 million acres of land located within the State of Colorado in Roadless Areas on National Forest System (NFS) lands. The North Fork Coal Mining Area exception to the Colorado Roadless Rule provides for the construction of temporary roads, if needed, for coal exploration and coal-related surface activities in the 19,700-acre area defined as the North Fork Coal Mining Area. The Colorado Roadless Rule was promulgated on July 3, 2012, but the U.S. District Court for the State of Colorado ruled that the environmental analysis performed by the U.S. Forest Service on behalf of the USDA pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act was deficient. The Forest Service prepared a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to respond to the specific deficiencies identified in that U.S. District Court ruling. In addition, an administrative correction is being conducted by the USDA for Colorado Roadless Area (CRA) boundaries associated with the North Fork Coal Mining Area based on updated information. The correction adds an additional 200 acres to the roadless area in the 2012 Colorado Roadless Rule. These boundary corrections address changes identified by new road survey information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is amending regulations pertaining to the National Forest System Land Management Planning. This final rule amends the 2012 rule and is intended to clarify the Department's direction for plan amendments, including direction for amending land management plans developed under the 1982 rule.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board or Board) is issuing a final rule that revises its existing accessibility guidelines for non-rail vehicles—namely, buses, over-the-road buses, and vans—acquired or remanufactured by entities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The revised guidelines ensure that such vehicles are readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is required to revise its accessibility standards for transportation vehicles acquired or remanufactured by entities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to be consistent with the final rule.

We are updating our service-wide regulations governing the exercise of non-federal oil and gas rights, to improve our ability to protect park resources, values, and visitors from potential impacts associated with nonfederal oil and gas operations located within National Park Service units outside Alaska. The rule also makes the regulations consistent with existing policies and practices, and updates the format to improve clarity and simplify application and compliance for oil and gas operators and our employees.

The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to revise its general rule governing the sale and distribution of printed matter to include the free distribution of message-bearing items that do not meet the NPS regulatory definition of “printed matter.” This change would give visitors an alternative channel of communication while protecting the resources and values of the National Park System.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service is proposing to amend regulations pertaining to the National Forest System Land Management Planning. The proposed rule would amend the administrative procedures to amend land management plans developed or revised in conformance with the provisions under a prior planning rule.

The USDA Forest Service is implementing regulations under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (hereinafter the “2008 Farm Bill”). This rule provides for the provision of trees, portions of trees, or forest products from National Forest System lands, free of charge, to federally recognized Indian tribes (Indian tribes) for traditional and cultural purposes. This rule implements section 8105 of the 2008 Farm Bill.

The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to amend its special regulation for off-road vehicle (ORV) use at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, to revise the times that certain beaches open to ORV use in the morning, extend the dates that certain seasonal ORV routes are open in the fall and spring, and modify the size and location of vehicle-free areas. Consideration of changes to this special regulation was required by section 3057 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. The NPS also proposes to amend this special regulation to allow the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to issue ORV permits that would be valid for different lengths of time than currently exist, and to replace an ORV route designation on Ocracoke Island with a park road to allow vehicle access and pedestrian use of a soundside area without the requirement for an ORV permit.

This final rule establishes regulations for seasons, harvest limits, and methods and means related to the taking of wildlife for subsistence uses in Alaska for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) completes the biennial process of revising subsistence hunting and trapping regulations in even-numbered years and subsistence fishing and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable biennial cycle. This rule also revises wildlife customary and traditional use determinations.

NARA proposes to revise its records management regulations to reflect executive actions, statutory changes, advances in technology, and organizational changes. This is phase II of the revisions and includes changes to provisions in transferring records to the National Archives of the United States, managing electronic records, and managing audiovisual, cartographic, and related records.

The National Park Service is establishing a management framework to allow the gathering and removal of plants or plant parts by enrolled members of federally recognized Indian tribes for traditional purposes. The rule authorizes agreements between the National Park Service and federally recognized tribes that will facilitate the continuation of tribal cultural practices on lands within areas of the National Park System where those practices traditionally occurred, without causing a significant adverse impact to park resources or values. This rule respects those tribal cultural practices, furthers the government-to-government relationship between the United States and the tribes, and provides system-wide consistency for this aspect of National Park Service-tribal relations.

The National Park Service is extending the public comment period for the proposed rule to amend its special regulations for Golden Gate National Recreation Area regarding dog walking. Reopening the comment period for 30 days will allow more time for the public to review the proposal and submit comments. This document also corrects Table 4 to § 7.97 in the proposed rule by removing the designation of Ocean Beach as a Voice and Sight Control Area for walking four to six dogs that was included by an administrative error. The proposed rule also contained a typographical error in the email address for persons to contact the NPS for further information. The correct email address is goga_dogmgt@nps.gov.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is making a minor administrative revision to its fees regulation to set a time limit for requesting refunds of reproduction fees.

The Federal Subsistence Board is adopting, without change, a direct final rule that revised the list of areas in Alaska determined to be nonrural for purposes of the Federal Subsistence Program to the list that existed prior to 2007. Accordingly, the community of Saxman and the area of Prudhoe Bay were removed from the nonrural list. The following areas continue to be nonrural, but their boundaries returned to their previous borders: The Kenai Area; the Wasilla/Palmer area; the Homer area; and the Ketchikan area. Because we received no substantive adverse comments on the direct final rule, it is now effective.

NARA proposes to revise its records management regulations to reflect changes in technology, practice, and organizational structure. This is phase I of the revisions and includes changes to provisions in regulations on managing vital records, records disposition programs, general records schedules, emergency authorization to destroy records, transfer of records to records storage facilities, transfer, use, and disposition of records in a NARA Federal Records Center, and program assistance and inspections.

NARA is amending this regulation to update provisions in accord with recent developments, including completed processing of the five chronological tape segments, as required by section 6 of the Kutler settlement agreement. The changes are primarily administrative and focus on changes to certain access and notice provisions currently in the regulations, as well as minor word and sentence changes in line with Plain Language Act provisions. Because NARA has completed the requirements of the Kutler Settlement agreement, we are removing it as an appendix to this part.

The National Park Service proposes to amend its special regulations for Golden Gate National Recreation Area regarding dog walking. The rule would apply to 22 locations within the park and would designate areas within these locations for on-leash and regulated ( i.e., voice and sight control) off-leash dog walking. Areas in these 22 locations that are not designated as open to dogs would be closed to dogs, except for service animals in accordance with National Park Service regulations. The rule would modify and, in some circumstances, relax the National Park System-wide pet regulations for these 22 locations. To the extent not modified by this rule, dog walking in all NPS-managed areas within the park would continue to be regulated under National Park System-wide pet regulations.

This proposed rule would establish regulations for fish and shellfish seasons, harvest limits, methods, and means related to taking of fish and shellfish for subsistence uses during the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) is on a schedule of completing the process of revising subsistence taking of fish and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years and subsistence taking of wildlife regulations in even-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable cycle. When final, the resulting rulemaking will replace the existing subsistence fish and shellfish taking regulations. This proposed rule would also amend the general regulations on subsistence taking of fish and wildlife.

The United States Department of Agriculture (Department) is issuing this rule to carry out Stewardship End Result Contracting Projects. This authority originated on a limited pilot basis and then was expanded through a succession of subsequent amendments and continued into Fiscal Year 2014. The enactment of section 8205 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Act) establishes permanent authority to conduct Stewardship End Result Contracting projects by adding a new section 604 to the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA). Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the regulations implementing this permanent authority. These regulations generally follow the Forest Service policy and processes that have been in place for some time. The regulations revise existing Forest Service policy to provide greater uniformity in the administration of the various mechanisms used by the Forest Service to implement stewardship projects.

The Chattooga Wild and Scenic River is located in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina, the Sumter National Forest in South Carolina and the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. Forest Service regulations generally prohibit floating activities on the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River unless authorized by a permit. On January 31, 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service issued decisions to change some of the locations where, and conditions under which, boating would be allowed. Consequently, the Forest Service proposes to amend the regulations to more accurately reflect the new management direction for the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River.